Saturday, February 20, 2010

Invisible Landscapes



Friday, Feb 26th - 8PM
Saturday, Feb 27th - 8PM
Sunday, Feb 28th - 2PM (FREE afternoon show)
All concerts at Ceremony Hall
4100 Red River St.
$12 students/advance and $15 at door
Both Nights: $20 students/advance and $25 if purchased together
Advance tickets available now at End of an Ear http://endofanear.com

On February 26th - 28th, NMC will present three unique programs of new chamber music. Among the eleven works to be performed are two septets commissioned from maverick composers Radu Malfatti (Austria) and Michael Pisaro (California) by the Co-op. The New Music Co-op performers will realize these pieces alongside guest percussionist Greg Stuart, who has dedicated a significant portion of his career to collaboration with Michael Pisaro. Mr. Pisaro will also be in attendance for all three programs to discuss his work. This concert will give Austin new music audiences a rare opportunity to be immersed in one of the more radical branches of contemporary art music.

Many common threads run through the uncompromising pieces on these three programs, among them the summoning of new sounds from acoustic instruments, the use of silence as a material, and a clarity of musical experience which results from pure sounds which are allowed to be themselves.

Michael Pisaro and Radu Malfatti, the two featured composers of this presentation, are regular fixtures on the European experimental music circuit. Pisaro's "pi (1-2594)" was performed late last year by pianist Philip Thomas over the course of a week at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in England. Both Pisaro and Malfatti are active members of Wandelweiser, a geographically far flung collection of composer/performers who have been presenting concerts and publishing recordings and scores of their music for over 17 years. Wandelweiser stands on the shoulders of 20th century pioneers such as John Cage, Morton Feldman, and La Monte Young, continuing to explore sound, silence, and form in new music.

About the Program

Our program on Friday the 26th begins with Pisaro's piece "A Wave and Waves" for 100 percussion instruments. For this work Greg Stuart will perform solo, accompanied by an 8 channel surround sound system, playing back high fidelity recordings of Stuart playing the other 99 parts. Friday's program also includes Pisaro's "July Mountain" and the amplified sound of melting ice in Alex Keller's "Encantada II." During Saturday's performance we will premiere our two major commission pieces "Red River 7" by Radu Malfatti and "Ascending Series (7) (evaporation)" by Michael Pisaro. The co-op has been honing these two starkly beautiful pieces under the direction of the composers. Also on Saturday's program are new works by Nick Hennies and Travis Weller. Sunday's free afternoon performance features "Eye of the Blackbird" from Pisaro's notable "Harmony Series" and "Stones" by New York School composer Christian Wolff as well as new works by NMC composers Brent Fariss and William Bridges.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

If you haven't heard WOODGRAIN yet......

WOODGRAIN CD RELEASE!!!!!!



Tweak Bird with Woodgrain (CD Release on Australian Cattle God), Auxiliary Earth (members of Gorch Fock) and The Gary
WEDNESDAY THE 24TH AT RED SEVEN !