Music is morphing for Northwest Bach events in Manito Park

While curating the Music in Manito concerts, which are slated for Tuesday and Wednesday at Manito Park, Zuill Bailey decided to move in another direction to appeal to teens and young adults. The artistic director for Northwest Bach has tabbed the Attacca String Quartet and Simply Three, a pair of crossover classical acts, for the event.

“This show is helping us branch away from a specific type of music,” Bailey said while calling from Sitka, Alaska. “We’re going to hear the Masterworks by the Attacca String Quartet. They are known for playing the masterpieces but also for contemporary works in which they push the boundaries.”

The Attacca String Quartet, which formed 20 years ago while its members were studying at Julliard, has won a pair of Grammys.

In 2020, the quartet won a Grammy Award for best chamber music/small ensemble performance for its collaboration with contemporary classical artist Caroline Shaw for the album “Orange,” a feat they repeated this past spring with another Shaw work, “Evergreen.”

The Attacca String Quartet, which includes violinists Amy Schroeder and Dominic Salerni, cellist Andrew Yee and viola player Nathan Schram,

will be playing selections from those two albums, Bailey said.

“It’ll be a wonderful night listening to songs by the greatest classical composers as well as hearing new music.”

Simply 3 – violinist Glen McDaniel, bassist Nick Villalobos and cellist Zack Clark, is a playful and inventive trio, which combines classical and pop. The group, which formed in 2010, delivers versions of Adele, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Michael Jackson tunes. The act also slips in some Great American Songbook selections from the Gershwins.

“Simply 3 plays rock, pop and jazz,” Bailey said. “They have fun with the Beatles songs. It’s a great melting pot. Simply 3 plays songs we love and adore.”

The BachFest July concerts in Manito Park was known for years as Mozart on a Summer’s Eve, but the new tag, Music in Manito, is a better fit, Bailey believes.

“We want to be as inclusive as possible,” Bailey said. “We’re just so fortunate to have the blessing to play in Manito Park, since it’s such a gorgeous place. It’s one of those magical places that is just amazing when you combine beautiful music and friendship. This event is about the beauty of Spokane, great music, culture and the community.”