Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Pamela Z Announces her Next Two ROOM Series Concerts

Last July Pamela Z used the final installment in the 2016 season of her ROOM Series to celebrate both the tenth anniversary of the concert series and her own 60th birthday. Next month will see the launch of that series’ 2017 season. Only two programs have been announced thus far, and tickets have only gone on sale for one of them. However, because these performances tend to be consistently imaginative, it is worth documenting the “state of play” at the present, not only for those ready to buy tickets for the first event but also for save-the-date purposes for the second.

That first concert will be a visit by Splinter Reeds. This is the Bay Area’s first reed quintet, which consists of two double-reed players, Kyle Bruckmann (oboe and English horn) and Dana Jessen (bassoon), and three single-reed players, Bill Kalinkos (clarinet), Jeff Anderle (bass clarinet), and Dave Wegehaupt (soprano and alto saxophones). The program will feature the world premiere of a composition by Theresa Wong, along with works by Eric Wubbels, Ken Ueno, and Tom Johnson. The Johnson composition requires a narrator, and Z will perform in that capacity.

This program will be given only one performance. It will begin at 8 p.m. on Monday, April 17. Like all other ROOM Series events, the performance will take place at the Royce Gallery. The gallery offers an intimate performance space located in the North East Mission Industrial Zone at 2901 Mariposa Street on the northeast corner of Harrison Street. General admission will be $10. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through a Brown Paper Tickets event page. That page also includes the True Cost Ticket option of $16, which better represents the actual cost of producing this concert.

The second program will be a joint project developed by Z working with Donald Swearingen. Pascal’s Triangle will be an evening-length composition combining electroacoustic music with live interactive media. Those familiar with the title will appreciate that the work has been conceived to celebrate the beauty, ubiquity, and indispensability of mathematics. Media will include sampled text and sounds, the integration of voice and electronics, and interactive video all of which involve techniques that have been frequently encountered in Z’s work. Compositional structures will be based on numbers, patterns, and constructs derived from mathematical principles (such as Pascal’s Triangle), all conceived to evoke the poetic elegance of numbers.

[updated, 4/3, 1:40 p.m.:

Three performances have been planned for Friday, May 5, Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7. The concert will again begin at 8 p.m., and it is expected to last for about 90 minutes. Once again, the venue will be the Royce Gallery. General admission will be $13. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through a Brown Paper Tickets event page. That page also includes the Generous option of $20, which better represents the actual cost of producing this concert. However, there is also a Pick a Number! sliding scale for both those concerned about limited income and those whose support may be called more than generous. The only constraint is that the lower bound for admission is $7.]

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