The magic that Charleston sent to New York three months ago is coming back home for Piccolo Spoleto.
In February, conductor Ryo Hasegawa made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra.
“The experience was just absolutely amazing, of course for me, but also for my students,” he said. “Seeing them perform, get excited, just being moved to share the stage with everybody at that specific hall was very special.”
Now, Hasegawa is bringing that same magic to the first night of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, conducting Sunset Serenade — an annual free concert held on the steps of the U.S. Custom House on East Bay Street. But before Hasegawa takes the podium in Charleston, he’ll graduate with his doctorate in musical arts in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University.
“He’s graduating on May 21, and right after graduation [he’s] catching a flight to come down,” said Charleston Symphony Artistic Director and Concertmaster Yuriy Bekker. “He truly has done an incredible job with our students and is taking them to new heights.”
This year’s Serenade features much of the same music the youth and adult orchestras performed in New York City. The Sunset Serenade is meant to celebrate Charleston — just like the aptly named “A Charleston Celebration” at Carnegie Hall in February.
“When we went to New York, the whole repertoire was very Charleston-centric,” Bekker said. “The program featured four living composers with Charleston ties and George Gershwin.”
Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess,” which has its 90th anniversary this year, takes place in Charleston and was written in nearby Folly Beach. Soprano Kyaunnee Richardson will perform the opera’s iconic song “Summertime,” while pianist Daniela Liebman will take on Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Both are guest soloists for Serenade, though they’ve performed in Charleston before.
“I work with [Richardson] and know her ‘Glitter and Be Gay.’ She just rocks it out,” said Bekker. “She’ll bring the house down.”
Making connections
For Hasegawa, making connections with soloists helps enhance the experience.
“The fun part about making music is being in a moment, and sometimes we might want to just change up things based on the energy in the room,” he said. “Being able to share the passion and being in the moment and then creating music that is relevant to the energy of that time and audience of that time, I’m excited for that.”
One aspect that differentiates Sunset Serenade from other symphony performances is that it takes place outside. Moving stationary instruments like a piano, in particular, outdoors is complicated. Hasegawa was supposed to conduct a piece last year, but the event was rained out. As such, Sunset Serenade will be his Piccolo conducting debut.
“It’s a big tradition the symphony does every summer, so I have to do a good job,” he said. “But at the same time, we enjoy these performances, because the program is so much fun.”
Though the Sunset Serenade serves as a launch point for Piccolo Spoleto, it has also historically brought the city together. The concert began in 1989 — after Hurricane Hugo devastated Charleston — when the symphony held an impromptu performance on the steps of the Custom House. Today, the Serenade acts as an unofficial close to each symphony season, symbolizing community and togetherness.
“It’s about unity, friendship and kicking off our festival with music everybody loves,” Bekker said. “It makes us so proud it’s our annual tradition, and it’s something all the musicians are so looking forward to.”
The Charleston Symphony Orchestra will perform Sunset Serenade at 8 p.m. May 23 on the steps of the U.S. Custom House. The concert is free and open to all ages.
Ally Watkinson is an arts, style and culture journalism graduate student at Syracuse University.
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