From New Music to Neuroscience: Our May Concert Calendar

Posted on May 1, 2019 by maestrobeats

Second Inversion and the Live Music Project create a monthly calendar featuring contemporary classical, cross-genre, and experimental performances in Seattle, the Eastside, Tacoma, and places in between!

Keep an eye out for our flyer in concert programs and coffee shops around town. Feel free to download, print, and distribute it yourself! If you’d like to be included on this list, please submit your event to the Live Music Project at least six weeks prior to the event and tag it with “new music.”

May-2019-New-Music-Flyer

Wayward Music Series
Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electroacoustic music, and sonic experiments. This month: poetry, ritual, meditation, and medieval chant.
Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Music of Today: Bonnie Whiting & Cristina Valdés
New music luminaries from the University of Washington team up for this concert featuring faculty composers and performers. Bonnie Whiting (percussion) and Cristina Valdés (piano) premiere new works from fellow UW faculty Joël-François Durand and Huck Hodge, plus music of Sofia Gubaidulina and Heiner Goebbels.
Wed, 5/1, 7:30pm, Meany Hall | $10-$15

The Sound Ensemble: Songwriter Showcase
Seattle songwriters take center stage in this collaborative concert featuring their original songs accompanied by chamber orchestra. Hear Tim Wilson, Lizzie Weber, Joseph De Natale, and Michael Hamm perform their music with the Sound Ensemble.
Sat, 5/4, 7pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $15-$20

Marimbist Erin Jorgensen. Photo by Kelly O.

Live Music Project: The Neuroscience of a One-Track Mind
Celebrate the Live Music Project’s fifth birthday with a scintillating lecture from UW neuroscientist Chantel Prat and a centuries-spanning solo marimba performance by Erin Jorgensen. Plus: ticket giveaways and an adorable cupcake toast.
Mon, 5/6, 6:30pm, The Royal Room | $20-$30

Sea Change Within Us
An original sound score by Seattle composers Jessi Harvey and Kaley Lane Eaton form the backdrop for this multimedia dance performance and art installation. Created by Karin Stevens Dance with 3D installation by Roger Feldman, Sea Change Within Us explores water, climate change, and the intersections of art and environmentalism.
Fri-Sun, 5/10-5/12, Various times, Base | $15-$50

Philip Glass: ‘Annunciation’ Premiere
A longtime collaborator of Philip Glass, pianist Paul Barnes teams up with Seattle’s Skyros Quartet to present the Pacific Northwest premiere of Glass’s new piano quintet Annunciation.
Sat, 5/11, 7:30pm, Resonance at SOMA Towers | $15-$30

UW Percussion Ensemble: ‘The Innocents’
Visiting percussionists John Lane and Allen Otte present music from their performance art piece The Innocents, which uses found sounds, street percussion, thumb pianos, and electronics to explore issues of wrongful imprisonment and exoneration. Plus: the UW Percussion Ensemble performs works for speaking percussionist.
Tues, 5/14, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

reSound: ‘Annelies’
Based on The Diary of Anne Frank, James Whitbourn’s full-length choral work Annelies explores the singular voice and unwavering hope of this inspiring young woman and her journey through the Holocaust. Seattle-based soprano Stacey Mastrian stars in this performance with the reSound chamber choir.
Fri-Sun, 5/17-5/19, Various times and locations | $20-$30

The Esoterics: Inclusivity
Indonesian, Mandarin, Quechua, and Spanish are just a few of the languages featured in this choral concert exploring the power of inclusivity and togetherness. Hear wide-ranging works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Ted Hearne, Chen Yi, David Lang, and more.
Fri-Sun, 5/17-5/19, Various times and locations | $15-$22

JACK Quartet: Human Subjects
New music meets neuroscience in this concert collaboration exploring the integration of brain and body signals in artistic performance. The performance is a culmination of the JACK Quartet’s extended residency at UW, where they have been working with a team of composers, researchers, and neuroscientists.
Sat, 5/18, 7:30pm, Meany Hall | $10-$20

Vox16: Textures
Contemporary works by Philip Glass and Nico Muhly form the basis of this concert highlighting minimalism in choral music. Plus, hear a new piece from Vox16 founder and director Markdavin Obenza.
Sat, 5/18, 7:30pm, Trinity Parish Church | $15-$25

Seattle Pro Musica: ‘Passion & Resurrection’
Soprano Estelí Gomez (of the Grammy-winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth) joins Seattle Pro Musica for a performance of Ēriks Ešenvalds’ luminous Passion and Resurrection. Plus: a world premiere from conductor Karen P. Thomas.
Sat-Sun, 5/18-5/19, 8pm, St. James Cathedral | $12-$38

Music of Remembrance: ‘The Parting’
A daring new opera by Tom Cipullo explores the life and work of Miklós Radnóti, one of the most important poetic witnesses to the Holocaust. The program also features chamber works by three other Hungarian composers who—like Radnóti—perished at the hands of the Nazis.
Sun, 5/19, 7:30pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $55

The Westerlies. Photo by Shervin Lainez.

The Westerlies
This Seattle-bred, New York-based brass quartet returns home for an intimate concert at the Fremont Abbey. Hear a mix of original tunes and eclectic arrangements from their expansive repertoire.
Tues, 5/21, 7:30pm, Fremont Abbey | $10-$20

TORCH: ‘Passages’
An animated film by artist Scott Kolbo is accompanied by live music from the groove-craving chamber quartet TORCH. With a heavy dose of humor and absurdity, this multimedia performance project explores issues of security, immigration, crisis, and resilience.
Wed, 5/22, 7:30pm, The Triple Door | $25

SMCO: Heaven and Earth
A world premiere from Gabriel Prokofiev forms the centerpiece of this program celebrating the intergenerational power of music. The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra is joined by the Northwest Boychoir and members of the Seattle Symphony Chorale for Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, plus music of Mozart and Lili Boulanger.
Fri, 5/31. 8pm, St. James Cathedral | $15-$25

Witches, Myths, and Microtones: The Music of Harry Partch

Posted on April 5, 2019 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Molloy

Over the past five years Harry Partch’s orchestra of handmade instruments has become a staple in the Seattle spring concert calendar—among experimental music lovers, at least.

Partch was one of the first 20th century composers to work extensively with microtonal scales, creating dozens of incredible instruments specifically for the performance of his works. Those instruments have been in residence at the University of Washington since 2014, where, under the direction of Charles Corey, students and community members practice and perform on them each spring.

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This year, Corey and his crew of Partch enthusiasts are playing two of Partch’s most ambitious and rarely-performed works: Daphne of the Dunes and The Bewitched. Catch both in concert this week at Meany Hall:

Daphne of the Dunes
The ancient Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo is reimagined through the primal rhythms and eerie microtones of Partch’s handmade instruments. His sprawling Daphne of the Dunes (originally composed as a film score) is performed alongside microtonal art songs of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Tues, 4/9, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10

The Bewitched
Music, theatre, and ritual merge in Partch’s radical dance satire The Bewitched. Written as a reaction against the rigidity of modern civilization, the piece explores how we might ultimately find a sense of rebirth through a discovering our ancient past. The Bewitched showcases Partch’s most ambitious writing for the female voice, the piece unfolding across 12 scenes with the instruments dominating the set.
Sat, 4/13, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10

Interested in learning more? Click here for our photo tour of the Harry Partch Instrumentarium.

Third Coast Percussion Premieres Philip Glass’s ‘Perpetulum’

Posted on April 5, 2019 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Molloy

Left to right: David Skidmore, Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, and Peter Martin.

For the past half-century Philip Glass’s music has permeated not only the classical sphere but also the broader pop music consciousness. From operas to film scores to symphonies and string quartets, he has written music for just about every occasion and instrumentation—except for the percussion ensemble.

Until now, that is. Perpetulum, Glass’s first and only piece for percussion ensemble, receives its Pacific Northwest premiere this Sunday in the hands of Third Coast Percussion. Presented as part of the Town Music series, the concert features the much-anticipated percussion premiere alongside a handful of the ensemble’s own Glass-inspired works.

In this interview, Third Coast ensemble member and Executive Director David Skidmore gives us a sneak peek behind the scenes of the creation and performance of Glass’s Perpetulum.

Audio production by Dacia Clay.
Music from Philip Glass’s Perpetulum, performed by Third Coast Percussion and recorded on Orange Mountain Music.

Third Coast Percussion performs Perpetulum this Sunday, April 7 at 6pm at Nordstrom Recital Hall. For tickets and more information, click here.

Music for Dreamers, Schemers, and Curious Listeners: Your April Concert Guide

Posted on April 2, 2019 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Molloy

Keep an eye out for our flyer in concert programs and coffee shops around town. If you’d like to be included on this list, please submit your event to the Live Music Project at least six weeks prior to the event and tag it with “new music.”

Wayward Music Series
Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electroacoustic music, and sonic experiments. This month: dynamic collaborations, deep ecology, and sounds from the end of the world.
Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Seattle Symphony: Trimpin, Stiefel, & More
Equal parts composer and sound sculptor, Trimpin creates sonic installations at the intersection of music and visual art. Hear his work Solo Flute, Eight Pottery Wheels and Assorted Vinyls alongside music of Andrew Stiefel, Leonardo Gorosito, Rafael Alberto, and Igor Stravinsky.
Tues, 4/2, 7:30pm, Octave 9 | $20

Emerald City Music: Dreamers’ Circus
Classical music meets Nordic folk song in this globe-trotting Scandinavian trio. Comprised of violin, piano/accordion, and cittern (a lute with a flat back), the trio brings together the warmth and nostalgia of acoustic folk music with the subtle complexities of the classical tradition.
Fri, 4/5, 8pm, 415 Westlake | $45
Sat, 4/6, 7:30pm, The Minnaert Center (Olympia) | $20-$25

Dreamers’ Circus. Photo by Kristoffer Juel Poulsen.

James Falzone: The Already & The Not Yet
Reflecting on his past three years living in Seattle, composer and clarinetist James Falzone offers a meditation on his long-running solo work, Sighs Too Deep for Words. Plus: new music composed for Tao Trio featuring Falzone alongside pianist Wayne Horvitz and bassist Abbey Blackwell.
Sat, 4/6, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Third Coast Percussion: ‘Perpetulum’
Philip Glass’s first and only piece for percussion ensemble receives its Pacific Northwest premiere in the capable hands of Third Coast Percussion, who commissioned the piece last year. A handful of the ensemble’s own original Glass-inspired works complete the program.
Sun, 4/7, 6pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $22

Harry Partch Ensemble: ‘Daphne of the Dunes’
The ancient Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo is reimagined through the primal rhythms and eerie microtones of Harry Partch’s handmade instruments. His sprawling Daphne of the Dunes (originally composed as a film score) is performed alongside microtonal art songs of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Tues, 4/9, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10

Harry Partch Ensemble: ‘The Bewitched’
Music, theatre, and ritual merge in Harry Partch’s radical dance satire The Bewitched. Written as a reaction against the rigidity of modern civilization, the piece explores how we might ultimately find a sense of rebirth through a discovering our ancient past. The tale unfolds across 12 scenes played out on Partch’s collection of handmade microtonal instruments.
Sat, 4/13, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10

Harry Partch’s Chromelodeon. Photo by Maggie Molloy.

Music of Today: Performing with the Brain
Performers can create music without movement thanks to a new brain computer music interface developed at the University of Washington. Patients with motor disability improvise with professional musicians in this performance led by composers Juan Pampin and Richard Karpen and neuroscientist Thomas Deuel.
Fri, 4/19, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | FREE

Seattle Symphony: ‘Surrogate Cities’
Man, machine, and the modern metropolis are the major themes behind Heiner Goebbels’ new multimedia work Surrogate Cities. Like the city itself, the music is a sprawling blur of human and machine-made sounds enhanced with striking visual effects. Get a sneak preview of Goebbels’ immersive chamber works performed in Octave 9, and hear Surrogate Cities in the main hall over the weekend.
Mon, 4/22, 7:30pm, Octave 9 | $25
Thurs, 4/25, 7:30pm, Benaroya Hall | $22-$122
Fri, 4/26, 8pm, Benaroya Hall | $22-$122

Philip Glass: ‘Hydrogen Jukebox’
The pulsing minimalism of Philip Glass and the countercultural activism of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg combine in Hydrogen Jukebox, a 1990 chamber opera reflecting on issues of war, peace, social equity, and sustainability. The UW Vocal Theatre Workshop performs the Northwest Premiere under the direction of Cyndia Siden, Dean Williamson, and Deanne Meek.
4/26-4/27, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10

Ladies Musical Club: Northwest Composers
Pacific Northwest composers are celebrated in this wide-ranging concert of chamber music featuring works by Karen P. Thomas, Alex Shapiro, Sarah Mattox, and many more.
Sat, 4/27, 7pm, Music Center of the NW | FREE

Seattle Symphony: American Horizons
Composer-in-Residence Derek Bermel curates an evening of music ranging from Steve Reich to Mary Kouyoumdjian, with world premieres by Kaley Lane Eaton and Bermel himself composed specifically for the immersive new Octave 9 space.
Sun, 4/28, 6pm, Octave 9 | $35

Seattle Symphony Composer-in-Residence Derek Bermel.

Seattle Modern Orchestra: ‘Coming Together’
Frederic Rzewski’s hypnotic classic Coming Together uses text adapted from a prison letter written by Sam Melville, an anarchist bomber who was killed during the Attica Prison uprising in 1971. The harrowing piece is performed here alongside politically-charged works by Christian Wolff.
Sun, 4/28, 7:30pm, The Royal Room | $10-$20

Paul Taub: Landscape with Birds
Flute music from across three continents is presented in this program exploring the instrument’s wide range of techniques and influences. Paul Taub, who recently retired from nearly four decades of teaching at Cornish, performs music of Pēteris Vasks, Toru Takemitsu, Bun-Ching Lam, Robert Aitken, Janice Giteck, and more.
Tues, 4/30, 7pm, Folio | $20

Both Wonderful and Strange: Playing ‘Twin Peaks’ on Partch Instruments

Posted on March 27, 2019 by maestrobeats

by Dacia Clay

“I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.” – FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper

The Inverted Space Ensemble got its start at the University of Washington and has, effectively, graduated. While at UW, they made a connection with Chuck Corey, Director of the Harry Partch Instrumentarium. Currently in residence at UW, the Instrumentarium is a collection of handmade microtonal instruments created by 20th century composer and iconoclast Harry Partch.

Many of Inverted Space’s members play in the Harry Partch Ensemble. They’re also big fans of Twin Peaks, the iconic TV show filmed in Snoqualmie and North Bend that came out in the 90s and that had a resurgence in 2017 when director David Lynch released a third season of the show called Twin Peaks: The Return.

This Friday, March 29, Inverted Space is bringing the Partchian spirit
—and some Partch instruments—together with their love of Twin Peaks for a concert reinterpreting composer Angelo Badalamenti’s original score. Learn more in our audio interview with Inverted Space violinist and Artistic Director Luke Fitzpatrick.

Audio production by Dacia Clay. Audio engineering by Nikhil Sarma.

Music in this interview:

“Twin Peaks Theme” and “Love Theme” composed by Angelo Badalamenti, arranged by Luke Fitzpatrick and Jeff Bowen, and performed by Inverted Space
“Freshly Squeezed” by Angelo Badalamenti
Additional audio clips from the Twin Peaks TV series

The Inverted Space Ensemble presents Twin Peaks a la Partch this Friday, March 29 at 8pm at the Good Shepherd Chapel. Click here for more information.