News & Events
07 Mar 2024 03:30 PM
In advance of their performance (March 8, 7:30 PM, Shaw Auditorium), internationally renowned performers from Ensemble Dal Niente (USA) will coach preselected chamber music students in rehearsal of chosen repertoire.
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Bio
Ensemble Dal Niente performs new and experimental chamber music with dedication, virtuosity, and an exploratory spirit. Flexible and adaptable, Dal Niente’s roster of 27 musicians presents an uncommonly broad range of contemporary music, guiding listeners towards music that transforms existing ideas and subverts convention.
Over the past two decades, Ensemble Dal Niente has performed concerts across Europe and the Americas, including appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC; the Foro Internacional de Música Nueva in Mexico City; Radialsystem Berlin, MusicArte Festival in Panama City; the Library of Congress and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; the Americas Society; and the Darmstadt Summer Courses in Germany. Dal Niente is the recipient of the 2019 Fromm Music Foundation prize, and was the first ever ensemble to win the Kranichstein prize for interpretation in 2012. The group has recordings available on the New World, New Amsterdam, New Focus, Navona, Parlour Tapes+, and Carrier labels. They have held residencies at the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Stanford University, Brown University, Brandeis University, and Northwestern University, among others, and collaborated with a wide range of composers, including Enno Poppe, George Lewis, Hilda Paredes, and Roscoe Mitchell.
The ensemble's name (“from nothing” in Italian) is a tribute to Helmut Lachenmann’s Dal niente (Interieur III), a work that upended traditional conceptions of instrumental technique, and also a reference to the group’s humble beginnings. Read more
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Bio
Ensemble Dal Niente performs new and experimental chamber music with dedication, virtuosity, and an exploratory spirit. Flexible and adaptable, Dal Niente’s roster of 27 musicians presents an uncommonly broad range of contemporary music, guiding listeners towards music that transforms existing ideas and subverts convention.
Over the past two decades, Ensemble Dal Niente has performed concerts across Europe and the Americas, including appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC; the Foro Internacional de Música Nueva in Mexico City; Radialsystem Berlin, MusicArte Festival in Panama City; the Library of Congress and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; the Americas Society; and the Darmstadt Summer Courses in Germany. Dal Niente is the recipient of the 2019 Fromm Music Foundation prize, and was the first ever ensemble to win the Kranichstein prize for interpretation in 2012. The group has recordings available on the New World, New Amsterdam, New Focus, Navona, Parlour Tapes+, and Carrier labels. They have held residencies at the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Stanford University, Brown University, Brandeis University, and Northwestern University, among others, and collaborated with a wide range of composers, including Enno Poppe, George Lewis, Hilda Paredes, and Roscoe Mitchell.
The ensemble's name (“from nothing” in Italian) is a tribute to Helmut Lachenmann’s Dal niente (Interieur III), a work that upended traditional conceptions of instrumental technique, and also a reference to the group’s humble beginnings. Read more
08 Mar 2024 07:30 PM
Ensemble Dal Niente (USA), one of America’s premiere contemporary music groups, will make their Hong Kong debut, performing a diverse program of boundary-pushing acoustic and electroacoustic works. Hailed as “superb” by The New York Times, the Chicago-based ensemble will offer an evening of unique sonic exploration and genre cross-fertilization, with works by Lei Liang, Sarah Nemtsov, and Ilari Kaila, among others.
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Program
Sarah Nemtsov: Zimmer I, IV Molly Barth, flute
Ben Melsky, harp
Winston Choi, keyboards
Michael Lewanski, electronics
Ammie Brod, electronics
Timothy Page, electronics
Ilari Kaila: Cameo Molly Barth, flute
Ammie Brod, viola
Winston Choi, piano
Rebecca Saunders: Fury Mark Buchner, double bass
Jeffrey Mumford: Through the Filtering Dawn of Spreading Daybright Ammie Brod, viola
Mark Buchner, double bass
Igor Santos: confined. speak. MingHuan Xu, violin
Winston Choi, piano
Lei Liang: Listening for Blossoms Michael Lewanski, conductor
Molly Barth, flute
Ben Melsky, harp
Winston Choi, piano
MingHuan Xu, violin
Ammie Brod, viola
Mark Buchner, double bass
Bios
Ensemble Dal Niente performs new and experimental chamber music with dedication, virtuosity, and an exploratory spirit. Flexible and adaptable, Dal Niente’s roster of 27 musicians presents an uncommonly broad range of contemporary music, guiding listeners towards music that transforms existing ideas and subverts convention.
Over the past two decades, Ensemble Dal Niente has performed concerts across Europe and the Americas, including appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC; the Foro Internacional de Música Nueva in Mexico City; Radialsystem Berlin, MusicArte Festival in Panama City; the Library of Congress and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; the Americas Society; and the Darmstadt Summer Courses in Germany. Dal Niente is the recipient of the 2019 Fromm Music Foundation prize, and was the first ever ensemble to win the Kranichstein prize for interpretation in 2012. The group has recordings available on the New World, New Amsterdam, New Focus, Navona, Parlour Tapes+, and Carrier labels. They held residencies at the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Stanford University, Brown University, Brandeis University, and Northwestern University, among others, and collaborated with a wide range of composers, including Enno Poppe, George Lewis, Hilda Paredes, and Roscoe Mitchell.
The ensemble’s name (“from nothing” in Italian) is a tribute to Helmut Lachenmann’s Dal niente (Interieur III), a work that upended traditional conceptions of instrumental technique, and also a reference to the group’s humble beginnings.
Michael Lewanski, conductor
Conductor, educator, and writer Michael Lewanski is a champion of new and old music. His work seeks to facilitate engaged connections between audiences, musicians, and the music that is part of their culture, society, and history. Based in Chicago, he is conductor of Ensemble Dal Niente and Associate Professor of instrumental ensembles at the DePaul University School of Music. He is Curatorial Director of Ear Taxi Festival 2021, a festival of 21st-century Chicago music. His wide-ranging guest-conducting has included work with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW Series, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Composers Conference, the National Symphony Orchestra of Turkmenistan, Ensamble CEPROMUSIC in Mexico, and Mocrep, among many others. He was resident conductor of the SoundSCAPE Festival in Italy in 2017 and 2019. Michael has an extensive discography as both conductor and producer with Ensemble Dal Niente, Spektral Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, DePaul’s Ensemble 20+, and others.
Molly Barth, flute
Molly Barth is an award-winning flutist, professor and clinician who moves effortlessly from concert hall to teaching studio to rehearsal room to orchestral section. A tireless composer and performer, she has premiered hundreds of pieces and finds the creation of new music uplifting and miraculous. As co-founder and former member of the ensembles Eighth Blackbird and Beta Collide, she has toured the world, recorded a dozen albums, and, with Eighth Blackbird, won a Grammy Award. Passionate about the spark and closeness of chamber music, Barth is a co-founder of the Zohn Collective, a group of curious musicians who share a love of risk and exploration. They have collaborated with a puppet company and a cartoonist, have toured the U.S. and Mexico, and record extensively.
She is Associate Professor of Flute at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and guides her students to become comprehensive flutists. They leave her studio as skilled, flexible, bold musicians, able to think critically and speak to audiences. Barth took her inspiration primarily from her stellar teachers at Oberlin, the Cincinnati Conservatory, and Northwestern.
Ben Melsky, harp
Dedicated to connecting audiences to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries, Chicago-based harpist Ben Melsky is Executive Director and harpist of the internationally acclaimed Ensemble Dal Niente. In close collaboration with composers and performers he encourages the creation of new work to break preconceived notions of the harp’s capabilities, activating new techniques, sounds, and performance practices.
Ben’s recent performance highlights include appearances at the Center for Experimentation Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires, Argentina); São Paulo Contemporary Composers Festival (São Paulo, Brazil); Radialsystem (Berlin); Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles); Foro Internacional de Musica Nueva (Mexico City); the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.); Big Ears Festival (Knoxville); Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC); Ecstatic Music Festival at the Kaufmann Center (NYC); Americas Society (NYC); Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music (Germany); and Art Institute of Chicago.
Winston Choi, piano
Winston Choi is an Associate Professor and the Program Director of Piano at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. His professional career was launched when he was named the Laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition and winner of France’s 2002 Concours International de Piano 20e siècle d’Orléans. His solo, collaborative, chamber and concerto appearances have taken him across four continents.
Known for his colorful approach to programming and insightful commentary from the stage, Choi has recently appeared in recital at the National Arts Centre of Canada, Carnegie-Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Kravis Center, the Library of Congress, Merkin Recital Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Choi performs extensively in France, having played venues such as the Salle Cortot, Lille’s Festival Rencontre Robert Casadesus, the Messiaen Festival, the Strasbourg Festival, and at IRCAM. His debut album (on l’Empreinte Digitale in France), the complete piano works of Elliott Carter, was given five stars by BBC Music Magazine for its “…sheer élan and pianistic devilment”. He can also be heard on the Albany, Arktos, BIS, la Buisonne, Cedille, Crystal, Intrada, Naxos, and QuadroFrame record labels.
MingHuan Xu, violin
A multi-faceted performer with unique communicative abilities, violinist MingHuan Xu has delighted audiences with her passion, effortless technique, sensitivity, and charisma. Her versatility allows her to perform an eclectic mix of musical styles ranging from standard works to avant-garde contemporary repertoire.
MingHuan’s latest recital and chamber music performances have brought her to prominent American venues including Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Her Carnegie Hall debut was featured on Voice of America, a weekly television show viewed by millions of people in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. She has had three recital and masterclass tours of China with appearances at the Central, Shenyang, and Sichuan Conservatories of Music, as well as in the cities of Baotou, Hohhot, Jinan, and Shanghai. She has appeared in recital at the Festival Musica Nova in Brazil and the Festival Encuentros in Argentina. Her numerous performances have included live radio broadcasts on National Public Radio (NPR), WFMT (Chicago), and Canada’s CBC Radio.
An accomplished and devoted teacher, MingHuan is now the Program Director of Strings and Assistant Teaching Professor of Violin at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.
Ammie Brod, viola
Violist Ammie Brod holds a B.M. from the University of Arizona and an M.M. from Northwestern University, and has studied with HongMei Xiao, Roland Vamos, and Emanuel Vardi. As a member of Dal Niente, Ammie has worked with composers such as Chaya Czernowin, Mark Andre, Kaija Saariaho, Hans Thomalla, Marcos Balter, and Augusta Reed Thomas. She attended the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music, helping to earn Dal Niente a Kranischteiner Stipiendieum Prize and a Kranichstein Musikpreis, the latter being the highest honor for performers in the courses. In addition to her work with Dal Niente, Ammie has recently made appearances with Quince Vocal Ensemble, the Omaha Under the Radar festival, and Project Incubator at the University of Chicago which emphasizes direct collaboration between composers and performers.
Mark Buchner, double bass
Mark Buchner is a double bassist specializing in new chamber and orchestral music. He resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he is a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony and maintains a small private teaching studio. Devoted to accurate and engaging interpretations, his performance season is almost equally split between world premieres of living composers and fresh looks at classic pieces.
Mark grew up in Orange County, California, where he attended Chapman University. From 2009, he studied bass with Peter Lloyd at Northwestern University in Chicago, while playing with groups including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Having fallen in love with new music at Chapman and Northwestern, Mark joined Ensemble dal Niente in 2011. Since then, he has performed with the group around the United States and Europe, including concerts at the 2012 Darmstadt Courses for New Music.
His playing can be heard on numerous albums, including Dal Niente’s debut CD Without Words on Carrier Records and Ryan Muncy’s Hot on New Focus records.
Timothy Page, electronics
Chicago-born composer, musician, and performance artist Timothy Page is currently Lecturer in Music and Digital Arts at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where he teaches electronic music. As a composer, he creates works that revolve around play with style and context, body, physical materials, and space. Page holds degrees from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, where he established himself as a composer and studied with Veli-Matti Puumala; and the University of Chicago, where he completed his PhD with mentors Augusta Read Thomas and Anthony Cheung. Page is a founder and co-director of Dayjob Collective, a Helsinki-based interdisciplinary ensemble investigating meeting points between contemporary music and performance art. He is a recipient of the 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship, and his works have been performed around the globe by ensembles such as Ensemble Dal Niente (US), Third Coast Percussion (US), Eighth Blackbird (US), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FI), Avanti! (FI), Uusinta (FI), Defunensemble (FI), Dayjob Collective (FI), S.E.M. Ensemble (US/CZ), Caput (IS), and Cikada (NO).
Composers
Sarah Nemtsov (Germany, 1980), neé Reuter, is the recipient of several prizes and scholarships, such as the German Music Authors Prize (Deutsche Musikautorenpreis GEMA) in 2012, the Busoni Composition Prize (Academy of the Arts Berlin) in 2013, RicordiLAB composition competition in 2016, and the Oldenburg Composition Prize for Contemporary Music in 2018.
Her catalogue of over 150 compositions comprises a variety of genres – from instrumental solo to orchestra, opera, electronic music and film. In her unique musical language, she combines different influences, from renaissance and baroque music to jazz and rock. The intensity of her music is also created through the reference to other arts and extra-musical content, such as political and social issues.
Nemtsov’s music has been played by renowned orchestras such as WDR orchestra, HR Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Konzerthausorchester, Tonhalle Zurich orchestra, Basel Sinfonietta, MKO Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra, and by leading contemporary ensembles such as Musikfabrik, Klangforum Wien, Arditti quartet, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Ensemble modern, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Mosaik, and Ensemble InterContemporain. Nemtsov studied composition at the Hanover Hochschule for Music and Theatre Berlin University of the Arts. She has lectured in composition at Musikhochschule Cologne and University of Haifa, Israel, and since 2022 she has been Professor of Composition at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
Ilari Kaila is a Finnish-American composer whose music has been described with words such as “haunting”, “intriguing”, “engaging … soulful” (The New York Times), “nearly unbearable beauty… A modern masterpiece” (The WholeNote), “melodically euphoric” (Rondo Classic), “hypnotic… trancelike… fascinatingly colorful” (New York Music Daily), “I kept coming back to it… the music is so beautiful, and I want to experience it again and again” (Orchestergraben—5 Best New Music Albums of 2020), “magnificent and glistening” (Amfion), “powerfully resonating” (Helsingin Sanomat), “haunting” (The New Yorker), and “Kaila brings with him an exciting message of rebirth built upon classical foundations” (Percorsi Musicali—Best of 2020).
His work has been presented by the MATA Festival in New York City, including the inaugural composer portrait concert in the “MATA Continued” series (“offering return engagements by some of its brightest discoveries” — Steve Smith, The New Yorker); as the Composer-in-Residence of the Chelsea Music Festival in New York and Taipei; at the American Music Festival in Albany; the Intimacy of Creativity in Hong Kong; the Metropolis Festival in Australia; the Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival in Canada; and the New York International Fringe Festival. Artists and ensembles Kaila has worked with include the Escher String Quartet, Aizuri Quartet, Tanglewood New Fromm Players, Alcott Trio, Kamus Quartet, Uusinta Ensemble, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Emil Holmström, Melinda Masur, Rachel Cheung, Olli Mustonen, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Avanti Chamber Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Joensuu Symphony Orchestra, Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s chamber ensembles. An album of Kaila’s chamber music, recorded by the Aizuri Quartet and pianist Adrienne Kim, was released on the Innova Recordings label in March 2020.
Rebecca Saunders
With her distinctive and intensely striking sonic language, Berlin-based British composer Rebecca Saunders (b. 1967) is a leading international representative of her generation. Saunders pursues an intense interest in the sculptural and spatial properties of organised sound and seeks a close collaborative dialogue with a variety of contemporary musicians and artists.
Born in London, she studied composition with Nigel Osborne and Wolfgang Rihm. Saunders has received numerous prizes, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize 2019. She received an Honorary Doctorate from the Universities of Huddersfield in 2018 und Edinburgh in 2023. She is a member of the Academies of Arts in Berlin, Dresden and Munich.
Jeffrey Mumford
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1955, composer Jeffrey Mumford has received numerous fellowships, grants, awards and commissions, including an Academy Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, a Fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation, and an ASCAP Aaron Copland Scholarship. He was also the winner of the inaugural National Black Arts Festival/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition. His music has been performed extensively, by major orchestras, soloists, and ensembles, both in the United States and abroad, including London, Paris, Reykjavik, Vienna, The Hague, Russia and Lithuania.
Mumford’s notable commissions include those from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Koussevitzky Foundation, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and the Library of Congress (co-commission), the BBC Philharmonic, the San Antonio, Chicago & National Symphonies, Washington Performing Arts, the Network for New Music, cellist Mariel Roberts, the Fulcrum Point New Music Project (through New Music USA), Duo Harpverk (Iceland), the Sphinx Consortium, the Cincinnati Symphony, the VERGE Ensemble /National Gallery of Art/Contemporary Music Forum, the Argento Chamber Ensemble, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Nancy Ruyle Dodge Charitable Trust, the Meet the Composer/Arts Endowment Commissioning Music/USA, Cincinnati radio station WGUC, the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation, the Fromm Music Foundation, and the McKim Fund in the Library of Congress.
Mumford has taught at the Washington Conservatory of Music, served as Artist-in-Residence at Bowling Green State University, and served as assistant professor of composition and Composer-in-Residence at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. He is currently Distinguished Professor at Lorain County Community College in Northern Ohio. Mumford is published by Theodore Presser Co. and Quicklight Music and represented by Black Tea Music.
Igor Santos
Described as “otherworldly and mysteriously familiar” (Chicago Classical Review), and as “exciting and clear... with a striking boldness” (Luigi Nono Competition Prize), Igor Santos’ music has been performed internationally by leading musicians such as Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Dal Niente, Yarn Wire, Alarm Will Sound, POING, the American Composers Orchestra, and the Florida Orchestra.
His work is centered on mimetic relationships between found sounds, acoustic instruments, and recently with video, all of which is dramatized through repetition and the use of microtonal keyboards. Santos has earned degrees in Music Composition from the University of Chicago, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of South Florida. He has been awarded the Rome Prize (2022), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2023), and has won additional prizes such as the International Ferruccio Busoni Competition, the Luigi Nono International Competition, the RED NOTE Competition, the Salvatore Martirano Award, and was also awarded Best Sound Design from Theater Tampa Bay (for his incidental music). He is a native of Curitiba, Brazil.
Lei Liang is a Chinese-born American composer whose works have been described as “hauntingly beautiful and sonically colorful” by The New York Times, and as “far, far out of the ordinary, brilliantly original and inarguably gorgeous” by The Washington Post. Winner of the 2011 Rome Prize, Lei Liang is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland Award, a Koussevitzky Foundation Commission, and a Creative Capital Award. His concerto Xiaoxiang (for saxophone and orchestra) was named a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Music. He has been commissioned and performed by leading orchestras and ensembles the world over.
Liang studied composition with Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Robert Cogan, Chaya Czernowin, and Mario Davidovsky, and received degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music (BM and MM) and Harvard University (PhD). A Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, he held fellowships from Harvard Society of Fellows and the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships, as well as a residency with Calit2’s Qualcomm Institute at the University of California, San Diego. He taught in China as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Shaanxi Normal University College of Arts in Xi'an; served as Honorary Professor of Composition and Sound Design at Wuhan Conservatory of Music and as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Middlebury College. Lei Liang currently serves as Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego. Lei Liang's music is published exclusively by Schott Music Corporation (New York).
Program notes
Sarah Nemtsov: Zimmer I, IV (2019), for harp, flute, sampler, toy piano, synthesizers, and live effects processing. In 2013, I wrote Zimmer I-III for eight musicians: three pieces that are performed simultaneously but can equally stand alone. For some time, I had been preoccupied with simultaneous forms, layering. The layering is not meant as a collage, but as a living organism, breathing, pulsating—with the idea (utopia) of creating a kind of poly-dimensional entity. There are certain liberties (especially temporal) which means that the polyphony is never identical. At the same time, each layer is precisely notated. There is no real improvisation. Simultaneity, complexity, loss of communication, encounter, coexistence, virtual relationships—for me, all this also had to do with urbanity. The form is aestheticized approximation or echo to reality. The absurd is part (paradox as a basic element of our existence), the dark, but also musical joy as a sign of liveliness. The independent layers also stand for freedom and self-determination. Zimmer I, harp solo and Kaoss Pad sampler: this is the nucleus of the piece. Zimmer II, bass flute and bass clarinet with broken laptops sitting at a table. Zimmer III, string quartet (inverted: with cello as the “first violin”). All instruments are amplified and altered, harp with Kaoss Pad becoming hybrid. The piece was written for Ensemble Adapter, and in 2019, they asked me to add one layer more (for an international project with different ensembles) which became Zimmer IV. This was a challenge. How to add something? So, I didn’t try to “compete” but rather step back, be decent, find some corners, chambers, windows… I built a quartet of strange instruments: toy piano sent through ring modulation and played polyphonically (two-manual set up) with a children’s keyboard, flute becoming hybrid with ring modulation as well, a mini synth by Korg (monotron) looking like a Nintendo making quirky sounds and finally a minilogue synth (or similar). Again, it was important that this layer was independent as well, so it can also be played alone—without Zimmer I-III. Zimmer IV is a short piece, playful, a bit absurd, but also showing passion and abyss. Duration: ca. 16 min.
Ilari Kaila: Cameo (2015) is a more abstract piece whose title has several possible connotations: a rounded jewel featuring a portrait in profile, a short descriptive sketch, or a brief appearance by a single character. In ternary form, Cameo begins with a terse flute motif slightly lengthened on each repetition, usually avoiding the downbeat. It is soon joined by the piano, whose motifs are likewise short and stress off-beat notes, and viola with a new ostinato based on open fifths. As the intricate web (secco e preciso) created by these ostinatos is woven, the viola adumbrates more lyrical material in a couple of motifs. This technique is partly informed by Kaila’s interest in the Carnatic music of southern India, where the individual rāga or scale produces a restricted pattern of pitches that gives certain notes structural importance, and where the tāla or rhythmic cycle accounts for recurring metrical motifs. Kaila’s other acknowledged influence in this piece is 1970s British prog rock, which produced bands like Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, and Cardiacs. Such bands were notable for exploring more complex rhythms than most of their contemporaries, and we might hear echoes of that in the delicate three-voice canon, over a widely-spaced harmony, that marks the new section of this piece. (© 2020 Gordon Kerry, from the liner notes to The Bells Bow Down—innova 036) Duration: ca. 8 min.
Rebecca Saunders: fury (2005). fury /´fjueri/ n. (pl. –ies) 1: a wild and passionate anger, rage. b a fit of rage (in a blind fury). c impetuosity in battle etc. 2: violence of a storm, disease, etc. 3: (fury) (usu. in pl.) (in Greek mythology) each of three goddesses sent from Tartarus to avenge crime, esp. against kinship. 4: an avenging spirit. like fury colloq. with great force or effect. (ME f. OF furie f. L furia f. furere be mad) —The Concise Oxford Dictionary Furie [fyRi]. Despite the choleric nature of the sound material, silence is regarded as the canvas upon which all sounds surface out of, and disappear into. Fury was conceived of as a melody, stretched to breaking point over the full eight minutes of this solo. Duration: ca. 8 min. Jeffrey Mumford: Through the Filtering Dawn of Spreading Daybright (2001) was commissioned by the remarkable violist Wendy Richman, for herself and bassist Scott Dixon, and can be seen to be a mini concerto for viola and contrabass. As the work unfolds, the viola seeks to free itself from the contrabass’s “orchestral” fabric, with varying degrees of success. Eventually, amid often turbulent divergences of the two personalities, the viola asserts its independence and a more tranquil mood prevails between both instruments, culminating in a serene state of suspension. The title suggests my experience of how early morning light filters its way through layers of sky and defines the day to come. Ms. Richman’s transcendent beauty of spirit and phenomenal musicianship served as compelling inspiration for this piece, as did the wise counsel and profound talents of bassist Scott Dixon. Duration: ca. 10 min.
Igor Santos: confined. speak. (2020) explores the condition of confinement through various musical interpretations of the word. Sound, for example, is confined through the use of heavy mutes on strings (on both the violin and inside the piano), through short loops (symbolizing confined time), cluster harmonies (confined pitch space), and by playing speech recordings from within a box. The notion of confined expression is equally important and is represented through stuttering gestures, abrupt cut-offs, and other rhetorical devices that disrupt the fluency of music and “speech.” The work is dedicated to Ensemble Dal Niente members MingHuan Xu and Winston Choi, commissioned through the McKim Fund from the Library of Congress. Duration: ca. 14 min.
Lei Liang: Listening for Blossoms (2011). The sound of blossoms is a theme in both Chinese and Japanese traditional poetry, and it arose as part of the Taoist and Buddhist practice of meditation. If one contemplates in complete stillness, one can hear the blossoms. This piece was also inspired by the idea of layering of surface, as well as an ambiguous and subtle world of time found in these poetic texts. Listening for Blossoms was jointly commissioned by Southwest Chamber Music and Cicada Chamber Players. It was begun while I was in residence at Copland House, Cortlandt Manor, NY, as a recipient of the Aaron Copland Award, and was completed at the American Academy in Rome in September 2011. The Southwest Chamber Music Ensemble gave its world premiere at the Los Angeles International New Music Festival in Zipper Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA on January 26, 2013. Duration: ca. 11 min. Read more
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Program
Sarah Nemtsov: Zimmer I, IV Molly Barth, flute
Ben Melsky, harp
Winston Choi, keyboards
Michael Lewanski, electronics
Ammie Brod, electronics
Timothy Page, electronics
Ilari Kaila: Cameo Molly Barth, flute
Ammie Brod, viola
Winston Choi, piano
Rebecca Saunders: Fury Mark Buchner, double bass
Jeffrey Mumford: Through the Filtering Dawn of Spreading Daybright Ammie Brod, viola
Mark Buchner, double bass
Igor Santos: confined. speak. MingHuan Xu, violin
Winston Choi, piano
Lei Liang: Listening for Blossoms Michael Lewanski, conductor
Molly Barth, flute
Ben Melsky, harp
Winston Choi, piano
MingHuan Xu, violin
Ammie Brod, viola
Mark Buchner, double bass
Bios
Ensemble Dal Niente performs new and experimental chamber music with dedication, virtuosity, and an exploratory spirit. Flexible and adaptable, Dal Niente’s roster of 27 musicians presents an uncommonly broad range of contemporary music, guiding listeners towards music that transforms existing ideas and subverts convention.
Over the past two decades, Ensemble Dal Niente has performed concerts across Europe and the Americas, including appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC; the Foro Internacional de Música Nueva in Mexico City; Radialsystem Berlin, MusicArte Festival in Panama City; the Library of Congress and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; the Americas Society; and the Darmstadt Summer Courses in Germany. Dal Niente is the recipient of the 2019 Fromm Music Foundation prize, and was the first ever ensemble to win the Kranichstein prize for interpretation in 2012. The group has recordings available on the New World, New Amsterdam, New Focus, Navona, Parlour Tapes+, and Carrier labels. They held residencies at the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Stanford University, Brown University, Brandeis University, and Northwestern University, among others, and collaborated with a wide range of composers, including Enno Poppe, George Lewis, Hilda Paredes, and Roscoe Mitchell.
The ensemble’s name (“from nothing” in Italian) is a tribute to Helmut Lachenmann’s Dal niente (Interieur III), a work that upended traditional conceptions of instrumental technique, and also a reference to the group’s humble beginnings.
Michael Lewanski, conductor
Conductor, educator, and writer Michael Lewanski is a champion of new and old music. His work seeks to facilitate engaged connections between audiences, musicians, and the music that is part of their culture, society, and history. Based in Chicago, he is conductor of Ensemble Dal Niente and Associate Professor of instrumental ensembles at the DePaul University School of Music. He is Curatorial Director of Ear Taxi Festival 2021, a festival of 21st-century Chicago music. His wide-ranging guest-conducting has included work with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW Series, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Composers Conference, the National Symphony Orchestra of Turkmenistan, Ensamble CEPROMUSIC in Mexico, and Mocrep, among many others. He was resident conductor of the SoundSCAPE Festival in Italy in 2017 and 2019. Michael has an extensive discography as both conductor and producer with Ensemble Dal Niente, Spektral Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, DePaul’s Ensemble 20+, and others.
Molly Barth, flute
Molly Barth is an award-winning flutist, professor and clinician who moves effortlessly from concert hall to teaching studio to rehearsal room to orchestral section. A tireless composer and performer, she has premiered hundreds of pieces and finds the creation of new music uplifting and miraculous. As co-founder and former member of the ensembles Eighth Blackbird and Beta Collide, she has toured the world, recorded a dozen albums, and, with Eighth Blackbird, won a Grammy Award. Passionate about the spark and closeness of chamber music, Barth is a co-founder of the Zohn Collective, a group of curious musicians who share a love of risk and exploration. They have collaborated with a puppet company and a cartoonist, have toured the U.S. and Mexico, and record extensively.
She is Associate Professor of Flute at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and guides her students to become comprehensive flutists. They leave her studio as skilled, flexible, bold musicians, able to think critically and speak to audiences. Barth took her inspiration primarily from her stellar teachers at Oberlin, the Cincinnati Conservatory, and Northwestern.
Ben Melsky, harp
Dedicated to connecting audiences to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries, Chicago-based harpist Ben Melsky is Executive Director and harpist of the internationally acclaimed Ensemble Dal Niente. In close collaboration with composers and performers he encourages the creation of new work to break preconceived notions of the harp’s capabilities, activating new techniques, sounds, and performance practices.
Ben’s recent performance highlights include appearances at the Center for Experimentation Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires, Argentina); São Paulo Contemporary Composers Festival (São Paulo, Brazil); Radialsystem (Berlin); Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles); Foro Internacional de Musica Nueva (Mexico City); the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.); Big Ears Festival (Knoxville); Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC); Ecstatic Music Festival at the Kaufmann Center (NYC); Americas Society (NYC); Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music (Germany); and Art Institute of Chicago.
Winston Choi, piano
Winston Choi is an Associate Professor and the Program Director of Piano at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. His professional career was launched when he was named the Laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition and winner of France’s 2002 Concours International de Piano 20e siècle d’Orléans. His solo, collaborative, chamber and concerto appearances have taken him across four continents.
Known for his colorful approach to programming and insightful commentary from the stage, Choi has recently appeared in recital at the National Arts Centre of Canada, Carnegie-Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Kravis Center, the Library of Congress, Merkin Recital Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Choi performs extensively in France, having played venues such as the Salle Cortot, Lille’s Festival Rencontre Robert Casadesus, the Messiaen Festival, the Strasbourg Festival, and at IRCAM. His debut album (on l’Empreinte Digitale in France), the complete piano works of Elliott Carter, was given five stars by BBC Music Magazine for its “…sheer élan and pianistic devilment”. He can also be heard on the Albany, Arktos, BIS, la Buisonne, Cedille, Crystal, Intrada, Naxos, and QuadroFrame record labels.
MingHuan Xu, violin
A multi-faceted performer with unique communicative abilities, violinist MingHuan Xu has delighted audiences with her passion, effortless technique, sensitivity, and charisma. Her versatility allows her to perform an eclectic mix of musical styles ranging from standard works to avant-garde contemporary repertoire.
MingHuan’s latest recital and chamber music performances have brought her to prominent American venues including Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Her Carnegie Hall debut was featured on Voice of America, a weekly television show viewed by millions of people in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. She has had three recital and masterclass tours of China with appearances at the Central, Shenyang, and Sichuan Conservatories of Music, as well as in the cities of Baotou, Hohhot, Jinan, and Shanghai. She has appeared in recital at the Festival Musica Nova in Brazil and the Festival Encuentros in Argentina. Her numerous performances have included live radio broadcasts on National Public Radio (NPR), WFMT (Chicago), and Canada’s CBC Radio.
An accomplished and devoted teacher, MingHuan is now the Program Director of Strings and Assistant Teaching Professor of Violin at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.
Ammie Brod, viola
Violist Ammie Brod holds a B.M. from the University of Arizona and an M.M. from Northwestern University, and has studied with HongMei Xiao, Roland Vamos, and Emanuel Vardi. As a member of Dal Niente, Ammie has worked with composers such as Chaya Czernowin, Mark Andre, Kaija Saariaho, Hans Thomalla, Marcos Balter, and Augusta Reed Thomas. She attended the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music, helping to earn Dal Niente a Kranischteiner Stipiendieum Prize and a Kranichstein Musikpreis, the latter being the highest honor for performers in the courses. In addition to her work with Dal Niente, Ammie has recently made appearances with Quince Vocal Ensemble, the Omaha Under the Radar festival, and Project Incubator at the University of Chicago which emphasizes direct collaboration between composers and performers.
Mark Buchner, double bass
Mark Buchner is a double bassist specializing in new chamber and orchestral music. He resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he is a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony and maintains a small private teaching studio. Devoted to accurate and engaging interpretations, his performance season is almost equally split between world premieres of living composers and fresh looks at classic pieces.
Mark grew up in Orange County, California, where he attended Chapman University. From 2009, he studied bass with Peter Lloyd at Northwestern University in Chicago, while playing with groups including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Having fallen in love with new music at Chapman and Northwestern, Mark joined Ensemble dal Niente in 2011. Since then, he has performed with the group around the United States and Europe, including concerts at the 2012 Darmstadt Courses for New Music.
His playing can be heard on numerous albums, including Dal Niente’s debut CD Without Words on Carrier Records and Ryan Muncy’s Hot on New Focus records.
Timothy Page, electronics
Chicago-born composer, musician, and performance artist Timothy Page is currently Lecturer in Music and Digital Arts at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where he teaches electronic music. As a composer, he creates works that revolve around play with style and context, body, physical materials, and space. Page holds degrees from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, where he established himself as a composer and studied with Veli-Matti Puumala; and the University of Chicago, where he completed his PhD with mentors Augusta Read Thomas and Anthony Cheung. Page is a founder and co-director of Dayjob Collective, a Helsinki-based interdisciplinary ensemble investigating meeting points between contemporary music and performance art. He is a recipient of the 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship, and his works have been performed around the globe by ensembles such as Ensemble Dal Niente (US), Third Coast Percussion (US), Eighth Blackbird (US), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FI), Avanti! (FI), Uusinta (FI), Defunensemble (FI), Dayjob Collective (FI), S.E.M. Ensemble (US/CZ), Caput (IS), and Cikada (NO).
Composers
Sarah Nemtsov (Germany, 1980), neé Reuter, is the recipient of several prizes and scholarships, such as the German Music Authors Prize (Deutsche Musikautorenpreis GEMA) in 2012, the Busoni Composition Prize (Academy of the Arts Berlin) in 2013, RicordiLAB composition competition in 2016, and the Oldenburg Composition Prize for Contemporary Music in 2018.
Her catalogue of over 150 compositions comprises a variety of genres – from instrumental solo to orchestra, opera, electronic music and film. In her unique musical language, she combines different influences, from renaissance and baroque music to jazz and rock. The intensity of her music is also created through the reference to other arts and extra-musical content, such as political and social issues.
Nemtsov’s music has been played by renowned orchestras such as WDR orchestra, HR Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Konzerthausorchester, Tonhalle Zurich orchestra, Basel Sinfonietta, MKO Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra, and by leading contemporary ensembles such as Musikfabrik, Klangforum Wien, Arditti quartet, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Ensemble modern, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Mosaik, and Ensemble InterContemporain. Nemtsov studied composition at the Hanover Hochschule for Music and Theatre Berlin University of the Arts. She has lectured in composition at Musikhochschule Cologne and University of Haifa, Israel, and since 2022 she has been Professor of Composition at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
Ilari Kaila is a Finnish-American composer whose music has been described with words such as “haunting”, “intriguing”, “engaging … soulful” (The New York Times), “nearly unbearable beauty… A modern masterpiece” (The WholeNote), “melodically euphoric” (Rondo Classic), “hypnotic… trancelike… fascinatingly colorful” (New York Music Daily), “I kept coming back to it… the music is so beautiful, and I want to experience it again and again” (Orchestergraben—5 Best New Music Albums of 2020), “magnificent and glistening” (Amfion), “powerfully resonating” (Helsingin Sanomat), “haunting” (The New Yorker), and “Kaila brings with him an exciting message of rebirth built upon classical foundations” (Percorsi Musicali—Best of 2020).
His work has been presented by the MATA Festival in New York City, including the inaugural composer portrait concert in the “MATA Continued” series (“offering return engagements by some of its brightest discoveries” — Steve Smith, The New Yorker); as the Composer-in-Residence of the Chelsea Music Festival in New York and Taipei; at the American Music Festival in Albany; the Intimacy of Creativity in Hong Kong; the Metropolis Festival in Australia; the Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival in Canada; and the New York International Fringe Festival. Artists and ensembles Kaila has worked with include the Escher String Quartet, Aizuri Quartet, Tanglewood New Fromm Players, Alcott Trio, Kamus Quartet, Uusinta Ensemble, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Emil Holmström, Melinda Masur, Rachel Cheung, Olli Mustonen, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Avanti Chamber Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Joensuu Symphony Orchestra, Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s chamber ensembles. An album of Kaila’s chamber music, recorded by the Aizuri Quartet and pianist Adrienne Kim, was released on the Innova Recordings label in March 2020.
Rebecca Saunders
With her distinctive and intensely striking sonic language, Berlin-based British composer Rebecca Saunders (b. 1967) is a leading international representative of her generation. Saunders pursues an intense interest in the sculptural and spatial properties of organised sound and seeks a close collaborative dialogue with a variety of contemporary musicians and artists.
Born in London, she studied composition with Nigel Osborne and Wolfgang Rihm. Saunders has received numerous prizes, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize 2019. She received an Honorary Doctorate from the Universities of Huddersfield in 2018 und Edinburgh in 2023. She is a member of the Academies of Arts in Berlin, Dresden and Munich.
Jeffrey Mumford
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1955, composer Jeffrey Mumford has received numerous fellowships, grants, awards and commissions, including an Academy Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, a Fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation, and an ASCAP Aaron Copland Scholarship. He was also the winner of the inaugural National Black Arts Festival/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition. His music has been performed extensively, by major orchestras, soloists, and ensembles, both in the United States and abroad, including London, Paris, Reykjavik, Vienna, The Hague, Russia and Lithuania.
Mumford’s notable commissions include those from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Koussevitzky Foundation, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and the Library of Congress (co-commission), the BBC Philharmonic, the San Antonio, Chicago & National Symphonies, Washington Performing Arts, the Network for New Music, cellist Mariel Roberts, the Fulcrum Point New Music Project (through New Music USA), Duo Harpverk (Iceland), the Sphinx Consortium, the Cincinnati Symphony, the VERGE Ensemble /National Gallery of Art/Contemporary Music Forum, the Argento Chamber Ensemble, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Nancy Ruyle Dodge Charitable Trust, the Meet the Composer/Arts Endowment Commissioning Music/USA, Cincinnati radio station WGUC, the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation, the Fromm Music Foundation, and the McKim Fund in the Library of Congress.
Mumford has taught at the Washington Conservatory of Music, served as Artist-in-Residence at Bowling Green State University, and served as assistant professor of composition and Composer-in-Residence at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. He is currently Distinguished Professor at Lorain County Community College in Northern Ohio. Mumford is published by Theodore Presser Co. and Quicklight Music and represented by Black Tea Music.
Igor Santos
Described as “otherworldly and mysteriously familiar” (Chicago Classical Review), and as “exciting and clear... with a striking boldness” (Luigi Nono Competition Prize), Igor Santos’ music has been performed internationally by leading musicians such as Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Dal Niente, Yarn Wire, Alarm Will Sound, POING, the American Composers Orchestra, and the Florida Orchestra.
His work is centered on mimetic relationships between found sounds, acoustic instruments, and recently with video, all of which is dramatized through repetition and the use of microtonal keyboards. Santos has earned degrees in Music Composition from the University of Chicago, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of South Florida. He has been awarded the Rome Prize (2022), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2023), and has won additional prizes such as the International Ferruccio Busoni Competition, the Luigi Nono International Competition, the RED NOTE Competition, the Salvatore Martirano Award, and was also awarded Best Sound Design from Theater Tampa Bay (for his incidental music). He is a native of Curitiba, Brazil.
Lei Liang is a Chinese-born American composer whose works have been described as “hauntingly beautiful and sonically colorful” by The New York Times, and as “far, far out of the ordinary, brilliantly original and inarguably gorgeous” by The Washington Post. Winner of the 2011 Rome Prize, Lei Liang is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland Award, a Koussevitzky Foundation Commission, and a Creative Capital Award. His concerto Xiaoxiang (for saxophone and orchestra) was named a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Music. He has been commissioned and performed by leading orchestras and ensembles the world over.
Liang studied composition with Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Robert Cogan, Chaya Czernowin, and Mario Davidovsky, and received degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music (BM and MM) and Harvard University (PhD). A Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, he held fellowships from Harvard Society of Fellows and the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships, as well as a residency with Calit2’s Qualcomm Institute at the University of California, San Diego. He taught in China as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Shaanxi Normal University College of Arts in Xi'an; served as Honorary Professor of Composition and Sound Design at Wuhan Conservatory of Music and as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Middlebury College. Lei Liang currently serves as Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego. Lei Liang's music is published exclusively by Schott Music Corporation (New York).
Program notes
Sarah Nemtsov: Zimmer I, IV (2019), for harp, flute, sampler, toy piano, synthesizers, and live effects processing. In 2013, I wrote Zimmer I-III for eight musicians: three pieces that are performed simultaneously but can equally stand alone. For some time, I had been preoccupied with simultaneous forms, layering. The layering is not meant as a collage, but as a living organism, breathing, pulsating—with the idea (utopia) of creating a kind of poly-dimensional entity. There are certain liberties (especially temporal) which means that the polyphony is never identical. At the same time, each layer is precisely notated. There is no real improvisation. Simultaneity, complexity, loss of communication, encounter, coexistence, virtual relationships—for me, all this also had to do with urbanity. The form is aestheticized approximation or echo to reality. The absurd is part (paradox as a basic element of our existence), the dark, but also musical joy as a sign of liveliness. The independent layers also stand for freedom and self-determination. Zimmer I, harp solo and Kaoss Pad sampler: this is the nucleus of the piece. Zimmer II, bass flute and bass clarinet with broken laptops sitting at a table. Zimmer III, string quartet (inverted: with cello as the “first violin”). All instruments are amplified and altered, harp with Kaoss Pad becoming hybrid. The piece was written for Ensemble Adapter, and in 2019, they asked me to add one layer more (for an international project with different ensembles) which became Zimmer IV. This was a challenge. How to add something? So, I didn’t try to “compete” but rather step back, be decent, find some corners, chambers, windows… I built a quartet of strange instruments: toy piano sent through ring modulation and played polyphonically (two-manual set up) with a children’s keyboard, flute becoming hybrid with ring modulation as well, a mini synth by Korg (monotron) looking like a Nintendo making quirky sounds and finally a minilogue synth (or similar). Again, it was important that this layer was independent as well, so it can also be played alone—without Zimmer I-III. Zimmer IV is a short piece, playful, a bit absurd, but also showing passion and abyss. Duration: ca. 16 min.
Ilari Kaila: Cameo (2015) is a more abstract piece whose title has several possible connotations: a rounded jewel featuring a portrait in profile, a short descriptive sketch, or a brief appearance by a single character. In ternary form, Cameo begins with a terse flute motif slightly lengthened on each repetition, usually avoiding the downbeat. It is soon joined by the piano, whose motifs are likewise short and stress off-beat notes, and viola with a new ostinato based on open fifths. As the intricate web (secco e preciso) created by these ostinatos is woven, the viola adumbrates more lyrical material in a couple of motifs. This technique is partly informed by Kaila’s interest in the Carnatic music of southern India, where the individual rāga or scale produces a restricted pattern of pitches that gives certain notes structural importance, and where the tāla or rhythmic cycle accounts for recurring metrical motifs. Kaila’s other acknowledged influence in this piece is 1970s British prog rock, which produced bands like Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, and Cardiacs. Such bands were notable for exploring more complex rhythms than most of their contemporaries, and we might hear echoes of that in the delicate three-voice canon, over a widely-spaced harmony, that marks the new section of this piece. (© 2020 Gordon Kerry, from the liner notes to The Bells Bow Down—innova 036) Duration: ca. 8 min.
Rebecca Saunders: fury (2005). fury /´fjueri/ n. (pl. –ies) 1: a wild and passionate anger, rage. b a fit of rage (in a blind fury). c impetuosity in battle etc. 2: violence of a storm, disease, etc. 3: (fury) (usu. in pl.) (in Greek mythology) each of three goddesses sent from Tartarus to avenge crime, esp. against kinship. 4: an avenging spirit. like fury colloq. with great force or effect. (ME f. OF furie f. L furia f. furere be mad) —The Concise Oxford Dictionary Furie [fyRi]. Despite the choleric nature of the sound material, silence is regarded as the canvas upon which all sounds surface out of, and disappear into. Fury was conceived of as a melody, stretched to breaking point over the full eight minutes of this solo. Duration: ca. 8 min. Jeffrey Mumford: Through the Filtering Dawn of Spreading Daybright (2001) was commissioned by the remarkable violist Wendy Richman, for herself and bassist Scott Dixon, and can be seen to be a mini concerto for viola and contrabass. As the work unfolds, the viola seeks to free itself from the contrabass’s “orchestral” fabric, with varying degrees of success. Eventually, amid often turbulent divergences of the two personalities, the viola asserts its independence and a more tranquil mood prevails between both instruments, culminating in a serene state of suspension. The title suggests my experience of how early morning light filters its way through layers of sky and defines the day to come. Ms. Richman’s transcendent beauty of spirit and phenomenal musicianship served as compelling inspiration for this piece, as did the wise counsel and profound talents of bassist Scott Dixon. Duration: ca. 10 min.
Igor Santos: confined. speak. (2020) explores the condition of confinement through various musical interpretations of the word. Sound, for example, is confined through the use of heavy mutes on strings (on both the violin and inside the piano), through short loops (symbolizing confined time), cluster harmonies (confined pitch space), and by playing speech recordings from within a box. The notion of confined expression is equally important and is represented through stuttering gestures, abrupt cut-offs, and other rhetorical devices that disrupt the fluency of music and “speech.” The work is dedicated to Ensemble Dal Niente members MingHuan Xu and Winston Choi, commissioned through the McKim Fund from the Library of Congress. Duration: ca. 14 min.
Lei Liang: Listening for Blossoms (2011). The sound of blossoms is a theme in both Chinese and Japanese traditional poetry, and it arose as part of the Taoist and Buddhist practice of meditation. If one contemplates in complete stillness, one can hear the blossoms. This piece was also inspired by the idea of layering of surface, as well as an ambiguous and subtle world of time found in these poetic texts. Listening for Blossoms was jointly commissioned by Southwest Chamber Music and Cicada Chamber Players. It was begun while I was in residence at Copland House, Cortlandt Manor, NY, as a recipient of the Aaron Copland Award, and was completed at the American Academy in Rome in September 2011. The Southwest Chamber Music Ensemble gave its world premiere at the Los Angeles International New Music Festival in Zipper Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA on January 26, 2013. Duration: ca. 11 min. Read more
13 Apr 2024 11:00 AM
Ranjani and Gayatri are among the most preeminent musicians in the South Indian Carnatic tradition today. Hosted by HKUST Composer-in-Residence Ilari Kaila, and preceding the vocal duo’s exclusive Hong Kong appearance at the Cosmopolis Festival (7:30 PM, Shaw Auditorium), this round-table event delves into the intricacies of Indian classical music.
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Bios
Sister duo Ranjani and Gayatri Balasubramanian are world-renowned performers of South Indian classical Carnatic music. They have performed in prestigious venues and festivals, including the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., Southbank Centre in London, Ravenna Music Festival in Italy, Cross Culture Festival in Warsaw, Poland, Bengal Music Festival in Dhaka, and Esplanade Theatre in Singapore, to name a few. In addition to performances in India and around the globe, they regularly release studio recordings, appear on television and radio, give lecture-demonstrations, and work as composers, educators, and ambassadors of Indian classical music.
They started their joint career as a violin duo, having studied the instrument under the tutelage of Sri T. S. Krishnaswami Iyer, and learned singing from Sri PS Narayanaswamy. Their parents, Sri N. Balasubramanian and Shrimati Meenakshi, have also guided them throughout their musical journey.
Ranjani and Gayatri’s concerts take the listener into a world of color, beauty, and transcendental bliss. Their performances are a testament to the conservation of an ancient tradition through innovation, imagination, and originality, which has inspired many musicians to follow their style. Read more
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Bios
Sister duo Ranjani and Gayatri Balasubramanian are world-renowned performers of South Indian classical Carnatic music. They have performed in prestigious venues and festivals, including the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., Southbank Centre in London, Ravenna Music Festival in Italy, Cross Culture Festival in Warsaw, Poland, Bengal Music Festival in Dhaka, and Esplanade Theatre in Singapore, to name a few. In addition to performances in India and around the globe, they regularly release studio recordings, appear on television and radio, give lecture-demonstrations, and work as composers, educators, and ambassadors of Indian classical music.
They started their joint career as a violin duo, having studied the instrument under the tutelage of Sri T. S. Krishnaswami Iyer, and learned singing from Sri PS Narayanaswamy. Their parents, Sri N. Balasubramanian and Shrimati Meenakshi, have also guided them throughout their musical journey.
Ranjani and Gayatri’s concerts take the listener into a world of color, beauty, and transcendental bliss. Their performances are a testament to the conservation of an ancient tradition through innovation, imagination, and originality, which has inspired many musicians to follow their style. Read more
13 Apr 2024 07:30 PM
Ranjani and Gayatri (India) are among the most highly acclaimed South Indian Carnatic vocalists in the world. Known for concerts that thrill both lay audiences and connoisseurs, the two sisters have been featured on numerous recordings, television, radio, concerts, lectures, and international festivals. They are accompanied by Vittala Rangan (violin), K. Sai Giridhar (mridangam), and Krishna Sriram (ghatam).
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Program
Traditional Carnatic concert or kutcheri, the elements of which will be explained to the audience during the performance. Bios
Sister duo Ranjani and Gayatri Balasubramanian are world-renowned performers of South Indian classical Carnatic music. They have performed in prestigious venues and festivals, including the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., Southbank Centre in London, Ravenna Music Festival in Italy, Cross Culture Festival in Warsaw, Poland, Bengal Music Festival in Dhaka, and Esplanade Theatre in Singapore, to name a few. In addition to performances in India and around the globe, they regularly release studio recordings, appear on television and radio, give lecture-demonstrations, and work as composers, educators, and ambassadors of Indian classical music.
They started their joint career as a violin duo, having studied the instrument under the tutelage of Sri T. S. Krishnaswami Iyer, and learned singing from Sri PS Narayanaswamy. Their parents, Sri N. Balasubramanian and Shrimati Meenakshi, have also guided them throughout their musical journey.
Ranjani and Gayatri’s concerts take the listener into a world of color, beauty, and transcendental bliss. Their performances are a testament to the conservation of an ancient tradition through innovation, imagination, and originality, which has inspired many musicians to follow their style.
Vittala Rangan, violin
Vittal Rangan started learning the violin at age 8, initially from the late Sri R. R. Keshavamurthy, and later from the Sangeetha Kalanidhi-laureate A. Kanyakumari. An All India Radio Grade A violinist and recipient of the Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr. M. S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship, as well as the CCRT Scholarship, Vittal Rangan has appeared in concerts in New Zealand, Malaysia, Dubai, Germany, Brussels, France, Switzerland, and elsewhere in Asia and Europe.
K. Sai Giridhar, mridangam
Sri K. Sai Giridhar is an All India Radio Grade A artist specializing in the mridangam (the double-headed South Indian drum), and a disciple of the legendary gurus Sri M. L. N. Raju and Parupalli S. Phalgun. A recipient of the prestigious Yuva Puraskar award from the Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Sai Giridhar has been a part of various jugalbandhis (crossover performances of North and South Indian classical music) as well as other fusion bands with renowned musicians, and has appeared on several CD and DVD recordings. He has travelled extensively both within India and abroad, performing at numerous prestigious venues alongside distinguished artists.
Krishna Sriram, ghatam
Trained the legendary ghatam guru V. Suresh, and guided by doyens such as T. H. Vinayakaram, Krishna—known by colleagues and audiences as “Ghatam Krishna”—has been playing alongside mridangists of various styles, accompanying both vocal and instrumental music. In his fifteen-year performance career, his ghatam (clay pot drum) has taken him to prestigious concert venues across India, as well as to the United States, Australia, Europe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. Read more
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Program
Traditional Carnatic concert or kutcheri, the elements of which will be explained to the audience during the performance. Bios
Sister duo Ranjani and Gayatri Balasubramanian are world-renowned performers of South Indian classical Carnatic music. They have performed in prestigious venues and festivals, including the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., Southbank Centre in London, Ravenna Music Festival in Italy, Cross Culture Festival in Warsaw, Poland, Bengal Music Festival in Dhaka, and Esplanade Theatre in Singapore, to name a few. In addition to performances in India and around the globe, they regularly release studio recordings, appear on television and radio, give lecture-demonstrations, and work as composers, educators, and ambassadors of Indian classical music.
They started their joint career as a violin duo, having studied the instrument under the tutelage of Sri T. S. Krishnaswami Iyer, and learned singing from Sri PS Narayanaswamy. Their parents, Sri N. Balasubramanian and Shrimati Meenakshi, have also guided them throughout their musical journey.
Ranjani and Gayatri’s concerts take the listener into a world of color, beauty, and transcendental bliss. Their performances are a testament to the conservation of an ancient tradition through innovation, imagination, and originality, which has inspired many musicians to follow their style.
Vittala Rangan, violin
Vittal Rangan started learning the violin at age 8, initially from the late Sri R. R. Keshavamurthy, and later from the Sangeetha Kalanidhi-laureate A. Kanyakumari. An All India Radio Grade A violinist and recipient of the Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr. M. S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship, as well as the CCRT Scholarship, Vittal Rangan has appeared in concerts in New Zealand, Malaysia, Dubai, Germany, Brussels, France, Switzerland, and elsewhere in Asia and Europe.
K. Sai Giridhar, mridangam
Sri K. Sai Giridhar is an All India Radio Grade A artist specializing in the mridangam (the double-headed South Indian drum), and a disciple of the legendary gurus Sri M. L. N. Raju and Parupalli S. Phalgun. A recipient of the prestigious Yuva Puraskar award from the Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Sai Giridhar has been a part of various jugalbandhis (crossover performances of North and South Indian classical music) as well as other fusion bands with renowned musicians, and has appeared on several CD and DVD recordings. He has travelled extensively both within India and abroad, performing at numerous prestigious venues alongside distinguished artists.
Krishna Sriram, ghatam
Trained the legendary ghatam guru V. Suresh, and guided by doyens such as T. H. Vinayakaram, Krishna—known by colleagues and audiences as “Ghatam Krishna”—has been playing alongside mridangists of various styles, accompanying both vocal and instrumental music. In his fifteen-year performance career, his ghatam (clay pot drum) has taken him to prestigious concert venues across India, as well as to the United States, Australia, Europe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. Read more
14 Apr 2024 09:30 AM
Renowned percussion virtuosos Sri K. Sai Giridhar and Krishna Sriram give select HKUST students a taste of the complex and intricate rhythmic language of South Indian classical music through rudimentary exercises with spoken percussion syllables, or konnakol. Following the exclusive Hong Kong concert of the vocal duo Ranjani-Gayatri and their ensemble, this workshop event takes place in front of a live audience.
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Bios
K. Sai Giridhar, mridangam
Sri K. Sai Giridhar is an All India Radio Grade A artist specializing in the mridangam (the double-headed South Indian drum), and a disciple of the legendary gurus Sri M. L. N. Raju and Parupalli S. Phalgun. A recipient of the prestigious Yuva Puraskar award from the Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Sai Giridhar has been a part of various jugalbandhis (crossover performances of North and South Indian classical music) as well as other fusion bands with renowned musicians, and has appeared on several CD and DVD recordings. He has travelled extensively both within India and abroad, performing at numerous prestigious venues alongside distinguished artists.
Krishna Sriram, ghatam
Trained under the legendary ghatam guru V. Suresh, and guided by doyens such as T. H. Vinayakaram, Krishna—known by colleagues and audiences as “Ghatam Krishna”—has been playing alongside mridangists of various styles, accompanying both vocal and instrumental music. In his fifteen-year performance career, his ghatam (clay pot drum) has taken him to prestigious concert venues across India, as well as to the United States, Australia, Europe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere.
Read more
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Bios
K. Sai Giridhar, mridangam
Sri K. Sai Giridhar is an All India Radio Grade A artist specializing in the mridangam (the double-headed South Indian drum), and a disciple of the legendary gurus Sri M. L. N. Raju and Parupalli S. Phalgun. A recipient of the prestigious Yuva Puraskar award from the Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Sai Giridhar has been a part of various jugalbandhis (crossover performances of North and South Indian classical music) as well as other fusion bands with renowned musicians, and has appeared on several CD and DVD recordings. He has travelled extensively both within India and abroad, performing at numerous prestigious venues alongside distinguished artists.
Krishna Sriram, ghatam
Trained under the legendary ghatam guru V. Suresh, and guided by doyens such as T. H. Vinayakaram, Krishna—known by colleagues and audiences as “Ghatam Krishna”—has been playing alongside mridangists of various styles, accompanying both vocal and instrumental music. In his fifteen-year performance career, his ghatam (clay pot drum) has taken him to prestigious concert venues across India, as well as to the United States, Australia, Europe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere.
Read more
15 Apr 2024 07:30 PM
在公開演出之前，逸響潮樂演奏組將介紹他們的樂器並解釋潮州弦詩樂於潮州音樂文化中的重要性。此活動將由民族音樂學家呂梅絲博士 (Dr. Mercedes M. Dujunco) 主持。呂博士還將解釋音樂的內部運作，特別是旋律變奏的過程以及潮州調式系統，並由逸響潮樂演奏組演奏的簡短音樂例子進行說明。 正是各種旋律變奏法和不同調式的使用才賦予了潮汕地區的音樂獨特的風味（活動以英語進行，並設有普通話和英語問答環節）。
此活動免費並對公眾開放。
In advance of their performance, the Yi Xiang Chaozhou Music Ensemble, distinguished representatives of the Teochew xianshi (string poem) tradition from the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong, will introduce their instruments and explain the significance of the music within the Teochew subculture. The event will be moderated by ethnomusicologist Dr. Mercedes Dujunco. (In English, with Q&A in Mandarin and English.)
The event is free and open to the public. 活動登記 REGISTER 潮州弦詩 潮州文化主要分布在廣東東部，並擁有中國最為活躍的民間器樂合奏傳統之一。潮州人經常在音樂社相聚並演奏潮州弦詩樂作自娛。在世界各地擁有潮州人口的地方，往往可以找到潮州音樂社，而這些樂社大多是各商會、宗教團體和宗親會的一部分，讓音樂家們就彷如在故鄉一樣作定期合樂。民族音樂學家 Mercedes M. Dujunco(呂梅絲)博士（香港科技大學）在其對潮州弦詩樂進行的研究中指出，潮州人正是通過這些音樂社合演奏的弦詩樂去建立商業聯盟和網絡，並在與其他華人分支或外國人的商業競爭中，持續鞏固他們的潮州文化和地區的認同。
The Chaozhou Chinese (a.k.a. Teochew) subculture, located in the eastern part of Guangdong, has one of the most vibrant folk instrumental ensemble traditions in China. Teochew men meet regularly in music clubs devoted to the performance of the wind-and-string ensemble tradition known as Chaozhou xianshi for their self-entertainment. In places throughout the world with large Teochew populations, one often finds music clubs—part of voluntary trade, religious, and lineage associations—in which Teochew musicians regularly perform as they would in their hometown. In her research on Chaozhou xianshi music, ethnomusicologist Dr. Mercedes Dujunco (HKUST) asserts that it is through xianshi performed in these music clubs that Teochew forge business alliances and networks, as well as affirm their Chaozhou Chinese regional identity in the face of increased contact and competition for business with other Chinese subgroups or foreign peoples in the places they have migrated to.
Bios
由七名老、中、青潮州音樂演家組成的逸響潮樂演奏組是潮汕地區最優秀的潮州弦詩樂手之一。他們多有家事傳承淵源，有著較為豐富的演奏實踐， 演奏組旨於能較為原湯原汁地保持潮州音樂的韻味，精心排練了潮州弦詩樂、潮州細樂和潮州箏樂若干有代表性的樂曲，希望能將潮汕地區的優秀傳統音樂文化遺產呈現獻給聽眾。
The seven members of the Yi Xiang Chaozhou Music Ensemble are some of the best musicians of Chaozhou xianshi music in the Chaoshan region. Made up of former professional, semi-professional, and non-professional musicians steeped in the Chaozhou regional folk music style, each player can perform on more than one instrument. Several of them have been officially recognized as inheritors and transmitters of Chaozhou xianshi as an intangible heritage at the national and regional level in mainland China. Their seamless ensemble playing has been honed through many years of performing Chaozhou xianshi together and with other Teochew from different music clubs all over the world.
呂梅絲博士 (Dr. Mercedes M. Dujunco) 目前擔任香港科技大學人文學部的高級講師，教授民族音樂學相關課程以及其他以民族音樂學觀點的音樂課程。她的研究範圍包括中國東南沿海地區的管和弦樂傳統，特別是廣東東部的潮州弦詩樂 、潮州華人在東南亞的散居地的音樂以及菲律賓的藝術和流行音樂。她曾發表關於中國流行音樂和關於東南亞潮州喪葬儀式和音樂的論文。她的文章《 Jiangnan sizhu in the Greater Suzhou Area 》收錄在最近出版的《 Oxford Handbook of the Music of China and the Chinese Diaspora 》（牛津大學出版社，2023年）中。她目前正在撰寫一本關於情感勞動和菲律賓音樂家的專論 。
Mercedes M. Dujunco is currently Senior Lecturer in the Division of Humanities of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where she teaches ethnomusicology content courses as well as other music courses using an ethnomusicological perspective. Her research areas include the string-and-wind ensemble traditions of China’s southeast coastal regions, particularly that of the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong, called Chaozhou xianshi; the music of the Chaozhou (Teochew) diaspora in Southeast Asia; and art and popular music in the Philippines. She has published papers on Chinese popular music in mainland China and on the funeral ritual and music of Teochew in Southeast Asia. Her article on Jiangnan sizhu in the Greater Suzhou Area is included in the recently published Oxford Handbook of of the Music of China and the Chinese Diaspora (Oxford University Press, 2023). Read more
此活動免費並對公眾開放。
In advance of their performance, the Yi Xiang Chaozhou Music Ensemble, distinguished representatives of the Teochew xianshi (string poem) tradition from the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong, will introduce their instruments and explain the significance of the music within the Teochew subculture. The event will be moderated by ethnomusicologist Dr. Mercedes Dujunco. (In English, with Q&A in Mandarin and English.)
The event is free and open to the public. 活動登記 REGISTER 潮州弦詩 潮州文化主要分布在廣東東部，並擁有中國最為活躍的民間器樂合奏傳統之一。潮州人經常在音樂社相聚並演奏潮州弦詩樂作自娛。在世界各地擁有潮州人口的地方，往往可以找到潮州音樂社，而這些樂社大多是各商會、宗教團體和宗親會的一部分，讓音樂家們就彷如在故鄉一樣作定期合樂。民族音樂學家 Mercedes M. Dujunco(呂梅絲)博士（香港科技大學）在其對潮州弦詩樂進行的研究中指出，潮州人正是通過這些音樂社合演奏的弦詩樂去建立商業聯盟和網絡，並在與其他華人分支或外國人的商業競爭中，持續鞏固他們的潮州文化和地區的認同。
The Chaozhou Chinese (a.k.a. Teochew) subculture, located in the eastern part of Guangdong, has one of the most vibrant folk instrumental ensemble traditions in China. Teochew men meet regularly in music clubs devoted to the performance of the wind-and-string ensemble tradition known as Chaozhou xianshi for their self-entertainment. In places throughout the world with large Teochew populations, one often finds music clubs—part of voluntary trade, religious, and lineage associations—in which Teochew musicians regularly perform as they would in their hometown. In her research on Chaozhou xianshi music, ethnomusicologist Dr. Mercedes Dujunco (HKUST) asserts that it is through xianshi performed in these music clubs that Teochew forge business alliances and networks, as well as affirm their Chaozhou Chinese regional identity in the face of increased contact and competition for business with other Chinese subgroups or foreign peoples in the places they have migrated to.
Bios
由七名老、中、青潮州音樂演家組成的逸響潮樂演奏組是潮汕地區最優秀的潮州弦詩樂手之一。他們多有家事傳承淵源，有著較為豐富的演奏實踐， 演奏組旨於能較為原湯原汁地保持潮州音樂的韻味，精心排練了潮州弦詩樂、潮州細樂和潮州箏樂若干有代表性的樂曲，希望能將潮汕地區的優秀傳統音樂文化遺產呈現獻給聽眾。
The seven members of the Yi Xiang Chaozhou Music Ensemble are some of the best musicians of Chaozhou xianshi music in the Chaoshan region. Made up of former professional, semi-professional, and non-professional musicians steeped in the Chaozhou regional folk music style, each player can perform on more than one instrument. Several of them have been officially recognized as inheritors and transmitters of Chaozhou xianshi as an intangible heritage at the national and regional level in mainland China. Their seamless ensemble playing has been honed through many years of performing Chaozhou xianshi together and with other Teochew from different music clubs all over the world.
呂梅絲博士 (Dr. Mercedes M. Dujunco) 目前擔任香港科技大學人文學部的高級講師，教授民族音樂學相關課程以及其他以民族音樂學觀點的音樂課程。她的研究範圍包括中國東南沿海地區的管和弦樂傳統，特別是廣東東部的潮州弦詩樂 、潮州華人在東南亞的散居地的音樂以及菲律賓的藝術和流行音樂。她曾發表關於中國流行音樂和關於東南亞潮州喪葬儀式和音樂的論文。她的文章《 Jiangnan sizhu in the Greater Suzhou Area 》收錄在最近出版的《 Oxford Handbook of the Music of China and the Chinese Diaspora 》（牛津大學出版社，2023年）中。她目前正在撰寫一本關於情感勞動和菲律賓音樂家的專論 。
Mercedes M. Dujunco is currently Senior Lecturer in the Division of Humanities of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where she teaches ethnomusicology content courses as well as other music courses using an ethnomusicological perspective. Her research areas include the string-and-wind ensemble traditions of China’s southeast coastal regions, particularly that of the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong, called Chaozhou xianshi; the music of the Chaozhou (Teochew) diaspora in Southeast Asia; and art and popular music in the Philippines. She has published papers on Chinese popular music in mainland China and on the funeral ritual and music of Teochew in Southeast Asia. Her article on Jiangnan sizhu in the Greater Suzhou Area is included in the recently published Oxford Handbook of of the Music of China and the Chinese Diaspora (Oxford University Press, 2023). Read more
16 Apr 2024 07:30 PM
七位潮州演奏家組成的逸響潮樂演奏組，將演繹一系列潮州的傳統弦詩樂，細樂和箏樂。
此活動免費並開放予公眾參加。
The Yi Xiang Chaozhou Music Ensemble (China) offers a rare opportunity to hear traditional music of the Teochew people from eastern Guangdong. Comprised of preeminent upholders of Teochew music traditions from the Chaoshan region, the seven-piece ensemble will present a program of traditional string-focused chamber music mainly comprised of xianshi (“string poems”) as well as xiyue ("refined music") and Chaozhou-style solo zheng zither pieces.
The event is free and open to the public. 活動登記 REGISTER Introduction 由七名老、中、青潮州音樂演家組成的逸響潮樂演奏組是潮汕地區最優秀的潮州弦詩樂手之一。 他們多有家事傳承淵源，有著較為豐富的演奏實踐， 演奏組旨於能較為原湯原汁地保持潮州音樂的韻味，精心排練了潮州弦詩樂、潮州細樂和潮州箏樂若干有代表性的 樂曲，希望能將潮汕地區的優秀傳統音樂文化遺產呈現獻給聽眾。
The seven members of the Yi Xiang Chaozhou Music Ensemble are some of the best musicians of Chaozhou xianshi music in the Chaoshan region. Made up of former professional, semi-professional, and non-professional musicians steeped in the Chaozhou regional folk music style, each player can perform on more than one instrument. Several of them have been officially recognized as inheritors and transmitters of Chaozhou xianshi as an intangible heritage at the national and regional level in mainland China. Their seamless ensemble playing has been honed through many years of performing Chaozhou xianshi together and with other Teochew from different music clubs all over the world. 潮州弦詩樂
潮州文化主要分佈在廣東東部，並擁有中國最活躍的民間器樂合奏傳統之一。 潮州人經常在音樂社團相聚並演奏潮州弦詩樂作自娛。 在世界各地擁有潮州人口的地方，往往可以找到潮州音樂社，而這些樂社大多是各商會、宗教團體和宗親會的一部分，讓音樂家們就彷如在故鄉一樣作定期合樂。 民族音樂學家Mercedes M. Dujunco（呂梅絲）博士（香港科技大學）在其對潮州弦詩樂進行的研究中指出，潮州人正是通過這些音樂社合演奏的弦詩樂去建立商業聯盟和網絡 ，並在與其他華人分支或外國人的商業競爭中，持續鞏固他們的潮州文化和地區的認同。 Chaozhou xianshi music
The Chaozhou Chinese (a.k.a. Teochew) subculture, located in the eastern part of Guangdong, has one of the most vibrant folk instrumental ensemble traditions in China. Teochew men meet regularly in music clubs devoted to the performance of the wind-and-string ensemble tradition known as Chaozhou xianshi for their self-entertainment. In places throughout the world with large Teochew populations, one often finds music clubs—part of voluntary trade, religious, and lineage associations—in which Teochew musicians regularly perform as they would in their hometown. In her research on Chaozhou xianshi music, ethnomusicologist Dr. Mercedes Dujunco (HKUST) asserts that it is through xianshi performed in these music clubs that Teochew forge business alliances and networks, as well as affirm their Chaozhou Chinese regional identity in the face of increased contact and competition for business with other Chinese subgroups or foreign peoples in the places they have migrated to. Read more
The event is free and open to the public. 活動登記 REGISTER Introduction 由七名老、中、青潮州音樂演家組成的逸響潮樂演奏組是潮汕地區最優秀的潮州弦詩樂手之一。 他們多有家事傳承淵源，有著較為豐富的演奏實踐， 演奏組旨於能較為原湯原汁地保持潮州音樂的韻味，精心排練了潮州弦詩樂、潮州細樂和潮州箏樂若干有代表性的 樂曲，希望能將潮汕地區的優秀傳統音樂文化遺產呈現獻給聽眾。
The seven members of the Yi Xiang Chaozhou Music Ensemble are some of the best musicians of Chaozhou xianshi music in the Chaoshan region. Made up of former professional, semi-professional, and non-professional musicians steeped in the Chaozhou regional folk music style, each player can perform on more than one instrument. Several of them have been officially recognized as inheritors and transmitters of Chaozhou xianshi as an intangible heritage at the national and regional level in mainland China. Their seamless ensemble playing has been honed through many years of performing Chaozhou xianshi together and with other Teochew from different music clubs all over the world. 潮州弦詩樂
潮州文化主要分佈在廣東東部，並擁有中國最活躍的民間器樂合奏傳統之一。 潮州人經常在音樂社團相聚並演奏潮州弦詩樂作自娛。 在世界各地擁有潮州人口的地方，往往可以找到潮州音樂社，而這些樂社大多是各商會、宗教團體和宗親會的一部分，讓音樂家們就彷如在故鄉一樣作定期合樂。 民族音樂學家Mercedes M. Dujunco（呂梅絲）博士（香港科技大學）在其對潮州弦詩樂進行的研究中指出，潮州人正是通過這些音樂社合演奏的弦詩樂去建立商業聯盟和網絡 ，並在與其他華人分支或外國人的商業競爭中，持續鞏固他們的潮州文化和地區的認同。 Chaozhou xianshi music
The Chaozhou Chinese (a.k.a. Teochew) subculture, located in the eastern part of Guangdong, has one of the most vibrant folk instrumental ensemble traditions in China. Teochew men meet regularly in music clubs devoted to the performance of the wind-and-string ensemble tradition known as Chaozhou xianshi for their self-entertainment. In places throughout the world with large Teochew populations, one often finds music clubs—part of voluntary trade, religious, and lineage associations—in which Teochew musicians regularly perform as they would in their hometown. In her research on Chaozhou xianshi music, ethnomusicologist Dr. Mercedes Dujunco (HKUST) asserts that it is through xianshi performed in these music clubs that Teochew forge business alliances and networks, as well as affirm their Chaozhou Chinese regional identity in the face of increased contact and competition for business with other Chinese subgroups or foreign peoples in the places they have migrated to. Read more
20 Apr 2024 07:30 PM
Among the foremost musicians of his generation, the versatile and imaginative pianist Paavali Jumppanen (Finland/Australia) presents an evening of repertoire spanning the last two centuries. Featuring works by Chopin, Debussy, and Bartók, the concert also marks the upcoming centenary of composer Pierre Boulez with whom Mr. Jumppanen worked closely.
The event is free and open to the public.
REGISTER
Program
Béla Bartók: Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, op. 20
Frédéric Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat Minor (“Funeral March"), op. 35
Pierre Boulez: Piano Sonata no. 1
Claude Debussy: Twelve Etudes, L 136 (selections)
Etude no. 11 for Composite Arpeggios
Etude no. 3 for Fourths
Etude no. 5 for Octaves Bio
Piano virtuoso Paavali Jumppanen has established himself as a dynamic musician of seemingly unlimited capability who has cut a wide swath internationally as an orchestral and recital soloist, recording artist, artistic director, and frequent performer of contemporary and avant-garde music. Mr. Jumppanen has performed extensively in the United States, Europe, Japan, China, and Australia and collaborated with conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jaap van Zweden, Susanna Mälkki, David Robertson, and Sakari Oramo. He has commissioned numerous works and collaborated with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Tristan Murail, Henri Dutilleux, and Krzysztof Penderecki. The Boston Globe praised the “overflowing energy of his musicianship” and The New York Times cited his “power and an extraordinary range of colors.”
In recent years, Jumppanen has dedicated much of his time to performing cycles of the complete Beethoven and Mozart piano sonatas, and has performed all of Beethoven’s concertos and chamber sonatas on numerous occasions. Mr. Jumppanen’s expanding discography includes “the best recorded disc of Boulez’s piano music so far” (The Guardian on the three sonatas recorded on a DGG disc at the composer’s request) and the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas on Ondine.
Jumppanen attended the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and later worked with Krystian Zimerman at the Basel Music Academy in Switzerland where he also studied the organ, fortepiano, and clavichord. He spent the 2011–12 season as a visiting scholar at Harvard University studying musicology and theory to deepen his immersion in Viennese 18th century music. Russian-born pianist Konstantin Bogino has remained an important mentor throughout his career. Since 2020, Paavali Jumppanen has served as the Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music. Read more
The event is free and open to the public.
REGISTER
Program
Béla Bartók: Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, op. 20
Frédéric Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat Minor (“Funeral March"), op. 35
Pierre Boulez: Piano Sonata no. 1
Claude Debussy: Twelve Etudes, L 136 (selections)
Etude no. 11 for Composite Arpeggios
Etude no. 3 for Fourths
Etude no. 5 for Octaves Bio
Piano virtuoso Paavali Jumppanen has established himself as a dynamic musician of seemingly unlimited capability who has cut a wide swath internationally as an orchestral and recital soloist, recording artist, artistic director, and frequent performer of contemporary and avant-garde music. Mr. Jumppanen has performed extensively in the United States, Europe, Japan, China, and Australia and collaborated with conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jaap van Zweden, Susanna Mälkki, David Robertson, and Sakari Oramo. He has commissioned numerous works and collaborated with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Tristan Murail, Henri Dutilleux, and Krzysztof Penderecki. The Boston Globe praised the “overflowing energy of his musicianship” and The New York Times cited his “power and an extraordinary range of colors.”
In recent years, Jumppanen has dedicated much of his time to performing cycles of the complete Beethoven and Mozart piano sonatas, and has performed all of Beethoven’s concertos and chamber sonatas on numerous occasions. Mr. Jumppanen’s expanding discography includes “the best recorded disc of Boulez’s piano music so far” (The Guardian on the three sonatas recorded on a DGG disc at the composer’s request) and the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas on Ondine.
Jumppanen attended the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and later worked with Krystian Zimerman at the Basel Music Academy in Switzerland where he also studied the organ, fortepiano, and clavichord. He spent the 2011–12 season as a visiting scholar at Harvard University studying musicology and theory to deepen his immersion in Viennese 18th century music. Russian-born pianist Konstantin Bogino has remained an important mentor throughout his career. Since 2020, Paavali Jumppanen has served as the Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music. Read more
07 Oct 2024 07:30 PM
Olli Mustonen (Finland) is one of the most preeminent concert pianists of our era, in addition to his parallel careers as a composer and conductor. In this exclusive Hong Kong appearance, Mr. Mustonen will perform works by Beethoven, Schumann, and Grieg, as well as the Asian premiere of his own Eight Inventions, as the first public performance of the work by the composer.
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER
Program Robert Schumann: Waldszenen, op. 82 Edvard Grieg: 19 Norwegian Folk Tunes, op. 66 – Intermission – Olli Mustonen: Eight Inventions—Metamorphoses on Beethoven Sonatas (Asian premiere, first public performance by the composer) Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 32 in C minor, op. 111 Bio “He is a living dream of pianism, having broken through an expressive barrier that other players do not know exists.” The Sunday Times — London “Olli Mustonen is not only one of the most interesting musicians in Finland, he is also someone who creates surprises, intensities and amazements which are anything but commonplace in the music business.” —Süddeutsche Zeitung Olli Mustonen is a pianist, composer and conductor. For him, it’s all one thing: he is quite simply a musician. It therefore makes no sense for him to separate these functions—and so he excels in all three disciplines, playing an extraordinary role in today’s musical world. With boundless energy and a creative and highly reflective approach to music, he is one of the few pianists whose signature style is instantly recognizable. Known for the expressiveness and intensity of his playing and his crystal-clear, almost percussive touch, his interpretations are characterized by the interplay between explosive outbursts and sensitive restraint. During an illustrious career, Olli Mustonen has brought his extraordinary musical insight to many of the world’s most significant orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orkest, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, and all the London orchestras. He has strong relationships with orchestras across Finland, including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, and Sinfonia Lahti, with whom he released an album of Rautavaara and Martinu’s Third Piano Concertos conducted by Dalia Stasevska in 2023. At the beginning of 2023, he took over the position of Principal Guest Conductor with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. As a recitalist, Olli Mustonen has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Center Chicago, Diaghilev Festival Perm, Dresden Festival, Lockenhaus Festival, New York Zankel Hall, and Sydney Opera House. With Steven Isserlis, he has performed as a duo for more than thirty years. 2019 saw the release of their album of Russian works for cello and piano on the Hyperion label. In the 2024/25 season, Olli Mustonen will perform with the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Kremerata Baltica, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others. He will perform chamber music in Hong Kong and at the UKARIA Cultural Centre in Australia, at the Konserthus Stockholm, in Kronberg and Lockenhaus and with musicians from the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Recipient of the 2019 Hindemith Prize of the City of Hanau, Olli Mustonen’s life as a composer is at the heart of his piano playing and conducting. Frequently bringing his own works to the chamber music stage, the world premiere of his work Taivaanvalot (Heavenly Lights) for Tenor, Cello and Piano was performed at Het Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam, by Mustonen himself, alongside Ian Bostridge and Steven Isserlis. Additional performances took place at London’s Wigmore Hall and in Hong Kong. His string sextet, commissioned by the Beethovenfest Bonn, was premiered there in 2020. In 2022, Apotheosis, in memoriam Pablo Casals was premiered at the opening gala of the Casals Forum in Kronberg, and the Sinfonia No. 3 Taivaanvalot with the Turku Philharmonic and tenor soloist Ian Bostridge. The latter was published in 2023 by Ondine together with his second symphony. The flute concerto Sadunkertoja (Storyteller) was premiered by Janne Thomsen and the PKF Prague Philharmonia under Mustonen at the Concentus Moraviae Festival in the Czech Republic. The Finnish premiere will take place with the Jyväskylä Sinfonia in spring 2025. His violin concerto will also be premiered in Finland by Elina Vähälä and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Nicholas Collon on 6 December 2024, Finland’s Independence Day. Born in Helsinki, Olli Mustonen began his studies in piano, harpsichord, and composition at the age of five. Initially learning with Ralf Gothoni, he subsequently studied piano with Eero Heinonen and composition with Einojuhani Rautavaara. Photo credit: Outi Törmälä Read more
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER
Program Robert Schumann: Waldszenen, op. 82 Edvard Grieg: 19 Norwegian Folk Tunes, op. 66 – Intermission – Olli Mustonen: Eight Inventions—Metamorphoses on Beethoven Sonatas (Asian premiere, first public performance by the composer) Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 32 in C minor, op. 111 Bio “He is a living dream of pianism, having broken through an expressive barrier that other players do not know exists.” The Sunday Times — London “Olli Mustonen is not only one of the most interesting musicians in Finland, he is also someone who creates surprises, intensities and amazements which are anything but commonplace in the music business.” —Süddeutsche Zeitung Olli Mustonen is a pianist, composer and conductor. For him, it’s all one thing: he is quite simply a musician. It therefore makes no sense for him to separate these functions—and so he excels in all three disciplines, playing an extraordinary role in today’s musical world. With boundless energy and a creative and highly reflective approach to music, he is one of the few pianists whose signature style is instantly recognizable. Known for the expressiveness and intensity of his playing and his crystal-clear, almost percussive touch, his interpretations are characterized by the interplay between explosive outbursts and sensitive restraint. During an illustrious career, Olli Mustonen has brought his extraordinary musical insight to many of the world’s most significant orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orkest, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, and all the London orchestras. He has strong relationships with orchestras across Finland, including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, and Sinfonia Lahti, with whom he released an album of Rautavaara and Martinu’s Third Piano Concertos conducted by Dalia Stasevska in 2023. At the beginning of 2023, he took over the position of Principal Guest Conductor with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. As a recitalist, Olli Mustonen has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Center Chicago, Diaghilev Festival Perm, Dresden Festival, Lockenhaus Festival, New York Zankel Hall, and Sydney Opera House. With Steven Isserlis, he has performed as a duo for more than thirty years. 2019 saw the release of their album of Russian works for cello and piano on the Hyperion label. In the 2024/25 season, Olli Mustonen will perform with the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Kremerata Baltica, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others. He will perform chamber music in Hong Kong and at the UKARIA Cultural Centre in Australia, at the Konserthus Stockholm, in Kronberg and Lockenhaus and with musicians from the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Recipient of the 2019 Hindemith Prize of the City of Hanau, Olli Mustonen’s life as a composer is at the heart of his piano playing and conducting. Frequently bringing his own works to the chamber music stage, the world premiere of his work Taivaanvalot (Heavenly Lights) for Tenor, Cello and Piano was performed at Het Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam, by Mustonen himself, alongside Ian Bostridge and Steven Isserlis. Additional performances took place at London’s Wigmore Hall and in Hong Kong. His string sextet, commissioned by the Beethovenfest Bonn, was premiered there in 2020. In 2022, Apotheosis, in memoriam Pablo Casals was premiered at the opening gala of the Casals Forum in Kronberg, and the Sinfonia No. 3 Taivaanvalot with the Turku Philharmonic and tenor soloist Ian Bostridge. The latter was published in 2023 by Ondine together with his second symphony. The flute concerto Sadunkertoja (Storyteller) was premiered by Janne Thomsen and the PKF Prague Philharmonia under Mustonen at the Concentus Moraviae Festival in the Czech Republic. The Finnish premiere will take place with the Jyväskylä Sinfonia in spring 2025. His violin concerto will also be premiered in Finland by Elina Vähälä and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Nicholas Collon on 6 December 2024, Finland’s Independence Day. Born in Helsinki, Olli Mustonen began his studies in piano, harpsichord, and composition at the age of five. Initially learning with Ralf Gothoni, he subsequently studied piano with Eero Heinonen and composition with Einojuhani Rautavaara. Photo credit: Outi Törmälä Read more
25 Oct 2024 07:30 PM
Avant-garde multi-instrumentalist Glen Lloyd, a.k.a. JUNK!, uses cutting edge performance art to showcase the creative potential of emerging technologies. This event will start with a workshop in which select HKUST students get to inhabit a VR space, observed by the audience from outside, and experiment with virtual instruments. This is followed by a performance of new original JUNK!VR works.
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER
Program 7:30 PM: Workshop on virtual reality performance – Short break – 8:30 PM: Virtual reality concert Bio JUNK! is the alter-ego of Hong Kong-based avant-garde multi-instrumentalist Glen Lloyd, who uses technology to push the boundaries of live performance. He has performed extensively as JUNK! in his native Australia, Japan, Vietnam, China, and Korea. In his past work, Glen has utilized loopers, video game controllers, and other unconventional hardware. When consumer virtual reality equipment became available, he took on the challenge of creating live music from inside a virtual space that could be simultaneously enjoyed by an audience. He has created audio visual experiences using virtual reality hardware and software for live music performance, museum installations, music videos, and original composition. Both his performances and workshops convey how useful these tools are for creative work alongside business and gaming, and that they are now within reach for consumers and artists. Glen finds virtual, augmented and mixed reality technology exciting and inspiring, and he believes we've only scratched the surface of it creative capabilities. Read more
The event is free and open to the public. REGISTER
Program 7:30 PM: Workshop on virtual reality performance – Short break – 8:30 PM: Virtual reality concert Bio JUNK! is the alter-ego of Hong Kong-based avant-garde multi-instrumentalist Glen Lloyd, who uses technology to push the boundaries of live performance. He has performed extensively as JUNK! in his native Australia, Japan, Vietnam, China, and Korea. In his past work, Glen has utilized loopers, video game controllers, and other unconventional hardware. When consumer virtual reality equipment became available, he took on the challenge of creating live music from inside a virtual space that could be simultaneously enjoyed by an audience. He has created audio visual experiences using virtual reality hardware and software for live music performance, museum installations, music videos, and original composition. Both his performances and workshops convey how useful these tools are for creative work alongside business and gaming, and that they are now within reach for consumers and artists. Glen finds virtual, augmented and mixed reality technology exciting and inspiring, and he believes we've only scratched the surface of it creative capabilities. Read more