Sarasota Orchestra and New College of Florida to Collaborate in Crossroads Project, February 27 & 28
The Sarasota Orchestra and New College of Florida continue their ongoing collaboration this February in the Crossroads Project, a celebration of musical pluralism that is about musicians working together and learning from each other, without concern for labels and boundaries.
On February 27, two principal musicians from the Sarasota Orchestra will join New College student bands for an evening of experimental music called “New Music New College Crossroads” at the Caples Fine Arts Complex, 5313 Bay Shore Road. Then on Saturday, February 28, Maestro Dirk Meyer will lead the orchestra in “Crossroads: New Music Live” at Holley Hall, featuring the world premiere of a composition by New College graduate Silas Durocher. Both events are at 8 pm.
“The Crossroads Project is the extension of an ongoing partnership with the orchestra,” says Stephen Miles, professor of music and director of New Music New College. “We are confident that this project will set a new bar for collaboration among local arts organizations, enrich the artistic life the community and expand the consciousness of what constitutes an artistic experience.” In May, the Sarasota Piano Quartet will perform music by New College student composers, the eighth year of the College’s educational partnership with a resident ensemble.
Both Crossroads concerts are sponsored by Sarasota resident Ina Schnell, a longtime advocate of contemporary music. Media sponsor for the Sarasota Orchestra concert is the SRQ Media Group. Tickets for February 27 are $12 (students free); for further information, call New College Special Events at (941) 487-4155. Tickets for February 28 are $17 (all students, New College faculty and staff $10); call the Sarasota Orchestra Box Office at (941) 953-3434.
Details of the two concerts follow. Photo captions can be found at the end of this release.
February 27 at 8 pm, Caples Fine Arts Complex: Crossroads (New Music New College)
Sarasota Orchestra principal musicians Jay Hunsberger (tuba) and John Miller (bass) will join three New College bands for a festive program of experimental music. Miller and Hunsberger will play with the bands, and will join the students to perform experimental compositions. As the audience moves from stage to stage, they will play a key role in this musical dialogue. Fuzion Dance Artists will participate in the finale of the concert, which is a rock cover (new version of an old song) of Part 1 of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Leymis Bolanos Wilmott, co-founder of Sarasota’s first contemporary dance company, is an adjunct professor of dance at New College.
“I have always been interested in the social dimensions of music, how music is part of cultural production,” says Miles. “This is going to be a unique and memorable meeting of musical minds.”
Each of the student bands is known for its innovation and daring. Tyger Beat is a high-energy punk duo, and Skeleton Warrior incorporates laptops and amplified instruments to create bracing noise music. The Done For play intricate compositions that draw on many styles and influences, including pop and classical.
“As a fourth year music student at New College, I have always had to balance my time between my work as a composition student and my participation in my rock band,” says Adele Fournet, keyboard player in The Done For. “The Crossroads project has allowed me to fruitfully combine both of my musical pursuits in one exciting and provocative endeavor. Rock on!”
Tickets for New Music New College are $12; New College students, faculty and staff are free. For information and reservations, call (941) 487-4155.
February 28 at 8 pm, Holley Hall: Crossroads: New Music Live
Maestro Dirk Meyer and the Sarasota Orchestra perform a concert of thought-provoking modern classical pieces by six contemporary masters. The program includes the American premiere of These Words…, a recent composition by world renowned composer Arvo Pärt, as well as award-winning works by Joan Tower, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Miguel del Aguila and John Corigliano. The “Crossroads” feature is Silas Durocher’s three-movement piece entitled Hello Good Monday, for Chamber Orchestra – as Durocher says, “music for the head, heart and hips.”
“Like my other music and my new CD, this work explores the area in between ‘popular’ and ‘classical’ music, bringing elements of rock n’ roll and funk into an orchestral ‘housing’ and a compositional approach to writing music,” says the Texas-born guitarist, songwriter and singer, who graduated from New College in 2007. “It is, I hope, music that will appeal to a wide range of listeners from different age groups and musical backgrounds. I know that the orchestra will bring life and passion to my composition, and that is profoundly exciting for any composer.”
Durocher and his group, “Silas Durocher and Everybody Knows” recently released their debut album, Thesis Statement, which features two Sarasota Orchestra principal musicians, clarinetist Bharat Chandra and bassist John Miller (the CD can be purchased at www.silasdurocher.com). Many of the album’s compositions originated with Durocher’s senior thesis at New College.
Artistic Director Leif Bjaland commissioned Durocher to compose an orchestral piece after he heard him live as part of New Music New College last year. “Silas is part of a new generation of composers that draws on Bartok, The Beatles, ethnic music, rock and Ravel in equal measure,” says Bjaland. “His music is kaleidoscopic and tremendously exciting.”
Durocher currently lives in Asheville, NC, where he plays with several nationally and internationally touring groups, including Laura Reed and Deep Pocket (soul-funk) and Oso Rey (folk duo). He has composed two pieces for the Sarasota Wind Quintet, both of which were published and sold internationally. His Brass Quintet in Three Movements was performed in 2007 by the Sarasota Brass Quintet and his piece Why Not? was performed by the Keowee Wind Trio of Asheville.
“Next on the list is to get this sound on the road and start building up an audience the old fashioned way,” says Durocher of his musical group. “That means hard work and touring. I also plan to continue pursuing compositional opportunities like the one offered to me by Leif Bjaland, but with other ensembles and orchestras.”
Tickets for the Sarasota Orchestra concert are priced at $17 and $10 for all students, New College faculty and staff and are available through the Sarasota Orchestra Box Office, (941) 953-3434 or at www.sarasotaorchestra.org.
Photo Captions:
New College student bands and Sarasota Orchestra musicians will combine their talents at New Music New College’s Crossroads concert on February 27.
New College of Florida graduate Silas Durocher has composed a new work that will be premiered by the Sarasota Orchestra at Crossroads: New Music Live on February 28.