Second Inversion at the Northwest Folklife Festival

Posted on May 22, 2017 by maestrobeats

For over 40 years the annual Northwest Folklife Festival has served as a community celebration of local music and art at Seattle Center. Second Inversion is proud to be a part of that community, and is committed to showcasing vibrant and adventurous new music landscapes from all over the Pacific Northwest and far beyond.

So this Friday, we’re teaming up with Classical KING FM to show off some of our favorite local new music talents in our third annual KING FM and Second Inversion Showcase at the Northwest Folklife Festival.

Join us at the Center Theatre on Friday, May 26 at 8pm for a triple billing featuring the Ecco Chamber Ensemble, TangleTown Trio, and the Skyros Quartet. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s in store:

The Ecco Chamber Ensemble builds concerts around the intersection of art and social change. Comprised of soprano Stacey Mastrian, flutist Sarah Bassingthwaighte, and guitarist Mark Hilliard Wilson, the group programs classical music from around the world and across history which sheds light on issues of our time and provokes us to consider our common humanity.

TangleTown Trio specializes in classical Americana; music inspired by the many unique genres of American music, including jazz, folk, and classic musical theatre. Comprised of mezzo-soprano Sarah Mattox, violinist Jo Nardolillo, and pianist Judith Cohen, TangleTown is the happy outgrowth of three friends, all enjoying successful solo careers, coming together to create something truly extraordinary.

The Skyros Quartet is known for their innovative and interactive approach to classical music both old and new. Comprised of violinists Sarah Pizzichemi and James Moat, violist Justin Kurys, and cellist Willie Braun, the quartet performs, teaches, and leads community events all over the U.S. and Canada. Passionate about the future of music, Skyros regularly performs new works by living composers, and is back by popular demand after having performed in our Second Inversion Showcase at the 2016 Folklife Festival.

KING FM and Second Inversion’s Folklife Showcase is Friday, May 26 at 8pm at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center. For more information on the festival, click here.

New Composed Music: February 2017 Seattle * Eastside * Tacoma

Posted on February 1, 2017 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 this 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, submit your event to the Live Music Project at least 6 weeks prior to the event and be sure to tag it with “new music.”

Racer Sessions
A weekly showcase of original music with a jam session based on the concepts in the opening presentation.
Every Sunday, 8-10pm, Cafe Racer | FREE

Wayward Music Series
Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electronic/electroacoustic music, & more.
Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15
waywardmusic.org (check website for complete listings)

4
Ancora presents Wild! With Skyros Quartet
Aimee Mell leads a program of works by Randall Thompson, Ola Gjeilo, Sarah Quartel, Joan Szymko, Dan Forrest, and Jackson Berkey.
Sat, 2/4, 7:30pm, Trinity Lutheran Church | $11-$16

4
Seattle Music Exchange
Pianist Angelo Rondello will perform works by Seattle composers Samuel Jones, Peter V. Stevens, Angelique Poteat, Adam Haws, & Benjamin Salman.
Sat, 2/4, 8pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $20-$42

4
Seattle Rock Orchestra performs The Police
SRO shakes out hits like ‘Roxanne,’ ‘Message In A Bottle,’ ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me,’ and ‘Every Breath You Take.’
Sat, 2/4, 8pm, Kirkland Performance Center | $40

10
Solaris Vocal Ensemble with Seattle Modern Orchestra
SMO collaborates with UW’s Solaris Vocal Ensemble in a unique performance of Julia Wolfe’s Thirst and works by Dempster and Erickson.
Fri, 2/10, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theater | $10-$20

12
Andrew Joslyn & the Passenger String Quartet
Violinist, composer, and arranger Andrew Joslyn presents an afternoon of music with The Passenger String Quartet.
Sun, 2/12, 4pm, Bainbridge Waterfront Community Center | $5-$20

12
Adagio: The Music of Arvo Pärt
An evening of music from Estonian composer Arvo Pärt where the spirit of early music meets ultra-spare modern minimalism in a meditative, intimate setting.
Sun, 2/12, 7pm, On the Boards | $20

17
Cornish Presents: Jesse Myers
Pianist Jesse Myers brings John Cage’s prepared piano music to the stage on which the instrument was born.
Fri, 2/17, 8pm, PONCHO Concert Hall | $10-$20

17
Inverted Space: Composers Concert
Inverted Space presents a concert of new works featuring the music of Adrian Swan, Charles Corey, Anna Stachurska, & Jacob Sundstrom.
Fri, 2/17, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

18
Lake Union Civic Orchestra: Temptation
Baritone Charles Robert Stephens performs music by Seattle composer and pianist Jeffrey Moidel. Works by Milhaud and Shostakovich round out the program.
Sat, 2/18, 7:30pm, Center for Spiritual Living | $15-$20

18
Wayward Music Series: Melanie Voytovich
Percussionist Melanie Voytovich and friends bring you a night of new work featuring Storm Benjamin, Scott Langdon, Maggie Brown, Brad Hawkins, and Ella Maher (dance).
Sat, 2/18, 7:30pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

18-19
NOCCO: Resonance: Celebrating Black American Composers
Hear a newly commissioned work by Hanna Benn & performance artist Davida Ingram and works by Scott Joplin & George Walker.
Sat, 2/18, 2pm, New Holly Gathering Hall | $15-$30 (under 18 FREE)
Sun, 2/19, 7:30pm, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute | $15-$30 (under 18 FREE)

24
Melia Watras: 26 Album Release
UW faculty violist Melia Watras performs selections from 26, her newly released CD on Sono Luminus, with a video presentation and commentary.
Fri, 2/24, 7:30pm, Brechemin Auditorium | FREE

25-26
Seattle Pro Musica: Chichester Psalms
Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms is paired with James MacMillan’s Cantos sagrados, both exploring the desire of humankind to seek social justice and peace.
Sat, 2/25, 8pm, St. James Cathedral | $12-$38

Second Inversion’s Top 5 Moments of 2016

Posted on December 30, 2016 by maestrobeats

2016 was filled with lots of fun on our 24/7 stream, video production studios, & blog, but this year we really focused on getting out in the community. While these digital offerings reach people world-wide, we are grateful to connect with our Seattle-area fans and like-minded folks! Here are our top 5 moments/events/milestones/projects/good times listed in chronological order.

This is the final post in a series of Top 5 of 2016 lists (check out our Top 5 Videos,Top 5 Albums, and Top 5 Blog Features).

February 1, 2016: Co-presenting Brooklyn Rider and Gabriel Kahane at the Tractor Tavern

2016-02-02-09-03-04

When we had the opportunity to team up with Tractor Tavern to co-present Gabriel Kahane and Brooklyn Rider, we jumped for joy and hopped aboard. The honky-tonkin’ venue was filled with people from all walks of musical life and a great showcase of how to – as we like to say around here – Rethink Classical. Click here for a review of the performance.

April 9, 2016: Second Inversion Presents: Seattle Rock Orchestra Quintet with Tamara Power-Drutis

Second Inversion moved up and over to the Eastside to close Classical KING FM’s inaugural concert series On Stage with Classical KING FM at Bellevue’s newest concert hall, RESONANCE at SOMA Towers. The Seattle Rock Orchestra Quintet with the inimitable, versatile vocalist Tamara Power-Drutis, transformed popular song into art song, in a program that re-imagined the work of artists such as Radiohead, Beck, Bjork and others as intimate and emotional chamber works born for the recital hall.

Best of all? Back by popular demand, they’ll be performing again next year on April 15, 2017! Tickets are on sale now.

All photos by Jason Tang.

May 26, 2016: Second Inversion Showcase at the 2016 Northwest Folklife Festival

This spring, we came together to celebrate the sounds of the Pacific Northwest in our 2nd annual Second Inversion Showcase at the Northwest Folklife Festival, which featured performances by the bi-coastal brass quartet The Westerlies, the innovative and always-interactive Skyros Quartet, and the boundary-bursting Sound of Late.

All photos by Maggie Molloy.

July-November: New Music Happy Hours hosted by Second Inversion and the Live Music Project

Second Inversion and the Live Music Project host monthly(ish) Happy Hours at the Queen Anne Beerhall for anyone and everyone with an open mind and a willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue about music and art in Seattle and beyond. Sign up for e-mail alerts to find out when the next one is occurring!

: Andrew and Maggie

: James and Connie

: Group shot! (Table 1)

: We like to laugh!

: Jacob and Brendan

: Group shot! (Table 2)

: Donna and Ursula

: Jon and Connie

: Deep in conversation.

: Shaya and Kevin

All photos by Maggie Molloy.

October 3, 2016: Steve Reich at 80

reichat80 Second Inversion celebrated Steve Reich’s birthday in huge style with a 24 hour marathon of his music on our stream. Our staff and over a dozen community members joined in the fun by contributing recorded introductions to their favorite Reich pieces and by writing mini-reviews. We have more 24 hour marathons planned for 2017, birthday and non-birthday related!

New Music Concerts: November 2016 Seattle * Eastside * Tacoma

Posted on November 1, 2016 by maestrobeats

Keep an eye out for our this 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 drop us a line at least 6 weeks prior to the event.

program-insert-november-2016-onesided

Racer Sessions
A weekly showcase of original music with a jam session based on the concepts in the opening presentation.
Every Sunday, 8-10pm, Cafe Racer | FREE

3
patchtax at Vermillion
patchtax is a viola/saxophone duo based in Boston who explore unconventional performance practices within the realm of classical chamber music.
Thurs, 11/3, 8pm, Vermillion Art Gallery & Bar | Pay-what-you-can

3
Seattle Modern Orchestra: Reflections on Sound and Silence
SMO presents Andrew Waggoner’s Concerto for Piano featuring soloist Gloria Cheng along with works by Wolfgang Rihm & Vykintas Baltakas.
Thurs, 11/3, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $10- $25

4
Cornish Presents: Bora Yoon
Korean-American composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Bora Yoon presents audiovisual storytelling through music, movement and sound.
Fri, 11/4, 8pm, Kerry Hall | $10-$20

4
Seattle Composers’ Salon
Composers, performers, & audience gather in a casual setting that allows for experimentation & discussion of finished works & works in progress.
Friday, 11/4, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

7
PLU Symphony Orchestra: Kracht, Copland, Youtz
Svend Rønning premieres a violin concerto by Jerry Kracht. Also on the program: Copland’s Appalachian Spring.
Mon, 11/7, 8pm, Lagerquist Concert Hall, Tacoma | $5-$8 (PLU Students/18 and under free)

11
Seattle Symphony: Sonic Evolution Co-Presented with Earshot Jazz
The Garfield High School Jazz Band & singer Grace Love join SSO in celebrating Quincy Jones & Ernestine Anderson with a world premiere by Kenji Bunch.
Fri, 11/11, 8pm, Benaroya Hall | $21-30

12
Cornish Presents: Inverted Space
Seattle’s Inverted Space Ensemble presents two continuous sets of music from Anthony Braxton and Morton Feldman.
Sat, 11/12, 8pm, Kerry Hall | $10-$20

12
On Stage with Classical KING FM: Multimedia/Art Mashup
Art leaves the gallery and becomes an interactive and musical experience led by artists from Gage Academy and the Skyros Quartet.
Sat, 11/12, 7:30pm, Resonance at SOMA Towers | $25

15
Meany Center for the Performing Arts: Imani Winds
Joined by pianist Fabio Bidini, Imani Winds presents a program of Piazzolla, D’Rivera, Mozart, Valerie Coleman (Imani Winds flutist), and more!
Tue, 11/15, 7:30pm, Meany Hall | $40-$45

17
Music of Today: DXARTS Fall Concert
The Cuong Vu Trio collaborates with UW faculty composers Richard Karpen and Juan Pampin and Vietnamese master musician Nguyễn Thanh Thủy (Six Tones Ensemble).
Thurs, 11/17, 7:30pm, Jones Playhouse | $10-$15

19
John Cage Musicircus
Music & lectures written and influenced by John Cage. Dance inspired by Cage & Cunningham. Live art inspired by the I Ching & chance operations.
Sat, 11/19, 7pm, Town Hall | $5-15 (youth free)

19
Tacoma Symphony Orchestra: Copland and Glass
Saxophonist Amy Dickson presents her transcription of Philip Glass’ Violin Concerto No.1. Barber, Copland, and Bernstein round out this all-American program.
Sat, 11/19, 7:30pm, Pantages Theater, Tacoma | $19-80

20
Second City Chamber Series: Looking Back – Looking Forward
A program exploring the great chamber music of the past AND present composed by former SCCS Artistic Directors William Doppmann & Jerry Kracht.
Sun, 11/20, 7:30pm, Great Hall at Annie Wright School, Tacoma | $10-$25 (18 and under free)

New Music Concerts: October 2016 Seattle * Eastside * Tacoma

Posted on September 29, 2016 by maestrobeats

Keep an eye out for our this 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 drop us a line at least 6 weeks prior to the event.

Racer Sessions
A weekly showcase of original music with a jam session based on the concepts in the opening presentation.
Every Sunday, 8-10pm, Cafe Racer | FREE

2
Chorosynthesis: New Choral Music Reading Session & Happy Hour
A 3-hour reading session of “hot-off-the-press” choral works from Chorosynthesis’ call for scores, centered on themes of social justice. Happy Hour to follow.
Sun, 10/2, 1pm, UW School Music Room 213 | Free

5
Town Music at Town Hall: Duos
Musical wunderkinds Caroline Goulding, violin & Joshua Roman, cello present a program of duos by Handel-Halvorsen, Kodály, & Ravel.
Wed, 10/5, 7:30pm, Town Hall | $10-20

6
Cursive Presents: Imagist Alchemy
Rarely heard American works inspired by the Imagist poetry movement, a world premiere by Peter Nelson-King, and the first performance in 80+ years of George William Thomas’s In a Garden.
Thu, 10/6, 7:30pm, Kenyon Hall | $5-$14

7-9
The Esoterics: WILDE: Like silhouettes against the sky
New music set to Oscar Wilde poems by Kenji Oh, Casey Rule, & Gordon Williamson (2016 POLYPHONOS competition winners) plus new works by Dominick DiOrio & Eric Banks.
Fri, 10/7, 8pm, St Stephen’s Episcopal Church | $15-25
Sat, 10/8, 8pm, Holy Rosary Catholic Church | $15-25
Sun, 10/9, 7pm, Christ Episcopal Church, Tacoma | $15-25

8-9
Early Music Guild Presents Chanticleer
Chanticleer offers an evening of hope through compelling acapella works ranging from Renaissance master Thomas Morley to contemporary Paul Simon.
Sat, 10/8, 7:30pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $26 under 35; $46 general
Sun, 10/9, 2:30pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $26 under 35; $46 general

11/13
Loop 2.4.3 Percussion
Hear the Northwest premiere of Time-Machine_music by Thomas Kozumplik featuring the chamber ensemble Loop 2.4.3, with original video projections.
Tue, 10/11, 7pm, Old Town Slavonian Hall, Tacoma | Free
Thurs, 10/13, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-15

15
Seattle Rock Orchestra performs Pink Floyd
SRO pays tribute to psychedelic rock pioneers Pink Floyd with a retrospective that features The Piper At the Gates of Dawn, The Wall, & The Dark Side of the Moon.
Sat, 10/15, 7pm, Auburn Performing Arts Center | $22 student/senior; $25 general

22
Seattle Rock Orchestra performs David Bowie
SRO pays honor to David Bowie with a program that explores his early glam years as Ziggy Stardust and culminates with a string of dance hits from his middle and late career.
Sat, 10/22, 7:30pm, Kirkland Performance Center | $40

23
Frequency: Debut Concert
This dynamic new chamber ensemble (Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, Melia Watras, & Michael Jinsoo Lim) presents interconnected works by Beethoven, Janacek & Watras.
Sun, 10/23, 7:30pm, Meany Hall | $10 student/senior; $20 general

26
Music of Today: Eighty and Ninety: Stuart Dempster and Bill Smith
UW Music celebrates 50 years of collaborative music-making by two beloved faculty all-stars: Stuart Dempster & William O. Smith, turning 80 and 90 in 2016.
Wed, 10/26, 7:30pm, Meany Hall | $10 student; $15 general

28
Seattle Symphony: [untitled] 1
Captivating and remarkable worlds of sound: Two landmark works by Lutosławski (Chantefleurs et Chantefables & Chain 1) alongside Polish composer/singer Agata Zubel’s Chapter 13.
Fri, 10/28, 10pm, Benaroya Hall Lobby | $16

28-29
Universal Language Project: Crowning Day
A new work by Marcus Oldham work focusing on racial reconciliation through the eyes of a NC plantation through the centuries. Featuring Skyros Quartet.
Fri, 10/28, 8pm, Resonance at SOMA Towers | $20
Sat, 10/29, 8pm, Velocity Dance Center | $20

29
The Sound Ensemble: In Nature’s Realm
A program full of music inspired by nature, including susurrus by John Teske, songbirdsongs by John Luther Adams, Hrim by Anna Thorvaldsdottir & more.
Sat, 10/29, 7pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $10 student/senior; $15 general

30
Live Music Project presents: Dead Music Project
A Halloween benefit concert featuring new works that channel long-dead composers.Enjoy music by (very much alive) Seattle composers Spencer Arias, Kaley Lane Eaton, Aaron Grad, and Michaud Savage.
Sun, 10/30, 7pm, Steinway Piano Gallery of Seattle | $10-$25 suggested donation