The Roaring Tides

Greek Tragedy in Image and Sound

December 5, 2026 · Baltimore
Nine performers, drawn together for one evening. Three new commissions are set alongside pieces drawn from four centuries of music engaging issues of mortality and loss.
UNWRUNG: Aesthetics, History, Decoupling
Amedeo Modigliani. Pink Nude—Caryatid (recto); Caryatid (verso), c. 1914-1915, Watercolor and opaque watercolor, blue crayon or pencil, and graphite on blue laid paper. The Barnes Foundation, BF292.
December 5, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Emmanuel Episcopal Church

811 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Pre-concert talk at 6:15 PM. Program begins at 7:00 PM.
Free and open to the public.

Featured Guest Composers
Augusta Read Thomas
Kate Soper

Musicians
Ah Young Hong Soprano
Nathaniel SullivanBaritone
William MeinertBass
Sasha Ishov Flute
Gleb KanasevichClarinet
Miranda CucksonViolin
Chris GrossCello
Will YagerContrabass
Jacob RhodebeckPiano

Co-organizers
Jennifer StagerArt Historian · Johns Hopkins
Michael HerschComposer · Peabody Institute

Pre-concert talk · 6:15 PM
Scholars Rosa Andújar (Barnard College) and Athena Kirk (Cornell University) will join composers Kate Soper, Augusta Read Thomas, and Michael Hersch for a pre-concert talk moderated by Jennifer Stager. Free and open to the public.

Program

Program

Peter Philips (c. 1560–1628)
Pavana Dolorosa
for keyboard

Rebecca Saunders (b. 1967)
O
for soprano alone

Pierre Boulez (1925–2016)
Piano Sonata No. 2 — III. Modéré, presque vif
for soprano alone

Kate Soper (b. 1981)
the goddess laughed (World Premiere)
for soprano, violin and cello

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Suite on Verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti — IX. Night
for bass and piano

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Vier Ernste Gesänge — I. Denn es gehet dem Menschen
for bass and piano

Michael Hersch (b. 1971)
Agamemnon Fragments (World Premiere)
for baritone and clarinet

— Intermission —

Johannes Brahms
Vier Ernste Gesänge — III. O Tod, wie bitter bist du
for bass and piano

Dmitri Shostakovich
Suite on Verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti — X. Death
for bass and piano

Michael Hersch
Philomela Fragments
for soprano, flute and contrabass

Iannis Xenakis (1922–2001)
Philomela Fragments
for violin alone

Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964)
Alcestis Ascends (World Premiere)
for soprano, violin and cello

John Dowland (c. 1563–1626)
Pavana Lachrymae
for keyboard · arr. William Byrd (c. 1540–1623)

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The Roaring Tides UNWRUNG
The Roaring Tides Metamorphoses