Center for New Music: June, 2021

Things seem to be picking up at the Center for New Music (C4NM). Over the last two days the venue hosted two concerts, the most to be presented in a single month since this past February. It is therefore with some pleasure that I can announce that twice as many performances will be hosted next month. It remains to be seen whether June will mark the beginning of C4NM admitting audiences; but, as of this writing, all four of these concerts will be live-streamed over the C4NM YouTube channel. Specifics are as follows with hyperlinks for the respective event pages:

• Saturday, June 12, 7:30 p.m.: The Ensemble for These Times will conclude its 2020/21 season with a program entitled Émigrés & Exiles in Hollywood. The performers will be soprano Nanette McGuinness, cellist Anne Lerner-Wright, and pianist Margaret Halbig. Full specifics have not yet been announced, but the composers to be represented on the program will be Erich Zeisl, Hanns Eisler, Miklós Rózsa, Alexandre Tansman, Franz Waxman, Grażyna Bacewicz, André Tchaikowsky, Mieczysław Weinberg, and Simon Laks. There will be no charge for admission; but, as always, donations will be appreciated. All proceeds will benefit C4NM. [added 6/4, 1:30 p.m.
  
• Friday, June 18, 7 p.m.: This will be the first of two live performances by the Rova Saxophone Quartet (Jon Raskin, baritone and alto sax; Bruce Ackley, soprano and tenor sax; Steve Adams alto, and sopranino; Larry Ochs tenor and sopranino) since lockdown was imposed. The program has not yet been finalized, but it will include a unique set of pieces, including premieres composed by quartet members and other pieces that will release on ESP-Disk this coming September. The performance was  recorded in advance at Paul Dresher Studio in Oakland, California; but the only edits are between pieces. Donations of $15 or more to benefit C4NM are recommended.]
  
• Saturday, June 19, 8 p.m.: This will be the next program consisting entirely of new works written by members of the Bay Area Chapter of the NACUSA (National Association of Composers of the United States of America). The title of the program will be Solo but Not Alone; and five outstanding Bay Area musicians will perform solo works for piano, clarinet, viola, harp, or percussion. Again, there will be no charge for admission; but, in this case, it would be preferable to direct donations to NACUSAsf. The full program can be found on the event page hyperlinked to the above date and time. [added 6/4, 1:35 p.m.:
• Sunday, June 20, 6 p.m.: This will be the second Rova performance, whose description is the same as that for June 18.]
  
• Friday, June 25, 7 p.m.: Saxophonist Larry Ochs and drummer Don Robinson will perform pieces from their second, recently released, CD, A Civil Right. Their selections will constitute a present-day reflection on the free jazz movement, represented by composers such as Albert Ayler, which is now about half a century old. Admission will be through a hyperlink to an Eventbrite event page that will process contributions of $8 or $15. Once the payment has been processed, the URL for YouTube viewing will be sent by electronic mail.
• Saturday, June 26, 7:30 p.m.: This will be the second program of new works by Bay Area composers. The title of this program will be Creation & Change. This will be the underlying theme of a one-hour program of new vocal and chamber music composed by Davide Verotta, Kristofer Twadell, Lukáš Janata, Monica Chew and Shawne Workman. There will be no charge for admission; but, as always, donations will be appreciated. All proceeds will benefit C4NM. The YouTube URL will be added to the event page prior to the performance, once it is available.