American Howl with Fulcrum Point

Scenes from a hard-hitting concert with Fulcrum Point at the Poetry Foundation.  Kevin Coval's between-the-eyes eloquence in his own work matched the tone Allen Ginsburg's "Howl," set to music by George Flynn. The otherwise intimate setting could barely contain the force of Jerome Kitzke's "Mad Coyote Madly Sings."  Pictured are Stephen Burns (trumpet/conductor), Kevin Coval (poet/narrator), Wagner Campos (clarinet), Jeremy Ruthrauff (sax), Kuang-Hao Huang (piano), Doug Perkins (percussion), Rika Seko (violin), Sophie Webber (cello), Collins Trier (bass), Juliet Petrus, Joelle Lamarre, and Brad Jungwirth (vocals).  

Photos © Copyright 2015 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved. 

Contempo: Big names, world premieres

Contempo always packs a heavy-hitting and heady mix of music.  This past Sunday seemed extra significant as Contempo gave the world premieres of works by Gunther Schuller and Sofia Gubaidulina - two giants in the world of contemporary composition who were also in attendance.  Add composer and Contempo artistic director Shulamit Ran, conductor Cliff Colnot, and U of C ensembles-in-residence Pacifica Quartet and eighth blackbird, and you've got some of the best in new music.  

Unlike traditional classical music forms, contemporary music is impossible to predict, making it uniquely challenging to photograph.  The usual strategy of waiting for the loud parts doesn't necessarily work since the loud parts may never come, or they come and go in an instant.  Here are some moments that I caught when the shutter sound was (hopefully) masked.  

(L-R) Sofia Gubaidulina, Laurel Fay, Gunther Schuller, Steven Rings

(L-R) Berthold Hoeckner, Sofia Gubaidulina, Laurel Fay

Shulamit Ran

Lisa Kaplan and Dan Schlosberg perform Helen Grime's "Entwined Channels."

Mary Stolper and Ben Sutherland perform Howard Sandroff's "Chants des Femmes."

Cliff Colnot conducts the Pacifica Quartet and eighth blackbird in the world premiere of Gunther Schuller's "Four Chromatic Adventures."

Soprano Michelle Areyzaga and violist Masumi Per Rostad perform Earl Kim's "Now and Then."

eighth blackbird in Gubaidulina's "Pilgrims"

Yvonne Lam, Collins Trier, and Doug Perkins perform the world premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina's "Pilgrims."

Matthew Duvall in Gubaidulina's "Pilgrims"

Sofia Gubaidulina (center) takes a bow with eighth blackbird.

Gunther Schuller signs his score in the green room.

Shulamit Ran and Gunther Schuller.