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Videos from "Rencontres Poétiques" at The Boston Athenaeum Now on YouTube
June 20, 2025
( Photo credit: Dave Jamrog )
It's the first day of summer, and what better way to celebrate than with some new videos from Mary Bichner and Christina Goh's "Rencontres Poétiques" concert at the Boston Athenaeum earlier this year!
Filmed and produced beautifully by videographer Dave Jamrog, the videos were captured during the fourth edition of "Rencontres Poétiques" (a poetry-focused international concert series created by composers Mary Bichner [USA] and Christina Goh [France]), which took place at the historic Boston Athenaeum of Boston, MA, USA on April 10th 2025. The concert featured musical settings composed by Bichner and Goh for classic poems in both French and English; inspired by the works of Yves Bonnefoy, Phillis Wheatley, Emily Dickinson, Ovid, and more.
First up is the gorgeous Christina Goh composition "Trouveur", an homage to the troubadours of the High Middle Ages (which has already recieved over 20,000 views on Christina's Instagram account!):
Next is Mary's composition "Á la seine", a musical setting of excerpts from the Marceline Desbordes-Valmore poem of the same name, performed by Mary and Christina as a duet:
The concert also featured the premiere of Christina and Mary's collaborative composition "Nostra vita (éternelle clarté)", a new a cappella work inspired by the first and last twelve lines of Dante Alighieri's "La divina commedia":
Additional videos from the fourth edition of "Rencontres Poètiques" can be found on Mary and Christina's YouTube channels.
Wishing everyone a lovely summer, and talk to you soon!
Released Today: "EFTA Suite", A Synesthetic String Quartet Inspired by The Vasilicos of Santorini, Greece
May 16, 2025
( Image: The "EFTA Suite" album cover, featuring a photo by Nikos Alexopoulos )
"EFTA Suite", a new synesthetic string quartet by iconic Greek hotel The Vasilicos and American orchestral composer Mary Bichner, is released today! Performed gorgeously by members of The Budapest Scoring Orchestra, the two-movement work is now available on all streaming services (including Spotify and Apple Music), or you can listen right here via Soundcloud:
Mary composed "EFTA Suite" after serving as composer-in-residence at The Vasilicos in May 2024, as part of the Santorini-based hotel's innovative “[To Build] A [Temporary] Home” ad hoc residency program. Each movement of the work conjures a specific memory from Mary's time in residence, with individual musical keys chosen to best "match" the experiences via Mary's synesthetic color palette.
For even more information on this wonderful project, here is a beautiful Instagram post that The Vasilicos shared today, in connection with the release:
Thank you so very much to founder and curator Daphne Valambous as well as all of The Vasilicos' team for this amazing collaboration, and for all of the incredible art the hotel brings to life via its "[To Build] A [Temporary] Home" program -- and beyond! And thank you one and all for listening to "EFTA Suite"!
Thank you so much to Dave Jamrog for the beautiful videos, to the Boston Athenaeum for collaborating with Mary and Christina on such a wonderful concert, and to everyone who attended and/or gives the videos and look and listen!
Interview Excerpt: Mary Discusses "White Lilies" on NPR's "Three Song Stories"
May 7, 2025
While in Fort Myers this past February to perform with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Mary was thrilled to be interviewed by Mike Kiniry for NPR's "Three Song Stories"; a weekly radio show in which each guest is asked to name three songs that have directly impacted their lives, and to share their personal narratives behind each.
Here is a brief excerpt of clips from the interview, in which Mary discusses the February 2025 world orchestral premiere and composition process behind her latest work for vocalist and orchestra, "White Lilies":
To listen to the full hour-long interview, you can visit NPR's website below (simply scroll down to "Episode 364 - Mary Bichner" under the heading "February 24th 2025"):
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/593528986/three-song-stories
Thanks so much to Mike Kiniry, Richard Chin Quee, Emma Rodriguez, and the whole "Three Song Stories" team for inviting Mary to be on the show; and looking forward to sharing more news on "White Lilies" in the future!
New "Fair Isle" Artwork by Chess Albaneze
April 29, 2025
( Image: "Fair Isle" logo and artwork by Chess Albaneze )
"Fair Isle", a fifteen-minute orchestral "mini" opera by composer Mary Bichner and librettist John J King, now has beautiful new cover art by visual artist and composer Chess Albaneze. Thank you so much to Chess for creating this lovely image to pair with the opera!
Inspired by an episode in the life of American illustrator/author Edward Gorey, “Fair Isle” tells the tale of Ted (Edward Gorey) and Tom, two friends in the midst of a month-long trip through the Scottish Isles. With Tom, Ted’s heart swells like a storming sea, but – as Ted searches for the right words – Tom’s feelings remain firmly planted on earthy matters.
Although not yet recorded, you can listen to a MIDI-instrument version of "Fair Isle" paired with its libretto, in the following video:
For more info on "Fair Isle", including access to a copy of the libretto and score, you can visit the official project page right here.
Thanks so much again to Chess for this beautiful artwork, and wishing everyone a lovely end to their April!
Coming May 16th: "EFTA SUITE", A SYNESTHETIC STRING QUARTET INSPIRED BY THE VASILICOS OF SANTORINI, GREECE
April 14, 2025
( Image: The "EFTA Suite" album cover, featuring a photo by Nikos Alexopoulos )
Mary Bichner, an American orchestral composer with sound-to-color-synesthesia; and The Vasilicos, an elegant seven-suite boutique hotel perched on the magnificent Caldera of Santorini, Greece; are pleased to announce the upcoming release of a new synesthesia-inspired string quartet work entitled “EFTA Suite”. Deriving its name from Efta, one of The Vasilicos’ most intimate and romantic suites, “EFTA Suite” captures a series of beautiful moments – a brilliant kaleidoscopic sunset, and a colorful breakfast unexpectedly accompanied by a pair of cheeky sparrows – as experienced by the composer from the cliff-hanging Efta terrace.
The genesis of this new musical work and collaborative partnership began in late autumn 2023, when Mary was honored to have been named The Vasilicos’ 2024 artist-in-residence as part of the hotel’s “[To Build] A [Temporary] Home” ad hoc residency program. While in residence at The Vasilicos in late May 2024, Mary conducted research and recorded detailed observations for “EFTA Suite” using her sound-to-color synesthesia (a neurological condition that allows Mary to “see” splashes of specific colors when she hears their corresponding pitches sounded). The composition process was complete by September; and in October “EFTA Suite” was recorded by members of The Budapest Scoring Orchestra, in partnership with The Vasilicos.
The work consists of two movements, each conjuring a distinct and special memory Mary recalls from her residency in The Vasilicos’ Efta Suite. The titles for each movement are snippets of verses by the celebrated Greek poet Sappho, found in a dual-language anthology of Sappho’s poetry – If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Canadian poet and translator Anne Carson – housed in the Efta Suite’s capsule library.
Movement I, “mingled with all kinds of colors / παντοδάπαις <ι> μεμ<ε>ιχμένα χροίαισιν”, is a tender larghetto inspired by viewing a series of magnificent sunsets from The Vasilicos’ Efta Suite balcony. It was composed in the key of C#-major (pale yellow, pale purple, and pale red) to commemorate the colors found in the sky during Mary’s visit.
Movement II, “quick sparrows / ὤκεες στροῦθοι”, is a sprightly allegro vivace which illustrates a pair of small birds inquisitively hopping around the patio table of a colorful, fruit-laden breakfast. The piece was composed in Eb-major (vibrant blue, vibrant green, and vibrant orange) to match the iconic blue found in The Vasilicos’ signature Burleigh Blue Calico breakfast plates.
"EFTA Suite" will be released to the general public on May 16th 2025 via most audio streaming platforms, while all The Vasilicos guests this summer will be given a special gift to commemorate the release. A live premiere of of the work is anticipated for the future.
More information on The Vasilicos can be found on their official website, and more information on their ad hoc residency program can be found via the “[To Build] A [Temporary] Home” subpage.
Thank you so much to The Vasilicos for this amazing collaboration, and looking forward to May 16th for the release of "EFTA Suite"!
“Rencontres Poétiques” at the Boston Athenaeum -- thank you!
April 11, 2025
( Photo credit: Dave Jamrog )
Thank you so much to everyone who joined Mary and Christina for the fourth edition of "Rencontres Poétiques" at the Boston Athenaeum on April 10th! It was an honor to perform for you.
We also express our heartfelt thanks to the Boston Athenaeum for inviting us to perform in their beautiful Long Room, surrounded by so much amazing art and history; and to the French Library of Boston, who partnered with the Athenaeum for the concert.
Additional photos and videos from the fourth edition of "Rencontres Poétiques" will be made available in the weeks to come. Until then, merci beaucoup and wishing everyone a lovely spring!
tickets now available:“Rencontres Poétiques” concert with Christina Goh at the Boston Athenaeum on April 10th, 2025
March 11, 2025
( Photo via: bostonathenaeum.org )
In honor of National Poetry Month, composers Christina Goh (France) and Mary Bichner (USA) welcome you to join them for the fourth edition of their international chamber concert series, “Rencontres Poétiques"! This poetry-focused performance will feature original musical settings composed by Bichner and Goh for classic poems in both French and English; inspired by the works of Phillis Wheatley, Yves Bonnefoy, Emily Dickinson, Ovid, Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, Benjamin Franklin, and more. The concert will also include the world premiere of “Nostra vita (éternelle clarté)”; a new collaborative composition by Goh and Bichner centered upon verses from Dante Alighieri’s epic narrative poem, La divina commedia.
This fourth edition of “Rencontres Poétiques" will take place at the historic Boston Athenaeum on Thursday April 10th @ 7:00pm. Boston Athenaeum concerts often sell out quickly, so purchasing tickets in advance is highly encouraged! You can purchase tickets right here:
Ticket holders also have the option to make a reservation at Folio, the Athenaeum's beautiful new restaurant, for a special three-course pre-fixe menu exclusive to attendees of "Rencontres Poétiques", with seatings perfectly coordinated prior to the concert's start time. (After purchasing your tickets online, you will receive a separate email from the Athenaeum on how to make your Folio reservation -- as well as all of the delicious menu details!)
Thank you so much to Christina Goh and the Boston Athenaeum for this wonderful new concert, and looking forward to seeing everyone on April 10th!
interview ON npr's "three song stories" released today
February 24, 2025
While in Fort Myers earlier this month to perform with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Mary was thrilled to be interviewed by Mike Kiniry for NPR's "Three Song Stories"; a weekly radio show in which each guest is asked to name three songs that have directly impacted their lives, and to share their personal narratives behind each. For her interview, Mary selected "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead, "Question" by The Moody Blues, and "Movement II: Adagio" of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major (technically not a song since it has no lyrics, but your indulgence is requested :)).
Mary's episode of "Three Song Stories" has been released today, and you can listen to it in full right here on NPR's website (simply scroll down to "Episode 364 - Mary Bichner" under the heading "February 24th 2025"):
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/593528986/three-song-stories
The episode will also air on WGCU, Southwest Florida's NPR Network, at 10:00am on both Saturday March 1st and Sunday March 2nd.
Thanks so much to Mike Kiniry, Richard Chin Quee, Emma Rodriguez, and the whole "Three Song Stories" team for inviting Mary to be on the show; and hope everyone enjoys the interview! <3
"you've got mail!" concert series + "white lilies" ORCHESTRAL PREMIERE with andrew lipke and the southwest floridA symphony orchestra - THANK YOU!
February 18, 2025
( Photo: Mary premieres "White Lilies" with Andrew Lipke and the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra / Photo credit: SWFLSO )
Thank you so much Maestro Andrew Lipke and the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra for inviting Mary to perform with them for SWFLSO's "You've Got Mail!: Musical Love Letters" Valentine's Day concert series this past weekend! And a very special thanks to Andrew and SWFLSO for premiering "White Lilies", Mary's latest work for full orchestra, as part of the program -- it was an honor to debut this new piece with you.
Thank you so much also to everyone who attended this weekend's performances -- you were a delight!
Mary's next performance will be at the Boston Athenaeum on April 10th with French composer Christina Goh, for the fourth edition of their "Rencontres Poétiques" international chamber concert series -- more info can be found on the Calendar page right here.
Thanks again to one and all, and hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day! <3
up next: "you've got mail!" concert series (including "white lilies" orchestral premiere) with andrew lipke and the southwest floridA symphony orchestra on feb 14th + 15th 2025
January 11, 2025
( Maestro Andrew Lipke performing with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra / Photo credit: The Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra )
Happy New Year one and all! Mary is honored to return to Fort Myers to perform with multi-talented maestro Andrew Lipke and the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra for the "You've Got Mail!: Musical Love Letters" concert series on February 14th and 15th, 2025.
This unique Valentine's Day-themed concert series will feature classic love songs from both past and present -- everything from The Beatles to Broadway -- in brand new orchestral arrangements created by Andrew and Mary especially for "You've Got Mail!".
The program will also feature several original works by both composers; including the orchestral premiere of Mary Bichner's "White Lilies" as well as orchestral premieres for Andrew Lipke's "Stick By You", "Baby, I'm Sorry", and "Bright as Any Diamond".
The February 14th edition of concert will take place at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers, Florida, USA at 7:00PM; and the February 15th edition will take place at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda, Florida, USA at 7:30PM. Tickets range from $25.00-$115.00 for this all-ages concert series, and can be reserved via the SWFLSO ticket page:
Thank you so much to Andrew Lipke and the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra for inviting Mary to perform, and looking forward to seeing everyone at "You've Got Mail!"!
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