The Scripps Research summer concert series opens with a cross-cultural program led by three of its own musicians, celebrating dance forms in classical chamber music. Spanning Scripps departments, Elizabeth Vélez (OTD), Julianne Han (ISCB), and Lee Hong (Calibr) invite the audience on a musical voyage bridging Bach’s dancing counterpoint to the pulse of the tango. Flutists Vélez and Han open the program with a vibrant interpretation of Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins, reimagined for two flutes. Violinist Hong and her string quartet follow with works that channel the passionate spirit of Baroque and modern Latin American traditions. Tango, rhumba, and bossa nova dances for flute and clarinet by Gabe Merton or guitar by Eric Alan Foster pave the way for the finale: Danzón No. 2 by Mexican composer Arturo Marquez arranged for chamber orchestra. Rich in rhythmic texture and cultural interplay, the concert celebrates dance as a shared language — expressive, energetic, and universal.
