Filed under IonSound Project by Phil Thompson
News cycles being what they are, the images of tornadoes ripping through the American South and Midwest are already fading from our collective consciousness. But for the communities affected, the long process of rebuilding has only begun. Clarinetist Kathleen Costello, well known in Pittsburgh for her stellar playing in IonSound Project, is also principal clarinet with the Alabama Symphony, and for her, the impact of the spring tornadoes continues to be a visceral experience. She says that
“While the outpouring of support from communities across the country has been incredibly generous, the progress towards restoration has been slow due to the totality of the destruction of some neighborhoods in Alabama. The process of recovery could take years, and my sincere hope is that the greater community does not forget as the disaster reporting ceases to be front page news.”
Kathleen and the rest of IonSound Project are doing us a service by helping us keep the needs of our Alabama neighbors in mind, and we can do them a service by showing up for an excellent concert and being generous with donations.
The Alabama Relief Concert takes place at Beulah Presbyterian Church on Saturday, July 25th at 4 p.m. The free concert includes music by Zahab, Corigliano, Brahms, Kolm, and Dvorak with special guest Anna Singer. Donations for the relief effort will be accepted at the door.
June 24, 2011 at 5:12 pm Comments (0)
Filed under Electroacoustics, Events by Phil Thompson
The Altar Bar
Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the door
Doors at 6:30
Suavity’s Showcase II, curated by Suavity’s Mouthpiece, pulls together an eclectic mix of Pittsburgh-based musicians, ranging from the stark juxtapositions of Suavity itself to the the singer-songwriter stylings of The Feel Good Revolution. Here’s the full line-up:
The Feel-Good Revolution — a new songwriting duo that hearken back to the essential creative partnerships of Leiber/Stoller, Pomus/Shuman, Lennon/McCartney while introducing daring new dynamic techniques into their crafting of archetypal acoustic melodies
M. Bellaire — a meticulous electronic texture composer who paints brutal soundscapes along a desolate backdrop of pre-creation chaos
Suavity’s Mouthpiece — the event’s yearly curator, a three-piece outfit concerned with re-formatting song structure, rhythm, and dynamics
Luxe — dance music unlike ever before; a liberated expression of humanity channeled through sonorous vocals and daring new pop melodies.
h/t Justin Trafford
June 15, 2011 at 1:32 pm Comments (0)
Filed under Events, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble by Phil Thompson
| July 29, 2011 |
| 8:00 pm |
| July 30, 2011 |
| 8:00 pm |
City Theatre
Using a three-dimensional painting by Pittsburgh artist Val Cox* as the centerpiece, Pittburgh New Music Ensemble explores the many facets of perspective. The complete program includes:
Gareth Farr: Kembang Sulling
George Crumb: Vox Balaenae
Kevin Puts: Air for Cello and Piano
Jakub Ciupinski: The Architect’s Brother
Kieren MacMillan: Berceuse for Benjamin
Gérard Grisey: Stèle
Jeffrey Nytch: Notturno
June 15, 2011 at 12:46 pm Comments (0)
Filed under Events, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble by Phil Thompson
| July 22, 2011 |
| 8:00 pm |
| July 23, 2011 |
| 8:00 pm |
City Theatre
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble addresses the complex and sometimes incongruous emotions surrounding the loss of loved ones.
David Lang: Press Release
Arthur Jarvinen: Three Gymnopédies
Ryan Francis: Wind-Up Bird Preludes
Joe Sheehan: Farewell Songs
Matthew Romantini: Memories in Red (Homage a R.J.M.)
Arthur Jarvinen: Little Deaths
Kieren MacMillan: Metamorphosis
June 15, 2011 at 12:37 pm Comments (0)
Filed under Events, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble by Phil Thompson
| July 15, 2011 |
| 8:00 pm |
| July 16, 2011 |
| 8:00 pm |
City Theatre
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble presents “Sappho’s Sparrows”
Primeval poets and modern minstrels collide and combine in a celebration of ancient rituals, timeless longings, and birds that remind us of the dream of flight. The complete program includes:
Kieren MacMillan: World Premiere
Steven Stucky: Ad Parnassum
Gilda Lyons: Chrysalis
Matthew Romantini: Lift
Iannis Xenakis: Psappha
Andrew Norman: Companion Guide to Rome (Sabine)
Joseph Schwantner: Sparrows
Stephen Hartke: The King of the Sun
June 15, 2011 at 12:31 pm Comments (0)
Filed under Events, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble by Phil Thompson
| July 8, 2011 |
| 8:00 pm |
| July 9, 2011 |
| 8:00 pm |
City Theatre
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble presents “A pinch of this, a dash of that…”
Lee Hoiby was a master composer, Julia Child was a master chef. Guest countertenor/impersonator Peter Thoreson performs Hoiby’s witty homage to Child while baking a cake onstage — a feast for the senses! The complete program includes:
Thomas Albert: Characters
Lee Hoiby: Bon Appétit!
Stephen Hartke: The Horse with the Lavender Eye
June 15, 2011 at 12:23 pm Comment (1)
Filed under Action, Events, IonSound Project by Phil Thompson
Beulah Presbyterian Church
2550 McCrady Road
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Free, Donations for the relief effort can be made at the door.
Anna Singer will join IonSound as featured guest artist for a special event to help raise money for the disaster victims in Alabama. The concert is free. Donations for the relief effort can be made at the door.
The program will include:
ZAHAB entelchronicity between six persons
CORIGLIANO Three Irish Folksongs
BRAHMS Clarinet Trio
KOLM Clarinet Trio
BRAHMS Wie melodien
DVORAK Song to the Moon
June 14, 2011 at 12:55 pm Comments (0)
Filed under Events by Phil Thompson
| June 9, 2011 |
| 7:30 pm |
| June 10, 2011 |
| 7:30 pm |
| June 11, 2011 |
| 7:30 pm |
Allegheny Cemetery, by the lake
(4734 Butler St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201)
Tickets
Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and Attack Theatre will collaborate on this open-air presentation of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Euridice and Orpheus at the Allegheny Cemetery. The program will also include Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock.
A Breath of Life in the Allegheny Cemetery. This contemporary American love-story comes to life in a hollow around a lake where five hundred candles float, surrounded by lush rolling lawns and spectacular monumental statuary. Opera Theater’s singers and musicians collaborate with the extraordinary dancers of Attack Theatre for a modern rite of rebirth.
It’s a matter of breath and death: modern man-as-musician loses beloved wife to deadly virus. He tries to summon his wife back to life with the sounds of his glorious clarinet. Life is breath, breath is music, music is movement. A life-enhancing music-dance-drama.
June 3, 2011 at 10:22 am Comments (0)
Filed under Composers by Phil Thompson
Yes, I’m relieved to know I’m not a golem, and you should be too. So relieved in fact, you’ll want to head out for tonight’s (June 2nd) kickoff of the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival to see a live performance of Betty Olivero’s score for the The Golem: How it Came into the World with a screening of the famous 1920 silent film. The festival begins at 7:30 p.m. at Katz Performing Arts Center and you can get more details about tickets and the entire event here.
June 2, 2011 at 10:46 am Comments (0)