Tag: blueshift ensemble

PLOT/TWIST (Part 1) feat. Blueshift Ensemble, Bluff City Liars, and ICEBERG New Music

Crosstown Arts presents PLOT/TWIST (Part 1) feat. Blueshift Ensemble, Bluff City Liars, and ICEBERG New Music in The Green Room.

The Green Room at Crosstown Arts
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Doors open at 7 pm | Concert begins at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $10 General Admission | $5 students

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

ICEBERG New Music partners with Blueshift Ensemble and Memphis’ premier improv group Bluff City Liars to create a new program of music and improvised drama. Ten pieces of never-before-heard music will inspire ten never-before-seen plays, performed by some of Memphis’ best contemporary musicians and improvisers.

These concerts will feature Memphis premieres by Drake Andersen, Victor Baez, Stephanie Ann Boyd, Alex Burtzos, Yu-Chun Chien, Derek Cooper, Jack Frerer, Max Grafe, Gala Flagello, Robin Haigh, Paul Novak, and Harry Stafylakis. Like all ICEBERG / Blueshift Ensemble events, the two performances will be followed with an opportunity to talk with the composers, musicians, and improvisers.

August 17, 2023: PLOT/TWIST (Part 1) features music for woodwinds and piano composed by Victor Baez, Jack Frerer, Harry Stafylakis, Yu-Chun Chien, Robin Haigh, and Gala Flagello.

ABOUT ICEBERG NEW MUSIC
ICEBERG New Music is a collective of ten young composers based in New York City. ICEBERG’s mission is to promote the idea that substance, not surface, is the heart of music creation and perception. The collective’s ten member composers hail from different schools of thought and cultivate radically different sounds – from musical theater and indie rock to avant-garde sounds and electronic installations – but their contrasting musical languages belie a shared emphasis on structure and depth of meaning. When these artists compose for the same ensemble and present their works during a joint concert, the result is a glimpse into the ever-widening possibilities of art music in the twenty-first century.

ABOUT BLUFF CITY LIARS
Bluff City Liars was formed in late 2017 as a project between four friends hoping to explore long form improv comedy – at the time a very rare commodity in Memphis. Quickly, the group felt the spark of inspiration catch fire, and Bluff City Liars was formed.

Over time, the troupe has grown both in size and in fan base. We run multiple monthly shows and offer workshops. We’ve also been signed as an associate company at TheatreWorks, and we’ve even produced a show featuring Kevin McDonald of Kids In The Hall.

We provide high octane, interactive, and innovative laugh-out-loud comedy with a flair for both spontaneity and spectacle. But we also aim to build the improv community of Memphis with our free workshops and open-to-all jams. See a show, or try the art for yourself – either way you’re helping us grow the comedy scene of the Bluff City.

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. Members of Blueshift are involved in almost every corner of the Memphis music community, from performing in the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, recording in the studio, teaching at the University of Memphis and Rhodes College, playing in your favorite local bands, and composing original music for film. Founded by flutist Jenny Davis and cellist Jonathan Kirkscey in 2016, Blueshift aims to bring classical music out of the concert hall and into the community.

Blueshift Ensemble performs ICEBERG New Music

Crosstown Arts presents a free pop-up performance by Blueshift Ensemble performing works by ICEBERG New Music.

Two shows: Friday, August 20, 7:30 pm and Saturday, Aug. 21, 7:30 pm

Blueshift Ensemble 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.

Founded by composer Alex Burtzos in 2016, ICEBERG new music is a collective of ten young composers based in New York City. The mission of the organization is to promote the idea that substance – not surface – is the heart of music creation and perception. We live in an era where dogma is out of place; composers can, and should, draw from an unprecedentedly broad array of influences in their work – including popular music, avant-garde techniques, and everything in between. The ten ICEBERG composers hail from different schools and cultivate radically different sounds, but their contrasting musical languages belie shared emphasis on structure and depth of meaning. When these artists compose for the same ensemble and present their works during a joint concert, the result is a glimpse into the ever-widening possibilities of art music in the twenty-first century. ICEBERG is committed to radical stylistic inclusiveness, excellence of craft, dialogue with the audience, and a modernization of the concert-going experience.

Blueshift Ensemble performs ICEBERG New Music

Crosstown Arts presents a free pop-up performance by Blueshift Ensemble performing works by ICEBERG New Music.

Two shows: Friday, August 20, 7:30 pm and Saturday, Aug. 21, 7:30 pm

Blueshift Ensemble 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.

Founded by composer Alex Burtzos in 2016, ICEBERG new music is a collective of ten young composers based in New York City. The mission of the organization is to promote the idea that substance – not surface – is the heart of music creation and perception. We live in an era where dogma is out of place; composers can, and should, draw from an unprecedentedly broad array of influences in their work – including popular music, avant-garde techniques, and everything in between. The ten ICEBERG composers hail from different schools and cultivate radically different sounds, but their contrasting musical languages belie shared emphasis on structure and depth of meaning. When these artists compose for the same ensemble and present their works during a joint concert, the result is a glimpse into the ever-widening possibilities of art music in the twenty-first century. ICEBERG is committed to radical stylistic inclusiveness, excellence of craft, dialogue with the audience, and a modernization of the concert-going experience.

ICEBERG New Music Lectures

Free lectures led by members of Iceberg New Music Collective. ICEBERG is in residence at Crosstown Arts for two weeks and will be collaborating with Blueshift Ensemble on a series of free concerts, workshops, and lectures. Sponsored by Amro Music.

“Contemporary Classical” and “Indie Rock” : Beyond the Quotation Marks
Talk by Jonathan Russ
10-11 a.m., Crosstown Concourse, Central Atrium, free

The Crossroads of a Century: Popular and Classical Music In 1960s America
Talk by Alex Burtzos
1-3 p.m., Crosstown Concourse, Central Atrium, free

Beauty Starts Where Habit Ends
Talk by Yu-Chun Chien
5-6 p.m., Crosstown Concourse, Central Atrium, free

Continuum Music Festival

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

 

ICEBERG New Music: Mindful Listening Workshop

A workshop in which participants move through a series of Pauline Oliveros-inspired sound/meditation exercises designed to attune participants to the sounds around them and develop a richer vocabulary for describing them.

Led by Drake Andersen
Meet at the reception desk in Crosstown Concourse’s Central Atrium
Free (register on Eventbrite)

New York City-based composer collective ICEBERG New Music will be in residence at Crosstown Arts for two weeks of concerts, workshops, and lectures. Memphis-based contemporary chamber group Blueshift Ensemble will collaborate with ICEBERG and perform the collective’s original compositions.

Sponsored by Amro Music

About ICEBERG New Music:
Founded by composer Alex Burtzos in 2016, ICEBERG new music is a collective of ten young composers based in New York City. The mission of the organization is to promote the idea that substance – not surface – is the heart of music creation and perception. We live in an era where dogma is out of place; composers can, and should, draw from an unprecedentedly broad array of influences in their work – including popular music, avant-garde techniques, and everything in between. The ten ICEBERG composers hail from different schools and cultivate radically different sounds, but their contrasting musical languages belie shared emphasis on structure and depth of meaning. When these artists compose for the same ensemble and present their works during a joint concert, the result is a glimpse into the ever-widening possibilities of art music in the twenty-first century. ICEBERG is committed to radical stylistic inclusiveness, excellence of craft, dialogue with the audience, and a modernization of the concert-going experience.

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.