Night After Night

New Music Boston: July 2015

 

John Weise of Sissy Spacek, by Amoeba Records

NEW MUSIC BOSTON
July 2015

(Posted July 11, and very much an attempt in progress this month…)

We're late, and with more cause than usual. Rather than the characteristic attempt to catalog all of the myriad, wonderful new-music offerings coming up in Boston and the surrounding area, here's a note to concede that such offerings are harder to come by when school's out.

Not to suggest that there's nothing going on; it's just that you'll need to pack up the car and do some traveling to catch, say, Jason Lescalleet and Kevin Drumm performing tonight (Saturday, July 11) at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, NH. Wolf Eyes and Container share a bill there on Sunday, July 19, and Dawn of Midi drops in on Wednesday, July 22. (No signs of Boston shows by Wolf Eyes, Container, or Dawn of Midi, which is ridiculous – but take my word for it, it's an easy drive up to 3S and back.)

Likewise, two obvious destinations, both of which will require a serious commitment to trekking: the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA, running July 15-Aug. 1, and the 2015 Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA, running July 20-27. The Bang on a Can series is almost unbearably good this year - "unbearably," because I know precisely how little of it I'm likely to see - and the FCM has a lot to offer, too.

Three more regional series worth eyeballing: The Walden School Concert Series in Dublin, NH, which has concerts featuring the International Contemporary Ensemble and Face the Music (July 12), the Horszowski Trio (July 17), the Walden School Players (July 24), Annie Gosfield (July 26-29), and more; Yellow Barn in Putney, VT, where most concerts mix old and new music vibrantly, and where the composer/clarinetist Jörg Widmann will be in residence in August; and the venerable Marlboro Music Festival in Brattleboro, VT, which opens on July 18, and where the eminent composer Kaija Saariaho is spending her summer.

But hey, there are some choice events coming up in Boston and nearby, so let's try to keep a running tally, shall we? Might you know of more? By all means, please tell me.

12

Escher String Quartet
Yuko Uebayashi, Misericordia for flute and strings
Carol Wincenc, flute
Rockport Chamber Music Festival
Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main St., Rockport
5 p.m.
$45-$65
More information

14

Music at Eden's Edge
Andrew Norman, "Sabina" (from The Companion Guide to Rome); plus works by Franz Schubert and Maurice Ravel
Annie Rabbat and Susanna Ogata, violins; Jason Fisher, viola; Jacques Lee Wood, cello
Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church, 323 Locust St., Danvers
Family and seniors concert
2 p.m.
More information

Outside the Box Festival
Maria Finkelmeier, The UnCommons
Boston Common, 139 Tremont St, Boston
5 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Arian S
Presented by Non-Event
Noisy improv from Guerilla Toss and KTB guitarist Arian Shaifee
Café Fixe, 1642 Beacon St., Brookline
8 p.m.
$5
More information

Sissy Spacek + Clean + Pool + Tinnitus Stimulus + Sarin Addict
Noise, grindcore, improv, etc.
Penny Gaff Gallery, Providence, RI
9 p.m.
$ome cost
More information

15

Boston Landmarks Orchestra
Francine Trester, At the River (world premiere); Alan Hovhaness, And God Created Great Whales; Kevin Puts, River’s Rush (New England premiere); plus works by Felix Mendelssohn and Claude Debussy
Christopher Wilkins, conductor
DCR Hatch Memorial Shell, Charles River Esplanade, 47 David G. Mugar Way, Boston
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Music at Eden's Edge
Andrew Norman, "Sabina" (from The Companion Guide to Rome); plus works by Franz Schubert and Maurice Ravel
Annie Rabbat and Susanna Ogata, violins; Jason Fisher, viola; Jacques Lee Wood, cello
Sutton Room, Peabody Institute Library, 82 Main St., Peabody
7 p.m.
Free admission; reservations required via 978-531-0100 x10 or online
More information

16

Music at Eden's Edge
Andrew Norman, "Sabina" (from The Companion Guide to Rome); plus works by Franz Schubert and Maurice Ravel
Annie Rabbat and Susanna Ogata, violins; Jason Fisher, viola; Jacques Lee Wood, cello
Pierce Farm at Witch Hill, 116 Boston St., Topsfield
7 p.m.
$20, seniors $18, students $15, families $55
More information

17

Music at Eden's Edge
Andrew Norman, "Sabina" (from The Companion Guide to Rome); plus works by Franz Schubert and Maurice Ravel
Annie Rabbat and Susanna Ogata, violins; Jason Fisher, viola; Jacques Lee Wood, cello
North Shore Arts Association, 11 Pirates Lane, Gloucester
8 p.m.
$20, seniors $18, students $15, families $55
More information

Scorched Ear 2
Sissy Spacek; Eaten; Vehement Caress; Mayor Daley; Demonbrother; Sediment Club; Negative One
Noise, grindcore, industrial, math rock, etc.
Cambridge Elks Lodge, 55 Bishop Allen Dr., Cambridge
7 p.m.
$10-$15
More information

18

Grass Stains
Keith Fullerton Whitman and numerous others
Electronics, improv, indie rock, noise, etc.
Revere Beach Bandstand, Revere Beach Blvd., Revere
12-7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Jed Speare + Morgan Evans-Weiler (duo)
World Listening Day Concert, presented by Non-Event
Mobius, 55 Norfolk St., Cambridge
8 p.m.
Free admission (donations accepted)
More information

World Cup + Good Wilsmith + Eartheater + Jazz Massagers
Weirdo electronica, out-there synthpop
Deep Thoughts JP, 138 South St., Jamaica Plain
8:30 p.m.
$5-$10
More information

22

Boston Landmarks Orchestra
Evencio Castellanos, Santa Cruz de Pacairigua (New England premiere); Alice Gómez, Mambo Concierto (New England premiere); Gonzalo Grau, Andean Suite (world premiere); Viaje (Voyage) - Excerpt, for Latin Combo, Symphony Orchestra, and Soloists; plus music by Aaron Copland
Christopher Wilkins, conductor; Alex Alvear & Salsa Band; Dudamel Orchestra of the Conservatory Lab Charter School; BAJUCOL Folkloric Ballet
DCR Hatch Memorial Shell, Charles River Esplanade, 47 David G. Mugar Way, Boston
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Son Lux + Landlady
Composerly electropop, tribal dance funk, etc.
Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave., Allston
8 p.m.
$18.50
More information

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This calendar is maintained as a personal project and has no connection to the Boston Globe. No payment or promotional consideration is required or accepted for inclusion. To send information about a concert, master class, lecture, or other new-music event, email me via the link on the About page.

David Torn soars through 'only sky' at Regattabar

David Torn, by Wes Orshoski/ECM Records

David Torn soars through 'only sky' at Regattabar
Boston Globe
May 12, 2015

Scanning social media recently, Torn came across a journalist who was crowd-sourcing questions to ask him in an upcoming interview. A common reply: Ask what he’s been doing since “Cloud About Mercury.” That’s Torn’s most famous album, sure, but it came out in 1987.

I'm reasonably certain that I heard David Torn on the two Everyman Band LPs that ECM released before Cloud About Mercury arrived in 1987, but what an impact that record made on me. How could it not? Mark Isham played stellar trumpet, and the rhythm section was the then-current King Crimson tandem of Tony Levin on Chapman stick and bass, and Bill Bruford on electronic and acoustic percussion. Over it all, Torn's guitar dipped and soared, gliding like some proud bird of prey. The album holds up for me even now, and led to further adventures by three-quarters of the band - joined by Chris Botti on trumpet - as Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (B.L.U.E.).

Torn's done quite a lot since. But instead of continuing to build, his renown took something of a dip. Maybe part of it was that he signed to Windham Hill when that label, formerly the iconic stronghold of acoustic New Age, was exploring other routes; surely part of it was a health crisis that kept Torn out of the spotlight for a time. But as he indicated in this interview, he kept extremely busy with sideman and soundtrack work; you've quite likely heard him on film, on television, in video games, on singles by John Legend, and on albums by David Bowie.

In 2007, Torn came back to ECM with Prezens, a disc that found him working with saxophonist Tim Berne, keyboardist Craig Taborn, and drummer Tom Rainey - collectively, the trio Hard Cell, whose most recent recordings for other labels Torn had produced.

Now Torn has a new CD out: only sky, a completely improvised solo album that showcases his knack for fashioning moody atmospheres with guitar, oud, loops, and pedals. It's a quiet stunner, and to celebrate its arrival, he's touring solo for the first time in around 20 (!) years. On Wednesday night (May 13), he'll be playing sounds consistent with the album - but not identical, mind - at Regattabar in Cambridge.

Two videos here: first, rare footage from 1987 of the Cloud About Mercury band, with the late, lamented bassist Mick Karn filling in for Tony Levin, and second, a recent TEDxCalTech lecture/concert by Torn that demonstrates the kind of magic he works on only sky.

New Music Boston: May 2015

Georges Aperghis, by Charlotte Oswald

NEW MUSIC BOSTON
May 2015

(Updated May 13)

1

Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble
David Fulmer, Rotaries; Edgard Varèse, Déserts; Ron Nelson, Rocky Point Holiday; plus music by Respighi
Eric Hewitt, conductor
Boston Conservatory Theater, 8 the Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
FREE
More information

Alisa Weilerstein & Inon Barnatan
Joseph Hallman, DreamLog; plus works by Beethoven, Schubert, and Rachmaninoff
Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston
8 p.m.
$30 and up
More information

John Wiese + Nick Hennies + The Epicureans
Presented by Non-Event
Exploratory percussion music, sound art, and improvisation
Goethe-Institut Boston, 170 Beacon St., Boston
8 p.m.
$15, members and students $10; advance $12, members and students $8
More information

2

New England Philharmonic
Matthew Brown, How the Solar System Was Won; Gunther Schuller, Meditation (Symphonic Study); Andy Vores, Drive (Violin Concerto No. 2); plus music by Rachmaninoff
Danielle Maddon, violin; Richard Pittman, conductor
Tsai Performance Center, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$40, seniors $25, students $10
More information

Radius Ensemble
Gabriela Lena Frank, Four Pre-Inca Sketches; Sofia Gubaidulina, String Trio; Arvo Pärt, Fratres; plus music by Schumann
Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music of Bard College, 27 Garden St., Cambridge
8 p.m.
$20, seniors $16, students $10
More information

Times Two
Owen Weaver + Maria Finkelmeier
Compositions by Javier Alvarez, Alvin Lucier, Christopher Cerrone, Maria Finkelmeier, Elliot Copper Cole, and Robert Honstein
The Record Company, 960 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$10 suggested donation
More information

8

Talea Ensemble
Georges Aperghis, Happy End
Animated feature film by Hans Op de Beeck, Bruno Hardt, and Klaas Verpoest
Sebastien Roux, computer music production; James Baker, conductor
Institute of Contemporary Art, 60 Northern Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$15, members and students $10
More information

9

Philip White & Chris Postiokos + m@rk0 T|m!|N + Stephan Moore & Mark Cetelia + Skinny Vinny
Presented by Non-Event and Washington Street Music
Saxophone and feedback duos, damaged technology, and electronic improvisation
Washington Street Arts, 321D Washington St., Somerville
8:30 p.m.
$7 suggested donation

Williams Percussion Ensemble
John Luther Adams, Strange and Sacred Noise
Clark Art Institute, 225 South St., Williamstown
4 p.m.
More information

11

Edelweiss Piano Trio
Stephanie Ann Boyd, Ancestry Variations; plus works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Brahms
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

12

Joseph Bastardo
Modular synthesizer improvisation
Presented by Non-Event
Café Fixe, 1642 Beacon St., Brookline
8 p.m.
$5
More information

Equilibrium Concert Series
Karl Larson, Andy Costello, piano
Scott Wollschleger; Secret Machines No. 6; Robert Honstein, Grand Tour; Olivier Messiaen, Catelogue d’oiseaux, no. XIII: Le Courlis cendre; John Cage, Music of Changes (excerpt); Brian Ferneyhough, I. From Opus Contra Naturam; David Grant, For; Clifton Ingram, Encolpius; Keith Kusterer, Trivia Surreal; Ofer Pelz, 1..2…3….; Damian Rodriguez: …Tre, Va!
Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge
7 p.m.
$10

Huntington String Quartet
Benjamin Park, String Quartet No. 1; plus works by Bartók and Schubert
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

13

Vasari String Quartet
Samuel Taylor, Granules of Gray; plus works by Haydn, Bartók, and Mendelssohn
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

14

New Gallery Concert Series
Rite of Spring Extravaganza
Amy Beth Kirsten, kiss to the earth; David Rakowski, Mind the Gap #18 for Sarah Bob (world premiere); Eric Hofbauer, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring
Calyx Piano Trio, Sarah Bob, Eric Hofbauer Quintet
Community Music Center of Boston, 34 Warren Ave., Boston
7 p.m.
$20; seniors, students, and children $15
More information

15

Boston Young Composers Ensemble
Rona Park, Bubbles; Jacob ter Veldhius, Grab It; Spencer Topel, Violine; Judd Greenstein, At the End of a Really Great Day
Galatea Fine Arts, 460 Harrison Ave., Unit B6, Boston
8 p.m.
$10 suggested donation
More information

Guerilla Opera
Per Bloland, Pedr Solis
Zack Box, Boston Conservatory, 8 the Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
$15, seniors $10, students free
More information

Phoenix
Judd Greenstein, Clearing, Dawn, Dance; plus works by Biber, Mozart, Stravinsky, and more
Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, 85 W. Newton St., Boston
7 p.m.
Table seats $30, standing room $20, students $10
More information

16

Guerilla Opera
Per Bloland, Pedr Solis
Zack Box, Boston Conservatory, 8 the Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
$15, seniors $10, students free
More information

Harvard Group for New Music
Ian Power, bind me, take me, amplifier, humidifier; Josiah Wolf Oberholtzer, Invisible Cities iii, Ersilia; Justin Hoke, rue, increase; Kai Johannes Polzhofer, „Keiner kennt seinen eigenen Namen, keiner kennt sein wirkliches Antlitz” (Léon Bloy); Manuela Meier, emergent properties #1; Marta Gentilucci, e/merge I; Sabrina Schroeder, Stircrazer | Hammer + Flutter; Sivan Cohen Elias, Playground; Trevor Bača Al-Kitab, Al-Khamr
Ensemble Dal Niente
John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
5:15 p.m.
Free admission; tickets required
More information

17

Classical Composer Focus Series
Steve Rouse, chamber works for string quartet, soprano and piano, and cello and double bass
Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge
7 p.m.
$10
More information

Guerilla Opera
Per Bloland, Pedr Solis
Zack Box, Boston Conservatory, 8 the Fenway, Boston
2 p.m.
$15, seniors $10, students free
More information

20

Morgan Evans-Weiler + Mike Bullock
Morgan Evans-Weiler, Viola Viola Cello; Mike Bullock, Emulation WW
Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, 2450 Beacon St., Boston
7 p.m.
Limited parking
More information

21

Guerilla Opera
Per Bloland, Pedr Solis
Zack Box, Boston Conservatory, 8 the Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
$15, seniors $10, students free
More information

22

Guerilla Opera
Per Bloland, Pedr Solis
Zack Box, Boston Conservatory, 8 the Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
$15, seniors $10, students free
More information

Jeph Jerman/Tim Barnes + Fraufraulein (Anne Guthrie + Billy Gomberg)
Presented by Non-Event
Exploratory percussion music and electroacoustic composition
Goethe-Institut Boston, 170 Beacon St., Boston
8 p.m.
$15, members and students $10; advance $12, members and students $8
More information

Lorelei Ensemble
Shelter: Shaw Pong Liú, Peace is a Woman in a House (world premiere); Carson Cooman: The Dawning Light (world premiere); plus selections from Las Huelgas Codex
Marsh Chapel, Boston University, 735 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$30, students $15
More information

23

Guerilla Opera
Per Bloland, Pedr Solis
Zack Box, Boston Conservatory, 8 the Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
$15, seniors $10, students free
More information

Lorelei Ensemble
Shelter: Shaw Pong Liú, Peace is a Woman in a House; Carson Cooman: The Dawning Light; plus selections from Las Huelgas Codex
Lowell Lecture Hall, Harvard University, 17 Kirkland St., Cambridge
8 p.m.
$30, students $15
More information

28

Jason Lescalleet + Caroline Park & Asha Tamarisa + Dinnersss
Presented by Non-Event
Electroacoustic and electronic music
Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater, Institute of Contemporary Art, 60 Northern Ave., Boston
7 p.m.
FREE
More information

29

American Repertory Theater
Matthew Aucoin, Crossing (world premiere)
Rod Gilfrey, Alexander Lewis, Davone Tines, Jennifer Zetlan, A Far Cry
Citi Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., Boston
7:30 p.m.
$25-$110
More information

Boston Percussion Group
New pieces by Thomas Oboe Lee, Daniel T. Lewis, and John Murphree
House concert, East Boston (address upon RSVP)
8 p.m.
By donation
More information

NEC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Gandolfi, The Garden of Cosmic Speculation; plus works by Chadwick, Chausson, and Rimsky-Korsakov
David Loebel, conductor
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

30

Odyssey Opera
Benjamin Britten, Phaedra; Richard Rodney Bennett, Ophelia; Lennox Berkeley, Four Songs of St. Teresa of Avila; Judith Weir, King Harald's Saga; Peter Maxwell Davies, Eight Songs for a Mad King
Modern Theatre, Suffolk University, 525 Washington St., Boston
7:30 p.m.
$15-$50
More information

31

American Repertory Theater
Matthew Aucoin, Crossing
Rod Gilfrey, Alexander Lewis, Davone Tines, Jennifer Zetlan, A Far Cry
Citi Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., Boston
2 p.m.
$25-$110
More information

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This calendar is maintained as a personal project and has no connection to the Boston Globe. No payment or promotional consideration is required or accepted for inclusion. To send information about a concert, master class, lecture, or other new-music event, email me via the link on the About page.

Jason Lescalleet and Olivia Block at 3S Artspace, April 18, 2015

Jason Lescalleet and Olivia Block: Sonorous Vessels
3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH
April 18, 2015

Sound artists Jason Lescalleet and Olivia Block collaborated for the first time in the world premiere of Sonorous Vessels, a new piece inspired by and extending upon Alvin Lucier's Music for Piano with Amplified Sonorous Vessels, on Saturday night at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, NH. I wrote about Lescalleet's series and this particular concert in the latest installment of my Newer Music column for the Boston Globe last week (column here), added more insights from Block here on the blog a few days later (post here), and then made the quick, pleasant drive up from Boston to Portsmouth for the event.

A terrific performance. Photos now…words to come.

Block Six, the very pleasant restaurant and bar at 3S Artspace. Mostly populated by diners who aren't headed to the performance in the next room.

Olivia Block's gear, partial view.

Olivia Block's gear, another partial view.

Jason Lescalleet explaining his performance series and the evening's program.

Performance in progress.

Performance in progress.

Performance in progress.

Olivia Block on Jason Lescalleet, Alvin Lucier, and Sonorous Vessels

Olivia Block, by Richard Termine for The New York Times

Newer Music bonus track

As reported for my Newer Music column in the Boston Globe yesterday, sound artist Jason Lescalleet is launching a quarterly duo-concert residency at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, NH, this Saturday night with the world premiere of Sonorous Vessels, a composition jointly created with Chicago sound artist and composer Olivia Block. Inspired by Alvin Lucier's Music for Piano with Amplified Sonorous Vessels, the collaboration marks the first time that Lescalleet and Block have worked together.

As a part of the column, Block — whose most recent solo album, Karren, was among 2013's most extraordinary achievements — kindly consented to answer a few questions about the project via email. As these things go, only a very tiny portion of her response made it into the final edit. But what she has to say about Lescalleet and the project is well worth reading, so with her permission, I'm posting the entirety of her response here.

===============================================================

Jason told me that while the two of you have shared programs before, you've not collaborated directly. What appeals to you about his work? 

What I value most about Jason’s work, particularly in his recorded compositions, is his incredible sense of composition and pacing. I also like that the sense of humor he uses in his presentation and titles belies his serious and absolute expert approach to composition. To me, he is a lot like Luc Ferrari in that his work is beautifully crafted, juxtaposes mysterious sound spaces in intriguing ways, and includes a sense of levity, but always has an underlying darkness. In Jason’s case I would use the word “bleak” instead of “dark,” though. I also appreciate Jason’s inclusion of (what I think of as) the epiphonographic sounds of each medium — the hiss of tape, or the burned sounds of digital overdrive.

What do you look for in potential collaborators, and what made you suspect that Jason would be a compatible match to your own methods and goals? 

In general, when I think about working with a collaborator, I go one of two ways. I look for someone who has a sensibility that I trust, or maybe a similar sensibility to my own, so that I know that I don’t have to worry about the basic issue of whether or not I will like or trust the choices that this person will make during the process.

Or I will look for someone who makes work in a genre or instrumentation different than my own. For instance, I like the idea of working in different genres of music, particularly pop music, and shaping the sound of it or bringing something different to it. 

I would place Jason in the former category, as an artist who has an artistic sensibility that I trust. We like similar sounds, and I appreciate his sense of pacing, so I think playing together will feel pretty comfortable/natural.

I also like that Jason's performed/live work can in some cases sound different from his studio work, which is an approach I feel like we share. In live situations, my sense is that Jason focuses on the relationship he can create with the acoustic space by working with tonal feedback, utilizing the room shape with subwoofers, and emphasizing the dynamics. These qualities are additions to the the material he plays and manipulates on the tapes.

Jason performs in a subtly dramatic way by standing and moving from tape machine to tape machine instead of merely sitting at a table and turning knobs or staying behind a laptop — there is definitely an acknowledgement of the audience.

I think a lot about performance vs studio work. In live performance it’s important to create a relationship between gesture, object and sound. I like thinking about the audience as existing in the same space and helping to shape the sound of the room tone with bodies and breath and movement.

Jason explained how the Lucier angle came about, but could you tell me something about your own interest in Lucier's music and his impact on your creative work? 

To me the most influential quality about the work of Lucier is his emphasis on spacial acoustics/room sound, and the acoustic qualities of materials. I also like that sounds seem to exist for the sound's sake in Lucier’s work. His scores include directions for very close listening to single sounds as part of the music-making process. For example, the performer might be directed  to play a long tone, then listen for certain overtones or timbral qualities in the sound, and make subsequent decisions based upon what is being heard. The emphasis on listening in his text scores shares some common threads with Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening Meditations, although my impression of Lucier’s text scores is that they are more like scientific investigations rather than meditations. I remember hearing a performance of Vespers in a large concert hall, and noticing the way that the echolocation sounds were activating corners of the space behind me. The piece introduced an idea about sonic depth of field that continues to influence me, particularly in my multi-speaker compositions. 

In recent years I have been following my own investigations into the acoustic possibilities of glass. There are piles of broken pieces of frosted glass on the strings inside the piano, and glass jars in various locations on the wood and tuning pegs and strings. I tap them gently with soft mallets, creating shimmering broken glass sounds, using the damper pedals to create resonance with the glass timbres inside the piano or to stop the dreamy decay suddenly. So for me, the Sonorous Vessels project is a way to develop the interests I have already started to play around with, and to work with the added element of processing that Jason will bring. The most important part of the preparation for this performance with Jason is the extra day of rehearsal time in the space with the piano that 3S has generously set up for us. The performance is so much about this room sound and this glass and this piano. The emphasis on site specificity is very much in the spirit of Lucier.

Jason Lescalleet and Olivia Block present Sonorous Vessels on Saturday, April 18, at 8pm at 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth, NH. Tickets: $14, members $12. (603) 766-3330, www.3sarts.org

Newer Music 06: Jason Lescalleet

Jason Lescalleet, by Tim Bugbee

"Lescalleet fosters community on CD and new concert series"
Boston Globe
April 14, 2015

The sixth episode in the continuing saga of Newer Music focuses on Jason Lescalleet, a performer whose work made an impression on me years ago and still does. I recall vividly instances of Lescalleet's visceral, almost violent approach to tape-loop manipulation during New York City encounters with nmperign and Joe Colley, and I've appreciated the recordings he's made since: in particular a brilliant 2CD solo set, Songs About Nothing (my year-end pick for the best record of 2012 in Time Out New York), and rich, mysterious duo projects with Kevin Drumm and Graham Lambkin, all for the Erstwhile Records label.

The article focuses in particular on This Is What I Do, the monthly series of full-length CDs that Lescalleet is releasing via his own record label, Glistening Examples, and on a new quarterly concert series starting this Saturday, April 18, at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, NH. The series, curated by Dan Hirsch, concentrates on duo projects, including events with Drumm (July 11), Lambkin (October 10), and Aaron Dilloway (December 12). But even among that company, the first concert stands to be something very special indeed: the world premiere of Sonorous Vessels, jointly created by Lescalleet and Olivia Block, and meant as a continuation of Alvin Lucier's Music for Piano with Amplified Sonorous Vessels.

Coming tomorrow: More from Olivia Block about this new collaboration, exclusively here.

Also coming tomorrow: Jeff Witscher, featured in Newer Music in February, offers an alternative to your Tax Day doldrums with a performance at Boston Cyberarts Gallery in Jamaica Plain (141 Green Street). He's sharing the bill with Eric Frye and Roy Werner (G.S. Sultan); the show gets underway sometime around 8pm, and will set you back a mere $10. More here.

Older Newer:

01, November 2014: Michael Pisaro
02, December 2014: Asher Tuil
03, January 2015: Zs
04, February 2015: Jeff Witscher (Rene Hell)
05, March 2015: A Winged Victory for the Sullen

New Music Boston: April 2015

Tania León, by Niels Leiser

NEW MUSIC BOSTON
April 2015

(Updated March 22)

1

Pierluigi Billone residency
Verticale Muto; Mani. Matta
Mike Williams, percussion; [sound icon]
College of Fine Arts Concert Hall, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Philip Glass
Words Without Music: A Conversation with Philip Glass
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
7 p.m.
$30, includes signed copy of new Glass memoir
More information

NEC Philharmonia
Aaron Jay Kernis, Too Hot Toccata; plus works by Tchaikovsky and Sibelius
Rainer Crosett, cello; Hugh Wolff, conductor
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

2

Boston Trio
John Musto, Trio for Piano and Strings; plus works by Rachmaninoff and Brahms
Rainer Crosett, cello; Hugh Wolff, conductor
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Carson Cooman
James Woodman, Four Versets and a Canzona (Mixolydian) (world premiere); Marco Lo Muscio, Trittico Toscano — Homage to Pienza (world premiere); plus music by Domenico Zipoli
Adolphus Busch Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
12:15 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Marianne Nowottny & Barry Schwabsky
Calderwood Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston
7 p.m.
$15, seniors $12, students $5, members and children 7–17 free
More information

4

Harvard Composers Association
Amir Bitran, Vermilion; Auburn Lee, The Swallow's Tail; Stella Fiorenzoli, The Truth Depends on a Walk; Ben Weatherfield, The Secret Society of Loss; Brandon Snyder, (untitled)
Dinosaur Annex
John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Benjamin Nelson + Anne-F. Jacques + LAN
Presented by Non-Event
Washington Street Arts, 321D Washington St., Somerville
8 p.m.
$10 suggested donation
More information

7

NEC Percussion Ensemble
Leonard Bernstein, Halil; Steve Reich, Six Marimbas; Nebojsa Zivkovic, Trio per Uno; Larry Wallach, Winter Music (world premiere)
Paula Robison, flute; Deborah De Wolff Emory, piano; Frank Epstein, conductor
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

8

Dublin Guitar Quartet
Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston
Philip Glass, String Quartet No. 2 “Company”; Leo Brouwer, Cuban Landscape with Rumba; Urmas Sisask, Songs in Honour of the Virgin Mary; Nikita Koshkin, Changing the Guard; William Kanengiser: Gongan; Philip Glass: String Quartet No. 3 “Mishima”; John Tavener, The Lamb; Cyrillus Kreek, Maga, maga Matsikene; György Ligeti, Musica Ricercata
Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music of Bard College, 27 Garden St., Cambridge
8 p.m.
$20 and up
More information

Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe + Greg Davis
Presented by Non-Event
Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, 2450 Beacon St., Boston
7 p.m.
$15, students and members $10
Limited parking
More information

9

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Gunther Schuller, Dreamscape; plus works by Mozart and Richard Strauss
Richard Goode, piano; Andris Nelsons, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$36-$135
More information

10

Boston Artists Ensemble
Matthew Aucoin, Trio (world premiere); with works by Mozart and Brahms
Hamilton House, 9 Chestnut St., Salem
8 p.m.
$27, seniors $24, students $10
More information

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Gunther Schuller, Dreamscape; plus works by Mozart and Richard Strauss
Richard Goode, piano; Andris Nelsons, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$36-$135
More information

HC Chamber Players
Vittorio Rieti, Triptych for Two Harpsichords; Sonata Breve for Violin and Harpsichord; Victor Kalabis, Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord, additional works by Israeli composers
Brooks Concert Hall, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worchester
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Parker Quartet
Augusta Read Thomas, Helix Spirals (premiere); plus works by Felix Mendelssohn and Erwin Schulhoff
John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
8 p.m.
Free admission, but tickets required
More information

11

Boston Musica Viva
Shirish Korde, Kala-Cakra (Cycles of Time) (world premiere); Chou Wen-chung, Ode to the Eternal Pine; Franco Donatoni, Arpege; Sebastian Currier, Whispers
Gitanjali Mathur, soprano; Wu Tong, sheng and vocalist; Sandeep Das, tabla
Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music of Bard College, 27 Garden St., Cambridge
8 p.m.
$30, seniors $25, students and children $10
More information

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Gunther Schuller, Dreamscape; plus works by Mozart and Richard Strauss
Richard Goode, piano; Andris Nelsons, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$37-$145
More information

12

Boston Artists Ensemble
Matthew Aucoin, Trio; with works by Mozart and Brahms
Wilson Chapel, Andover Newton Theological School, 234 Herrick Rd., Newton
3 p.m.
$27, seniors $24, students $10
More information

Peggy Pearson with the Apple Hill Quartet
James Primosch, Oboe Quartet (world premiere); plus works by Haydn and Brahms
Unitarian Universalist Church, 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport
4 p.m.
$20 suggested donation, seniors $10, students and children free
More information

14

Zackery Belanger
Presented by Non-Event
Café Fixe, 1642 Beacon St., Brookline
8 p.m.
$5
More information

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Gunther Schuller, Dreamscape; plus works by Mozart and Richard Strauss
Richard Goode, piano; Andris Nelsons, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$36-$135
More information

NEC Wind Ensemble + NEC Symphonic Winds
Friedrich Gulda, Concerto for Cello; Michael Gandolfi, Winding Up, Winding Down: Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble; Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Music for Winds; Ingolf Dahl, Concerto for Alto Saxophone; plus music by Mendelssohn
Kenny Lee, cello; Douglas Monroe, clarinet; Samuel Meyer, alto saxophone; William Drury, Charles Peltz, Yi Yang, conductors
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

15

Betsy Schramm
CD release concert: Arrays of Light; Restless Airs; Light Excelleth Darkness; Luminous Duo; Suite for Flugelhorn; Transformations
Mark Ponzo and Terry Everson, trumpets; JeongSoo Kim, piano
Tsai Performance Center, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

16

Tania León
Interview with Alejandro Madrid
Farkas Hall Studio, 10-12 Holyoke St., Cambridge
4 p.m.
Free admission
More information

17

Boston Conservatory Sinfonietta
John Adams, Chamber Symphony; David Vess, Rift; plus music by Stravinsky
Eric Hewitt, conductor
Boston Conservatory, 132 Ipswich St., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Fromm Players at Harvard
Voces de America Latina
Carlos Iturralde, Cupid's Deeds; Hilda Paredes, Seed of Time; Marisol Jimenez, Caro Cibus; Gabriela Ortiz, Huitzitl Estudio Tongolele; Pozzi Escot, Jubiliation; Tania León, Toque
International Contemporary Ensemble
John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

The Shakespeare Concerts
Joseph Summer, The Tempest (world premiere)
Christian Van Horn, bass-baritone (Prospero); Stefan Lano, conductor
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville
8 p.m.
$25-$55
More information

18

A Far Cry
Noam Elkies, Allegro Troppo; plus works by Farina, Boccherini, Mozart, and Hindemith
St. John's Church, Revere St. & Roanoke Ave. Jamaica Plain
4 p.m.
$15
More information

Fromm Players at Harvard
Voces de America Latina
Felipe Lara, Tiento; Leo Brouwer, Parabola; Julio Estrada, Memorias para teclado; Mario Davidovsky, Divertimento No. 8 "Ambiguous Symmetries; Marcos Balter, Codex Seraphinianus; Tania León, Indigena
International Contemporary Ensemble
John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Terry Riley 80th Birthday Concert
Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band (all-live arrangement by Evan Ziporyn); White Space Conflict; new compositions by Keeril Makan, Elena Ruehr, Christine Southworth, and others
Terry Riley, Eviyan, Gamelan Galak Tika, Sarah Cahill, Wallace Halladay and the University of Toronto Saxophone Ensemble, Eliot Gategno
Kresge Auditorium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
7 p.m.
$20; seniors, students, and MIT alumni $10; MIT students, faculty, and staff free
More information

19

A Far Cry
Noam Elkies, Allegro Troppo; plus works by Farina, Boccherini, Mozart, and Hindemith
Calderwood Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston
1:30 p.m.
$27, seniors $24, members $17, students and children 7–17 $12
More information

Boston Chamber Music Society
Pierre Jalbert, Street Antiphons for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano; plus works by Schubert and Brahms
Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge
7:30 p.m.
$8-$56
More information

Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston
Steven Stucky, Allegretto quasi Andantino (Schubert Dream); plus works by Schubert, Debussy, and Stravinsky
Gloria Chien & Elizabeth Schumann, piano four-hands
Goethe-Institut Boston, 170 Beacon St., Boston
4 p.m.
$45
More information

Dawn Upshaw and Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program
First Songs
Pablo Ortiz, Garden Songs; new and recent works by Shawn Jaeger, Tamzin Elliott, and others
Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music of Bard College, 27 Garden St., Cambridge
3 p.m.
Free admission (suggested donation $10-$20)
More information

21

Arneis Quartet
Andrew List, String Quartet No. 5, "Time Cycles" (world premiere); Jonathan Berger, String Trio No. 2; plus Stravinsky, The Dove Descending
Second of two concerts exploring the connections between T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets and works by Beethoven, Gubaidulina, Stravinsky, Berger, and List.
Morse Auditorium, Boston University, 602 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

22

NEC Contemporary Ensemble
Luciano Berio, Opus Number ZOO; Steven Stucky, Four Poems of A.R. Ammons; Yi Yiing Chen, Pulse; Olivier Messiaen, Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Trio Jean Paul
Wolfgang Rihm, Fremde Szenen III; plus works by Beethoven and Dvořák
Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music of Bard College, 27 Garden St., Cambridge
8 p.m.
$20-$60
More information

23

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Adès, Three Studies from Couperin; plus works by Mozart and Ravel
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano; Bernard Haitink, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$30-$104
More information

24

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Adès, Three Studies from Couperin; plus works by Mozart and Ravel
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano; Bernard Haitink, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
1:30 p.m.
$31-$97
More information

Brand New Music/New Music Brandeis
Carlton Vickers, flute
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University, Waltham
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Mischa Salkind-Pearl
Faculty recital: Silt; Loess; Where I'm likely to find it; Hands and Lips of Wind
Matt Sharrock, marimba; Lilit Hartunian, violin; Philipp A. Stäudlin, alto saxophone; Yoko Hagino, piano; Christina Pecce, soprano; Stephen Marotto, cello
Studio 401, Boston Conservatory, 31 Hemenway St., Boston
Free admission
More information

25

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Adès, Three Studies from Couperin; plus works by Mozart and Ravel
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano; Bernard Haitink, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$37-$145
More information

Brand New Music/New Music Brandeis
Brandeis Electro-Acoustic Music Studio: BEAMS half-marathon 2015
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University, Waltham
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

G*PARK + Matt Krefting
Presented by Non-Event
Boston debut of G*PARK (Marc Zeier) of Swiss Aktionist collective Schimpfluch-Gruppe
SMFA Boston, 230 The Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
$15, students and members $10, SMFA students free
More information

Peggy Pearson with the Apple Hill Quartet
James Primosch, Oboe Quartet; plus works by Haydn and Brahms
Bass Hall, Monadnock Center for History and Culture, Peterborough, NH
7:30 p.m.
$15, seniors and students $10
More information

26

Claremont Trio
Lembit Beecher, Piano Trio; plus works by Schubert and Brahms
Calderwood Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston
1:30 p.m.
$27, seniors $24, members $17, students and children 7–17 $12
More information

Dinosaur Annex
Hi-Fi Sci Art: Preserving Our Planet
Compositions by Cody Forrest, Christian Gentry, Eun Young Lee, Seunghee Lee, and Mischa Salkind-Pearl
MIT 265 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
7:30 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Peggy Pearson with the Apple Hill Quartet
James Primosch, Oboe Quartet; plus works by Haydn and Brahms
St. Paul's Church, 15 St. Paul St., Brookline
7 p.m.
$20, seniors and students $10
More information

28

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Adès, Three Studies from Couperin; plus works by Mozart and Ravel
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano; Bernard Haitink, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$30-$104
More information

Fifth Floor Collective
After the Thaw
Compositions by Eric Fernandez, Patrick Greene, Andrew Paul Jackson, Evan Johnson, Andy Kozar, Jenna Lyle, David Reminick, and John Wallace
Loadbang, Arneis Quartet
Davis Square Theatre, 255 Elm St., Somerville
7 p.m.
More information

30

Boston Conservatory Percussion Ensemble
Compositions by Gunn, MacDonald, Sekhon, Berger, Silverman, and Harrison
Sam Z. Solomon and Keith Aleo, co-directors
Boston Conservatory Theater, 8 The Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

===============================================================

This calendar is maintained as a personal project and has no connection to the Boston Globe. No payment or promotional consideration is required or accepted for inclusion. To send information about a concert, master class, lecture, or other new-music event, email me via the link on the About page.

Newer Music 05: A Winged Victory for the Sullen

"A Winged Victory for the Sullen celebrates serendipity"
Boston Globe
March 21, 2015

The fifth installment of my monthly Newer Music column is out today, and covers the ambient cum post-classical chamber music duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen: Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie, from Stars of the Lid, and Dustin O'Halloran, of Devics. The duo and their string-bowing retinue will perform at TT the Bear's Place in Cambridge on Monday night at 9pm (tickets here), sharing the bill with fellow Kranky recording artist Loscil.

Here's a track from A Winged Victory for the Sullen's latest release, Atomos, which is recommended.

Older Newer:

01, November 2014: Michael Pisaro
02, December 2014: Asher Tuil
03, January 2015: Zs
04, February 2015: Jeff Witscher (Rene Hell)

New Music Boston: March 2015

Christian Wolff

NEW MUSIC BOSTON
March 2015

(Updated March 21)

8

Boston Civic Symphony
Thomas Oboe Lee, Trumpet Concerto (world premiere); Stephen Burns, Fanfare for Freedom; plus works by Honegger and Berlioz
Stephen Burns, trumpet; Taichi Fukumura, conductor
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
2 p.m.
$15-$40
More information

Brand New Music/New Music Brandeis
Emily Koh, smidgen(S); Victoria Cheah, Tell:Abschied; Gleb Kanasevich, suono infinito; Joseph Sowa, Double Refraction by a Uniaxial Crystal; James Praznik, "After Recoiling..."; Yuan-Keng Ling, Context
David Russell, cello; Geoffrey Burleson, piano
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University, Waltham
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

9

George Benjamin
Mind of Winter
Open rehearsal and master class with Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra
John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
8 p.m.
Free admission

Paula Robison and Bruce Brubaker
Morton Feldman, For Christian Wolff
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
1 p.m.
$15, seniors $12, college students $5; free for members, visitors under 18, and members of U.S. military and their families
More information

10

George Benjamin
Master class with chamber-music students
Room 9, Music Building, Harvard University, Cambridge
7 p.m.
Free admission

Tuesday Night New Music
Sam Taylor, Spectra Fragments; Delong Wang, Ishin; Alfonso Peduto, The Delicate Nature of Time – Music for 'Untitled'; Ethan D'Ver, Lullaby für Elise; Sam Talmadge, Three Movements for Oboe, Alto Saxophone, Cello and Harp; Evan Anderson, Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, I; Yeeray Low, Sonatina
Pierce Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

11

Jan St. Werner + Andy Graydon
Presented by Non-Event and the Goethe-Institut Boston
Goethe-Institut Boston, 170 Beacon St., Boston
8 p.m.
$15 suggested donation
More information

SuperVoce: A Concert of Microtonal Music
Presented in collaboration with the Boston Microtonal Society
Enno Poppe, Wespe; Julia Werntz, Songs of Thumbelina (premiere); James Bergin, Phos Ilaron; Phos Ilaron (ancient Vespers hymn); Joseph Maneri, Cain and Abel; Judith Berkson, improvisations
Williams Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
8 p.m.; preconcert presentation 7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Christian Wolff: Open For'm
Sonata; For 1, 2, or 3 People; Microexercises
Callithumpian Consort
Brown Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

12

Matthew Aucoin
Crossing: A Lecture/Recital
Recital and discussion of Crossing, Aucoin's new Civil War opera, opening in May at American Repertory Theater
John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
6 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Callithumpian Consort
Christian Wolff, Duo for 2 Flutes; Overture; Digger Song; Moderate (Stefan Wolpe); D. Edward Davis, Curving Tide; Lee Weisert, New England Drift; Worm & Wheel
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

The City of Tomorrow
Andrew List, Island Universe, and other compositions
David Friend Recital Hall, Berklee College of Music, 921 Boylston St., Boston
7:30 p.m.
Free admission
More information

13

Dr. Ax + KA Ensemble
Compositions by Ken Ueno, Jacob Ter Veldhuis, Robert Honstein, Elliot Cooper Cole, Casey Cangelosi, and Terry Riley
The Space, 128 Brookside Ave., Jamaica Plain
8 p.m.
$10 suggested donation
More information

Music at Washington Street
Wild May + Empty House Cooperative + Endguys
Graphic compositions by Forbes Graham, improvisations, and more
Washington Street Arts, 321D Washington St., Somerville
8:30 p.m.
$7 suggested donation

15

Boston Symphony Chamber Players
György Kurtág, Scenes from a Novel; Wind Quintet; plus works by Schumann
Christine Brandes, soprano; Emanuel Ax, piano
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston
3 p.m.
$22-$38
More information

Classical Composer Focus Series
John Adams, Phrygian Gates; Road Movies; John's Book of Alleged Dances (selections)
Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge
7 p.m.
$10
More information

Lontano Ensemble
Peter Child, Seeing the Unseen; John Harbison, Chaconne; Keeril Makan, Afterglow; Elena Ruehr, Blackberries; Charles Shadle, Red Cedar (U.S. premiere); Evan Ziporyn, Thread
Killian Hall, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
4 p.m.
Free admission
More information

16

Pierluigi Billone residency
Student composer reading with [sound icon]
CFA Concert Hall, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

MTA Composer Forum
Odaline de la Martinez, Lontano Ensemble conductor, talks about current work
MIT Lewis Music Library, 14E-109, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
5 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Paula Robison and Bruce Brubaker
Morton Feldman, For Christian Wolff
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
1 p.m.
$15, seniors $12, college students $5; free for members, visitors under 18, and members of U.S. military and their families
More information

17

Pierluigi Billone residency
Composer's forum with violinist Marco Fusi
CFA Concert Hall, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
12:30 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Pierluigi Billone residency
Marco Fusi master class
Marshall Room, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
7:30 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Equilibrium Concert Series
Boston Modern Brass
Henry Brant, The Fourth Millenium; Gottfried von Einem, Karl-Hartwig Kaltners Melerei; Jason Huffman, Christmas Tree; Kevin Joest, Seven Shades of Blue; Edward Miller, The Folly Stone – Five Details from the Paintings of Heironymus Bosch; Carl Ruggles (arr. Huffman), Angels
Seully Hall, Boston Conservatory, 8 the Fenway, Boston
8 p.m.
$10
More information

Times Two
Lilit Hartunian + andPlay
Compositions by by Robert Honstein, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Mischa Salkind-Pearl, Kirsten Volness, Clara Iannotta, Brooks Frederickson, David Bird, and Adam Roberts
The Record Company, 960 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$10 suggested donation
More information

18

Pierluigi Billone residency
Marco Fusi composer readings
Marshall Room, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Roomful of Teeth
Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston
160 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
7 and 9:30 p.m.
$35 seated, $20 standing room
More information

19

Pierluigi Billone residency
Marco Fusi concert
Florence & Chafetz Hillel House, Boston University, 213 Bay State Rd., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

20

Pierluigi Billone residency
1+1=1
Samuel Dunscombe and Curt Miller, bass clarinets
808 Gallery, Boston University, 808 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
7 p.m. workshop, 8 p.m. concert
Free admission
More information

Brooklyn Rider
Selections from the Brooklyn Rider Almanac
Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston
160 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
7 and 9:30 p.m.
$35 seated, $20 standing room
More information

21

Ellipsis Trio
Charles Ives, Piano Trio; Arthur Foote, Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 5; Igor Iwanek, new work commissioned by Ellipsis
Killian Hall, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
7:30 p.m.
$15; MIT students free
More information

Music at Washington Street
Matt Ingalls + We Love You + Jonathan Zorn
Electronic music, interactive computer music, and improvisation
Washington Street Arts, 321D Washington St., Somerville
8 p.m.
More information

[sound icon]
Raphaël Cendo, Tract; Gérard Grisey, Prologue, Périodes, Partiels (from Les Espaces Acoustiques)
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University, Waltham
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Third Coast Percussion
Owen Clayton Condon, Fractalia; Thierry de Mey, Table Music; Augusta Read Thomas, Resounding Earth; David Skidmore, Trying; Steve Reich, Music for Pieces of Wood; Tobias Broström, Twilight; Alexandre Lunsqui, Shi; John Cage, Third Construction
Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston
160 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
7 and 9:30 p.m.
$35 seated, $20 standing room
More information

22

Brand New Music/New Music Brandeis
Undergraduate Composers’ Collective
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University, Waltham
7 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Morgan Evans-Weiler
Automatic Music #2, plus compositions by Michael Pisaro
Mobius, Inc., 55 Norfolk St., Cambridge
8 p.m.
More information

23

Pierluigi Billone residency
Christopher Watford composer readings
Marshall Room, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
3 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Guerilla Opera
Guerilla Opera's Spring Sneak Peak, featuring excerpts from Per Bloland's Pedr Solis
Houston Hall, Boston Conservatory, 8 the Fenway, Boston
7 p.m.
$25, students $10
More information

George Lewis
Barwick Seminar: "Virtual Sociality: Social Aesthetics and Interactive Music"
Davison Room, Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard University, Cambridge
4:15 p.m.
Free admission

Paula Robison and Bruce Brubaker
Morton Feldman, For Christian Wolff
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
1 p.m.
$15, seniors $12, college students $5; free for members, visitors under 18, and members of U.S. military and their families
More information

24

Pierluigi Billone residency
Composer's forum with bassoonist Christopher Watford
CFA Concert Hall, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
12:30 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Pierluigi Billone residency
Christopher Watford concert
CFA Concert Hall, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

25

Pierluigi Billone residency
Christopher Watford master class
Room 167, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
6:30 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Steve Reich
In Conversation with Mohsen Mostafavi
Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge
6:30 p.m.
Free admission, limited seating
More information

26

Laurie Anderson
Louis C. Elson Lecture: Music and Images in Performance and Film
John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge
5:15 p.m.
Free admission; tickets required
More information

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Michael Gandolfi, Ascending Light, plus Mahler Symphony No. 6
Olivier Latry, organ; Andris Nelsons, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$30-$104
More information

27

Time's Arrow
Michael Finnissy, Plain Harmony; Not Envious of Rabbits; Not Afraid; False Notions of Progress; Multiple Forms of Constraint; Basic Ragtime; D.O.S.; Judith Weir; Molly House
CFA Concert Hall, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble
Andy Vores, Grand Monadnock Measures; Tim Leonelli, Uprising; Christopher Jon Honett, Fires; plus works by Wagner and Grainger
Eric Hewitt, conductor
Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Michael Gandolfi, Ascending Light, plus Mahler Symphony No. 6
Olivier Latry, organ; Andris Nelsons, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
1:30 p.m.
$31-$97
More information

Michael Vincent Waller
Release concert for The South Shore (XI Records)
Organum (premiere); Nel Nome di Gesu; Vocalise; Tacca Prima; Y per Henry Flynt; Pupazzo di Neve Partitas
Carson Cooman, Christine Kim, Luna Cholong Kang
Memorial Church, Harvard University, Cambridge
7:30 p.m.
Free admission

28

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Michael Gandolfi, Ascending Light, plus Mahler Symphony No. 6
Olivier Latry, organ; Andris Nelsons, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$35-$119
More information

Boston Young Composers Ensemble
Ian Dicke, Strophanger; Katie Balch, Silhouette; György Kurtág, Einige Sätze aus den Sudelbüchern Georg Christoph Lichtenbergs; Mason Bates, The Life of Birds
Galatea Fine Arts, 460 Harrison Ave., Unit B6, Boston
8 p.m.
$10 suggested donation
More information

29

Boston Chamber Music Society
Osvaldo Golijov, Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind for Clarinet and String Quartet; plus works by Mozart and Beethoven
Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge
7:30 p.m.
$8-$56
More information

Boston Trio
Thomas Oboe Lee, Piano Trio No. 3 "Keith Jarrett"; plus works by Rachmaninoff and Brahms
Gasson Hall, Room 100, Boston College, Boston
3 p.m.
Free admission

31

Arneis Quartet
Sofia Gubaidulina, Hommage à T. S. Eliot, plus Beethoven Quartet in A minor, Op. 132
First of two concerts exploring the connections between T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets and works by Beethoven, Gubaidulina, Stravinsky, Berger, and List. (Second concert April 21.)
Morse Auditorium, Boston University, 602 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Pierluigi Billone residency
Presented with Harvard Composition
Composer's Forum
EM Studio, B38, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
12:30 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Pierluigi Billone residency
Presented with Harvard Composition
Joint Masterclass
EM Studio, B38, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
4:30 p.m.
Free admission
More information

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Michael Gandolfi, Ascending Light, plus Mahler Symphony No. 6
Olivier Latry, organ; Andris Nelsons, conductor
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
8 p.m.
$30-$104
More information

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This calendar is maintained as a personal project and has no connection to the Boston Globe. No payment or promotional consideration is required or accepted for inclusion. To send information about a concert, master class, lecture, or other new-music event, email me via the link on the About page.

 

Another ending, and a new beginning.

[I intended to post this here on Monday, but the DDoS hacker attack on Typepad put paid to that notion, so I posted this on Facebook. Here it is, in case you missed it before now.—Steve]

A new baby…a new work status…and now, a new job. What started with a simple email I received a few weeks ago has transformed with head-spinning speed into an opportunity I never saw coming, and obviously could not refuse. 

On Monday, May 19, I report to work as the new Assistant Arts Editor of the Boston Globe. 

My territory covers music – classical, popular and all shades in between – as well as visual art, for which I've had an intense lifelong passion. My new boss is Rebecca Ostriker. My remarkable colleagues will include Jeremy Eichler — just one of whose large shoes I stepped into at The New York Times in 2006 — as well as Matthew Guerrieri, David Weininger, James Reed, Sarah Rodman, Jon Garelick, Geoff A. Edgers and Sebastian Smee. To what extent I'll be writing remains to be seen in the short term, but anyone who knows me also knows that I can't clam up for long. 

Lara and I have begun our hunt for a new domicile; I'm a bit stuck on Jamaica Plain, but we're certainly open to suggestion. I intend to be settled somewhere by Friday, May 16, with Lara, Annina, Bruno and Lola joining me as soon as feasible if not immediately. 

Understand, my NYC friends, neighbors, comrades and colleagues, that I never envisioned leaving the city I've come to call home over the past 20 years. I hope you'll come up the highway to visit me from time to time, and I promise at some point to do the same. I also hope that we can see as many of you as we can during the next few weeks. 

Farewell but not goodbye, New York City. And hey, Boston: let's dance.