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The Program

Gabriela Lena Frank - Elegía Andina

Rodion Shchedrin - Carmen Suite (selections)


Guido Lopez-Gavilan - Cantus


OKAN Duo

• Elizabeth Rodriguez, violin and vocals

• Magdelys Savigne, percussion and vocals
  
  

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Concert Snapshots

• Elegía Andina was written while Frank was completing her doctorate in musical arts and marked the beginning of her orchestral career.

• Shchedrin arranged Carmen Suite for his wife, Bolshoi ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, transforming Bizet’s opera into a ballet scored for strings and percussion.

• Guido López-Gavilán was born into a musical family. His mother gave him piano lessons and his father taught him his first guitar chords.

• In 2024, OKAN performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert.
  

Want to learn more? Click the button below to explore articles about the composers and the pieces, and read the program notes.

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Explore the Music

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Wine Sponsor

Before the concert and during intermission:

• Wine is available from our wine sponsor.

• Sweet treats and non-alcoholic drinks are also available.

• All proceeds support the Walla Walla Symphony.

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About the Guest Artists

OKAN

Taking its name from the word for heart or soul in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, 2-Time JUNO Winner OKAN fuses Afro-Cuban and other global rhythms with jazz, folk and classical forms.

Embracing genres and roles that have historically been dominated by men, co-leaders, composers and multi-instrumentalists Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne bring a fresh perspective to Latin and world jazz fusion through their powerful vocals, incredible musicianship and potent lyrical content.

Both are JUNO-nominees for their work with Battle of Santiago and Grammy-nominees for their contributions to Jane Bunnett and Maqueque of which they are former members.

Having worked with Bomba Estereo, Lido Pimienta, Bianca Gismonti among others, OKAN follows up on their Juno-nominated and Independent Music Award-winning debut album Sombras, with their JUNO Award-winning album Espiral, and a JUNO Award-winning album OKANTOMI, out on the Lulaworld Records label.​

Born in Havana, Cuba, Elizabeth Rodriguez is a classically trained violinist who served as concertmaster for Havana’s Youth Orchestra.

Magdelys Savigne hails from Santiago de Cuba and graduated with honours in orchestral percussion from Havana’s University of the Arts. 

okanmusica.com

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Dig Deeper

• Borders-leaping composer Gabriela Lena Frank champions change: ‘I’m a woman of color who is partially deaf’ (San Diego Union Tribune)

• Part Teacher, Part Den Mother, a Composer Fosters Diversity (New York Times)

• The Cleveland Orchestra plays Shchedrin’s Carmen ballet with phantasmagorical brilliance (bachtrack.com)

• 5 Questions to Guido López Gavilán (composer) (I Care If You Listen)

• Okan: Doing Whatever We Want (Afropop Worldwide)

• A Conversation With Cuban-Canadian Duo OKAN (Billboard Canada FYI)

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Program Notes

GABRIELA LENA FRANK
Born September 26, 1972, in Berkeley, California

Elegía Andina (2000)

Last WWS Performance: First performance at tonight’s concert
Approximate length: 11 minutes 

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RODION SHCHEDRIN
Born December 16, 1932, in Moscow, Russia

Carmen Suite (1973)

Last WWS Performance: First performance at tonight’s concert
Approximate length: 30 minutes

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GUIDO LÓPEZ-GAVILÁN
Born January 3, 1944, in Matanzas, Cuba

Cantus (2015)

Last WWS Performance: First performance at tonight’s concert
Approximate length: 8 minutes

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