Center for New Music: February, 2019

By this time the Center for New Music (C4NM) has accumulated a “critical mass” of performances scheduled for February (or, at least, for the first half of next month). This should be taken as a sign that planning ahead is in order. As usual I shall use my Facebook shadow site to put out the word for any future performances during the month of February, most of which will likely take place during the second half of the month.

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. 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:

Friday, February 1, 8 p.m.: The Founders’ Series will present a solo violin recital by Leslee Smucker. She will combine the music of Pietro Locatelli with more recent compositions by Conor Abbott Brown, Lera Auerbach, Luc Brewaeys, and Michel van der Aa to explore the strange and unnerving relationship between dream and reality. Brown will provide the sound design for the performance, which will also include the projection of a film by Maya Deren. Admission will be $15 for general admission and $10 for C4NM members.

Saturday, February 2, 8 p.m.: Chad Goodman will bring his Elevate Ensemble back to C4NM for a program of chamber music on different scales. The title of the program is Low Hanging Fruit, which is the one ensemble composition on the program. Written by Michael Gilbertson, the piece is basically a tone poem based on the narrative of the Garden of Eden. There will be two solo performances, one of the solo piano études by György Ligeti and the other a Balkan-themed cello composition by the Serbian-Canadian composer Ana Sokolovic. The program will also include Béla Bartók’s “Contrasts” trio for clarinet, violin, and piano, commissioned by jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman. Ticket prices will be $40 for premiere seating, $30 for general admission, and $20 for C4NM members, students, and artists.

[added 1/16, 4:05 p.m.:

Wednesday, February 6, 8 p.m.: This will be a two-set evening of adventurous jazz combos. The first set will be improvisations by the trio of Steve Adams on reeds, Lisa Mezzacappa on bass, and Kjell Nordeson on drums. They will be followed by free improvisations by the duo of drummer Michael Vatcher and Phillip Greenlief on saxophone. These two have been working together since the Nineties, suggesting that each is capable of listening keenly and attentively to the other. Admission will be $15 for general admission and $10 for C4NM members.]

Saturday, February 9, 8 p.m.: Composer and pianist Wayne Horvitz is currently on a tour to promote his new CD The Snowghost Sessions. He will lead a trio that will include his favorite Seattle colleagues, drummer Eric Eagle and bassist Geoff Harper. He will also play selected duo compositions with bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck, appearing as special guest artist. Admission will be $15 for general admission and $10 for C4NM members.

Tuesday, February 12, 7:30 p.m.: The fifth installment of the Latitudes series, curated by Blaine Todd and run jointly with Other Minds, will be a two-set program. In the first set William Fowler Collins will perform works from his latest record Field Music, a “soundtrack" album based on the landscape in which the world’s first atomic bomb was assembled. He will be followed by Geneva Skeen, whose music is also inspired by geography with dark connotations. Admission will be $15 for general admission and $10 for C4NM members.

Friday, February 15, 7:30 p.m.: Kurt Rohde will curate a recital of contemporary piano works performed by Jared Redmond. He will play the world premiere of Rohde’s “Trotsky’s Icepick,” along with world premiere performances of “Tearing” by Carolyn Chen and the two-part Ahunavaiti Gāthā by Saman Samadi. He will also play a selection of compositions by Salvatore Sciarrino. Admission will be $15 for general admission and $10 for C4NM members.

Saturday, February 16, 8 p.m.: The next Founders’ Series concert will be a program of improvised electric guitar duos and solos. The guitarists will be Alvaro Domene and Henry Kaiser. Admission will be $15 for general admission and $10 for C4NM members.