Akropolis Reed Quintet_ 2022-23 Biographies.pdf

Winner of the 2015 Fischoff Educator Award, Akropolis has engaged more than 40,000 youth during its 13-year history, including an annual, yearlong residency at three high schools in their home Detroit community. As an independent nonprofit they have received grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and many individuals nationwide to support their educational programming, which comprises a noteworthy portion of their activity.&nbsp;Akropolis delivers fast-paced and informative workshops, including its “The Best Story” presentation for elementary schools, featuring a musical reenactment of the Eileen Spinelli children’s book. At the middle and high school level, Akropolis gives performances, coachings, Q&amp;A's, and offers a side-by-side band concerto by Peter Terry.&nbsp;“I am in awe of your genius in this educational arena and excited for all the young lives that you will impact and change because you are first and foremost extraordinary artists who are bringing that excellence and meticulous preparation and execution to the educational arena.”-Kathy Soroka, Allegheny RiverStone Center for Arts Education

K-12 Education

Akropolis believes that "quality" in classical music comes not only from the technical competency of the performers, but of the relevance an artist creates within their community. To do this, Akropolis engages their communities nationwide through experiences informed by the communities they serve. This includes collaborating with community members on new musical works, including&nbsp;so much more, featuring interviews with local business owners, and&nbsp;Sprocket, featuring a rideable percussion bike created by scrap metal artist, Juan Martinez. They commissioned new work from Detroit poet Marsha Music, and in their travels have performed with guest percussionists in several communities.&nbsp;Akropolis has performed at dozens of workplaces during its Detroit Workplace Concert Series, including hospitals, factories, tech companies, and more. They have performed in juvenile&nbsp;detention centers, homeless shelters, development centers, and senior care centers. They have given dozens of outdoor performances at parks and other pop-up locations, including grocery stores and farmers markets. They have given house concerts, backyard concerts, and concerts on river walks and bike paths.&nbsp; &nbsp;Each concert is custom-designed with community input and shaped to reflect the vibrancy of the community.&nbsp;

Community Engagement

Based on Akropolis' 8 year of experience teaching and entrepreneurship and career development, including courses at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and the Michigan State University College of Music, Akropolis created&nbsp;<a href="https://akropolisquintet.org/mastermind/">Akropolis Mastermind</a>&nbsp;in 2019 and since then have engaged 22 early career artists and over 80 participants&nbsp;in this weeklong career development workshop.&nbsp;Please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://akropolisquintet.org/mastermind">akropolisquintet.org/mastermind</a>&nbsp;to read the testimonials from these participants' experiences.&nbsp;At the university level, Akropolis provides customized workshops derived from their Mastermind, including sessions on health and sustainability, marketing/branding, financial planning, project development, and more.&nbsp;Akropolis also delivers inspiring master classes, reads and premieres works by student composers, and has even collaborated with college students in performance.&nbsp;

Akropolis Mastermind (University)

Akropolis Reed Quintet—Photos for Public Download.zip

Akropolis Reed Quintet

Continuing their multi-year exploration into the influence of jazz on modern American music, the Detroit-based Akropolis Reed Quintet celebrates the inseparable link between the jazz and classical idioms. On the first set, French master Maurice Ravel is paired with modern legend and “true virtuoso composer” (The New Yorker), Augusta Read Thomas, whose music is “always in motion” (Huffington Post), spinning seemingly improvised jazz counterpoints into a ballet suite composed for Akropolis in 2022. The second pairing features works Omar Thomas and Jeff Scott custom-made for the quintet’s tour-de-force ensemble technique and sprawling stylistic contrasts. Between these two works, several new genres are suggested through the influence of a blues shuffle, noir ballad, bebop romp, gospel shout, and more.

Bebop Won’t Stop

Akropolis believes that music reaches its height when it is driven by spontaneity and organically developed relationships with community members. Supported by consecutive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Akropolis has collected projects it commissioned as part of its Together We Sound festival in Detroit into one concert program, featuring percussion and spoken word collaborators from the community in which the program is performed. Optional video by filmmaker XUAN is available to accompany Annika Socolofsky’s so much more, a touching composition including interviews with 7 small business owners from Detroit, Kansas, Colorado, and North Carolina. Homage to Paradise Valley tours Detroit’s now-lost Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods accompanied by poetry by Detroit author Marsha Music, while Sprocket, originally composed for Akropolis and a rideable percussion bicycle designed and built by Detroit metal artist, Juan Martinez, celebrates Detroit’s long standing “slow ride” cycling culture.

Together We Sound

Masterworks

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“Are We Dreaming the Same Dream?” is an electrifying concert experience blurring the lines between classical, jazz, and contemporary music as the “pure gold” Akropolis Reed Quintet joins forces with the Grammy-nominated composer and jazz pianist Pascal Le Boeuf and drummer Christian Euman.A septet never seen before in the history of both classical and jazz music, their fearless approach to creating new sounds and socially engaged art begs us all to answer the question: Are we dreaming the same American dream? Giving themselves complete musical freedom, the 7 musicians created a large-scale piece of music not possible in any other setting, flush with immense technicality and requiring perfect ensemble cohesiveness.Watch a sample right here: <a href="https://youtu.be/ImKbAiTnjtE?t=1393" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://youtu.be/ImKbAiTnjtE?t=1393</a>Composed by Le Boeuf, the composition draws upon a careful selection of his musical “ancestors”—Geri Allen, Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus, and Leonard Bernstein—each of whom have historically represented a variety of perspectives concerning the unity of the American experience.&nbsp;As author Ralph Ellison observed, “the most agonizing mystery sponsored by the democratic ideal is that of our unity-in-diversity, our oneness in manyness.”Ellison also described a “unity of American experience beyond all considerations of class, of race, of religion.” More than a half-century later, have we realized this ideal of what it means to be American? Le Boeuf’s concert-length composition asks: Are we really dreaming the same American dream, or is our consumer culture overshadowing our own sense of belonging?Each artist on stage is a powerhouse in their field. Founded in 2009, the Billboard charting, 7-time national prize winning Akropolis Reed Quintet makes music with “infallible musicality and huge vitality” (Fanfare Magazine). Winner of 7 national chamber music prizes including the 2014 Fischoff Gold Medal, Akropolis has premiered and commissioned over 150 works by living artists and composers. Pascal Le Boeuf is a Grammy-nominated composer, pianist, and producer described as "sleek, new" and "hyper-fluent" by the New York Times. He is widely recognized for his polyrhythmic approach to chamber music and hybridization of disparate idioms. Christian Euman, one of Revive Magazine's "six drummers you should know about," has toured with Jacob Collier, Kurt Elling, Billy Childs, Walter Smith III, and Geoff Keezer, among others. He attended the Thelonious Monk Institute where he studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chris Potter, Jimmy Heath, and Stefon Harris.Concert Repertoire Pascal Le Boeuf –&nbsp;Are We Dreaming the Same Dream?&nbsp;(full septet) 45′Plus Selections Chosen From the Following Pascal Le Boeuf –&nbsp;Wanderlust&nbsp;(full septet) 7′ George Gershwin arr. Raaf Hekkema –&nbsp;An American in Paris&nbsp;(Akropolis) 18′ Geri Allen&nbsp;arr. Le Boeuf – “RTG”&nbsp;(Le Boeuf and Euman) 5′ Charles Mingus&nbsp;arr. Le Boeuf – “Self-Portrait in Three Colors”&nbsp;(Le Boeuf and Euman) 7′Biographies Founded in 2009, the 7-time national prize-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet has toured internationally while championing new music by&nbsp;a&nbsp;diverse&nbsp;range of&nbsp;composers, appearing on&nbsp;significant&nbsp;series including Oneppo, Flagler, Chautauqua, and&nbsp;others. They have been termed “pure gold” by the&nbsp;San Francisco Chronicle, and they are a Fischoff Gold Medalist and recipient of three consecutive National Endowment for the Arts “Art Works” grants. Pascal Le Boeuf is a Grammy-nominated composer, pianist, and producer&nbsp;described as “sleek, new” and “hyper-fluent” by the&nbsp;New York Times.&nbsp;He is widely recognized for his polyrhythmic approach to chamber music and hybridization of disparate idioms.&nbsp;One of&nbsp;Revive Magazine’s&nbsp;“six&nbsp;drummers you should know about,”&nbsp;Christian Euman has toured with Kurt Elling, Billy Childs, Walter Smith III, Geoff Keezer, and Jacob Collier, among others. He attended the Thelonious Monk Institute where he studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chris Potter, Jimmy Heath, and Stefon Harris.

Akropolis Reed Quintet | Pascal Le Boeuf | Christian Euman

Are We Dreaming the Same Dream

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Arcis Saxophone Quartet_2019-20 Biographies.pdf

Arcis Saxophone Quartet—Photos for Public Download.zip

Arcis Saxophone Quartet

Endless fascinating prairie landscapes, the exciting pulse of the city that never sleeps and the ‘swinging’ life of the southern states: stories full of dreams, hopes and love. In American Dreams, the Arcis Saxophone Quartet presents the broad range of the American Way of Life.With arrangements which space from Dvorak’s “American quartet”, characterized by folk elements and deeply connected with the nature; to the Dutch “avant pop” composer Jacob TV with his piece “Jesus is coming” which &nbsp;was inspired by the 9-11 trauma and the role of religion today; to excerpts from Leonard Bernstein’ “West Side Story”, inspired from Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Julia” set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid 1950s; ending with a Suite from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess”, no opera includes so many famous Jazz-standards at the same time: “Summertime”, “It Ain’t Necessarily So”, “I Got Plenty O’Nuttin”, and much more. The artists will explore their instruments' spectrum of colors, allowing the public to discover new and exciting facets of the saxophone.&nbsp;&nbsp;

American Dreams

In the Great Masters, the Arcis Saxophone Quartet assembles works by many of history’s greatest composers. Every epoch had its masters and masterpieces, and in this program, the quartet presents Ligeti, Haydn, Bach, Bartók, Mendelssohn, and Gershwin in such shining new colors, the Tageszeitung Munich asked, “Do you ever want to hear it differently again?”

The Great Masters

JSB:48 is all about The Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach.Original Bach fugues are complemented by newly composed preludes and related to composers all inspired by the Well-Tempered Clavier: Shostakovich, Kapustin and Kuhn.

JSB:48

Arcis is constantly pushing the traditional boundaries and concepts of the saxophone as a classical music instrument. They commissioned British composer Luke Bedford to write a concerto for saxophone quartet and orchestra which received its premiere in 2017 by the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin at the Philharmonie Berlin. The Philip Glass Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra has become a staple of saxophone quartets, and each of the four movements showcases the different timbres and tones of each saxophone. With Rhythm of Americas by the famous saxophonist Bob Mintzer the Arcis Saxophone Quartet brings out the jazzy component of the saxophones which characterizes Mintzer’s style, finding the perfect balance between two music genres which find the perfect synthesis in their instrument: classical music and jazz.

Arcis with Orchestra

Arcis Saxophone Quartet pairs with choirs to perform music from the 1500s to today, showcasing the unique timbres of four saxophones and voice. Meditations, a mass, motets, and love songs round out this thoughtful and insightful program.

Arcis with Choir

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Philip Glass&nbsp;–&nbsp;Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and OrchestraLuke Bedford&nbsp;–&nbsp;Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra Arcis is constantly pushing the traditional boundaries and concepts of the saxophone as a classical music instrument. They commissioned British composer Luke Bedford to write a concerto for saxophone quartet and orchestra which received its premiere in 2017 by the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin at the Philharmonie Berlin. The Philip Glass Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra has become a staple of saxophone quartets, and each of the four movements showcases the different timbres and tones of each saxophone.

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2xdanced

Arcis_CollectiveThe collective consists of choreographer Roberta Pisu and the Arcis Saxophone Quartet, who began their collaboration with the full-length production <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QAhkwSj1QU">HEIMAT</a>, which premiered on September 21, 2020 in the Philharmonie am Gasteig Munich. The goal of the collective is to transfer the idea of chamber music to contemporary dance: to create an intimate form of expression in a small ensemble in order to implement subtle and refined artistic ideas.&nbsp;A very important aspect is the joint creative process. The relationship between classical music and contemporary dance and the possibilities and interfaces that result from them should be explored more and more and thus a common statement brought to the stage. For this reason, the musicians are involved in the entire process and not just at the end of the creation process, as is usually the case. With their unique saxophone sound, the musicians, like the dancers, are part of the performance on stage.&nbsp;While Roberta Pisu and the Arcis Saxophone Quartet form the core of the collective, it is more than open to collaboration with any type of music, choreographic approach and any type of art form willing to share an intimate and stimulating creative process.&nbsp;The ProcessTwo choreographers work independently with two dancers to create a 20-minute choreography to the music of the Arcis Saxophone Quartet. The music remains the same in both cases. And the pressure is high because everyone has to abide by the rules of the game:<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>The choreographers only have 5 days to create.</li><li>The music is the same for both choreographies.</li><li>The music will only be delivered 5 days before the start of rehearsals.</li><li>The musicians are part of the scene.</li><li>Props and costumes are only what you can find.</li></ol>Both choreographies are performed one after the other so that the audience can experience how differently the creative brains of the choreographers tick. In the conversation, the audience gains an insight into the motives for the respective artistic decisions.&nbsp;Interested? What you need to know…How long will the final performance last?With two choreographies each 20 minutes and a talk with the audience in between we aim for a total length of 60 minutes.&nbsp;What do we need for the creation process?We need a rehearsal space for 10 days, which is suited for dance practice. That‘s it!Which artists will be involved?The music part is covered by the Arcis Saxophone Quartet and the artistic direction is in the hands of Roberta Pisu, who will also contribute one of the two choreographies. This leaves us with one choreographer and at least two dancers missing. We are happy to cooperate with local artists of your institution or community. Let‘s discuss! Additionally parts of the music could be newly written by a composer of your choice.&nbsp;Biographies<a href="https://www.arielartists.com/artists/arcis-saxophone-quartet#section-biography" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arcis Saxophone Quartet</a>Roberta PisuRoberta Pisu received her dance training at the Académie de Danse Classique “Princesse Grace” in Monte Carlo and at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome. She was a member of the ensemble “La Compagnia” in Rome. She gained her first choreographic experience in 2010 as an assistant to Ismael Ivo, the artistic director of the Venice Biennale. Since 2013 she has been dancing in the ballet of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz Munich, where she also works as a choreographer (Momo, Minutemade, Je suis Faust, and others).

Arcis_Collective | Arcis Saxophone Quartet | Roberta Pisu

2XDANCED

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JSB:48 is all about The Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach. Spanning a ten year recording project by the Arcis Saxophone Quartet, the original Bach fugues in their version for saxophone quartet are complemented by newly composed preludes all inspired by The Well-Tempered Clavier. The collection of 48 fugues and new preludes gradually grows over the next ten years as a growing playlist (found on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ljoYy83Rf277TQzBeMu8I?si=d47451c311f8456c">Spotify</a> &amp; <a href="https://music.apple.com/de/playlist/jsb-48-arcis-saxophon-quartett/pl.aa3c7dc426a74729a857cad402474333">Apple Music</a>).&nbsp;DIVERSITYWe believe there is so much more music to discover. Music that may not be so close to us at first, but is all the more exciting. We deliberately want to immerse ourselves in the most diverse worlds and take our listeners on this journey.&nbsp;GENREThe composers we commission come from a wide variety of genres. The basis will always be classical music, but we love diving into other worlds as well.&nbsp;GENDER RATIOFemale composers are still underrepresented. We do not want to accept that and make it very simple: 50% of our composition commissions go to female composers.&nbsp;CULTURESWe have divided the world into different earth culture parts. The new preludes are then distributed evenly among them. That challenges us and is a lot of fun when we are allowed to deal with music that works completely differently than, for example, classical Western music.&nbsp;Current Program Offering:J.S. Bach &amp; contemporary composers – Selection of newly composed preludes to fugues from The Well-Tempered ClavierNikolai Kapustin – 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op.82&nbsp;No. 15No. 17– Intermission –&nbsp;Dmitri Schostakowitsch –&nbsp;Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87No. 1No. 5Leonhard Kuhn – Fugue &amp; Loops&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Berlin Counterpoint_2019-20 Biographies.pdf

Berlin Counterpoint—Photos for Public Download.zip

Berlin Counterpoint

If one were to piece together the most substantial 70 minutes of the literature for piano and wind quintet into a single program, you would be hard pressed to find a more iconic group of works. In Fun, Mockery, and Schadenfreude, Berlin Counterpoint uses the compositions of Johann Strauss and Richard Strauss to bookend a program of works that are not only milestones in their respective genres, but also extravagant, cheeky, and thoroughly idiosyncratic pieces.Berlin Counterpoint is happy to identify itself with any one of these titles, in which a pinch of melancholy and a sprinkle of mockery are mixed with a whole lot of humor to merge into masterpieces that celebrate the joy of life.Ligeti’s six entertaining Bagatelles, one of the shining stars of the wind quintet literature, Poulenc’s Sextuor, and of course Beethoven’s Piano Quintet are core elements of the program. These three pieces have accompanied Berlin Counterpoint from their first day together and yet continue to challenge them in every performance. They are sandwiched by two characterful arrangements that transform the great orchestral sound into a transparent, versatile and yet powerful sextet sound. Despite the lack of the typical 80-member orchestra, Till Eulenspiegel still manages to celebrate his cheeky pranks perfectly amongst these six musicians.

Fun, Mockery, and Schadenfreude

Richard Wagner’s Tristan Prelude marks the end of an era, while Debussy’s Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un Faune is the beginning of the era in which wind chamber music had its most important flowering. Around these two composers, this program tells a story that begins long before the birth of Mozart and is still far from finished with Connesson. Our story. The story of the composer’s confrontation with this idiosyncratic wind instrument combination, which looks unequal, is unequal, and no composer has been able to handle without a struggle.Mozart, Thuille, and Connesson saw this struggle with inequality as a positive and because of it, not despite it, created genius pieces which later became a breeding ground for the three epochs of our ensemble literature. Mozart’s Quintet became the direct inspiration for Beethoven’s Quintet, Op. 16. Thuille’s Op. 6 is the climax of the German romanticism and was the model for Theodor Blumer and many others. And Connesson? His writing evokes so much energy and his use of the instruments is so fascinating that composers will want to follow him in droves.

Turning Point

“Creativity has something playful, and this playfulness is at the forefront of new music.” – York HöllerMusic has always been contemporary and new art has always been divisive enough to cause an uproar. Sound Signs introduces the audience to five composers who created something that was considered unusual in its time, but has now not only found its place in the repertoire, but lays down a path for its further development.Handel’s Overture, H.W.V. 336, was originally rejected because the Italian audience demanded a new overture, and he had written this in French style. Louise Farrenc, whose sextet was the very first work ever composed for Berlin Counterpoint’s full instrumentation, should be celebrated as a prophet. Who knows where we would be today, had she not indulged herself in the weird and wonderful world of piano and winds.Samuel Barber’s Summer Music deserves its place as possibly the best wind quintet ever written, purely because it is so unusual. Berlin Counterpoint felt there was no choice other than to include it on its debut 2014 CD, Barber, Beethoven, Connesson, Poulenc &amp; Strauss: Works for Woodwind Quintet &amp; Piano.The program title comes from York Höller's sextet, Klangzeichen (Sound Signs), a work dedicated to Israeli and Palestinian children as a call for peace in the Middle East, and premiered in Jerusalem in 2003. Each piece in this program could be seen as a prime example for playful experimentation.

Sound Signs

Danish author Hans Christian Andersen said that music is a language that begins where words stop. How might Jules Verne have sounded if he had replaced his words with scales? To what worlds might Rimsky-Korsakov have taken us, had his vehicle been a fantasy novel instead of a piano quintet? Where pieces are no longer just language and representations, but also evoke complex structures, intimate autobiographies, and creeds – this is where our repertoire feels most at home.The first four compositions of this program attempt to reveal the true soul of the Russian people. Centered around a deep belief in beauty, they tell of passion, humor, and the joy of life. In these three large-scale works, Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Paul Juon give us a glimpse into their most beautiful and glorified images and memories of Russia.The program is framed by two arrangements that are characteristic of Berlin Counterpoint’s repertoire, transforming a large orchestral sound into a transparent, virtuosic, and, above all, flexible body of sound. The phrasing of melodies and the shaping of the sounds becomes an irresistibly captivating game for both the musicians and the audience.

Foreign Lands: People. Music. Stories.

sextet

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Delphi Trio_2021-22 Biographies.pdf

Duration: 45 minutesAn interactive, family-friendly performance for all ages, this program combines musical performance with visual art in a game-like format that allows viewers to join in on the music making.Using graphic notation, a unique way of writing sounds in the form of artistic images, Circle Dash consists of a series of animated “video scores” conceived by composer and educator Danny Clay that lead participants on a journey through a variety of musical landscapes.Audience members are invited to perform along with Delphi Trio using objects not traditionally considered instruments - no musical experience necessary! Along the way, audience members will learn about the basic building blocks of musical composition and explore the process of interpreting and performing music in a hands-on, interactive way. Presentations ofCircle Dash can be done in person or online.Circle Dash is a Delphi commission and an ongoing project.Danny Clay, ComposerDanny Clay is a composer and teaching artist whose work is deeply rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and the sheer joy of making things with people of all ages and levels of artistic experience.Working closely with artists, students, and community members alike, he builds worlds of inquiry, play, and perpetual discovery that integrate elements of sound, movement, theater, and visual design. Children's games, speculative systems, cognitive puzzles, invented notation, found objects, imaginary archives, repurposed media, micro-improvisations, and happy accidents all make frequent appearances in his projects.Recent collaborators include Kronos Quartet, Eighth Blackbird, Third Coast Percussion, Volti, the San Francisco Girls Chorus, Wu Man, Sarah Cahill, Phyllis Chen, and printmaker Jon Fischer. His work has been performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (SFCMP), Ensemble Dal Niente, and has been presented by the deYoung Museum, San Francisco Performances, the McEvoy Foundation for the Arts at the Minnesota Street Project, the Grey Area Foundation for the Arts, the Meaney Center for the Arts in Seattle, and university programs throughout the United States. Learn more about Danny at<a href="https://www.dclaymusic.com/"> www.dclaymusic.com</a>.<a href="http://www.delphitrio.com/familyconcert">www.delphitrio.com/familyconcert</a>

Circle Dash

Delphi Trio is passionate about sharing knowledge and educating young artists. All three members of the Trio are devoted teaching artists who feel strongly about the importance of sharing and passing on knowledge to the next generation. In this offering, the Trio works together to coach chamber music, or separately to coach individual instrumentalists on solo or sonata repertoire. The Trio is also available to offer panel discussions and lectures on a variety of topics, including career building, historical performance practice, arts administration, ensemble dynamics, practice psychology, and more.

Masterclasses & Panel Discussions

The members of Delphi Trio love connecting with their audiences on and off the concert stage. In the Q&amp;A and Post-Concert Chat options, the Trio will collaborate with the presenting host to facilitate a formal dialogue between the Trio and the audience. This conversation may consist of the Trio answering audience members’ questions, or delving into discussion topics such as the Trio’s musical upbringings, ideas about particular works, instruments, or anything else that might be of interest. In the Meet &amp; Greet option, the Trio will attend an informal post-concert reception where they can meet and talk with audience members directly. The availability of this option is contingent on appropriate mask policies being enforced.

Q&A/Post-Concert Chat/Meet & Greet

Delphi Trio—Photos for Public Download.zip

Delphi Trio

Music connects us in so many ways - to home, to each other, to our communities. In this program, three composers draw us briefly into their captivating worlds before we enter the epic journey of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio. Aram Khachaturian’s Berceuse rocks us in a lullaby that invokes melodies from the composer’s Armenian homeland while embracing the musical traditions of his adopted country, Russia; Germaine Tailleferre’s Piano Trio grabs us with soaring melodies and imaginative colors, reflecting her life in the 1917 French society of musical salons; written as a wedding present for her close friend, Reena Esmail’s romantic Saans (Breath) melds elements of North Indian classical music with the rich sonorities of the piano trio. Finally, inspired by his own personal relationships - a dear friend’s death and the encouragement of an enigmatic patron upon whom he was so dependent - Tchaikovsky’s monumental Piano Trio connects us with our own humanity as only music can do.

The Human Connection

Who wins competitions and why? How do composers’ reputations change over time? So many of the composers we think of today as wildly successful faced tremendous failure during their lifetimes. J.S. Bach was rejected from multiple positions and struggled to free himself from smothering job contracts, in one case resulting in his imprisonment. At the time of his death, his music was considered old-fashioned. Ravel entered the prestigious Prix de Rome competition over five consecutive years, but never won. His final loss resulted in a public scandal and investigation. British-born composer Rebecca Clarke contended with misogyny and competition losses, yet managed to achieve significant recognition at the height of her career, becoming relatively unknown only later in life. She is just now taking her rightful place among history’s great composers. This program begins with an example of the earliest “piano trio”- the Trio Sonata in E minor, originally written for organ, by J.S. Bach. Clarke’s deeply moving 1921 trio and Ravel’s thrilling 1914 trio are inspired by an earlier age, but reflect the tumult, dreams, and hopes of the early 20th century. Today these three winning works belie the struggles these composers faced in their careers.

The Biggest Losers

As we emerge from a global pandemic, we find ourselves in a liminal time, between things. This program explores music’s power to make sense of change while also embodying it. We begin with the earliest surviving piece written for keyboard—an estampie from the Robertsbridge Codex. The medieval tones bring us straight into brilliant composer Patrick Castillo’s ephemera, commissioned for Delphi during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 California wildfires. After establishing these two opposite ends of musical history, we discover a buoyant, exploratory work from Haydn, the 18th-century innovator who turned the piano trio into a substantial genre. Finally, Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio brings us into a new musical era, much as it ushered in a new period of life for Beethoven after the loss of his hearing—it was the final piece that he performed in public. In his break-through exploration of the piano trio genre and the beginnings of his later style, Beethoven takes us through a range of states from warm nobility to slapstick humor, existential struggle to eternal peace, ultimately ending in a joyous celebration of life.&nbsp;

Out of the Fire

For centuries, women composers faced not only a remarkable lack of societal and personal support, but outright discouragement; even women who were raised with a high level of musical education were often forbidden from continuing to publish their works once grown and married. This program showcases some revelatory music of two of the most well-known women composers of the Romantic era, Fanny Hensel (née Mendelssohn) and Clara Schumann who persevered and even flourished against all odds. The expressive depth of Lili Boulanger and the lively and colorful music of noted contemporary composer Gabriela Frank bring us through the 20th century to the present, celebrating the amazing progress and freedom women now enjoy.

Music, She Wrote

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Worldwide celebration is on the horizon! The Delphi Trio is pleased to invite co-commissioners&nbsp;to join in creating a new triple concerto for violin, cello, and piano by Clarice Assad celebrating the return of cultural life and connection. The piece will be designed to work either standing alone or as a companion piece to the Beethoven&nbsp;Triple Concerto - a 21st century female response to the famous party piece of 1803.&nbsp;Instrumentation will be the same as in the Beethoven (three soloists plus one flute, two oboes, two&nbsp;clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings) plus one percussionist.Tentatively titled "The Tale of Mélusine", the new work will follow the medieval French legend of a half-fairy woman betrayed by her mortal husband. The Concerto is 23-25 minutes in length and is performed without breaks between movements.The concerto will be premiered in March, 2022 and will be proprietary in&nbsp;performance to Delphi Trio for one year following the premiere; it will be proprietary in recording&nbsp;to Delphi Trio for two years following the premiere. The commissioning consortium is led by the&nbsp;San José Chamber Orchestra and Maestra Barbara Day Turner; each co-commissioner will&nbsp;contribute $5,000 USD toward the composer’s fee and copying costs.&nbsp;About Clarice AssadA powerful communicator renowned for her musical scope and versatility, Brazilian-American Clarice Assad is a significant artistic voice in the classical, world music, pop, and jazz genres, renowned for her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range. A prolific Grammy-nominated composer, with over 70 works to her credit, her work has been commissioned by internationally renowned organizations, festivals, and artists, and are published in France (Editions Lemoine), Germany (Trekel), Criadores do Brasil (Brazil), and in the US by Virtual Artists Collective Publishing. Ms. Assad has released seven solo albums and appeared on or had her works performed on another 30. Her music is represented on Cedille Records, SONY Masterworks, Nonesuch, Adventure Music, Edge, Telarc, NSS Music, GHA, and CHANDOS. As an innovator, her award-winning Voxploration Series on music education, creation, songwriting, and improvisation has been presented throughout the United States, Brazil, Europe, and the Middle East. With her talents sought-after by artists and organizations worldwide, the multi-talented musician continues to attract new audiences both onstage and off.

Clarice Assad Triple Concerto

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Danae Doerken_2021-22 Biographies.pdf

Danae Doerken—Photos for Public Download.zip

Danae Doerken

East and West embodies Danae Dörken’s feeling that our diversity is what ultimately brings us together and gives us enormous strength. All of the works in this program share the commonality of being heavily influenced by folk music traditions of different countries around the world. The folkloristic character of these compositions highlights the individual elements of each culture that render the pieces unique and underscore the necessity for them to be loved and remembered forever.Chopin’s Polonaise in C-sharp minor embeds the melancholy of the tunes of polish folk music, while Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances feature the unusual rhythms of the Transylvanian peasant polka. Schubert’s 12 Ländler reflect the melodies of alpine folk dances, while Danza ritual del fuego by de Falla is reminiscent of guitar performers that can be heard in village squares in Spain. Grieg’s inspiration for Wedding Day at Troldhaugen came from the mighty chords that characterise Norwegian folklore and Manolis Kalomiris’ compositions are influenced by Greek folk music. At first glance, the Huit Nocturnes by the French neoclassical composer Francis Poulenc might seem a little out of place, but while this composition is not directly influenced by folk music, the simplistic elegance of the Nocturnes render them ideal counterparts to the remaining pieces on the program.

East and West

This program combines works that were inspired by sounds and melodies the composers heard as well as images the composers saw. Schumann’s Forest Scenes are short musical depictions of nine settings he experienced when walking through the forest, while Schubert’s Fantasy Op. 15 is based on his own famous song “Der Wanderer” that speaks about trying to find happiness. Claude Debussy’s impressionist music is an accurate description of three images through sound, while Bartòk’s Romanian Folk Dances were influenced by folk tunes that he heard on the street. The program ends with two famous works by Liszt, his Love Dream No. 3 and his Rigoletto-Paraphrase, which is composed around four different melodies that stand for four different characters from his own opera “Rigoletto” that sing together in harmonious unity.

Songs and Images

ODYSSEY

Apollo & Dionysus

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Duo Kayo_2022-23 Biographies (2023–1).pdf

Duo Kayo—Photos for Public Download.zip

Duo Kayo

Take a tour of millennial American music with this wild collection of works by some of the most talented and inspiring voices of the 21st century. With pieces ranging from expansive and richly harmonic, to avant-garde and aleatoric, this program is sure to have something for everyone.

Americana Contemporanea

Homeward Bound

No one expects a viola cello duo, but what about two viola cello duos put together?! On this program, duo kayo explores the vast range of repertoire composed or arranged for viola and cello. And for la bombe surprise the duo will be joined by two local artists for a double dose of viola and cello in two amazing quartets.&nbsp;

An Unexpected Pairing

For the ultra-refined classical music lover, this program offers a delectable sampling of works by some of the 18th century’s most well-known composers, as well as a few you might not know!

The Classical (in) Style

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Excelsis Percussion Quartet_ 2021-22 Biographies.pdf

Introducing the percussion family while demonstrating the instruments. Open with a piece together. Then, one by one, one person describes the snare drum, demonstrating it. The next person can demonstrate a tambourine, relating it to the snare drum, and playing a little on it. We can also discuss the sister instrument of the tambourine, the pandeiro, and its rich cultural history. Next, we can discuss pitched versus unpitched instruments. The next person can introduce the mallet instruments and discuss the origins in Africa and South/Central America. We can end by selecting a few students to come up, one by one, and have a mini lesson on each instrument.

What is Percussion? (Grades 2–6)

Review all of the above, making a condensed version. Add on more facts about percussion within the different genres of music. For example, the creation of the bass drum pedal in New Orleans as a part of the parade traditions there. Then, its use in jazz music has influenced all the popular genres we listen to today: blues, pop, rock, hip hop, and country. Play an arrangement of a jazz tune and ask the students to listen to specific elements: melody, repetition, bass line, groove. One person can demonstrate hand drums and discuss the rich cultural history of hand drum playing in Africa and South America.Discuss the makeup of the group and our cultural backgrounds, and the role of female percussionists in particular.Students can go up to try the instruments, one by one, or we can do a canon game where one group repeats one rhythm, and the other group repeats another rhythm.

The Role of Percussionists (Grades 7–8)

Review the basics of percussion^ (depending on the level). The discussion of pitched versus unpitched instruments, origins of all the instruments, with demonstrations/performances. The class is significantly more interactive, and students go up to play. They can either play their own pieces if they are percussionists, or we can do call and response and break up the classroom into groups to make “canon.”

Percussion Masterclass (High School)

Excelsis Percussion Quartet—Photos for Public Download.zip

Excelsis Percussion Quartet

This program features the great chamber works of percussion that paved the way for new voices and contemporary masterpieces. Excelsis Percussion believes that sound exploration and expressivity are timeless and ever-expanding. This program simultaneously takes a step into the past while looking toward the possibilities of the future.

An Ode to the Classics

This program celebrates multi-genre music through a juke-box inspired performance of pop music with a classical twist. Combined with elements of surprise and audience participation, this program creates a fun and accessible concert experience for all audiences and age groups.&nbsp;

Excelsis Percussion: Pops!

A blend of multiple styles, cultures, and soundscapes, this enticing program reimagines the classical concert experience through embracing contrast and the vast globality of cross-genre exploration. Excelsis Percussion brings together their different experiences and identities to share one unified program of powerful, multicultural chamber music.

Latitude, Longitude

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Benedict Kloeckner_2021-22 Biographies.pdf

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Benedict Kloeckner

Robert Schumann’s works for violoncello and piano have accompanied and inspired me ever sinceI started playing the cello. It was our wish to combine works by Schumann with 20th century compositions that shared his spirit of innovation, his love for the music of the past (in particular that of Johann Sebastian Bach) and his efforts to achieve a simplicity of expression&nbsp; a “folk style” that, in its approachability and highest artistic standard, appealed to the public’s interest back then.Schumann’s music is characterized by poetry, sensibility, and sincerity; they are also indispensable elements for Dmitri Shostakovich and Bohuslav Martinů, even if these contrasted sharply with external conditions –perhaps to even counter the disorders of the world with something deeply intimate and human. In keeping with the spirit of Leonard Bernstein,&nbsp; I wish to do justice to the relevance of this music. “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

Between Nostalgia and Revolution

Inspired by Bach explores the influence of Johann Sebastian Bach, a major influence to many composers, through two of the most beautiful cello sonatas of the repertoire. Mendelssohn is known for being a great advocate of Bach’s music, and in his vibrant, virtuous Cello Sonata, it is especially clear in the slow third movement, which touches the listener as a slow Bach-style chorale and quotes parts of Bach’s chromatic Fantasy and Fugue. It is not known how familiar Beethoven was with Bach’s work, however in his magnificent Cello Sonata, he quotes Bach’s Johannes Passion “es ist vollbracht.” Beethoven’s Cello Sonata then became its own inspiration for many composers, who attempt to echo its perfect instrumental balance and compositorial genius.&nbsp;

Inspired by Bach

Forgotten Romance is a program of works by three great Romantic pianists and composers who didn’t write very much chamber music, but had a particular love for the cello. Sergei Rachmaninov wrote his Cello Sonata after a long personal and artistic crisis, in which he had to fight back his way to mental health and artistic creativity. His Cello Sonata is a journey of the soul –from darkness, struggle, and despair to blazing joy and glory Following a similar journey, Chopin’s Cello Sonata was one of his last works, a complex masterpiece full of poetry, virtuosity, and intensity. The program opens with Liszt’s beautiful and lyrical Romance oubliée and his famous Dream of Love, conveying the composer’s great emotional depth in what&nbsp; Frederic Delius calls “an outburst of the soul.”&nbsp;

Forgotten Romance

Legendary cellist Pablo Casals once said that Johann Sebastian Bach’s 6 Suites for Violoncello “is the quintessence of Bach’s music, and Bach himself the quintessence of all music itself.” Casals made these works famous as one of mankind’s great achievements. They are inspired by fashionable court dances of the time and some musicologists also suspect a connection to biblical stories from the New Testament. Experiencing the complete cycle in one (or optional two) evenings is both an adventure for the listener and a challenge for the interpreter, with both facing some of the most virtuosic, emotionally deep, and musically genius art ever made.

A Dancing Miracle

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Mirari Brass Quintet_ 2021-22 Biographies.pdf

Mirari Brass Quintet—Photos for Public Download.zip

Mirari Brass Quintet

"Celebrated Classics" is our nod to the long and storied history of the brass quintet, and features concert music with traditional structures and tonal language. Spanning from the sublime to the profane; from the absolute to the programmatic, Mirari takes our audience on a journey that begins with Bach and ends with Bernstein.&nbsp;This program is packed full with masterworks for the brass quintet, including one of the earliest pieces written for the ensemble by the Romantic Russian composer, Victor Ewald. Along with Wilke Renwick’s vibrant Dance, Morley Calvert’s humorous Suite from the Monteregian Hills, and Jan Koetsier’s charming Quintet, this is truly a “greatest hits” playlist for brass quintet. While the majority of the program was written specifically for five brass, we’ve taken some favorite vocal works by composers like William Grant Still and Clara Schumann and have adapted their gorgeous melodies to fit the brass quintet. Sticking with vocal music, the program closes with Jack Gale’s expert arrangement of music from Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece, West Side Story. For lovers of more traditional classical chamber music, this program is right up your alley!

Celebrated Classics

"Hidden Perspectives" showcases some of our favorite brass quintet repertoire that has not yet made its way into the traditional canon. The repertoire all comes from the 21st century, representing a wide array of&nbsp; identities and experiences. Central to Mirari’s mission is to elevate works by composers from underrepresented populations and this program does just that. Zoe Cutler’s Personality Test serves as the centerpiece of the first half. It features each member of the quintet playing the part of one of what Cutler defines as the five different personality types. There is humor, virtuosity, and a variety of styles in this clever, engaging multi-movement work. Along with Anthony Barfield’s tuneful and rhythmic Gravity, Tony Di Lorenzo’s fiery Go!, and the majestic Sleepy Hollow, the first half brings light to some relatively unknown composers who bring their unique artistry and fresh perspective to chamber repertoire.The second half begins with two winners of Mirari’s “Call for Scores,” Fleeting Images by Florence Maunders, a driving, high-energy opener inspired by UK club/electronic music and the wildly chaotic but captivating Three Episodes for Brass Quintet by Ian Lester. We close with two incredibly evocative works to close the program, Reena Esmail’s Tuttarana and Joan Tower’s Copperwave. This program delicately balances innovative repertoire with listener satisfaction so that it is appropriate for any audience.

Hidden Perspectives

“Mind the Gap” is a program inspired by the phrase delivered to passengers on the London Underground (aka “the tube”). The phrase is a warning repeated at every stop to help riders traverse the space between the stationary platform and the moving train. With this program, we traverse the space between standard and innovative, groundbreaking repertoire, displaying that both can exist side-by-side in complete harmony.With brass quintet standards like Joan Tower’s Copper Wave and Eric Ewazen’s Colchester Fantasy (each movement is named for a British pub!) anchoring the halves of the program, Mirari incorporates new works for quintet by up and coming composers as well. Sleepy Hollow and Four English Madrigals celebrate the lyrical qualities of brass while Tony Di Lorenzo’s Go! and Chick Corea’s Spain bookend the concert with the virtuosity one expects from the brass quintet. Fleeting Images and Ian Lester’s Three Episodes for Brass Quintet were winners of Mirari’s Call for Scores competition in 2021 and 2020, respectively, and we are so excited to champion these amazing new works. This program is the perfect mixture of old and new, standard and innovative.

Mind the Gap

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Paragon Ragtime Orchestra_2021-22 Biographies.pdf

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Paragon Ragtime Orchestra

Note: Paragon has one of the world’s largest libraries of historic American orchestral music, and the particular pieces played on each of Paragon’s concert programs are subject to change to reflect this unique resource.Travel back to the early 1900s as modern life begins: America falls in love with electricity and automobiles, flying machines take to the sky, and vaudeville creates American idols. A two-hour concert program of approximately 15 pieces played from historic orchestrations drawn from the Orchestra’s legendary 22,000 title collection. Joplin’s music takes center stage, but all performances are one of a kind as conductor and pianist Rick Benjamin shares his score discoveries with the audience – and the Orchestra – in a voyage of discovery tracing the roots of American music. This is PRO’s most popular program – critically acclaimed across 48 U.S. states and seven countries. Composers represented on this program include Scott Joplin, Joseph F. Lamb, James Scott, George Botsford, May Aufderheide, and Kerry Mills.

Scott Joplin and the Original Kings of Ragtime

For over a century, the name George M. Cohan has conjured the rollicking magic that is Broadway. And this legend is real: as America’s beloved tunesmith and original “Song &amp; Dance Man,” he was the father of modern musical theater. You’re a Grand Old Rag is a two-hour concert program of approximately a dozen songs and pieces by Cohan, played from the showman’s rediscovered original 1900s Broadway orchestrations. Based on the Orchestra’s BILLBOARD-charted “Top Classical Album” of the same name, this celebration of early American musical theater stars modern-day Broadway song &amp; dance man, Colin Pritchard. This exciting PRO program offers a stirring look at George M’s amazing life and music – “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “H-a-rr-i-gan,” “The Yankee Doodle Boy,” “Over There!,” and all the rest. You’re A Grand Old Rag is a tap-dancing bravura performance that brings audiences to their feet!

You're a Grand Old Rag: George M. Cohan's Broadway

Note: Paragon has one of the world’s largest libraries of historic American orchestral music, and the particular pieces played on each of Paragon’s concert programs are subject to change to reflect this unique resource.Meet Me at the Fair! is a two-hour spectacular musical celebration of the world’s fairs, including the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, and the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Musical “exhibits” rotate, but works by Offenbach, Joplin, Moses-Tobani, and Sousa are the core attraction, performed by Rick Benjamin and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, the official orchestra and conductor of the U.S. Pavilion of the 1992 World’s Fair. Music played a key role in the success of all these international festivals, launching both hit songs and the illustrious careers of many American musicians (including Scott Joplin and Sousa). This new PRO program reunites stirring world’s fair hits with the continuous projections of magnificent fairground images. There is audience participation (on “Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis”), and as a finale, the Orchestra accompanies the Moving Picture Travelogue – historic world’s fair films by Thomas Edison &amp; company. All is propelled forward with evocative narration by conductor Rick Benjamin.

Meet Me at the Fair!: Music from the Great World's Fairs

Note: Paragon has one of the world’s largest libraries of historic American orchestral music, and the particular pieces played on each of Paragon’s concert programs are subject to change to reflect this unique resource.Touring annually in November and December, ’Round the Christmas Tree is Paragon Ragtime Orchestra’s stylish and warm-hearted tribute to America’s Holiday musical traditions. This colorful program features favorite selections from the theaters, ballrooms, grand mansions, and humble hearthsides of the Victorian era. Familiar Christmas songs and carols are heard from their original 19th century scores, along with novelties—including a ragtime version of the Nutcracker Suite!—and sparkling instrumental and vocal soloists. As a finale, the Orchestra accompanies a screening of one of the world’s first Christmas movies, a 1905 Thomas Edison production. ’Round the Christmas Tree is a unique event that will delight and cheer your audiences well into the New Year.

'Round the Christmas Tree

With more than 700 screenings across 48 States and 7 countries, PRO is one of the world’s foremost silent film accompanists. From Hollywood (American Cinematheque) to Chicago (Ravinia Festival) to New York (Lincoln Center), PRO leads the way in designing, producing, and performing silent film programs for contemporary audiences. Paragon also has one of the world’s finest collections of more than 900 original film scores (c. 1898-1928), adding unmatched historical depth and interest to its screenings.&nbsp;The Clown PrincesOur most popular two-hour silent film program of featuring a “variety pack” of three short, complete comedies, one each by Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd, accompanied by their original 1910s/20s orchestral scores. See&nbsp;<a href="https://paragonragtime.com/programs-and-bookings/film-programs/">here</a>&nbsp;for the current list of films.&nbsp;Chaplin – A Dog’s Life (New Program!)&nbsp;A two-hour silent film program of Charlie Chaplin’s 1918 featurette&nbsp;A Dog’s Life, with Rick Benjamin’s new reconstruction of the original score. The big city adventures of the Tramp, with his trusty “thoroughbred mongrel,” scraps. Charming!&nbsp;Fairbanks – The Mark of ZorroA two-hour silent film program of the original&nbsp;Zorro, Hollywood’s very first action-adventure movie! Douglas Fairbanks thrills audiences with swordplay, romance, and just a bit of comedy. Features the spectacular original Spanish flavored 1920 orchestral score.&nbsp;Keaton – The GeneralA two-hour silent film program of Buster Keaton’s 1927 masterpiece&nbsp;The General, a “story of love, laughs, and locomotives,” is a Civil War railroad epic inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase. World famous, and rightly so, featuring the original 1927 orchestral score.&nbsp;Chaplin – The KidA two-hour silent film program of Chaplin’s first full-length feature,&nbsp;The Kid. The Tramp adopts an abandoned child, and the two set off on a series of adventures. Sweet and funny, with touches of high drama featuring the original 1921 orchestral score.&nbsp;&nbsp;Keaton – Steamboat Bill, Jr.A two-hour silent film program of Keaton’s late-era,&nbsp;Steamboat Bill, Jr.&nbsp;features Keaton as the hapless son of a Mississippi riverboat captain trying to learn the family business. Extremely funny, with a fantastic cyclone finale! Features the original 1928 orchestral score.