A Petite Finale

Camerata Pacifica, Adrian Spence’s popular chamber music group, ended its latest season in grand style at the Music Academy of the West’s Hahn Hall with a specially commissioned work “Petite Suite” by Grammy-nominated Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad.

Top flight accordionist Julien Labro was the featured soloist on stage in the work which also featured marimba, clarinet with Jose Franch-Ballester, cello with Ani Aznavoorian, oboist Nicholas Daniel, and principal percussionist Ji Nye Jung.

Camerata also staged the U.S. premiere of British composer Martin Butler’s “Remember the Fire” for percussion and oboe inspired by Ezra Pound’s poem “The Alchemist,” and New Zealand-Greek composer John Psathas’ “One Study,” a virtuosic work for marimba.

The entertaining season finale also featured Paola Prestini performing “Listen, Quiet” for cello and electronics.

An innovative and enthralling program…