Evergreen & Oak TrioEvergreen & Oak is a chamber music trio dedicated to sharing the music of living composers, particularly women, with audiences in engaging, intimate, and memorable performances. Our ensemble consists of Rose Bishop (she/her), flute, Dr. Abbie Brewer (she/her), piano, and Dr. Lisa Neher (she/her), mezzo-soprano & composer.
The program for the tour is a combination of trios, duets, and solos by living composers with a particular emphasis on women composers, including: Bentley Roses (Jennifer Higdon & James Whitcomb Riley), Theme for Young Love (Sabrina Peña Young), Stations of Angels (Leslie Uyeda & Joy Kogawa), Rhythms from the North Country (Gwyneth Walker) and Neher's works she conjures (libretto by bea goodwin) and Seal Mother. The music is lyrical and dramatic, illustrating the lives of animals, the experiences of living in urban and rural environments, the beauty found in the natural world around us, and questions of revenge versus justice in the wake of witch trials. Meet the artists after the concert. Fall 2023 Pacific NW TourFriday, October 13, 7:30 pm: Lady Hill Winery, St. Paul, OR
Saturday, October 14, 3:00 pm: Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
Free and open to the public Flute Masterclass with Rose Bishop to follow 4:30 pm: Composing for Singers Workshop with Dr. Lisa Neher for WWU Students Sunday, October 15, 2:00 pm Canadian Music Centre Murray Adaskin Salon,
837 Davie Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 1B7 Canada |
About the Artists
Rose Bishop is Instructor of Flute at St. Ambrose University, Coe College, Cornell College, and Kirkwood Community College. She serves as Principal Flute of the Southeast Iowa and Quincy Symphony Orchestras, Acting Second Flute with the Dubuque Symphony, and has performed with many others throughout the Midwest.
Bishop has appeared as a guest soloist with several ensembles, including numerous university and municipal bands in the USA, England, France, Switzerland, Austria,Germany, and Belgium, in addition to enjoying various guest artist residencies at universities throughout the nation. Bishop has performed, lectured, and presented at events including the National Flute Association, Kansas Wesleyan International Music Festival, to name a couple. Bishop is the Flute Faculty and Founder of the Eastern Iowa Flute Workshop is amember of the National Flute Associations Career and Artistic Development Committee and co-author of A Flutists Guide to the Voxman Etudes. Her solo debut album, Diversions, was released September, 2022. www.rosebishopflute.com |
Dr. Abbie Brewer is a pianist, teacher, and travel enthusiast based in Cedar Rapids, IA. She began studying the piano at the age of 8 in Nebraska. After moving to Iowa in junior high, she began exploring collaborative performance by accompanying her junior high choir. Active involvement in music throughout high school led her to pursue a degree in music education. As a student at Wartburg College, Abbie continued to accompany and began teaching piano to elementary students in the Tower School of Music. Her first teaching position took her to southern California where she also earned her masters degree from Azusa Pacific University. She returned to Iowa for her doctoral studies at the University of Iowa, and continued to teach piano and perform collaboratively, taking advantage of chamber music opportunities in Bulgaria and Italy. Currently, Abbie teaches courses in piano, music theory, and music history at Coe College. She performs with Durward contemporary music ensemble, the Coe College Concert Choir, and is in demandas a pianist in the Cedar Rapids area. Abbie has been praised for her thoughtful playing as well as for her confident, direct approach to teaching.
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Dr. Lisa Neher (she/her, NEER) is an award-winning composer and new music mezzo on a mission to transform audiences through sound, story, and vulnerability. Praised as a "small woman with a very big voice" and "especially alive" (OregonArtsWatch), Nehers performance credits include Third Angle New Music, Really Spicy Opera, Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre Oregon, New Music Gathering, Resonance Ensemble, Experiments in Opera, Renegade Opera, and Big Mouth Society. She is a member of Portland Opera Chorus.
Described as a" visionary composer" (Willamette Week) and a maestro of "beautifully wacky noises" (Oregon ArtsWatch), Nehers compositions are inspired by the climate crisis, the tender love of family and friends, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life. She has been commissioned and performed by the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Cincinnati Song Initiative, Third Angle New Music, FearNoMusic, Dinosaur Annex, and New Opera West, among others. In addition to her creative work, Lisa is an artistic and business coach for singers and composers. For more information, visit www.lisanehermusic.com |
Program
Bentley Roses (selections) by James Whitcomb Riley & Jennifer Higdon
Rhythms from the North Country by Gwyneth Walker
American Waters by Lisa Neher
Bokeh by Zachery Meier
Little Fish by D.H. Lawrence & Lisa Neher
Leopard Yoruba folk poem, translated by Ulli Beier & Lisa Neher
Zéphyros by Marco Zàppia
American City (selections) by Judith Lang Zaimont
Seal Mother by Lisa Neher
she conjures by bea goodwin & Lisa Neher
Song of the Forgotten Rose by Sabrina Peña Young
Rhythms from the North Country by Gwyneth Walker
American Waters by Lisa Neher
Bokeh by Zachery Meier
Little Fish by D.H. Lawrence & Lisa Neher
Leopard Yoruba folk poem, translated by Ulli Beier & Lisa Neher
Zéphyros by Marco Zàppia
American City (selections) by Judith Lang Zaimont
Seal Mother by Lisa Neher
she conjures by bea goodwin & Lisa Neher
Song of the Forgotten Rose by Sabrina Peña Young