a collaborative series of events on the themes of change & transformation ... in our lives, in our art
CHANGES: SEASONS is part of a continuing series of events called crossingPoint, events that connect music with technology, architecture and the other arts. crossingPoint presents the work of musicians who adapt traditional ideas and content to contemporary circumstances using computer technology, showcasing their efforts in a series of singular presentations that join innovative music, technological resources, and non-traditional spaces. Through collaborative connections, crossingPoint promotes the work of innovative composers and enhances the experience of audiences for modern music.
The next crossingPoint project is:
previous crossingPoint ventures:
The SANCTUARY project – November 18, 2007, Washington, DC, I. M. Pei’s East Building of the National Gallery of Art. It is was co-sponsored by the National Gallery and the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technologies (Calit2), and in collaboration with the Contemporary Music Forum (Washington, DC), the National Endowment for the Arts, the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Music Department, La Maison Française at the Embassy of France, and the Randy Hostetler Living Room Music Fund.
“…slowly, gradually, as the percussive clatter begins to cohere, intricate melodies and complex harmonies will emerge - as if song, or maybe even language itself, were first being born.
…about as cutting edge as it gets. - It's music, in a sense, for meta-musicians - players who can turn the tiniest movements of their fingers into waves of sound so gigantic they can fill a cathedral.”
– Stephen Brookes, The Washington Post, November 18, 2007
“universal and timeless. … a once-in-a-lifetime experience” – Andrew Lindemann Malone, The Washington Post, November 20, 2007
Sanctuary was the opening event in a year-long series of concerts that showcased a collaboration between the Washington area Contemporary Music Forum and the Embassy of France: a French-American New Music Festival. A consortium of venues in Washington participated, including the National Gallery of Art, La Maison Française, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress.
Roger Reynolds was the principle American composer for the festival. His Sanctuary was co-commissioned by red fish blue fish percussion ensemble, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Contemporary Music Forum and the Randy Hostetler Living Room Music Fund.
The Sanctuary première occurred in the Atrium of I. M. Pei’s East Building of the National Gallery of Art, under the majestic shadow of the Calder mobile Untitled. No event of its kind had ever before been undertaken in this space. Sanctuary addressed the unique architecture and acoustics of the East Building with sonic transformations and spatial manipulations. The evening offered – as was widely noted – a rare opportunity to experience innovative music in Washington’s great public spaces.
The concert was preceded by a lecture pairing Roger Reynolds with master percussionist Steven Schick. In accord with crossingPoint‘s interest in integrating music, technology and art, Sanctuary was timed to coincide with the National Gallery’s exhibit “Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg” and it explored parallels between this renowned artists and music.
resources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/16/AR2007111600239.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/19/AR2007111901561.html?sub=AR
http://sanctuaryproject.net/Butler_Remarks.html
http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2007/11/qa_contemporary_music_forums_steve_antos.php
3gen Festival – Fall, 2008, Washington, DC: funded by, and in collaboration with, the Contemporary Music Forum/VERGE ensemble, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, La Maison Française at the Embassy of France, and the Livingroom Music Fund.
The festival was designed around the works of composers from three generations, centered on the work and celebration of the 100th birthdays of composers Elliott Carter and Olivier Messiaen. At La Maison Française, a concert by musicians of the Paris National Opera Orchestra, led by cellist Alexis Descharmes, presented a tribute to Carter and his fellow centenarian Messiaen. At the Library of Congress and the National Gallery of Art celebrations, commissions from three mid-generation American composers were presented. For two concerts of Carter’s music performed by VERGE ensemble of Washington, the Library of Congress McKim Fund commissioned Artistic Director Steve Antosca to compose kairos ~ time outside of time for harpsichord, violin and computer and Judith Shatin (University of Virginia) the violin and piano work Tower of the Eight Winds. The National Gallery of Art commissioned composer Jeffrey Mumford to compose a garden of flourishing paths.
The intersection of composers across generations represented a vast diversity of styles, from the visionary Edgard Varèse through the works of Charles Wuorinen and Chinary Ung to the energy of a younger generation as represented by New York composer Jefferson Friedman. In all, Washington audiences were offered more than three dozen works in 10 concerts which included 24 Washington premieres, three world premieres, and four Library of Congress McKim Fund Commissions, including the earlier Carter Duo for Violin and Piano.
“Antosca's piece kairos - time outside of time …felt transported beyond Earth into space. Antosca's composition seems to be about texture and color, but the underpinnings are complex rhythms.” – Karren LaLonde Alenier The Dressing, December 20, 2008
“Judith Shatin's Tower of the Eight Winds, in four movements for violin and piano, stood out for its acuity and engaging vivacity as music one would like to hear again.” – Anne Midgette, The Washington Post, December 15, 2008
resources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092202536.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091403183.html
http://www.nga.gov/programs/pdf/08music_11-30.pdf
http://www.scene4.com/karrenlalondealenier/2008/12/celebrating_elliott_carter_and.html
http://www.vergeensemble.com/12.11.08_LC_concert.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/14/AR2008121402454.html
logo: karen reynolds