The Rites of Spring Music Festival presents COUNTERPOINT
This concert presents a range of pieces for solo cello and electronics. Each piece places the cello in conversation with an altered version of itself. Each work differently approaches the dialogue between the live instrument and technology, via transformation, replication, repetition, and amplification. The soloist variously interacts with expanded, manipulated cello sounds, followed by samples, or accompanied by an ensemble of pre-recorded cellos. With the exception of the Bach prelude, the works on this concert were all written after 2003.
Music Program:
Three Shades Foreshadows (for prepared cello and playback) 11' - Andy Akiho
On being wrong (for cello and electronics) 7' - Chris Cerrone
Light is calling (for cello and electronics) 7' - Michael Gordon
Cello Suite in D minor 20' - J.S. Bach
Cello Counterpoint (for cello and playback) 12' - Steve Reich
American cellist Mariel Roberts is widely recognized not just for her virtuosic performances, but as a“fearless explorer” in her field (Chicago Reader). Her ravenous appetite for collaboration and experimentation as an interpreter, improvisor, and composer have helped create a body of work which bridges avant-garde, contemporary, classical, improvised, and traditional music. Roberts is widely recognized for her “technical and interpretive mastery” (I care if you listen) and for performances which see the with “excruciating intensity” (The Whole Note).
Roberts has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across four continents, most notably as a member and co-director of the Wet Ink Ensemble (named “The Best Classical Music Ensemble of 2018” by The New York Times), as well as with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Mivos Quartet, Bang on a Can All Stars, and Ensemble Signal. She performs regularly on major stages for new music such as the Lincoln Center Festival (NYC), Wien Modern (Austria), Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), Cervantino Festival (Mexico), Klang Festival (Denmark), Shanghai New Music Week (China), Darmstadt Internationalen Ferienkurse für Neue Musik (Germany), and Aldeburgh Music Festival (UK). Roberts has been featured wide variety of outstanding recordings,and has released two solo albums of new works commissioned for her. The first, “Nonextraneous Sounds” (2012), was noted for it's “technical flair and exquisite sensitivity” (Composers Forum). 2017's “Cartography” (2017), solidified Roberts' position as “one of the most adventurous figures on New York’s new music scene—one with a thorough grounding in classical tradition but a ravenous appetite for and tireless discipline in new work.” (Bandcamp). Her close collaborators have spanned a wide range of genres and include some of the most important figures on the contemporary and experimental scene, such as George Lewis, Alex Mincek, Tim Hecker, Nate Wooley, M. Lamar, Patrick Higgins (Zs), Ingrid Laubrock, Jeffrey Mumford, Sam Pluta, Eric Wubbels, and Ambrose Akinmusire.
Stargazing (weather permitting) through Custer Observatory's telescopes and guided by expert staff will follow the concert.
Adults $35, Observatory and Festival Members $30, Children Under 16 FREE. This music performance will also be available to view remotely by live streaming for those who wish to watch from the comfort of their home. ZOOM Live Streaming Admission $25.
Note: Attendance to the in-person performance will be limited to 50 people while COVID-19 precautions are in place and face masks and social distancing will be required. Please bring your own blanket or chair to enjoy the show.
Due to the outdoor nature of this show, a rain date is scheduled for September 12 at 7:00pm.
To learn more about the Rites of Spring Music Festival visit www.ritesmusic.org.