Jenni Brandon’s Colored Stones, Movement III, Tiger’s Eye, performed by Kristin Wolfe Jensen. The Miro Quartet with Professor Jensen are in concert on Friday, March 25, 2022, at the San Fernando Cathedral, 115 Main Plaza, San Antonio, Texas, 78205. This performance is part of the 8th Annual International Music Festival by Musical Bridges Around the World.
Musical Bridges Around the World is a multicultural arts organization focused on education and creating one-of-a-kind performances by internationally renowned artists for the benefit of the general public and underserved youth and elderly communities, while fostering San Antonio’s reputation as a cosmopolitan cultural center. All the organization’s public performances are free! What makes our programming unique is the pairing of Grammy-Award winning artists with folk, classical and jazz musicians across genres.
The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated string quartets and became the first ensemble ever to be awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant, is joined by Kristen Jensen Wolfe, professor of Bassoon at the University of Texas at the Austin Butler School of Music. The Miro Quartet features Daniel Ching — violin, John Largess – viola, William Fedkenheuer – violin, Joshua Gindele – cello, with Kristen Wolfe Jensen — bassoon.
The program is
The Lark
Friday 25 March 2022
7:00 PM
San Fernando Cathedral
Colored Stones for solo bassoon tells the story of three stones: smoky quartz, lapis lazuli, and tiger’s eye. Some cultures and spiritual practices believe these stones have powerful qualities such as the ability to heal, protect, and offer spiritual guidance. The bassoon explores these beautiful stones’ unique qualities.
Smoky Quartz – An incredibly grounding stone, this smoky brown stone transforms and diffuses negative energy. The bassoon changes from a sense of grounding to playfulness, exploring this balance of energy. In the end, it always finds its way back to telling the story of the grounding quality of the stone.
Lapis Lazuli — Prized for its colors, this deep blue stone was used by kings and queens in paintings and ceremonial robes. Believed to help foster truthful expression and communication, it supports the immune system and brings peace. The bassoon explores the luxurious blue color, mixing in flashes of gold found in the stone.
Tiger’s Eye – Tiger’s eye, a golden brown to deep red stone, is very grounding and can bring luck and ward off evil. The bassoon is sometimes “protective and seeing,” moving quickly to remove the look of the “evil eye” and other times moving dreamily through an ancient landscape of protective energy.
It was an honor to be chosen as the winner of the 2014 Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition and to have this work premiered by Susan Nelson.
This work is available for purchase through Imagine Music Publishing.