György Ligeti describes his piano concerto as encompassing music that embodies "frozen time, as an object in imaginary space that exists simultaneously in all its moments." This dazzling, multi-layered work features Seattle Modern Orchestra's tour-de-force pianist Cristina Valdés. SMO presents the concerto alongside recent works for sinfonietta by University of Washington faculty and graduate composers. Seattle newcomer and recently appointed UW composition professor William Dougherty's "the new normal" juxtaposes a wide range of musical quotations and styles, directly engaging with social issues of xenophobia and racism in our current political climate. Huck Hodge's "La Llorona" draws on images from the 1585 Florentine Codex of Bernardino Sahagun, featuring UW faculty flutist Donna Shin. The program also features a preview performance of select movements from Jöel François-Durand's new wind quintet "Musica fict(iv)a". Don't miss this chance to hear SMO with select graduate-student members of the UW Modern Music Ensemble in this large-ensemble format.