Ready or Not: Palaver Strings Album Release Party

Grazyna Bacewicz -- Concerto for String Orchestra
i. Allegro, ii. Andante, iii. Vivo

Rebecca Clarke -- The Seal Man💛

Nadia Boulanger -- Chanson “Elle a vendu mon coeur”💛

Barbara Strozzi -- Lagrime Mie
i n t e r m i s s i o n

Akenya Seymour -- Fear the Lamb
i. Bobo’s Blues, ii. Gorgeous and Gallant-Gory and Galvanizing, iii. Elegy for Emmett Louis Till

Florence Price -- Bewilderment & The Washerwoman💛

Connie Converse -- Father Neptune💛

Liz Knowles & Elizabeth Moore -- Treehouse/Jig for John #2/Fore Street

💛 = Featuring Sophie Michaux (mezzo-soprano); arrangement by Adam J. Simon

About the performers:
Palaver Strings is a musician-led string ensemble and nonprofit organization based in Portland, ME, whose mission is to strengthen and inspire community through music. Palaver’s musicians share artistic and administrative leadership, guided by a passion for engaging new audiences, addressing social justice issues, and amplifying underrepresented voices through classical music. Each year, Palaver presents over 40 live performances featuring diverse musical programming, cross-genre projects, and community collaborations. Equally committed to education, Palaver offers music instruction to over 325 students per year through the Palaver Music Center in Portland, ME.

Praised for her “warm, colorful mezzo” by Opera News, Sophie Michaux has become one of Boston’s most versatile and compelling vocalists. Born in London and raised in the French alps, Sophie’s unique background informs her artistic identity, making her feel at home in an eclectic span of repertoire ranging from grand opera to French cabaret songs. Winner of the 2nd place in the Handel Aria Competition in Madison WI, and a 2019 Finalist in the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition, Sophie is a sought-after soloist on the concert platform. Recent engagements on the concert platform include the Bach Magnificat (New England Classical Singers) and B Minor Mass (ChoralArt), Beethoven’s Mass in C (Chorus of Westerly), Duruflé’s Requiem (Trinity Church of Boston), Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle