Volti and Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, two of the most innovative forces in the Bay Area new music scene, are joining up once again to present new music for voices and instruments. It is a natural alliance for instrumentalists and singers who have been admiring each other’s work across the Bay for many years.
We first collaborated on Kurt Rohde and Thomas Laqueur’s opera Death with Interruptions, premiered in 2015 and revived in 2017, and worked together again in fall of 2016 in a shared concert based on letters from across several centuries, centered on Leoš Janáček’s String Quartet #2 “Intimate Letters” and presenting new music by David Lang, Onur Türkmen and Mark Winges.
This time around, the program is centered on three newly commissioned works: Gregory Spears’ The Tower and the Garden, a 30-minute work for voices and string quartet; Laurie San Martin’s Witches, a 10-minute work for voices, 2 oboes, and cello; and Addie Camsuzou’s Murmurations, a short piece for 2 oboes and strings.
The Tower and the Garden is a deep meditation on themes of humanity and the environment, with texts by Thomas Merton, Denise Levertov, and Keith Garebian. Witches, from a story by Lucy Corin, explores the innocent play of three little girls … or is it? Murmurations is inspired by the flight patterns of birds. These new works are complemented by Benjamin Britten’s enduring 20th century classic Phantasy Quartet, another chamber music piece featuring oboe in a starring role.
Join us for an evening of unusual and inspiring music!
Sunday, November 18, 2018, 7:30 PM, The Hillside Club, Berkeley: Tickets here
Monday, November 19, 2019, 7:30 PM, SF Conservatory of Music: Tickets here