A group of musicians is at work in a Santa Barbara home, preparing for the world premiere of a new work this weekend.
It’s groundbreaking in many ways. It’s chamber music. It features a clarinet, a cello, a marimba, and believe it or not, an accordion.
The Camerata Pacifica premiere of the work Petite Suite was written by Grammy nominated composer Clarice Assad. The Brazilian songwriter created the work for acclaimed French accordionist Julien Labro.
"I feel fortunate to be part of the creative process, and at the same time, the more of this kind of repertoire we build, 50 years from now people won't be so surprised a accordion belongs in that kind of setting," said Labro.
Labro admits many people don’t associate classical music, and the accordion. But, he said he’s hoping works like this will open minds, and ears to the possibilities.
"It is amazing...it's a lot of pressure," said Labro. "You never want to let down anyone, starting with the composer, and the audience, too. Everyone expects something."
For the Santa Barbara based chamber music organization, it’s a chance to step away from the traditional.
"How do you define classical music in the 21st century? We're in this amazing creative space," said Adrian Spence, who is Camerata Pacifica’s Founder, and Artistic Director. "This is the golden age for classical music."
"We can listen to Mozart. We can listen to Beethoven. We can listen to Brahms. But, we can also bring this in," said Spence.
Labro said he loves playing the instrument, and pushing the ways it can be incorporated into music.
The world premiere of Petite Suite will be presented as a part of a concert featuring a number of works from composers around the world.
The Camerata Pacifica performances will kick off with one at the Music Academy of the West Friday night, and the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Sunday afternoon. The Santa Barbara based performing arts group will then have additional performances next week in San Marino and Los Angeles.
