Thursday, December 5, 2024
7:30 PM
Experimental music for vocal ensemble
SDNVW (San Diego New Verbal Workshop) is a contemporary vocal ensemble inspired by the experimental music tradition of the late 20th century. They perform, improvise, and compose as a collective and frequently work with living composers to explore the unique sonic capabilities of the human voice in concert with instruments, electronics, and movement.
This program features several original works by the co-founders Zane S.B. and Dominic Cooper, including a site-specific work for the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla. This concert was collectively put together by the group to showcase the range of their abilities.
The pieces, with the exception of Bouquet of Flowers, have never been performed before by SDNVW. That piece and the Alvin Lucier work are both archival material, whereas the others are all new compositions. Chambers explores the physicality of materials such as glass and metal. Similarly, the material of metal is activated in Mouthpiece Improvisation. The Graphite Miniatures uses the material of graphite to create a unique score. Written materials become improvisational tools in Spines, while source material is reshaped in both Harmonized Folk Tune and Dream Speaker. Finally, Spectrum allows language to materialize into pattern, showcasing the group’s versatility in vocal experimentation.
This diverse program demonstrates SDNVW’s commitment to exploring new sonic territories and pushing the boundaries of contemporary vocal performance.
Program:
Dream Speaker, Zane Alexander S.B.
Graphite Miniatures, Zane Alexander S.B.
Chambers, Alvin Lucier
Bouquet of Flowers, Charlie Morrow
Harmonized Folk Tune, SDNVW
Mouthpiece Improvisation, SDNVW
Spectrum, Dom Cooper
Spines, Dom Cooper
San Diego New Vocal Workshop is vocalists Zane Alexander S.B. (co-director), Rosalyn Arvizu, Lauren Bailey, Clara Boyle, Dominic Cooper (co-director), Jasmine King, Charissa Noble (co-director), Isabella Pihas, Amelia Sarkisian, Andrew Walsh, and Lily Yates
About San Diego New Music:
San Diego New Music is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the public performance of notated music of the highest integrity and artistic caliber from the 20th and 21st centuries. We seek to advance the art form by promoting music composed with conceptual rigor, passionate energy and singular artistic vision. SDNM enriches the artistic culture of San Diego through the presentation of an annual concert series and the soundON Festival of Modern Music, and through fostering its resident performing ensemble, NOISE.
In 1994, the only place in San Diego where you could hear an entire concert of 20th-century music was on a college campus. San Diego New Music pitched the idea of a concert series devoted to modern music and 20th-century classics at the Athenaeum. The concerts of modern music perfectly complement the exhibitions of modern art held in the Athenaeum’s galleries. In 1996, San Diego New Music presented its first season. The series was called "Noise at the Library," and the ensemble would later adopt the name, as well.
San Diego New Music and the Athenaeum have been happily co-presenting concerts of new music ever since.
For more information on the organization go to www.sandiegonewmusic.com.
The concert will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for this event. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. This event will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of each concert.