At our November 20 Orchestra Hall concert, CYSO will welcome back acclaimed trumpeter and 2000 alum Mary Elizabeth Bowden. Mary joined us last fall for the Chicago premiere of Vivian Fung’s Concerto for Trumpet, and on November 20, she will perform the world premiere of another exciting new piece—Clarice Assad’s Bohemian Queen: Concerto for Trumpet and String Orchestra.
Mary Elizabeth Bowden has built an in-demand career as a soloist, praised for her “splendid, brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine). She has also worked to establish a new repertoire for trumpet through creative, collaborative commissioning projects and award-winning albums, with a particular focus on women composers and composers of color.
For this commission, Chicago-based, Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad was inspired by the work of Chicago surrealist painter Gertrude Abercrombie. Bohemian Queen takes its title from Abercrombie’s reputation as “queen of the bohemian artists.” Assad, a GRAMMY-nominated composer with more than 70 works to her credit, was inspired not only by the dreamlike, otherworldly settings in Abercrombie’s work, but also the painter’s love of jazz music and friendships with many of the jazz greats of the day.
CYSO is thrilled to bring together this powerhouse combination of women artists with deep Chicago connections. Don’t miss the world premiere of Bohemian Queen at Orchestra Hall! Tickets on sale now
