The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle – The New, The Rare, The Exotic

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Tian – Flute Concerto

Pejacevic – Two Songs

De Falla – El Sombrero de Tres Picas

The COT is extremely honored to present the World Premiere of Zhou Tian’s Flute Concerto! Featuring COT perennial favorite Mimi Stillman as soloist, this exciting work explores the role of the flute across various cultures and time periods.

While there is still much music to be rediscovered, it is rare to find works as beautiful as Dora Pejacevic’s Songs for Soprano and Orchestra. Largely neglected due to her gender, Pejacevic is probably the most talented composer Croatia has put forth, and is responsible for bringing the orchestral song and symphony to Croatian music.

​Manuel DeFalla’s score to El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat) oozes of Spain. Commissioned by the great Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the original production boasted sets by none other than Pablo Picasso and was meant to feature Spanish dance as opposed to ballet. Listen to the orchestra stomp and shout to the Fandango, seduce with the Seguidilla, and romp out to the exciting final Jota.

Mimi Stillman, flute

Flutist Mimi Stillman, acclaimed by The New York Times as “not only a consummate and charismatic performer, but also a scholar whose programs tend to activate ear, heart, and brain”, is renowned for her virtuosity, insightful interpretation, and adventurous programming. As soloist, she has appeared with orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Bach Collegium Stuttgart, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, and Orchestra 2001, and as recitalist and chamber musician at venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Sawdust, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Brooklyn’s Roulette, Symphony Space, La Jolla Chamber Music Society, The Kimmel Center, The Verbier Festival, and Kol HaMusica.

​Ms. Stillman is the founding Artistic Director of the popular Dolce Suono Ensemble, “one of the most dynamic groups in the US” (The Huffington Post), performing Baroque to new music with 54 world premieres in 14 seasons in Philadelphia and on tour. At the invitation of Plácido Domingo, Ms. Stillman and Dolce Suono Ensemble enjoy a partnership with the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.

A wide-ranging and innovative artist, Ms. Stillman celebrates the canon while deeply exploring new music and Latin genres.  She is highly regarded for expanding the repertoire through her commissions and arrangements. She can be heard on several recordings including Odyssey: 11 American Premieres for Flute and Piano and Freedom, both with her longstanding duo pianist Charles Abramovic, and American Canvas performed by her Dolce Suono Trio (Innova). Her Syrinx Journey project, a tribute to Claude Debussy on his 150thanniversary, garnered an international following.

Mimi Stillman made the leap from child prodigy to inimitable artist. At age 12, she was the youngest wind player ever admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with the legendary Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner and earned her Bachelor of Music degree. She holds a MA in History from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a published author on music and history.

Mimi Stillman has won numerous competitions and awards including Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Bärenreiter Prize for Best Historical Performance for Winds, Astral Artists Auditions, and the Philadelphia Women in the Arts Award. Her Dolce Suono Ensemble has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, William Penn Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and other prestigious organizations. A Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician, strongly committed to excellence in education, she has taught masterclasses at institutions including the National Flute Association, Eastman School of Music, Cornell University, Southern Methodist University, Indiana University, Penn State University, Michigan State University, Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College, the universities of Texas, California, Virginia, Florida, and Arizona, and at conservatories worldwide.

A Spanish-speaker, Ms. Stillman won the Knight Foundation grant for her Música en tus Manos (Music in Your Hands) project to introduce chamber music to the Latino community of Philadelphia. She is on faculty at Temple University, Curtis Summerfest, and Music for All National Festival.

LaToya Lain, soprano

Applauded for her “wonderfully rich,” “powerful,” and “captivating” voice, American singer LaToya Lain, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, studied voice at the University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music, Florida State University, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Before joining the voice faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Lain served on the voice faculties of Central Michigan University, New York University, and Oakwood University.   Equally at home in the teaching studio and on the performance stage, LaToya’s most recent engagements include performances of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at The Metropolitan Opera, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Hamburgische Oper, and the Köln Philharmonie. She recently presented solo recitals at the American Church in Paris, the Dutch Reform Church in Harare, Zimbabwe, the Reapertura de la Iglesia Santa Teresa in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. She also presented recitals and master classes at Oberlin College & Conservatory of Music, the University of New Mexico, University of Delaware, Murray State University, SongFest in Los Angeles and The International Congress of Voice Teachers in Stockholm, Sweden, just to name a few.  She continues to sing opera, oratorio, and perform solo recitals throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Africa.

In June 2017, she made her Carnegie Hall Debut as the soprano soloist in Ralph Vaughn William’s Dona nobis pacem, under the baton of Maestra Nina Nash-Robertson. She has also been a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, and St. Matthew’s Passion.

Ms. Lain’s operatic roles include “Brünnhilde” in Die Walküre, “Countess Almaviva” in Le Nozze di Figaro, the title role in Carmen, “Suzuki” in Madame Butterfly, “Polinesso” in Ariodante, “La Principessa” in Suor Angelica, “Baba” in The Medium, and “Ježibaba” in Rusalka. 

Dr. Lain’s research includes the intensive study and performance practice of Negro Spirituals.  She has performed her lecture recital “Narrative of a Slave Woman: Songs of Hope, Justice, and Freedom” on concert stages and universities throughout the world.  Consequently, she was one of 57 experts invited to author a short chapter in The Voice Teacher’s Cookbook: Creative Recipes for Teachers of Singing, as part of a series addressed to various groups of musicians.  Her chapter is called “Delectable Diction and Dialect in the Negro Spiritual” and it was published this summer by Meredith Music Resources.

This season, LaToya held an Artist-in-Residency at the Shenandoah Conservatory, where she presented master classes and a solo recital in collaboration with The Juilliard School Head of Collaborative Piano and internationally acclaimed pianist, Margo Garrett. She was also featured in concert at the University of Minnesota, where she presented a joint lecture recital with famed composer, Libby Larsen. 

The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle

Renowned for its artistic excellence, remarkable versatility of musical styles, and adventurous programming, The COT is a dynamic orchestral ensemble of 40+ musicians hailing from all parts of North Carolina. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Lorenzo Muti, The COT presents six concerts a year, often featuring classical music’s foremost up and coming talents. Today it is considered one of the finest professional ensembles in North Carolina and the Southeast.  theCOT.org.