Program Notes – Impressions, Suite for Chamber Orchestra

Impressions, Suite for Chamber Orchestra
Clarice Assad (1978–)
Written: 2008
Movements: Five
Style: Contemporary
Duration: Fifteen minutes

A powerful communicator renowned for her musical scope and versatility, Brazilian American Clarice Assad is a significant artistic voice in the classical, world music, pop and jazz genres, renowned for her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range. A prolific Grammy nominated composer with over 70 works to her credit, her work has been commissioned by internationally renowned organizations, festivals and artists, and are published in France, Germany, Brazil and the US. A sought-after performer, she is a celebrated pianist and inventive vocalist. Ms. Assad has released seven solo albums and appeared on or had her works performed on another 30. As an innovator, her award-winning Voxploration Series on music education, creation, songwriting and improvisation has been presented throughout the United States, Brazil, Europe and the Middle East. With her talents sought after by artists and organizations worldwide, the multi-talented musician continues to attract new audiences both onstage and off.

Clarice Assad was born in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro to a musical family. Both her father, Sergio Assad, and her uncle, Odair Assad, are guitarists. Her aunt, Badi Assad, is a singer-songwriter. Clarice was already singing for commercial jingles as a child, and then began playing the piano when she was a teenager. Still a teenager, she followed her father to France where she studied piano and improvisation, then back to Brazil and finally to Chicago where she received a Bachelor of Music degree from Roosevelt University. She received her Master of Music degree from The University of Michigan School of Music, where she studied with Michael Daugherty, Susan Botti and Evan Chambers.

Impressions, Suite for Chamber Orchestra, was commissioned by the New Century Chamber Orchestra in 2008. Written originally for the NCCO as a season opener, the purpose of the piece was to showcase the orchestra’s performers’ diversity and uniqueness and create a musical portrait of the first impressions between the musicians of the orchestra and the composer herself. The first movement is a set of variations for each of the orchestra’s five sections. The second movement, Dança Brasileira, echoes Assad’s homeland. The film noirs of Hollywood inspired the middle movement, Slow Waltz, while Perpetual Motion, the fourth movement, showcases skill and proficiency. The last movement serves as a bridge, and the suite concludes by reflecting on its opening.

©Clarice Assad and compiled 2024 by John P. Varineau