WILLIAM LANG + ANNE RAINWATER
SOCIAL STUTTER
WILLIAM LANG and ANNE RAINWATER perform two recently-commissioned works: local composer Anne Hege's boom boom terror, boom boom bliss, and Brooklyn-based composer Scott Wollschleger's between breath, premiered last spring. In addition, they will present compositions by Arvo Pärt, Jeremy Howard Beck, and others.
SOCIAL STUTTER, a saxophone quartet led by composer/altoist BETH SCHENCK, blurs the line between strictly written chamber music and soaring free jazz. Solos emerge from the natural order of intricately written lines that, although begin simply in structure, twist and distort themselves into surprisingly complex shapes and forms. Unlike traditional saxophone quartets, some of the pieces are composed for two altos and two tenors, which leads itself to denser harmonic territory and a uniquely homogenous sound. Masters of texture and nuance, the quartet has a keen awareness of how to support and push one another's creative boundaries. Social Stutter is comprised of some of the Bay Area's most unique voices:
Kasey Knudsen,
Phillip Greenlief,
Cory Wright and BETH SCHENCK.
The LANG/RAINWATER PROJECT is a duo partnership established over ten years ago while both members were studying at Manhattan School of Music’s groundbreaking Contemporary Performance Program. While both trombonist William Lang and pianist Anne Rainwater specialize in contemporary music, they also perform a wide range of classical literature, from Bach and Schumann to young composers such as Alex Temple and Quinn Mason. The Lang/Rainwater Project’s mission is to expand the trombone-piano repertoire by working with diverse and distinct voices of contemporary music. In addition to canonical trombone and piano works and transcriptions of classics, the Lang/Rainwater Project maintains an active commissioning portfolio dedicated to championing traditionally underrepresented composers. They regularly promote these composers’ new works in concerts at universities and conservatories and encourage students and teachers to perform them as well. The Lang/Rainwater Project has performed across the United States, from tours of the South to performances on both coasts to residencies in the Northeast, with an upcoming, 4-university residency and commissioning project in the Philadelphia area later this March.
ANNE RAINWATER has released 2 solo albums – J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (2018) and Anywhere But Here (2020), featuring electronic keyboard works by Jude Traxler. She is a 2019 recipient of an InterMusic SF Grant. Anne is working on her first book, which explores the internal and external ecosystems that contribute to the understanding, practicing, and performing of music. When not at the piano or writing, she is running long distances, reading, or obsessively watching baseball.
WILLIAM LANG has recorded for projects such as his groundbreaking ensemble loadbang to international acts such as David Bryne and St. Vincent, as well as for Philip Glass. He is an active champion of the art of solo trombone, and works he has commissioned have been warmly reviewed by the The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and several European publications. When not practicing the trombone, he can be found rock climbing, spending time with his family, or obsessively watching basketball.
Cost: $10-$25 sliding scale