Saturday, May 3, 2025 • 7:30 p.m.
First Free Methodist Church (3200 3rd Ave W, Seattle)
Harmonia Orchestra & Chorus
William White, conductor
Carson Ling-Efird, cello
Program
Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835)
Overture to Norma
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
— intermission —
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Op. 60
About the Concert
Die Erste Walpurgisnacht tells the story of a band of pagan druids who are beset upon by Christian invaders and — unlike in any other Romantic oratorio — the pagans win! Druids were in the air in 1831: they were also the subject of Bellini’s great dramatic opera Norma. The centerpiece of our concert is Robert Schumann’s cello concerto, performed by a phenomenal young soloist — and Seattle native — Carson Ling-Efird, who joins Harmonia on a break from her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music.
About the Soloist
Seattle native Carson Ling-Efird began playing cello at age four and a half, making her solo debut with the Seattle Symphony in 2018 at the age of 12 after being selected as a 2017–2018 Seattle Symphony Young Artist. A medalist and finalist in numerous local, regional and national competitions, she joined the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra program in fourth grade. In addition to cello, Ms. Ling-Efird studies piano and composition. Her teachers have included Seattle Symphony cellist Nathan Chan and collaborative pianist Dr. Li-Tan Hsu. She is currently a Curtis Institute of Music Fellow, studying with Gary Hoffman and Peter Wiley since 2023. Ms. Ling-Efird plays on a German cello, c. 1930, generously loaned to her by the Carlsen Cello Foundation.