Resonance Works gives Pittsburgh premiere in Requiem for Water Choral and orchestral program features works by Reena Esmail, Nancy Galbraith, and Aaron Copland

 

Resonance Works' 2024 performance of Reena Esmail's 'This Love Between Us' • Photo by Alisa Innocenti Resonance Works brings more music that deserves to be heard to Pittsburgh this March with Requiem for Water, a choral and orchestral program that explores our relationship with the natural world, including one another. This reflective, energetic, and hopeful concert plays Friday March 6 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, PA and Sunday March 8 at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh in Shadyside. Requiem for Water features the regional premiere of composer Reena Esmail’s “profound choral jewel” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Malhaar: A Requiem for Water. Written in 2023, during a time of extreme drought in California, Malhaar weaves together the Latin Requiem, Hindustani musical tradition, and the poetry of Wendell Berry and William O’Daly to reflect on water as both a physical necessity and a shared human inheritance. Esmail calls the piece a “hopeful requiem,” saying, “While the collective loss has been so tremendous, we can still hold out hope that if we change our relationship to the earth, we might beckon the rain back.”  Malhaar features Hindustani vocalist Vidita Kanniks, making her Resonance Works debut. She is a well-known performer across both Western and Indian classical music circles, and is a regular interpreter of Esmail’s music. “Reena's work is so important to me,” says Kanniks, “as it dances between two extremely rich legacy traditions that are fundamentally so different from one another in conception and performance practice, but truly have the capability to come together seamlessly when represented with integrity. I consider myself a musician who is "bilingual" across both traditions, so it's a particularly special experience for me to get to bring life to music that equally showcases the core of my musical identity.” Kanniks will be joined in performance by the Resonance Works Festival Chorus, tabla player Asish Sinha, percussionist Abby Langhorst, and soprano Charlene Canty.  Hindustani vocalist Vidita Kanniks and soprano Charlene Canty “Two years ago, our audience and artists expressed deeply meaningful reactions to our performances of Esmail’s This Love Between Us, with its stunning music and universally humanist message,” says Artistic and General Director Maria Sensi Sellner, who will conduct these concerts. “One patron stopped me in the parking lot to say that her music reminds us what we love about music, and I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Malhaar stirs a range of similar feelings - awe, fear of loss, grief, serenity, and ultimately hope.”  (Resonance Works’ 2024 performance of This Love Between Us will be featured on WQED-FM’s Performance in Pittsburgh on Friday February 20 at 7pm.) This special program also marks the return of Nancy Galbraith’s Flute Concerto, a Resonance Works commission that was given its world premiere in 2019, featuring acclaimed flutist Lindsey Goodman. Galbraith, a professor of composition at Carnegie Mellon University, wrote the piece for Goodman; “I prefer to write for musicians I know, and I feel so blessed that I live and work in Pittsburgh, where there is a treasure chest full of world-class musicians,” says Galbraith. “You'll know when you hear it that the concerto is a showcase for Lindsey’s amazing talents and her truly delightful personality!” The concerto reflects Goodman’s energetic disposition and shows off some of her signature specialties, including electroacoustics and extended techniques. Percussion also plays a prominent role in the piece, creating an immersive effect in the second movement.  Lindsey Goodman performing the world premiere of Nancy Galbraith's Flute Concerto in 2019 • Photo by Alisa Innocenti Requiem for Water also features Aaron Copland’s stirring orchestral work, Quiet City. Originally written in 1939 as incidental music for a play of the same name by Irwin Shaw, Quiet City’s blues-infused, dreamlike score captures the kind of loneliness that can only be felt when one is surrounded by millions of strangers. English horn player Hilary Philipp and trumpeter Adam Gillespie give voice to the play’s main character, a lonely Jewish boy who finds comfort in playing the trumpet. “Requiem for Water reminds us of just how interconnected we are to one another, something I think is very important to speak about right now. Whether that’s through a shared natural resource, the magic of creating something together, or finding community through art, who we are and what we do impacts the world around us,” says Sellner. “In curating these pieces, our intention is to evoke a sense of shared responsibility for the good in our world, inspiring us to treat our planet and each other with care.” Composers Reena Esmail and Nancy Galbraith Requiem for Water Friday, March 6, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA 15106 Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh 605 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Run time: 100 minutes including one intermission Tickets: $17.50 - $50, with special rates for seniors and students Ticketing, group sales, and general questions: sales@resworks.org (412) 501-3330

About Resonance Works Resonance Works presents music that deserves to be heard, performed at the highest level of artistry, giving new context to beloved classics and introducing new and underperformed works to Pittsburgh audiences. Performed in the intimacy of small theatres, churches, art galleries, and even cemeteries, our productions heighten the soul-stirring experience of live music by bringing audiences and artists into close proximity.  Our programming is intentionally diverse, exploring the full breadth of classical music performance from fully staged opera to orchestral, choral, and chamber music. We challenge traditional assumptions about classical music, engaging audiences, sparking conversations, and creating community through shared experiences. By cultivating dynamic partnerships with nationally and internationally renowned artists, we create musical experiences that empower the artists’ voices and speak to urgent contemporary issues. We believe in creating equitable musical spaces where everyone in our community feels welcome and has the opportunity to see their experience reflected on stage. Accessibility: At Resonance Works, we are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment. We will provide venue-specific accessibility details closer to each performance date. If you have questions or require specific accommodations, please contact Brennan Sellner at brennan@resworks.org or 412-501-3330, and we will make every effort to work with you.

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