Yarn / Wire

An evening of music for piano, percussion and electronics
January 27, 2017 - 8:00pm
Old Cabell Hall
Free

Photo of Yarn/Wire by Bobby FisherThe composers of the University of Virginia’s Composition and Computer Technologies PhD Program present Yarn|Wire as their visiting ensemble for 2017. Yarn|Wire is a chamber quartet that specializes in the performance of 20th and 21st century music, with a unique instrumental combination of two pianists and two percussionists. The collaboration between Yarn | Wire and the University of Virginia will culminate in a concert that will take place in the Old Cabell Hall in January 27th, 2017 at 8 pm. The concert will feature eight premieres for two pianists, two percussionists and electronics by the university’s composers, whose explorations encompass a strikingly broad spectrum of acoustic and electronic sound worlds. In addition to the concert, Yarn|Wire will offer a colloquium on contemporary techniques in piano and percussion at 11am on January 27th in room b18 of Old Cabell Hall.   These events are sponsored by the UVA Arts Council Enriching the Arts on Grounds.

Reactions about Yarn | Wire from some of the most relevant press for the arts in the United States and the UK include: "...questioning the boundaries of what music might be." - The Guardian. "fearless" / "restlessly curious" / "spellbinding virtuosity" / "spare, strange, and very, very new" - TimeOutNY. "...sonic art that is clearly going places." - Philip Clark, Gramophone.

Composers Ben Luca Robertson, Alexander Christie, Aaron Stepp, Christopher Luna-Mega, Rachel Devorah, Eli Stine, Jon Bellona, and Ryan Maguire, authors of the music that will be premiered by Yarn | Wire, are currently pursuing doctoral degrees in Composition and Computer Technologies at the University of Virginia’s Department of Music. Their music and research has been featured in places such as Germany, Estonia, Iceland, Scotland, Mexico, Finland, Ireland, Canada and the United States by JACK Quartet, Arditti Quartet, Meehan-Perkins Percussion Duo, The William Winant Percussion Group, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Montreal-Toronto Art Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico.

Yarn/Wire is a quartet of two percussionists and two pianists. This instrumental combination allows the ensemble flexibility to slip effortlessly between classics of the repertoire and modern works that continue to forge new boundaries.

Founded in 2005 while at Stony Brook University, Yarn/Wire is admired for the energy and precision they bring to performances of today's most adventurous music. The results of their collaborative initiatives with genre-bending artists such as Two-Headed Calf, Pete Swanson, and Tristan Perich point towards the emergence of a new and lasting repertoire that is "spare and strange and very, very new." (Time Out NY)

"Using a combination of thundering rhythms, unconventional sounds, and expert execution, Yarn/Wire’s two pianists and two percussionists bring their unique performance style to intimate surroundings..." This chamber ensemble has been praised for its energy, precision, and “restless curiosity.” (Time Out New York) Dedicated to expanding the boundaries of music and performing the works of 21st-century composers, the quartet is among a group of young ensembles focused on certain niches in contemporary music.

Yarn|Wire performs adventurous new works for two pianists, two percussionists and electronics by University of Virginia composers –January 27, 2017.

Sponsored by the U.Va. Arts Council | Enriching the Arts on Grounds

 

 

Reviews for Yarn/Wire:

"Yarn/Wire Mesmerizes at Lincoln Center Festival" - New York Times
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"...sonic art that is clearly going places." - Philip Clark, Gramophone (review of the Negotiation of Context)
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"...compelling...Players Yarn/Wire - Ian Antonio and Russell Greenberg (percussion, pump organ), Laura Barger and Ning Yu (piano) - give a pungent performance, full of drama and unrest." - The Wire (review of the Negotiation of Context)
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"...questioning the boundaries of what music might be." - The Guardian (review of Yarn/Wire/CurrentsVol. 1)
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"fearless" / "restlessly curious" / "spellbinding virtuosity" / "spare, strange, and very, very new" - TimeOutNY
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"Standing on narrow Wall Street, with marble temples to finance soaring up overhead, I felt as if I were in a modern-day secular cathedral." - npr.org
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"Tone Builders' exemplifies the oblique beauty of a cutting-edge acoustic quartet" - Percussive Notes
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"The audience, perhaps a couple hundred people, erupted into applause. Given the impressive degree of disciplined precision it took to pull off this stunning work, Yarn/Wire deserved every bit of it."- culturecatch.com
 
 
 
 

Address

UVA Department of Music
112 Old Cabell Hall
P.O. Box 400176 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4176

Email: music@virginia.edu