A home for new and unusual music from all corners of the classical genre, brought to you by the power of public media. Second Inversion is a service of Classical KING FM 98.1.
Cruise into your weekend with a cold beer and warm company at our next Seattle New Music Happy Hour!
Join us Friday, March 15 at 5pmat T.S. McHugh’s for a happy hour co-hosted by Second Inversion and the Live Music Project. Bring a friend, make a friend, have a drink, and discover connections with fellow new music lovers from all over Seattle!
Click here to RSVP and invite your friends. Plus, sign up for alerts for future happy hour dates and day-before reminders so you’ll never miss a beer—er, beat.
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.”
Wayward Music Series Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, and sonic experiments. This month: analog synths, amorphous sounds, and Indonesian gamelan. Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15
Seattle Opera: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs Mason Bates takes you inside the life and legacy of one of the greatest minds of the digital age in this opera about the intersections of technology, spirituality, and ambition. 2/23-3/9, Various times, McCaw Hall | $25-$335
Cornish Percussion Ensemble John Cage’s original percussion ensemble, founded at Cornish in 1938, is relaunched by co-directors Kerry O’Brien and Greg Campbell. Learn more in our Q&A with the directors. Sat, 3/2, 6pm, Jack Straw Cultural Center | FREE
Video by Daniel Husser.
Seattle Symphony: Octave 9 Grand Opening Be among the first to see Seattle Symphony’s brand new immersive performance space dedicated to experimental music and education. Plus, check out a wide variety of concertsat the venue throughout the month. Sun, 3/3, Various times, Octave 9 | FREE
Octave 9 at Benaroya Hall. Photo by James Holt.
UW Modern Music Ensemble: ‘Pierrot Lunaire’ Schoenberg’s masterpiece of melodrama tells the tale of a moonstruck clown and his descent into madness. Bass baritone Nicholas Isherwood performs with the ensemble. Thurs, 3/7, 7:30pm, Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater | $10
Seattle Modern Orchestra: A Celebration of Robert Aitken Experimental flutist and composer Robert Aitken performs original works with the Seattle Modern Orchestra, plus music from Toru Takemitsu, Iannis Xenakis, and Brian Cherney. Sat, 3/9, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $15-$20
Seattle Pro Musica: Pacific Voices Asian and Asian-American voices are celebrated in this concert of choral works from composers representing China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand, and the U.S. Sat, 3/9, 7:30pm, Seattle First Baptist Church | $21-$38 Sun, 3/10, 7:30pm, Trinity Lutheran Church (Lynnwood) | $21-$38
Seattle Symphony: Brooklyn to Ballard Composer-in-Residence and clarinetist Derek Bermel curates an evening of jazz-inspired performances featuring cellist Seth Parker Woods, pianist Ethan Iverson, and Seattle Symphony musicians. Sun, 3/10, 6pm, Octave 9 | $35
Nils Frahm.
STG Presents: Nils Frahm Hovering above his usual collection of keyboards and synths, German composer Nils Frahm draws out an ambient mix of minimalist melodies and dance grooves. Tues, 3/12, 8pm, The Moore Theatre | $27-$42
Samantha Boshnack: ‘Seismic Belt’ Seattle-based trumpeter and bandleader Samantha Boshnack takes listeners on a sonic adventure into the Ring of Fire in Seismic Belt, her large-scale work for seven-piece band. Thurs, 3/14, 7pm, The Royal Room | $12-$15
Samantha Boshnack. Photo by Daniel Sheehan.
Pacific Northwest Ballet: Director’s Choice Artistic Director Peter Boal’s annual selection promises modern and experimental music paired with bold, beautiful choreography. PNB dancers perform to music by Sufjan Stevens, Oliver Davis, and Kyle Vegter. 3/15-3/24, Various times, McCaw Hall | $37-$189
Mostly Nordic: Iceland – Afterquake Cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir and pianist Angelo Rondello collaborate on a program highlighting the immense musical flourishing of Icelandic composers working in the decade following the economic crash of 2008. Sun, 3/17, 4pm, Nordic Museum | $25-$30
Town Music: Talea Ensemble Based on the dark sideshows of Coney Island, the Talea Ensemble’s theatrical chamber piece Sideshow styles the performers themselves as characters, exploring the line between entertainment and spectacle, virtuosity and freak show. Wed, 3/20, 7:30pm, Broadway Performance Hall | $15-$20
The Talea Ensemble.
An Index of Possibility A hodgepodge of scrap materials, cheap toys, and everyday objects form the instrumentation for Robert Honstein’s An Index of Possibility. See the piece performed live by Storm Benjamin, Rebekah Ko, and Garrett Arney amid a swirling light show. Thurs, 3/21, 8pm, Fred Wildlife Refuge | $10-$15
Seattle Symphony: [untitled] 2 The chaotic colors of Pierre Boulez’s restlessly virtuosic Sur Incises are balanced against the haunting dreamland of Luciano Berio’s Circles, a dramatic setting of three poems by E. E. Cummings. Fri, 3/22, 10pm, Benaroya Hall Grand Lobby | $16
Seattle Symphony: Contemporary Music Marathon Immerse yourself in a nonstop multi-disciplinary showcase with music from over 50 living composers across the span of 24 hours. Choose from one of three 8-hour blocks or stay for the full 24-hour marathon. 3/23-3/24, 5pm, Octave 9 | $75-$200
Inverted Space Ensemble: Twin Peaks a la Partch Two cult universes collide: Inverted Space presents a reinterpretation of the music from Twin Peaks featuring a handful of Harry Partch’s handmade microtonal instruments. Fri, 3/29, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15
Harry Partch’s Chromelodeon. Photo by Maggie Molloy.
In 1938, while working at Cornish College of the Arts, John Cage formed the Cage Percussion Players: a group credited with presenting the first full-length concert dedicated entirely to percussion ensemble music in the Western classical tradition.
This year, Cornish faculty members Kerry O’Brien and Greg Campbell are picking up the mantle, assembling a new group of music students to build upon the ensemble’s 80-year legacy.
Video by Daniel Husser.
The new Cornish Percussion Ensemble debuts this Saturday with a performance of music by Jessie Marino, Elliot Cole, Sarah Hennies, Alessandro Rovegno, and Greg Campbell. Also on the program is David Lang’s ruminative little eye, scored for cello and four “non-percussionists” and featuring cellist Ha-Yang Kim.
Paradoxically, the notion of “non-percussionists” is central to the musical ethos of the group. We talked with co-directors O’Brien and Campbell (who are both classically-trained percussionists) about the past, present, and future of percussion at Cornish.
Second Inversion: What makes the ensemble’s history unique?
Kerry O’Brien, co-director of the Cornish Percussion Ensemble.
Kerry O’Brien:It was the first institutional group of its kind! The Cage Percussion Players’ first concert at Cornish (December 1938) was historic in being a full-length concert dedicated entirely to percussion ensemble music. In addition to their three concerts at Cornish, they toured the western United States, performing works for percussion ensemble. The group was also unique in that it originally included non-percussionists, which is true still today.
SI: How does working with non-percussionists inform the music of the group?
KO: It’s actually part of the legacy of the ensemble. When Cage first formed the group, it included his then-wife Xenia Cage, Cornish Eurythmics instructor Doris Dennison, and Cornish pianist Margaret Jansen. Today our group has a mix of percussionists and non-percussionist composers interested in writing for percussion. The ensemble is a great way to have hands-on experience with many instruments, and a few students are actively writing for percussion over the course of the semester.
Greg Campbell, co-director of the Cornish Percussion Ensemble.
SI: How long was the ensemble’s hiatus?
Greg Campbell:From what we can gather, there have been a few breaks in the ensemble’s 80+ year history. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, percussionist Matt Kocmieroski led the ensemble regularly and then more sporadically until 2011. So it’s now been eight years since the ensemble was active.
SI: What made you want to relaunch the ensemble?
GC: Kerry and I share not only years of experience in the world of classical percussion music but also scholarly inquiry into revolutionary musico-political artists and movements. It was during his Cornish years that Cage famously said, “Percussion music is revolution.”
Some 80 years later, percussion ensemble music is widespread, but we hope to invoke the revolutionary spirit of those earlier times not only by performing pieces from that earlier era by Cage, Johanna Beyer, and others, but to honor their work by encouraging members of the ensemble and Cornish community to compose new works for the group.
The Cornish Percussion Ensemble performs this Saturday, March 2 at 6pm at the Jack Straw Cultural Center. For more information, click here.
New music in the Northwest is the theme of this week’s episode of Classical KING FM’s NW Focus LIVE.
Second Inversion’s Maggie Molloy.
Second Inversion’s Maggie Molloy is the featured guest on this Friday’s show, where she will share a handful of live and local performances from the Second Inversion library, including a wide range of performances recorded in our studio and out in the community. She’ll also talk with KING FM’s Sean MacLean about the thrill of discovering new sounds, the surprising intersections of old and new music, and what makes Seattle’s new music scene so vibrant.
So, what’s on the playlist? We don’t want to give too much away, but suffice to say we’ll hear music from Seattle’s favorite brass quartet, a vocal ensemble with some serious bite, an ocean of percussion, and a whole lot more—including a brand new, unreleased recording captured just this week in our studios.
byMaggie MolloyPost-Haste Reed Duo. Photo by Jason Quigley.
When you think of quiet music, a saxophone and bassoon duo is probably not what first comes to mind. Yet the Post-Haste Reed Duo manages to explore the full range of silence and sound in their sophomore album, playfully titled Donut Robot!
Comprised of saxophonist Sean Fredenburg and bassoonist Javier Rodriguez, the Portland-based duo is dedicated to commissioning and championing new works for their unique instrumentation, building the repertoire while also expanding audiences’ perceptions of what a saxophone-bassoon duo can do.
From fluttering soundscapes to eerie microtones and epic grooves, Donut Robot! features six new and wide-ranging works by Edward J. Hines, Drew Baker, Andrea L. Reinkemeyer, Takuma Itoh, Michael Johanson, and Ruby Fulton.
We’re excited to premiere one of the tracks right here on Second Inversion. In the Speaking Silence, composed by Andrea L. Reinkemeyer, explores a reverent sound world that hovers just above the brink of silence.
Post-Haste Reed Duo’s sophomore album Donut Robot! is out Friday, Feb. 15 on Aerocade Music. Click here for more information.
