Victoria Bond, the renowned conductor and composer, will have one of her orchestral compositions Bridges performed at the next Hamptons film Festival of Music. In its third season, the event will return to Long Island’s East End on September 6, 10, and 14. Michael Palmer, the festival director and conductor, has put together an eclectic program for the occasion. On September 10, Bridges will be presented.
Despite being warned time and time again that she would not succeed, Bond has established a brilliant career for herself. Bond was told she would never be accepted into a conducting school, get into Juilliard, or land a conducting position, which discouraged her from pursuing her goals at several points in her life. She has, however, disproved her detractors by rising to prominence in the classical music industry and earning recognition for the inventiveness of her compositions as well as the caliber of her performances.
John Bruce Yeh, a clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, was the one who first suggested Bond’s Bridges. Yeh suggested making a work that would bridge their two cultures, American and Chinese. Bond developed this concept further by basing the composition on real bridges, with each movement serving as a structural and melodic representation of a distinct bridge.
Victoria Bond’s Bridges at Hamptons Festival of Music
Inspired by the Railroad Trestle Bridge near Galaz, Virginia, the opening movement of Bridges has music reminiscent of a train chugging along with banjo and fiddle sounds, showcasing the region’s rich history of country music. The second movement depicts the Stone Bridge over a Reflecting Pool in Suzhou, China, using lyrics from the Chinese hymn “Moli Hua” (meaning “Jasmine Flower”). The Chinese folk song “Liu Yang River” and Joan Baez’s song “All My Trails” are mentioned in the Golden Gate Bridge campaign, recognizing the cultural variety of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Brooklyn Bridge movement pays homage to George Gershwin with a nod to “I Got Rhythm,” a musical “bridge” within the traditional popular song form. Finally, the fifth movement, inspired by the Mackinac Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, quotes the well-known folk song “The Water is Wide.” This fifth movement will receive its New York premiere at the festival.
If you want to learn more about Bridges, you may watch the original four-movement version on YouTube, which includes videos of the bridges that served as the inspiration for each segment.
Bond conveyed her excitement at working with Michael Palmer, the artistic director and co-founder of the festival. As East Hampton locals, Bond and Palmer’s collaboration on this festival is especially significant.
From Rejection to Triumph: Victoria Bond’s Musical Journey
Palmer emphasized the piece’s structural and tonal variation, calling Bridges “very lovely and special. I’m always looking for wonderful pieces to work into the schedule, and Bridges is certainly one!” he said.
Despite only being in its second year, the Hamptons Festival of Music has already drawn performers from some of the best orchestras in the nation, including those from Atlanta, New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Palmer’s vast background in directing international music events, which includes his tenures with the New American Sinfonietta, benefits the festival. Palmer has a long history of working with many of these musicians, and their strong musical relationship comes through in the performances throughout the festival.
Palmer, who received mention from the well-known conductor Herbert Blomstedt, highlighted the value of leadership and instruction in conducting. “It is a hell of a lot of work, interpreting and illustrating a score,” he said, reflecting on the challenges and rewards of his role. “Finding the best of the new and keeping alive the best of the old—that is the conductor’s wonderful responsibility.”
