The Mills College Music Department and the Center for Contemporary Music present
Mills Music Now 2014-2015
Mills Performing Group:
ROZALIE HIRS
Rozalie Hirs is a contemporary Dutch composer and poet. Her poetry and music are lyrical as well as experimental. The principal concerns of her work are the adventure of listening, reading, and the imagination. Her music consists of vocal, orchestral, and electronic compositions. She often combines traditional instruments with electronic sounds. Her poetry includes both printed collections and digital poetry: interactive poems created in collaboration with visual artists, and graphic designers.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
8:00 pm
Littlefield Concert Hall
Facebook Event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1417284088577796/
Music Now webpage:
http://musicnow.mills.edu
$15 general. $10 seniors, non-Mills students, and Mills alums
Tickets may be purchased at the door, or online at:
http://www.boxofficetickets.com (keywords: Mills College)
Wheelchair accessible
Free parking on campus
Mills College
Music Department
5000 MacArthur Blvd
Oakland, CA 94613
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Program:
Bridge of Babel: Rozalie Hirs
article 1 to 3 [the] [aleph] [a] (2003)
Kate Campbell, piano
In LA (2003; English version 2010) or Pulsars (2007)
Rozalie Hirs - spoken voice, soundtrack
article 4 [map butterfly] (2004)
Hrabba Atladottir, violin
Intermission
Bridge of Babel (2009)
Rozalie Hirs - spoken voice, soundtrack
who put on my shoes (2015)
James Fei - live electronics
Rozalie Hirs - spoken voice, electronic sounds, live electronics
All works by Rozalie Hirs (music, text), except 'who put on my shoes' (music: Rozalie Hirs, James Fei; text: Rozalie Hirs)
Special thanks to James Fei for the multi-channel sound diffusion in the hall
Notes:
article 1 to 3 [the] [aleph] [a] (2003)
article 1 to 3 (2003) was commissioned by Dutch Performing Arts Fund (formerly known as Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst) and first performed by Kees Wieringa (piano) during Een nieuwe Lente at Muziekcentrum Vredenburg, Utrecht, The Netherlands, on 22 March 2003.
article 1 to 3 (2003) consists of three movements, entitled [the], [aleph] and [a]. It investigates the harmonic spectrum on fundamental note B, situated far below the piano range, as well as the properties of the grand piano: [the] concerns itself with resonance properties of (the body and strings of) the grand piano. [aleph] is a meditation on the piano keyboard, the relative positioning of its keys, and on weightlessness. [a] is based on a small cell of Debussy's Prélude Feu d'artifice.
article 4 [map butterfly] (2004)
article 4 was commissioned by the Dutch Performing Arts Fund (formerly known as Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst) and first performed by Anna McMichael (violin) at Concerten Tot en Met, Bethaniënkloooster, Amsterdam, Netherlands, on April 1, 2004.
article 4 is inspired by the map butterfly (Araschnia Levana) that possesses remarkable drawings on its wings, evoking maps of imaginary continents. article 4 for violin solo uses the natural harmonics of the strings extensively. The score is notated on two staves, indicating sounding and fingered pitch respectively. The sounding and fingered pitches as well as the pitches of the open strings of the violin together form a virtual resonant space. The fingered pitches can be regarded as a metaphor for the shadows cast on the earth by the map butterfly, mysteriously connecting body, light and movement. In a way, the topography of pitch is mapped during the flight of the butterfly, while revealing the physical properties of the string instrument.
who put on my shoes (2015)
The poetry cycle 'die deed mijn schoenen aan' was published in gestamelde werken (Amsterdam: Querido, 2012), and translated into English by Donald Gardner.
Here is a link to an online visual work by designers Cox & Grusenmeyer, Belgium, based on the poetry cycle 'who put on my shoes" by Hirs.
http://whoputonmyshoes.tumblr.com
Biographies:
Rozalie Hirs
As her main subject, Rozalie Hirs studied composition at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, first with Diderik Wagenaar (1991-1994), then Louis Andriessen (1994-1998). During her time at the Royal Conservatory she also took lessons with Gilius van Bergeijk and Clarence Barlow. She graduated in 1998. Shortly after, her debut publication as a composer appeared, the CD Sacro Monte, which met with critical acclaim. She subsequently departed for New York on a Fulbright grant, to continue her composition studies with Tristan Murail at Columbia University. There, she taught harmony and counterpoint as a Teaching Assistant. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2007; her thesis consists of the essay Tristan Murail’s Le Lac, and her composition Platonic ID, a commission from Asko|Schönberg. She developed a personal spectral style, inspired, the one hand, by the acoustic and psychoacoustic properties of timbre and sound, and on the other hand, by the clear classicist structures of the Hague School. At the invitation of Nieuw Ensemble, she developed and curated the course Contemporary Compositional Techniques and OpenMusic, which she taught at the Conservatory of Amsterdam during the 2005-06 academic year, together with guest professors Tristan Murail, Mikhail Malt, and Benjamin Thigpen. In 2009 the book of essays on this subject, she co-edited with Bob Gilmore, was published as part of the Collection Musique/Sciences of IRCAM/Éditions Delatour in Paris. In 2007, her universally acclaimed CD Platonic ID featuring instrumental compositions was released by Attacca Records, Amsterdam. In 2010, followed by the CD Pulsars with electroacoustic works on original texts. During the academic year 2010-2011, Rozalie Hirs was guest lecturer at the Composition Department at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London.
Rozalie Hirs has composed works commissioned by Arnold Marinissen (article 0, 2000), Asko|Schönberg (Book of Mirrors, 2001; Platonic ID, 2006; Arbre Généalogique, 2011), the VPRO broadcasting organization (Pulsars, 2007), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (Roseherte, 2008), Formalist Quartet (Zenit, 2010), Slagwerk Den Haag (Venus, 2010), David Kweksilber Big Band (Ain Silabar Ain, 2013), Bozzini Quartet (Nadir, 2014), and Amsterdam Sinfonietta (Lichtende Drift, 2014) with financial support from the Fonds Podiumkunsten, VPRO, or Eduard van Beinum Foundation. She regularly performs her compositions for spoken voice and electronic sounds internationally. Donemus publishes her musical scores, Attacca publishes her CDs. Additionally, Hirs is active as a poet. Her poetry collections are published by Uitgeverij Querido.
http://www.rozaliehirs.com
James Fei
James Fei (b. Taipei, Taiwan) moved to the US in 1992 to study electrical engineering. He has since been active as a composer and performer on saxophones and live electronics. Works by Fei have been performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble, MATA Micro Orchestra and Noord-Hollands Philharmonisch Orkest. Recordings can be found on Leo Records, Improvised Music from Japan, CRI, Krabbesholm and Organized Sound. Compositions for Fei's own ensemble of four alto saxophones focus on physical processes of saliva, fatigue, reeds crippled by cuts and the threshold of audible sound production, while his sound installations and performance on live electronics often focus on electronic and acoustic feedback. Fei received the Grants for Artists Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts in 2014. Fei has taught at Mills College in Oakland since 2006, where he is Associate Professor of Electronic Arts. www.jamesfei.com
Works by Fei have been performed at Merkin Hall, The Kitchen, Knitting Factory, Tonic, Roulette, Experimental Intermedia, MATA Festival, Engine 27, The Stone, Issue Project Room (all New York), SFMoma, Empty Bottle (Chicago), Akedemie der Künste (Berlin), Beurs van Berlage (Amsterdam), Steim (Amsterdam), Overtoom 301 (Amsterdam), JFC Club (St Petersberg), Super Deluxe (Tokyo), Shinjuku Pit Inn (Tokyo), Osaka Arts–Aporia, Bridge (Osaka), and National Recital Hall (Taiwan). Fei has lectured at Columbia University, Wesleyan University,The Art Institute of Chicago, Taipei Normal University,Taipei National University of the Arts, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Theremin Center (Moscow), Pro Arte (St. Petersberg), Krabbesholm (Denmark), IAMAS (Ogaki, Japan) and NUAS (Nogoya, Japan).
Hrabba Atladottir
Icelandic violinist Hrabba Atladottir studied in Berlin, Germany with professor Axel Gerhardt and professor Tomasz Tomaszewski. After finishing her studies, Hrabba worked as a freelancing violinist in Berlin for five years, regularly playing with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Oper, and Deutsche Symphonieorchester. Hrabba also participated in a world tour with the Icelandic pop artist Björk, and a Germany tour with violinist Nigel Kennedy. Joshua Kosman, music critic of San Francisco Chronicle, praised her performance of Vivaldi’s “Spring”, and called her violin playing “delicate but fervent”.
In 2004, Hrabba moved to New York, playing on a regular basis with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Orchestra of St. Luke’s and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra among other orchestras. She also played with the Either/Or ensemble in NY in close collaboration with Helmut Lachenmann.
Since August 2008, Hrabba is based in Berkeley, California, where she has been performing as a soloist and with various ensembles such as The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, The Empyrean Ensemble, the ECO ensemble, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and New Century Chamber Orchestra. Since 2009, Hrabba is a lecturer in Violin at UC Berkeley.
Kate Campbell
Kate Campbell performs frequently as a soloist and chamber musician specializing in 20th and 21st century music. She has worked closely with leading composers such as Pulitzer Prize winners Steve Reich, David Lang, and Caroline Shaw, and is at home playing works ranging from thorny modernism, to "sleek and spirited" minimalism, to indie classical. She is dedicated to the music of her own time and place, and premieres many works by emerging composers each year.
Kate is the pianist for the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. She is the co-founder and pianist of the interdisciplinary duo KATES, which intertwines new solo piano music with new dance-theater. The duo recently enjoyed a debut season at NYSoundCircuit at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, and the Dance Conversations Festival at the Flea Theater in New York. As the pianist in the contemporary ensemble REDSHIFT, this year she will continue a guest artist residency at California State University East Bay, premiering works by faculty and student composers. Having recently relocated to the Bay Area, current freelance projects include performances with New Keys, Hot Air, and the Switchboard Music Festival. She is also proud to be on the team of organizers for the inaugural Omaha Under the Radar Festival in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. She can be heard on New Amsterdam Records.
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Links to compositions by Rozalie Hirs on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ_1TWTjLoE
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6U9aHlCpQb0hHqgE5Fl1Sw
Links to poetry performances, or works with poetry, by Hirs
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Hirs.php
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Funding for this concert provided in part by
THE ELFENWORKS FOUNDATION
Help one, help many, start a ripple
Find out more at elfenworks.org
Rozalie Hirs’ performance is made possible in part by financial support of a travel fellowship received from the Dutch Performing Arts Fund.