Pittsburgh New Music Net

East Liberty Presbyterian Church (116 S. Highland Ave.), FREE

Pianist Avguste Antonov will give a concert of contemporary works including music by Pittsburgh composers Federico Garcia and John Arrigo-Nelson. The program will also feature music by 

Carter Pann
Raina Murnak
Dana Suesse
Matthew Lewis
Till McIvor Meyn

David Bernabo – Improvisation 01 for solo acoustic guitar

If an effort to provide more audio and video media to this blog, here is an artifact from the first edition of the WHY ARE Music Series that was held every Saturday in March 2009. This happens to be me since I’ve been on a recent documenting kick. I’ll be soliciting records from other folks who played and post them if given. Hope you enjoy.

Mark Fromm and the Mobius Saxophone Quartet will premiere his new PCMS-commissioned work this Sunday at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Below, Mark provides us with some insight into the inspiration for Steel, Slag, and Silicon. (Cross-posted at Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society.)

When I received this commission for Pittsburgh’s 250th birthday, I really wanted to use the city as inspiration for piece, and for the piece to be dedicated to the city. I initially thought of using the city’s myriad bridges as a source of inspiration (especially the numbered street bridges across the Allegheny: 6th, 7th, 9th, 16th, 31st, 40th, and 62nd). But as I read more about Pittsburgh’s history, I decided to go with a program that reflects different eras over the course of the city’s development.

The first movement, *Steel*, represents the rise of the steel industry vital to the city’s early prosperity. With the decline of the steel and manufacturing industries across Northeastern and Midwestern cities, Pittsburgh ended up in the heart of the “rust belt,” characterized by declining populations and loss of blue-collar jobs. The second movement represents this period of downturn; *Slag *is a by-product of steel consisting of the unwanted impurities. (Slag has actually played an important role in the shaping of Pittsburgh’s landscape; many ravines have been filled in and leveled off with it, and areas such as the Century III Mall and the Summerset neighborhood by Frick Park are built atop slag heaps, as slag makes a sturdy building foundation.) The third movement, Silicon, represents Pittsburgh’s revitalization and turn towards electronics, computers, and robotics as major contributors to the local economy; Pittsburgh now attracts people from all over the world with its reputation for leading technological advancements.

Fromm and the Mobius Quartet perform on Sunday, April 5 at 3 p.m. in Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Tickets are available through ProArts and at the door.

On Friday, April 3, 7 p.m. WQED will broadcast their concert recording of Imani Winds’ February performance for Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society. The concert includes works by Santamaria, Husa, Schifrin, Ligeti, Coleman, and Piazzolla. If you missed the Imani Winds live when they were in Pittsburgh, you’ll want to tune in. And don’t forget that PNMNet has an extensive interview with Imani bassoonist and Pittsburgh native Monica Ellis a few posts down.

Wednesday: Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh

Saturday: Richard E. Rauh Theater, Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel

Bach Choir of Pittsburgh Presents David Chesky’s oratorio Agnostic Wednesday night at Carngie Music Hall, and Saturday night at Shady Side Academy (Fox Chapel). Chesky is truly a multifaceted artist. Along with being a prolific composer of operatic and orchestral works, he actively busy performs Jazz, and runs a major recording label. Don’t miss Andy Druckenbrod’s preview in the PG (with audio excerpts from the work).

Frick Fine Arts Auditorium

For the third concert in the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Bridges Festival,  the Mobius Saxophone Quartet will premiere Mark Fromm’s new composition.

Tickets are available through ProArts.

Duquesne’s PNC Recital Hall

David Stock conducts the Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble in premieres of works by Resa Vali, Randy Woolf, David Cutler, and David Stock.

Featuring soprano Kathy Soroka

$10 suggested donation

Update: This concert was originally posted as March 16 rather than April 16. Sorry for the mixup, and now it’s time to create a category called “Good Help is Hard to Find.” –The Management