FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN
FRANCISCO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PLAYERS
TEAM WITH CHANTICLEER
"NEW
VOICES" CONCERT TO FEATURE TWO WORLD PREMIERES
San Francisco, March 9, 2004 - Chanticleer, the internationally-acclaimed, 12-man vocal ensemble ensemble led by Music Director Joseph Jennings, teams up for the first time with the ever-innovative San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (SFCMP) for "New Voices," a program featuring world premieres by Pablo Ortiz and Betty Olivero along with works by Iannis Xenakis and Giacinto Scelsi. SFCMP Music Director David Milnes conducts.
The Ortiz premiere, Oscuro, pairs dark but sentimental texts by Francisco Alarcon and Amado Nervo in Spanish and English. Ortiz, currently based at University of California, Davis, notes the initial inspiration: "Years ago I read the line in Francisco Alarcon's poem, 'como loca flor, en lo oscuro brota' (like a crazed flower it buds in the dark), and I immediately thought of setting it to music."
Iannis Xenakis' Medea Senecae ("Seneca's Medea") focuses on the sounds evoked by the sea-voyage of the Argonauts, rather than the more violent elements of the ancient story. During the work, stones are struck like percussion instruments to represent the guardian boulders at the mouth of the Black Sea.
Israeli composer Betty Olivero's Bashrav is inspired by traditional tunes of the Arab-Jewish musical heritage. Three Sacred Songs by the colorful and controversial composer of the avant-garde, Giacinto Scelsi, completes the program.
"New Voices" will be performed only twice: in San Francisco on March 29, 8pm at Calvary Presbyterian Church and in Berkeley on April 2, 8pm at First Congregational Church. A pre-concert lecture begins at 7:15pm.
Single ticket prices are $34 and $37 for reserved sections and $25 for General Admission seating; $10 for students. Tickets are available from City Box Office at 415-392-4400 or 800-407-1400 or online at www.cityboxoffice.com.
Pablo Ortiz's Oscuro was commissioned with a grant from the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation. The premiere performances are underwritten by the Gerbode Foundation with additional assistance from the Cultural Equity Grants Program of the San Francisco Arts Commission. Betty Olivero's Bashrav was commissioned by a grant from the Koussevitzky Music Foundation. These premiere performances are made possible in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Cultural Equity Grants Program of the San Francisco Arts Commission.
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CALENDAR LISTING
"NEW VOICES"
SAN
FRANCISCO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PLAYERS
CHANTICLEER
| IANNIS XENAKIS: Medea Senecae (1967) BETTY OLIVERO: Bashrav (2004, world premiere, Koussevitzky commission) GIACINTO SCELSI: Three Sacred Songs (1958) PABLO ORTIZ: Oscuro (2003, world premiere, Gerbode Commission) |
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| SAN FRANCISCO Calvary Presbyterian Church Monday, March 29, 2004 o 8pm Pre-concert lecture at 7:15pm |
BERKELEY First Congregational Church Friday, April 2, 2004 o 8pm Pre-concert lecture at 7:15pm |
TICKETS: Available through City Box Office, 415-392-4400 or 800-407-1400 and online via www.cityboxoffice.com.
EDITORS: Digital photos available upon request.
CONTACT: Nancy Roberts, Director of Marketing & PR, nroberts@chanticleer.org.