The Periodic Table World Premiere

Bryn Mawr College, April 11, 2024 – From the Great Hall on the Bryn Mawr College campus, composer Jessi Harvey returns to their alma mater to present the world premiere of The Periodic Table, a new piano piece dedicated to Nicholas Patruno and Primo Levi and performed by Charles Abramovic. This work brings to life Primo Levi’s book of the same name, bridging the gaps between music, memory, science, and literature.

The initiator of this project, Jessi Harvey is a Montana-born freelance composer based in the Puget Sound. Their works are rooted in science and nature, integrating social curiosity, humor, and a love of knowledge; they have been described by Seattle Magazine as “full of surprises and consistently attention holding.” Jessi has worked with performers and ensembles across North and South America as well as Europe through commissions, festivals, and residencies, often collaborating across artistic and scientific disciplines.

Pianist Charles Abramovic is an active part of the musical life of Philadelphia as well as a Professor of Keyboard Studies at Temple University. He has won critical acclaim for his international performances as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator with Midori, Sarah Chang, Robert McDuffie, and other leading instrumentalists and singers. He has appeared as soloist with the Baltimore Symphony, Colorado Symphony and more, given solo recitals throughout the United States, France, and Yugoslavia, and appeared at major international festivals.

Stepping outside the realms of a traditional world premiere, the concert gives context to the work with a short introduction by Roberta Ricci, Professor and Chair of Italian on the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Chair in the Humanities, and brief readings of Levi, before continuing to the musical realization of Levi’s “reinvigorating our thoughts on the trials of human existence and on our human dignity.”