2 February 2013 7:30 p.m.
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| Bach-Respighi | Three Chorale Preludes |
| Dvořák | Te Deum |
| Bruch | Kol Nidrei |
| Bernstein | Chichester Psalms |
Since moving to Seattle from New York City in 2000 and returning to cello playing after a 12-year hiatus, Miriam Shames has established a career of varied activities. A passionate teacher, she works with students of all ages and levels on Mercer Island, in her Seattle studio on Queen Anne, and as a faculty member at the Puget Sound Chamber Music Workshop. As a freelance performer, Ms. Shames served as Principal cellist of Philharmonia Northwest in 2011-12, Assistant Principal of the Tacoma Symphony for three years, has played with Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Northwest Sinfonietta, Seattle Choral Company, and as soloist with the Cascadian Chorale. She has also been part of ensembles for film scores recorded regularly in Seattle. One of her favorite projects is playing as a member of the Scottish acoustic ensemble, Iona Abbey, with bagpiper-extraordinaire Tyrone Heade. Her performance today of Bruch’s Kol Nidrei draws on a rich background in Jewish music, gained growing up and performing in a musical home with her father, a cantor.
Ms. Shames earned a BA in Literature from Yale University and a Masters degree in Performance from Juilliard. After Juilliard, she worked as an arts administrator for 12 years in Manhattan, including five years as Executive Director of the Piatigorsky Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to make live classical performances part of everyday life for underserved communities. In Seattle, she has brought this experience to her work as consultant for the Carlsen Cello Foundation which now has over 70 cellos on loan to students across the country who could not otherwise afford the instrument they need and deserve. She lives on top of Queen Anne with her husband, photographer Michael Cole and their cat, Natasha. On their honeymoon this past summer, they traveled 3,500 miles across the United States on Michael’s BMW motorcycle following the historic Lincoln Highway.
Ms. Shames plays a George Panormo cello (London, c. 1820) generously loaned to her by the Carlsen Cello Foundation in Seattle.