Inbal Segev performs solo cello works by five of today’s prominent female composers: Missy Mazzoli, Reena Esmail, Anna Clyne, Gity Razaz, and Kaija Saariaho. The program’s focal point, Legend of Sigh, is a new multimedia, immersive piece for cello and electronics written for Segev by Razaz with video and projection design by filmmaker Carmen Kordas. Legend of Sigh explores birth, transformation, and death through the retelling of an old Azerbaijani folktale about a mysterious being, Sigh, who appears every time someone lets out a heartfelt sigh, unknowingly calling out to him. In an article titled “Inbal Segev Offers Four Great Reasons to Program More Music by Women Composers,” San Francisco Classical Voice described her performance of this program as “dynamic and musically diverse.”
Anna Clyne: Rest These Hands
Missy Mazzoli: A Thousand Tongues
Reena Maria Esmail: Perhaps with film by Heather McCalden
Kaija Saariaho: Spins and Spells
Gity Razaz: Legend of Sigh with film by Carmen Kordas
Cellist Inbal Segev’s playing has been described as “characterized by a strong and warm tone … delivered with impressive fluency and style” and with “luscious phrasing” by The Strad. She has performed around the world as a soloist with leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, and Pittsburgh Symphony, and has collaborated with legendary conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, and Marin Alsop. She has commissioned new works by Avner Dorman, Timo Andres, Gity Razaz, and Dan Visconti, and in 2018 was the first cellist to perform Christopher Rouse’s violoncello concerto since Yo-Yo Ma premiered it in the 1990s. Segev co-founded the Amerigo Trio with former New York Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and violist Karen Dreyfus, and has co-curated the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra New Music Festival with Marin Alsop since its inception in 2017. Segev’s recent discography includes acclaimed recordings of romantic cello works with pianist Juho Pohjonen (Avie) and Bach’s Cello Suites (Vox). Her YouTube channel features music videos and her popular master class series Musings with Inbal Segev, which has thousands of subscribers across continents and close to one million views. Her many honors include prizes at the Pablo Casals and Paulo International Competitions. Segev began playing the cello in Israel and at age 16 was invited by Isaac Stern to come to the U.S. to continue her studies. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Yale University. Her cello was made by Francesco Ruggieri in 1673.