Pittsburgh New Music Net

Witnessing a performance by Amy Williams and Helena Bugallo brings to mind science fiction-y terms like “shared consciousness” or “mind meld”.  They’re that tight. You can see the duo in action on Sunday afternoon when they premiere Williams’ Crossings for Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Bridges Fine-tuned series. Williams is one of four composers PCMS commissioned to celebrate Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary. Along with music by Kurtag, Nancarrow, and Stravinsky, the duo will also include works by Machaut, Frescobaldi, Purcell, and J.S. Bach, which is nice; concerts should include old music every once in a while.

The Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo performs on Sunday March 8 at 3 p.m. in Pitt’s Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Tickets are available through ProArts and at the door.

(Also, don’t forget to set your clocks ahead tonight!)

REMINDER: VOX CANCELED
This has been posted and e-mailed to a number of outlets, but if you missed it, there’s no Vox concert for Music on the Edge tonight.

Deadline to Buy New Music Day-pass is March 3
If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a New Music Day-pass to hear the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo and IonSound Project on March 8, you’ll need to do so by March 3.  More details here (opens pdf).

IonSound Project and the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society are pleased to announce the New Music Day-Pass for Sunday March 8, 2009. Purchase tickets to hear the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo and IonSound Project with KnotDance and a light dinner in between, all for $20! Please see details below:

3 p.m. at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (650 Schenley Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15260)
Bridges Fine-tuned, Part II: Featuring the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo premiering Amy Williams’ new composition for piano, with music by Gyorgy Kurtag, Machaut, Frescobaldi, Purcell, J.S. Bach, Conlon Nancarrow, and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring for piano four hands.

5:15 p.m. at Bellefield Hall 2nd Floor Lobby ((315 S. Bellefield Ave. Pittsburgh PA 15213)
Share a light meal with the artists, including vegetarian and omnivorian deli sandwiches, salad, drinks, and dessert.

7 p.m. at Bellefield Hall Auditorium
IonSound Project, the University of Pittsburgh Department of Music’s Ensemble-in-Residence, will give a concert titled Hometown Heroes, featuring music by John Adams, Patrick Burke, Eric Moe, Jonathan Kolm, David Stock, Philip Thompson, and Roger Zahab, with choreography by KnotDance.

Purchase your New Music Day-Pass for $20 by contacting The Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society at
412-624-4129 or info@pittsburghchambermusic.org.
Visa or MasterCard accepted for phone orders

Or send order form and check payable to Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society to

Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society

315 S. Bellefield Ave, Room 305

Pittsburgh, PA 15213

It’s official. There’s more new music going on then I can keep up with. You can find previews of upcoming concerts by the Imani Winds at the PG, The Necks from City Paper, and don’t skip PNMNet’s interview with Mary Rowell and Geoff Burleson posted below.

Carnegie Music Hall
ProArts Tickets 

Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society presents a the Imani Winds performing a concert featuring Husa, Ligeti and much more.

Biava Quartet violist and Greensburg native Mary Persin took time to answer some questions via e-mail about the quartet’s approach to new music and what to expect from their performance for Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Bridges Festival on Saturday night. You will enjoy every word from this thoughtful performer, so read on! You should also check out Andy Druckenbrod’s interview with Mary in yesterday’s PG

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PNMN: The Biava Quartet has been very committed to performing new music. Is that an emphasis that the group had from its inception, or did it emerge gradually?

MP: The Biava Quartet has long had an interest in performing new music.   From the earliest days, our quartet has enjoyed the challenge of  tackling unknown works in an effort to challenge both the audience (and ourselves!) to deepen our exposure to and appreciation of all musical styles.   Not only has this provided greater musical diversity to our programmming, but this has also given us the opportunity to present music that is relevant to our time.  Working with living composers has also provided the chance to understand and embrace music on a deeper level. Through these experiences, we have all gained insight into the challenges that faced the composers of the past, all the while resulting in more vibrant interpretations of both those works as well as the music of today.  As 21st century performers, we all believe firmly that we have a responsibility to commit ourselves to bringing about the next generation of masterworks.  It was, after all, the influence of the great performer composers of the past, the majority of whom were writing music beyond the confines of their own epochs, which inspired all which we now consider canon.

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David Stock was kind enough to share a few thoughts about his Eighth String Quartet with PNMNet. The Biava Quartet will premiere the new work on Saturday night as part of the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society’s Pittsburgh Commissions Project. The Biava will hold an open rehearsal of the piece Friday the 6th, 1 p.m., Room 322 at The Duquesne U. School of Music.

My Eighth String Quartet was written in the summer of 2007, in my composing haven, Santa Fe. It is in three movements, basically fast-slow-fast. The first is a relatively compact series of restless, agitated sections, with occasional glimmers of cantabile motifs. The middle movement features long, singing lines, often like a chorale. The final movement, much to my surprise, turned out to be a fugue, a descendant of Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue! I have no idea why a fugue seemed right; I was walking my dog early one morning, and the idea of a not-so-grosse fugue popped into my head! Counterpoint was always my worst subject as a student, so I never included one in all my LONG years of composing since then.

I usually think of myself as primarily an orchestral composer, but find I really like writing quartets. Once I heard the Biava Quartet on a recording, I knew I wanted to compose a quartet for them. I’m very grateful to the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society for giving me the opportunity to do so; the score is dedicated to the Biava Quartet. –DS

The next 10 people who register for Pittsburgh New Music Net will receive free tickets to the Biava Quartet’s premiere of David Stock’s String Quartet No. 8 on Saturday, February 7 at the New Hazlett. Also on the program are Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in c minor, Op. 110 and Mendelssohn String Quartet in f minor, Op. 80., so there really is something for everyone. 

Registering is free and simple. Scroll down the right-hand column to “Meta” and click “Register.” After you’re signed up I’ll send you an e-mail to confirm that you’ll be attending the concert and your name will be placed on the will-call list. It’s that easy.

The New Hazlett Theater

The Biava Quartet returns for the fourth and final installment of Pittburgh Chamber Music Society’s Bridges Festival. The Biava will premiere a new string quartet by Albert Glinsky along with Ginastera Quartet No. 1, Op. 20 and Grieg’s String Quartet in g minor, Op. 27.

Tickets are available through ProArts.

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.