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Share Ekmeles is a vocal ensemble dedicated to the performance of new and rarely-heard works, and gems of the historical avant garde. They have a special focus on microtonal works, and have been praised for their “extraordinary sense of pitch” by the New York Times. They are the recipients of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation’s 2023 Ensemble Prize, the first American group to receive the honor.
Description
September 30, 2023 at 7:30PM at St. Peter's Chelsea, Ekmeles performs Homecoming, a program about place and belonging that follows on the heels of their European tour.
Two premieres commissioned by the Ultima Festival anchor the program. George Lewis's Lone Coast pairs an accordion with the six voices of ekmeles, setting an afrofuturist lament for New Orleans by Nathaniel Mackey. Therese Ulvo's Timelessness evokes both an inner and outer sense of home, with the singers heartbeats incorporated into the performance alongside video of the imposing Hardangerfjord.
Corie Rose Soumah's Like a frog on the road to it explores the composer's identity as a Black biracial Quebecoise, creating a lush soundscape into which the singers of the ensemble relate their own sounds and stories.
Kaija Saariaho's Nuits, adieux was composed in memory of her mother in 1991, and we present it in memory of the composer to finish this program. Her distinctive work with electronics transforms our notions of time, as well as the physical space in which the music is sounding.
Date & Time
Sat, Sep 30, 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue Details
St. Peter's Chelsea
346 West 20th StreetNew York, New York 10011
