Sunday, August 9, 2009

counter)induction: it goes up to eleven.

We’re psyched to announce our 09-10 season—our eleventh! c)i is presenting an exciting and  wide-reaching year of music both brand-new and timeless.   We’re also happy to be playing three out-of-town gigs—two in Philadelphia and one in Syracuse.   

finis terrae
SAT SEP 19 2009, 08:00PM

FINIS TERRAE presents renderings of the perimeters of being, its beginning and end, and the space between the real and the notional. Gorecki’s string trio Genesis I imagines the energy and tumult of the foundation of the world, while Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time muses upon its apotheosis and what comes after. Mohammed Fairouz’s new work Kālas, for clarinet and viola, considers the famous line: kālo ‘smi lokakşayakŗt pravŗddho’ (I am time, the mighty destroyer of worlds) from the eleventh chapter of the Bagavad Gita, exploring the connection between enlightenment and mortality.  

c)i @ upenn
SUN NOV 22 2009, 08:00PM 

counter)induction returns to its spawning grounds of the University of Pennsylvania, featuring performances of works from our decade of concert making.  Douglas Boyce’s monumental Deixo | Sonata for viola and piano keeps company with Salvatore Sciarrino’s arresting Centauro Marino, while Eric Moe’s sardonic Dead Cat Bounce, written just for c)i, counterpoints Kyle Bartlett’s transfixing adagio sostenuto.  

codex
SUN MAR 28 2010, 08:00PM
TENRI CULTURAL INSTITUTE 

THU APR 1 2010, 08:00PM

CODEX will present an evening of music engaging with the mechanisms and mythologies of musical traditions and their creation, and the possibility of inspirations from sources real and imagined. Starting with a singular, enigmatic, and historically / culturally isolated source, a collection of late-medieval polyphony contained in the codex Torino J.II.9, five composers imagine what a centuries-long tradition flowing from the works and practices of the codex might sound like, producing real works in a fictional tradition.  New works by Peter Gilbert, Christopher Jon Honett, Douglas Boyce, Kyle Bartlett and Ryan Streber will be featured.  

the child is father to the man
SUN MAY 16 2010, 02:00PM

FRI MAY 21 2010, 08:00PM
TENRI CULTURAL INSTITUTE 

THE CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN examines two seminal 20th century composers by presenting their works with those of their students, metaphorically searching for hidden traits expressed in the musical genetics of the next generation. Iannis Xenakis and George Crumb are presented here not as remote figures of genius, but as mentors and master craftsman, shaping the future through their connections with younger composers. Xenakis’s indomitable Ikhoor is balanced by Trio Rombach of Pascal Dusapin, his only recognized student.  Kyle Bartlett, one of Crumb’s last pupils, will present a world premiere companion to Crumb’s timeless Eleven Echoes of Autumn

Keep your browsers pointed to counter)induction on Facebook, the counter)induction YouTube channel, on our blog, and the website, for updates, concert footage, podcasts, and more!  See you on September 19th!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Review in the Times and Upcoming NYC Season!


Hello counter)induction fans!

I hope everyone is having a great summer, and wanted to give everyone an update on everything c)i.

Our 10th anniversary show was a great success, and we were so happy to open the paper a few days after to find this review in the NY Times. CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK

All in all, it was an inspiring end to our decade, and a wonderful incentive to make our upcoming one even more exciting.

Sadly, our violinist Sharon Roffman has had to leave us - but for very good reasons. She is now living abroad and is in the middle of deciding which of the plum jobs offered to her she should take. However, we are more than pleased to announce that Miranda Cuckson will be joining us for our season this year. Miranda is no stranger to c)i, and you can hear her playing with Sumi and I on Doug Boyce's "102nd and Amsterdam" in our web site's Listening Room.

Also listed is our upcoming season here in NYC, so put the dates in your book now! Stay tuned for more news about our upcoming concerts in Syracuse and Philadelphia....




Saturday, August 1, 2009

'Deixo | Sonata' performance video





A video of Jessica Meyer and Steve Beck playing my 'Deixo | Sonata' at Merkin Hall in June; an extraordinary performance!

More video clips from our Merkin Hall show will become available in the next few weeks, and we'll post them all here!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Finally, my first post as a member of c)i!

It's so exciting on so many levels for me to be involved with the RW>>FFWD program.  I'm still getting my bearings in general as the newest member of the band, so the fact that the first c)i concert with which I'll be involved as an "official member" also happens to be the 10th anniversary concert is an honor and a thrill.  I've been lucky to work with c)i in various capacities over the past couple of years, first as a composer, then as an engineer and recordist, then as a curator for a new program (stay tuned for more!) and now as a part of the family.    I continue to be amazed by the abilities, energy, and intellect of everyone in the group, and I can only hope to contribute something to this already wonderful and singular ensemble.  


Of course, a part of my excitement in advance of Monday evening derives from Sumi's US premiere of my Partita for solo cello. I wrote it for her in 2007 for a premiere in Japan, and I still haven't heard the piece live myself.  Hearing the recording of the premiere, and especially listening to her play through it more recently, I am blown away by how easily and beautifully she brings the various strands of the piece to life, giving each voice in the work's dialogue its own distinctive character while maintaining the unity of the whole structure.   It's so rare as a composer to put a new piece in front of a performer and almost immediately hear back exactly what you had in mind.  I'm fortunate to have had such an experience with Sumi and Partita, and I can't thank her enough for it. Beyond this one piece, though, I really have Sumi to thank for introducing me to c)i and being such a strong advocate for my involvement.  


Looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday and throughout the upcoming c)i season! 

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

SONATA: TAKE 2

It is not often that I get another shot at performing a piece in the same town so soon - and at this moment, when logistical details of our big 10th Anniversary show are swirling around me, I am so very glad that I gave a preview of Douglas's piece last month at the New York Viola Society's collegial concert. It gives a chance for not only the performers, but the piece itself to get a rest in between and an opportunity for reflection and revision before being launched into sonic space again.

Rehearsals now are a bit different as well. Instead of wondering, "what do you have there? how does this fit together?", we are able to concentrate on more of the nuances and flow of the piece. However, since Doug did do a slew of little revisions that are not very obvious to the scanning eye at first, there were certainly a bunch of moments when Steve and I looked at each other and said "was this a 7/8 bar before?, what ARE you playing over there?".


It is also fascinating for me to see what my muscles remember a month later and to subtly train them to make these changes while simultaneously exploring how these new ideas effect the phrasing and pacing of this piece - and ultimately, how I feel when playing it. 30 days of just plain living has passed in that time, and just that alone can make a piece different...and hopefully better.

Friday, May 15, 2009

New Podcast!

Scoot on over to alonetone.com to listen to c)i's newest podcast.  It features a recording of my "love letter" to rock music, "Teratography," plus some info about how the piece went from inspiration to performance.  Hope you like!

http://alonetone.com/counterinduction/tracks/teratography-podcast

Or just go to alonetone.com and look for "counterinduction".

Friday, May 1, 2009

composition competition winners!

counter)induction is proud to announce the winners of our second composition competition. The dozens of entries had a huge stylistic range and came in from the US, Europe and Asia. As with our first competition, we were blown away by the range and quality of the submissions, and only wish we could have awarded more prizes.

The winning work in Category II was Carl Schimmel's sly and energetic The Pismirist’s Congeries; Carl currently resides in Grinnel, Iowa, and you can read more about him at his website.

In category I, the award went to Christopher Rogerson for Brothers. Chris is a third-year student at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Carl Schimmel's work will be performed on counter)induction's June 15th concert at Merkin Hall and Christopher Roberson's will be performed on a concert in out 2009-2010 season

In addition, the judges awarded a honorable mention to Charles Halka, soon to be attending Rice University to work on his DMA.

We look forward to working with the composers, and to see you all at Merkin Hall in June.

Technorati Tags: