A festival of collaborations among musicians and artists of diverse genres from Memphis and beyond, bringing to life unique performance experiences in the historic Crosstown neighborhood.
Continuum will juxtapose performances by contemporary chamber music ensembles such as Nief-Norf and chatterbird, with blues, rock, and hip-hop artists, like Don Lifted and Rob Jungklas.
Tickets are $25 per day/$60 weekend pass
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite
* Limited number of seats available on first-come, first-serve basis; plenty of standing room will be available
Presented by Blueshift Ensemble in collaboration with Crosstown Arts
Schedule:
Thursday, August 3
7:30 p.m. – Nief-Norf, story booth (438 N. Cleveland)
9 p.m. – secret show, Crosstown Arts Gallery (422 N. Cleveland)
Friday, August 4
7 p.m. – Luna Nova, story booth (438 N. Cleveland)
8:30 p.m. – chatterbird, Crosstown Arts Gallery (422 N. Cleveland)
Saturday, August 5
6 p.m. — River City Flute Quartet, story booth (438 N. Cleveland)
7 p.m. – Rob Jungklas, story booth (438 N. Cleveland)
8 p.m. – Blueshift Ensemble & Don Lifted, Crosstown Arts Gallery (422 N. Cleveland)
About Nief-Norf:
Nief-Norf is a multi-tiered contemporary music organization devoted to fostering creative collaboration among musical interpreters, composers, and scholars. Formed in 2005, Nief-Norf was created by Illinois natives Andrew Bliss and Kerry O’Brien, who took their ensemble’s name from a descriptor of strange sounds. Some say “bleep-blop”; they prefer “nief-norf.” During their undergraduate years as percussionists, the “nief-norf” moniker came to stand for any music that was experimental or weird. Now based in Knoxville, Nief-Norf celebrates experimental music through their annual Summer Festival and Call for Scores.
About Luna Nova:
Memphis-based Luna Nova Music supports performances of a wide range of twentieth century classics, music of established living composers, and premieres by emerging composers. With concerts, master-classes and private instruction, Luna Nova Music maintains a strong commitment to the education of performers and listeners and to the cause of new music in educational institutions and beyond.
About chatterbird:
chatterbird is a Nashville-based chamber music ensemble. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, chatterbird was founded in 2014 with a mission to explore alternative instrumentation and stylistic diversity in order to create thoughtful and inventive musical experiences.
About Rob Junklas:
Rob Jungklas is a Memphis-based rock/blues musician, singer, and songwriter. He worked in the Memphis music circuit for 15 years before signing a deal with Manhattan Records and releasing the album Closer to the Flame in 1986. The album contained the hit “Make It Mean Something,” which reached #86 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another song, “Boystown,” had a video directed by Godley & Creme (in the same rapid-jump-cut style of their video for Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”). “Hello Heaven,” another song on the album, appeared on the soundtrack of the 1987 movie The Principal.
About Don Lifted:
Lawrence Matthews (a.k.a. Don Lifted) is a multi-disciplined fixture in the Memphis art scene, predominantly working in music, visual arts, and film. Matthews’ style incorporates hiphop, alternative rock and electronic music, resulting in emotionally vulnerable storytelling and eclectic production. His album Alero was released in early 2017.
About Blueshift Ensemble:
Blueshift is a Memphis-based contemporary chamber music ensemble dedicated to bringing artists and audiences together through artistic collaboration. By programming both new and existing classical repertoire alongside multi-genre collaborations, Blueshift aims to connect a wider audience to today’s classical music. The ensemble draws upon Memphis’s uniquely diverse musical heritage by combining classical music with popular music genres such as rock, blues, and soul and featuring local musicians, visual artists, and composers.
Continuum Music Festival is generously sponsored in part by:
Amro Music
The University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music ...where music lives…
Suzana Lightman
Antique Warehouse Mall
