HOUSE BLEND II
A double bill: Skylighght, written and performed by Gelsey Bell (voice) and Erin Rogers (saxophone), plus Patrick Higgins (guitar, drums, electronics), “one of the prime movers of the avant-garde” (The New Yorker), threading improvisations for guitar and electronics through live renditions of songs from Versus, his latest album.
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Gelsey Bell (voice) and Erin Rogers (saxophone) perform their collaborative composition Skylighght, an intimate search for a sonic and physical meeting of voice and saxophone. Singer and musician direct the sound in pathways that float around the room, some sections responding to the architectural properties of the performance space, others pairing singer and saxophone to create novel acoustic effects. Through five moments, each a natural skylight, the interwoven resonances sculpt the composition like a dance. In the final movement, “Antelope Canyon,” Bell sings into the bell of Rogers’s tenor saxophone while it is playing, exploring its inner chamber and sounding an extraordinary rainbow of diverse multiphonics and harmonic partials.
“The physical vibrations and resonance tones clash, combine, and unite to create rich, vibrant harmonies, harsh dissonances, and stunning different tones, as the two musicians become one.” – Salt Peanuts
Skylighght, released May 10 on Chaiken Records, is available now.
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Patrick Higgins, New York City-based composer, guitarist, and producer, is acclaimed for his experimental and contemporary classical music. A “formidable concert music composer” (Boston Globe), and “one of the most gifted guitarists working today” (The Quietus), Higgins bridges traditions that extend from baroque chamber music to contemporary noise, electronics,and20th-century minimalism.
At PS21, Higgins will thread new improvisations for guitar and electronics through live renditions of five tracks from Versus, his latest record: ”Versus,” ‘’Antinome,” “ln Situ,” ”Sirocco,” and ”Aporia.” A highly emotional and expressive work that pushes Higgins’ own instrumental virtuosity into new territories, the album marks a new direction and development of his acclaimed work as a guitarist and composer, drawing on electronic music, free improvisation, and avant-garde modern composition. He performs guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, drums, and laptop programming across nine tracks that show Higgins at his best, bridging styles and introducing new music that is harsh but seductive, intense yet inviting, and always unexpected.
Versus engages the turbulent oppositions of our time, both external and internal conflicts, with a strongly expressive and suggestive style–proposing resolutions and ways out, but never resolving into easy answers. Structurally complex and deeply emotional, it is a radical statement from an increasingly mature artist in full command of his talents. The album was released on July 12 on Other People Records.
“Patrick Higgins composes with a scholar’s historical perspective and a punk’s sense of abandon.” – Pitchfork
PS21 HOUSE BLEND programs are conceived for our theater with an eye toward bringing virtuosic and thoughtful musicians together in genre-defying combinations. The series opens a creative space unique to our venue, surroundings, and audiences that yields programs that can only be heard at PS21.
Enjoy all four exciting concerts for one low price with a House Blend Series Pass.
EXPLORE HOUSE BLEND 2024
AUGUST 18, 6 pm – PS21 HOUSE BLEND I
Conor Hanick plays Johannes Brahms and Galina Ustvolskaya
AUGUST 20, 7 pm – PS21 HOUSE BLEND III:
Miranda Cuckson (violin) & Conor Hanick (piano)
Iannis Xenakis: Mikka S.; J.S. Bach: Sonata in D minor (BWV 1004); Charles Ives: selections from Songs (Opus 114); Aaron Copland: Sonata for Violin and Piano
AUGUST 21, 7 pm – PS21 HOUSE BLEND IV: A double bill
Bonnie Whiting performs Wang Lu‘s Stages for solo speaking/singing percussionist, with stage design by Polly Apfelbaum, and Frederic Rzewski‘s To the Earth for speaking percussionist and four flower pots (text from the Homeric Hymn to Gaia, Mother of All). Plus a recital by bass-baritone Davóne Tines
READ THE FULL HOUSE BLEND PRESS RELEASE
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