Center for New Music: August, 2018

When information about the July calendar for the Center for New Music (C4NM) was released at the end of last month, it was described as “relatively quiet.” As of this writing, however, it would appear that the month of August will be even quieter. Of course there is plenty of time for additional events to be added to the August calendar, and those will be accounted for on this page along with the usual release of a notification on my Facebook shadow site.

C4NM is located at 55 Taylor Street, half a block north of the Golden Gate Theater, which is where Golden Gate Avenue meets Market Street. As of this writing admission charges for all events will be the same, $15 for general admission and $10 for C4NM members. All tickets may be purchased in advance through a Vendini event page. Hyperlinks to the appropriate Web pages will be attached to each of the dates in the following summary:

[added 7/24, 1:30 p.m.:

Friday, August 3, 8 p.m.: This is very unlikely to be a quiet offering! Both of the sets of the evening definitely appear to be out there on the “bleeding edge.” The first will be taken by Micaela Tobin, who performs under the name White Boy Scream. Her training is in opera, but she also is comfortable working with electronics. She will come to C4NM well equipped to undermine traditions. She will be followed by William Hutson, who brings a meticulous approach to sound design and applies it to the genre of noise artistry.]

Friday, August 10, 8 p.m.: Hans Tammen is currently in residence at the Lucas Artists Residencies in Montalvo. His work amounts to a synthesis of an impressive variety of diverse influences. These include the polytonality of Charles Ives, the rhythmic complexity of Steve Coleman, the free approaches to form explored by Earle Brown, and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s aesthetic of organized sound. His latest works will be formed by the Code Ensemble, a local group led by Steve Horowitz on bass. The other performers are reed players Steve Adams and Cory Wright, cellist Theresa Wong, pianist Scott Looney, Ben Sabey on other keyboards and electronics, percussionist Suki O’Kane, and vocalist Dafna Naphtali, also on electronics. Tammen will lead the group with what he calls “binary conducting.”

Thursday, August 16, 7:30 p.m.: Indian percussionist Sameer Gupta will present a program entitled A Circle Has No Beginning. Gupta’s work combines the traditional influences of his Indian background with Native American melodies, modern jazz, and even a recognizable bit of soul. He will lead a group whose other members are David Boyce (reeds and special effects), Marika Hughes (cello), Prasant Radhakrishnan (Carnatic saxophone), Charith Premawardhana (viola), Ross Hammond (slide guitar), and Rashaan Carter (bass).

Friday, August 24, 8 p.m.: Emma Logan will curate a program entitled American Narratives. The program will feature one of her latest compositions, a reworking of the song cycle War Letters, which she originally composed in 2015. There will also be a premiere performance of Kyle Hovatter’s “Been Away.” Both of these pieces were scored for soprano and chamber ensemble. The vocalist will be Amy Foote, accompanied by Sophie Huet (clarinet), Marian Yang (violin), Doug Machiz (cello), and Paul Dab (piano).

[added 7/18, 3 p.m.:

Thursday, August 30, 7:30 p.m.: This program will be a duo of poetry in music. The poetry will come from David Neita, a Jamaican poet and human rights lawyer currently based in London. Bassist Deborah Pritchard has created musical landscapes that will provide context for Neita’s recitations of his texts.]