Seattle Symphony performs Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” starting Thursday evening at Benaroya Hall.
The performances will also include a new flute concerto. It’s called “Rhapsody on a Theme by Joni.”
“It’s a wonderful, wonderful work,” said Seattle Symphony principal flutist Demarre McGill. “It’s by a composer and flutist who I've admired over many years, Allison Loggins-Hull.”
McGill said the piece was inspired by two women – Joni Mitchell and New York flutist Alex Sopp, a friend of Loggins-Hull.
“They got together and made this happen,” McGill said. “And I'm just so grateful to be able to give the West Coast premiere of this pretty spectacular work.”
The melody for “Rhapsody on a Theme by Joni” echoes Mitchell’s song “My Old Man” from her 1971 album Blue.
“I listened to Joni Mitchell's ‘My Old Man’ a whole bunch of times,” McGill said. “I like to sort of over-saturate myself with not only the piece – but if I have access to the inspiration behind the piece – just to get the vibe, get the feel for that initial inspiration.”
‘The most amazing first lesson’
McGill and the flute have been inseparable since he was seven years old and living in a musical household.
“I found this flute that was gifted to my father by my mother, and I ran down to the kitchen and said ‘Daddy, how do you do this?’” McGill recalled. “And he just told me how to put the instrument together and gave me the most amazing first lesson ever."
“He said, ‘you blow across it like you blow across a Coke bottle.’ That changed my life,” McGill continued. “It was such a simple instruction. It made what could have possibly been tricky, really easy for a seven year old.”
That lesson from his father has taken McGill far, to concert stages across the country, including two stints as principal flutist with the Seattle Symphony. His current run in Seattle started in 2017.
As his career continues, McGill is making it a priority to undertake performances of works created by Black composers.
“One of the things that brings me great joy is to perform works that represent my community and the time that I'm living in,” McGill said. “The commissioning of Black composers to write works for me to perform is everything to me.”
McGill and the Seattle Symphony are in concert this Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at Benaroya Hall.
