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The Bach Sinfonia prides itself on its authenticity. The classical music ensemble exclusively uses 18th century period instruments and often dusts off work that modern orchestras rarely perform.

So their latest project may come as a surprise. The musicians are priming their strings and horns for a multimedia performance of Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons." On Saturday, Sinfonia will play each movement as lines from four linked sonnets and accompanying images will be projected onto a screen. Part of the inspiration came from the openness of Montgomery College's Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring. Artistic Director Daniel Abraham says the entire stage is visible from every seat in the house.

"The original plan was to do something more stylized with the text," he says. "The moment I tossed this at another artist, things just started getting more and more interesting."

The visual artists Abraham worked with, Yana Sakellion and Yan Da, created a set of "cells." Each cell contains text from a sonnet, and some include bits or "particles" that change with the music. Premade portions of the cells are changed by whomever is controlling the projection.

"These are people on the highest end of graphic design," Abraham remarks. "It's not just ‘How do we put words and pictures on a program?' They're really thinking, ‘How can this art form of visual design interact with multi-faceted media?' It's pretty amazing to see some of the things that they come up with."

Sakellion admits that the concept may be difficult to grasp. As the cells went from simple combinations of art and text to dynamic digital creations, Abraham remained supportive. With a vote of confidence, the artists were able to experiment.

"The goal of our collaboration was to bring these sonnets into the piece in some sort of tangible way," Sakellion explains. "Originally, we were going to treat it like an animation. I realized very quickly that I didn't want it to be a music video. We also didn't want it to end up being static. The first point of interaction one could have is to have these video clips that are triggered by the performer when appropriate. We were really interested in going deeper."

Abraham, who teaches music at American University, called upon fellow faculty member Sakellion to bring his idea to life. Although Sakellion's online portfolio includes graphic design work, she earned a master's degree in digital media from the Rhode Island School of Design. The Uzbekistan native is very much a designer for the 21st century. Her work also includes interactive installations and video projects. The lines between typography, graphics, industrial design and fine art are blurred, she says. When Abraham approached her, she was excited to take on the challenge. For the last several months, she has collaborated with Da, a former RISD classmate based in New York who is both a musician and an artist.

"This is still a very experimental type of work," Sakellion says. "What you see a lot is electronic music performances. There is a connection there between the media. But you never really see it with classical music. It's not an established method."

Abraham usually conducts the ensemble, but he will not be on the podium for "The Four Seasons." Ingrid Matthews, founder of the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, will lead with her violin.

"Usually it is only the musicians who get to fully appreciate the sonnets to which Vivaldi constantly refers," Matthews observes. "And adding a visual dimension seems completely true to the spirit of this descriptive, theatrical music."

The Indiana University-trained musician specializes in baroque music. With an expansive discography covering several composers, she is one of the country's leading figures in early orchestral music. When not playing her instrument, Matthews enjoys painting.

"It's going to be simulating?her own visual artistry, which in this case, she's being call upon to be very auditory about it," Abraham explains. "I think the circle is pretty profound."

Abraham won't have the entire night off. The concert is divided into two segments. "Spring" and "Summer" are first, and "Autumn" and "Winter" will follow an intermission. Before each half, Abraham will conduct other music by Vivaldi and Pietro Locatelli to warm up the audience. And as Matthews leads "The Four Seasons," Abraham will "conduct" the cells by changing them at appropriate times. Some lines from the sonnets stay up for a few seconds; others coincide with up to two minutes of music.

"A Multimedia Four Seasons" does clash with The Bach Sinfonia's mission, but Abraham sees the concert as an opportunity to show an audience that the ensemble also embraces technology.

"We're very attuned to the structures of the past," he says. "At the same time, it's something that's very informed by even the most modern scholarship. So why not bring another layer into this? This is the perfect program to wed modern visual resources with a spectacular piece."

jedwards@gazette.net

See "A Multimedia Four Seasons" Saturday at 8 p.m. at Montgomery College's Cultural Arts Center, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. A free pre-concerts discussion starts at 7:15 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors 60 and older, $15 for high school and college students, and free for children 14 and younger. Call 301-362-6525 or visit www.bachsinfonia.org.