Category: Field Reports

Chicago: Whirled Beyond the Blues

Scott Winship
Scott Winship
Photo by Kathryn Gritt

All too often Chicago gets labeled as simply a blues city, and there is much of that, but if you start poking around inside the deep and richly varied music scene, you’ll find new music ensembles and performing venues for new American music are popping up all the time. Performance opportunities great and small abound in the city, from major institutions such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to the experimental music on the fringes happening at places such as 6ODUM, the Empty Bottle or, for you experimental jazz folks, 3030.

First I’d like to tackle one of the biggies—don’t worry, out of the way places coming soon—the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW series. With a major orchestra that employs Pierre Boulez as its principal guest conductor and Augusta Read Thomas as its Composer-in-Residence, one would expect some quality new music…they don’t disappoint. Usually given as a series of four concerts throughout the season, MusicNOW is billed as “the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s most innovative series, devoted entirely to NEW MUSIC. The series brings together LIVING COMPOSERS from around the world. MusicNOW includes DYNAMIC discussions with the composers, led by CSO Mead Composer-In-Residence Augusta Read Thomas. The INTERACTION continues with the composers at each post-concert reception.” I personally enjoy the all caps tag words supplied by the CSO’s website, but they forgot to mention the FREE WINE supplied at the reception! Currently in the middle of the 2004-05 series, the third concert was held on April 18th, 2005 and only featured one American work, that of elder serial statesman Milton Babbitt. His jazzy Whirled Series—right in time for opening day of one of the few sports that really matters to most Chicagoans—was featured alongside works by George Benjamin, Unsuk Chin, and Wolfgang Rihm. The programming of Whirled Series is notable not only for the rarity of its performance in these parts, but also due to the wonderful performers enlisted to bring it to us: pianist Marilyn Nonken and fellow member of Ensemble 21 Taimur Sullivan on saxophone. Perhaps one of the consequences/benefits of Ensemble 21’s executive director Jason Eckardt as a recent addition to the faculty of Northwestern University will be the chance to enjoy more performances by the ensemble’s members here in the Chicago area.

The last installment of the MusicNOW series for this year will be held on June 7th at 8 pm with music supplied by Americans Steven Mackey (Indigenous Instruments), Robert Lombardo (Compressions II), and Joshua Fineberg (Recueil de pierre et de sable), as well as Cyprus-born Evis Sammoutis (Prelude and Allegro). For those who have not attended a MusicNOW concert, be forewarned that the CSO attempts to create an intimate listening experience in the vacuous expanse of Orchestra Hall by seating the audience in the terrace, a raised seating area at the back of the stage normally employed for choir performers. The ensemble in turn performs facing the terrace, with their backs to the traditional audience.

***
Scott Winship is the Associate Director and Youth Jam Coordinator for Rock For Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Chicago’s homeless children through Holiday relief programs and Youth Jam, a free music education program for underprivileged children. He has received degrees from Central Michigan University (music education) and Bowling Green State University (composition). Currently living in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, he tries to find as much time as possible to write music, attend concerts, and drink good beer. Upcoming performances of his work will be taking place in Chicago and Tucson.

San Francisco: Literally Spellbinding—Ropes Included

Roddy Schrock
Roddy Schrock
Photo by Hideki Kubota

On a recent Saturday night, a modest audience gathered in a small living room of an intimate wooden home seven blocks north of UC Berkeley. The lights dim, a young violinist stands under a landing, the audience seated in a semi-circle facing her. She is wearing clothes that seem like a lite version of designs by Helmut Lang, with added metal loops sewn into the sleeves and shoulders of a jacket made of sturdy synthetic materials. A massive page from a score lies on the floor in front of her, the notation looks like a child’s crayon drawing. Andre Vida, also appearing highly costumed in a fashionably deconstructed jacket and hat, walks in and begins unraveling bundles of rope, tying and looping it around her body, and finally tossing one end to a woman perched on the landing above, the other end to a bearded eccentric-looking man sitting cross legged on the window of the library on the second floor. The girl with the violin begins playing but is unable to complete a full gesture, the ropes suddenly tugging at her arms as she tries to perform. The character sitting on the window sill seems to tease her, yanking the ropes quickly, while the silent woman on the landing pulls them slowly and deliberately in the opposite direction causing the violinist to be unable to make her instrument sound. At one point the ropes are yanked so suddenly as to make her throw her bow across the room. Eventually she is forced to attempt empty gestures at her violin, her hands pulled away such that she cannot reach the strings. The ritual continues, more violinists join, more ropes are connected to their bodies and pulled taut. It is confusing and messy but certainly intriguing. Finally they start to play in unison while walking to the library upstairs. The window is closed with a bang, the door slams, one cannot see them as they have ducked outside of the view provided by the library window, all that is seen is the conductor’s hands while loud violin tones are heard through the wall. Soon, by the light of a single desk lamp, one can make out the shadows of performers walking in circles, sawing away at their instruments, the sound heard by the audience is muffled violin noise. Suddenly without warning the lights are cut, the screeching violins stop. Silence. Then applause.

This is Vidatone, a group of performers from Los Angeles led by composer Andre Vida. Conceptually their approach succeeds brilliantly, building on ideas of liberation through restraint, calling to mind the work of Brian Ferneyhough. And while Ferneyhough’s art is generated from intense conflict between innate human limitation and formal compositional constraint, Vidatone is suggestive of visceral and quite literal constraint not from within oneself, but from others to whom one is tied, with less-than-subtle references to the visual aesthetic of bondage. In this preoccupation with physicality, the group also seems to be influenced by the work of Sylvano Bussotti, one who never shied away from exploring the intimate relation between the body and musical performance.

But the problem with musicians doing theater is that often the theater suffers. Viewed as theater Vidatone takes a surprisingly mild approach considering the issues they are exploring. Listened to as music, their sound is unique in its vague disinterest in its own musicality, but the disinterest comes across as affectation, one cannot escape the sense that ultimately they want to make, well, good music, whatever that might mean. The strongest points in the performance happened when they forgot about music, when the giant score was used as metaphor, the violin only a prop, and the sounds produced only suggestive of music rather than being overtly musical. At other moments they veered dangerously close to earnest musicality causing the whole conceit to collapse into a pile of composerly self-seriousness. Their strength lies in the unique theatrical experience they were able to conjure, but ultimately they are rather timid in style, not quite able to break free from the slipknots of respectable musicianship. Yet one is struck by the sense that they have caught onto something exciting, and I for one am looking forward to see where it takes them next.

***
Roddy Schrock is a sound artist who digitally mines everyday sound for the profound and canvasses the glitzy, rough edges of pop for its articulate immediacy. He has lived and worked in Tokyo, The Hague, New York, and San Francisco, with performances in the Czech Republic, Holland, Japan, and North America. He is also an educator, currently teaching at De Anza College (California) and will be giving a summer workshop on Supercollider software at STEIM (Netherlands).

New York: Inside the Hurly-Burly

There’s always a moment at some point in the American Music Center’s Annual Awards Meeting and Awards Ceremony when it feels great to be a part of the American new music community. Sometimes there are several. I want to share a few of mine…

From the beginning of the afternoon’s official festivities—a mini-concert by Manhattan Brass ranging from Ives to Marsalis that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time—to the haze of faces of some of the most important composers of our time amidst the faces in the crowd—Ingram Marshall, Aaron Kernis, Alvin Singleton, Joan La Barbara, Michael Daugherty—it was a wonderful day for American music at the American Airlines Theatre, a post-modern glass palace in the hurly-burly that is Times Square.

It’s a pity that 93-year old Gian Carlo Menotti could not be with us, but it was so wonderful to be in the same room with 82-year-old Lukas Foss, who seemed physically moved by the standing ovation he received from the audience, and to have an opportunity to talk to him about his music. (I can’t wait to hear the CRI LP I just tracked down of his featuring his mobile-form String Quartet No. 3!) Too bad the late greats Count Basie and Charles Ives, together probably for the first time, weren’t there to share in the fun. But one of the trustees of Basie’s estate, Ronald Garnett, was on hand to speak on behalf of the Count, and his reflections on how no one bestowed such official recognition on this musical giant in his lifetime really hit home as did his description of the royalties that have continued to pile up since Basie’s death. An even more poignant moment, though, was when Ives’s grandson, whose only memory of America’s most treasured rugged individualist was of a cantankerous old man who chased him around the yard in his childhood, confessed never realizing how important Ives was in his lifetime.

It was incredible to see so many of the members of the Minnesota Commissioning Club all lined up to receive the AMC’s Trailblazer Award. It’s so rare to see the people behind the scenes whose generosity helps to create so much of this music. Speaking on behalf of the group was Linda Hoeschler, who formerly ran the American Composers Forum. Ahmad Jamal was on the road touring, but we were told how much he appreciated the honor by his manager, Laura Hess-Hay, who also happens to be his ex-wife! And while Laurie Anderson was also out of town, luckily Charles Amirkhanian happened to be in town—his music will be featured at Merkin Thursday night as part of the Interpretations series—so he was able to join us to receive his award.

Yes, I know, I work at the American Music Center and maybe this is tooting our own horn a bit (brass puns too hard to resist). But our annual get-together has always been decidedly not about organizational self-promotion. Rather, it is a coming together of all kinds of composers, performers, and people from other organizations with an interest in new music. Perhaps yesterday’s festivities were a little bit more about us than usual, but with good reason. After all, this was our first real opportunity to publicly introduce Joanne Cossa, our new Executive Director, to the Center’s membership at large. It was also an opportunity to recognize the achievements of two of the Center’s most important leaders in recent years: our previous Executive Director Richard Kessler, who redefined what the Center was and could be; and ASCAP’s Vice President of Concert Music, Fran Richard, whose many selfless contributions on behalf of American composers included serving on the American Music Center’s Board of Directors during its most trying time. It seemed like the audience could not stop cheering before or after she was on the podium to receive her Letter of Distinction. (This summer, Ms. Richard rejoins the Board once again.)

Snapshots from the Annual Awards Meeting and Awards Ceremony
All photos by Jeffrey Herman

name
And the winner is…The American Music Center’s Annual Awards recipients pause for a quick group shot.
name
Composer, conductor, pianist, and educator Lukas Foss accept his Letter of Distinction

name
Frances Richard acknowledges the thunderous applause offered by the crowd in appreciation of her service to American music.

name
Charles Ives’s grandson, Charles Tyler, accepts on his behalf.
name
Linda Hoeschler accepts the Trailblazer award on behalf of the Minnesota Commissioning Club, an organization that has commissioned 13 new works.
name
Basie Estate Trustee Ronald L. Garnett accepts William “Count” Basie’s Founders Award

Cleveland: Industry CPR Continues at “Future of Classical Music” Panel

name
Zachary M. Lewis
Photo by Nowell York

Silent-audience syndrome definitely was not a problem during a boisterous mid-April panel discussion at Cleveland State University focused on “The Future of Classical Music.” Little if any of what was said would have struck critics or music professionals as new, but a group of committed listeners unwilling either to accept the status quo or to paint classical music as a sinking ship were in attendance and more than usually vocal. Provocative, reasoned questions abounded in a show of surprisingly strong interest in the issue. It was clear many had been waiting for an opportunity to get their questions answered and air pent-up concerns.

In fact, the audience seemed determined to get as much as possible out of the four panelists: Gary Hanson, executive director of the Cleveland Orchestra; Lynne Hoffman-Engel, vice president of sales at the Cleveland-based Telarc Records; Jeffrey Siegel, the concert pianist widely known in Cleveland and elsewhere for his “Keyboard Conversations”; and Greg Sandow, the teacher, composer, critic, blogger, and orchestra consultant.

Eric Ziolek, a local composer and the chair of CSU’s music department, moderated the discussion, intervening occasionally and remarking that “this is the first generation to whom classical music means nothing” and “we have to find a way to sell this music to them and make it engaging.”

Many in attendance said that they observe classical music growing ever quieter in a commercial world bombarded by sounds and images. Siegel apparently hit a nerve with the crowd and evoked a round of applause by noting:

The overall quantity of music we consume is greater now than ever. The problem is we’re not listening to what we hear. It’s no longer a privilege to listen to the Eroica. We’ve been conditioned to tune out in order to retain our sanity. It’s actually difficult to go somewhere and tune in, but we have to look to the music to make people want to do that.

Sandow, meanwhile, urged performers and presenters to get louder and more intense if they want to reach the artistic but “ironic” and “pessimistic” smart set who view classical music as irrelevant. “Until we in the classical world reflect more of the contemporary world, we’re in danger of losing our audience,” he said.

The one truly urgent alarm sounded was in response to the state of music education in public schools today. Everyone agreed: it’s deplorable. Generally speaking, though, the tone was anti-alarmist.

“I think the ‘graying audience’ concept is a red herring to some degree,” Hanson said, debunking the notion of the “good old days” when orchestra halls were packed with young people. “Classical music has always been something that, once you come to it, you stay with it the rest of your life.

“There’s no problem with the music,” he said later. “The masterpieces will always remain masterpieces. At issue is whether they’ll remain so in the lives of as many people.”

And there are encouraging signs, the panel agreed. Sandow, for instance, happily pronounced contemporary music as a whole to be in “fabulous shape.”

Telarc’s classical sales are slipping in Europe but increasing chain-wide at Border’s Books & Music in America, Hoffman-Engel said. “Believe it or not, I actually feel that baby-boomers are ready to hear classical music. Now it’s just a matter of us finding ways to help them listen.”

Hoffman-Engel also praised Cleveland’s Contemporary Youth Orchestra and Jonathan Sheffer’s Red {an orchestra} for “at least trying to be adventurous” by presenting world premieres by Phil Kline, John King, and others, and for partnering with Ethel, the amplified string quartet.

For his part, Hanson claimed the Cleveland Orchestra’s reputation is taking a firmer hold in new markets like Asia while ticket sales at home are decreasing.

One attendee asked the panelists what they would do, were money not an obstacle. New answers to the question surfaced throughout the two-hour evening. Hanson said the Cleveland Orchestra would perform more contemporary music, produce more recordings, market more aggressively outside its core audience, and consider employing tasteful visual elements such as video screens or hand-held computers for program notes.

Siegel held on confidently to a purist viewpoint. Not only should classical musicians not be expected to talk to audiences, he said in response to an audience member’s question, they shouldn’t have to operate video equipment or learn to play hip-hop, either. “I don’t know if we need visual gimmicks or non-classical things. The repertoire speaks very well for itself, particularly if it’s presented in such a way that it brings people into the listening experience.”

Sandow called for action in the evening’s strongest terms. It was he, though, who sent the audience home smiling by congratulating them for asking the best questions he’d ever heard during a panel on this topic.

***
Zachary Lewis is a freelance arts journalist in Cleveland, Ohio. He covers music primarily but also dance, art, and theater. He writes regularly for the Plain Dealer, Cleveland Scene, Angle, Dance Magazine, and Time Out Chicago. Lewis studied piano performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music and holds degrees in English and Journalism from Ohio University and Case Western Reserve University, where he will conduct a Presidential Fellowship in arts criticism in the fall of 2006.

Seattle: Music Never Trapped Between a Mountain and an Ocean

name
Amy D. Rubin

Greetings from Seattle! Washington composers are fortunate to have a group, the Washington Composers Forum, which disseminates information and presents events. Forum President Christopher Shainin says this about our new music scene: “Like other cities, Seattle offers a range of new music, from the quasi-improvised and electronic, to scores for orchestral, rock, jazz, and concert band instruments. But here composers and performers are as influenced by living on the Pacific Rim as by the recent influx of Eastern Europeans. Because it is a mid-sized city, these influences and ways of working are often crowded on the same stages. The cultural space is further pressed between the ocean and mountains. The resulting music is condensed, tangled, and always in revision.”

Recently, I heard an evening of new and digital music presented by the University of Washington’s Center for Digital and Experimental Music at Meany Hall. New York virtuoso violinist Mari Kimura was the focal point of the event. She shared the space with video, prerecorded audio, visually projected text, and her playing was frequently transformed by real-time computer manipulation. Richard Karpen’s Sotto/Sopra was on the program and he writes: “The computer processing of the live input of the violin creates a canvas of sound that ranges from the intimate to the orchestral, from one layer of notes to dense, overlapping, contrapuntal, harmonic, and noise based textures. The performer now has many arms, hands, fingers…” I pictured the many-armed Indian deity Shiva with multiple violins. Quite different was The Old Rose Reader by Frances White, a multi media work combining text projected on a screen, a recorded narration track in French, and live violin playing haunting, plaintiff melodic lines which skirt the landscape of microtonality. The text, a combination of mythological references and fairy tale-like images, combined with the other elements to create a nouveau ode to a rose—a moody tone poem of sorts.

The juxtaposition of such a large venue as Meany Hall with the intimate audience size undercut the presentation somewhat for me, which made Lyn Goeringer’s presentation a few nights later on “Listening To Spaces” especially meaningful. Her talk was held at Jack Straw, a kind of grass roots, hands on place of possibility for many composers and creative artists in the Seattle community. The institution supports numerous recording projects every year in addition to housing a regular “Composer Spotlight” series where grant recipients present performance/talks of their current work.

Goeringer’s work addresses the fluid relationship between people and sound in installation environments. Central to this is the inclusion of a theremin she has developed which becomes a sampler of sorts, and then extends its capabilities through midi. Goeringer likes to be able to produce sound which is intensely quiet and has learned and grown from past aggravations to be proactive as a composer. In her installation Growth she uses frequencies of sound that are not present in either the human voice or cell phones, so that no matter who is talking or whose phone is ringing—no problem—her work will be heard! She creates pieces which strike me as a series of Cageian inquiries addressing larger questions about form, sound, space, and the listener.

We watched a video of her recent installation which once again featured the sampling theremin processing the sounds of those who entered and moved in the space. Some danced, some jumped, some twirled; one woman began to lick the antenna of the theremin, wondering what the sonic outcome would be. The answer? A disappointment. No change in sound, and the taste—no, not as good as ice cream.

On the jazz side of the Seattle scene, Dawn Clement, a jazz pianist and composer in her early twenties has a large presence. She played to a full house at Tula’s, a smoke free, warm, and respectful environment in Belltown, which even has a nice piano. The music fit the space and the audience was an attentive group of fans eager to hear where her next solo would go. Clement already has her own compositional voice. She premiered her own Deeply Seated which grooves on an eleven-beat-long chromatic vamp, with interspersions of 5/4 thrown in. Sometimes she travels almost roughshod over the rhythm section with spontaneous riffs grouped in 5s and 7s, and like riding the surf, she enjoys the tension of the waves she’s made and then pulls back content to once again float along with the other musicians. Her playing incorporates Bach-like contrapuntal lines, tango, ballads, and bebop licks in a way that defies predictability.

***
Amy Rubin, pianist and composer, has written and performed music for the concert stage, jazz ensemble, film, television, and theater in the U.S. and abroad. Following a Fulbright in Ghana, she directed the music program at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, was a visiting professor at Cornish College, and now collaborates with the Seattle Chamber Players and the Seattle Symphony. Her ability to embrace all musical styles has brought her many awards including the Washington State Artist Trust Fellowship, the King County Special Projects Award, the 2005 Jack Straw Artist Support Award, and resulted in numerous recordings of her work.