This weekend, Zeitgeist will present the first concert of our 2014-2015 season. Included among many compelling musical selections will be If Tigers Were Clouds by Eleanor Hovda. Eleanor wrote If Tigers Were Clouds in collaboration with Zeitgeist in 1994, during a residency at the Fleisher Art Music in Philadelphia. 

Our work together was made possible through the Music in Motion program created by Joseph Franklin, then artistic director of the Relache New Music Ensemble. Music in Motion placed a new music ensemble and two composers in select communities for three weeks throughout a year. We developed new work together and held sessions to introduce new work to audiences. Music in Motion was an amazing program that resulted in enduring artistic alliances and wonderful new works. 

Eleanor Hovda was living in Minnesota at that time, and we had long sought an opportunity to work together on a new piece. All of us thought it was quite funny that it took being transported to South Philly to get us in the same room. As it turned out, being sequestered together away from our home base gave us the space to discover each other on a deeper level than if we had remained in the confines of our day-to-day lives. If Tigers Were Clouds would certainly not have been such a strong work if we had not had the early morning breakfast conversations, hours of experimentation, considerable feedback from listeners, and many, many shared meals at Ralph’s Italian Restaurant. Seriously, I had to discard several items of clothing after our residency year was finished because the olive oil stains were simply too pervasive. That place was amazing, and it is still a mainstay of South Philly dining. Do dine there if you visit Philadelphia. 

Eleanor started her creative life as a dancer, and she used physical imagery and movement as much as aural descriptors to communicate her compositional intent. I remember finding it initially very difficult to translate what she wanted on my instrument, but in the end, I got it. The flurry of chop-busting mania that opens If Tigers Were Clouds is the result. Eleanor and Robert Samarotto, our clarinetist, had no problems discovering a common language. Eleanor was entranced with Bob’s ability to coax the softest, most haunting micro-tones out of his instrument. They feature prominently throughout the piece. In the first week, we discovered these and other musical ingredients that would eventually make up the piece. In our second week held months later, we worked to determine an order of events, tonal centers, and pacing. In our third week, we refined our work and presented it in performance. Our audience loved it then, and still do. In the twenty years since its premiere, If Tigers Were Clouds has endured as one of Zeitgeist’s favorite works to perform. 

During our 1993-1994 Music in Motion residency, Zeitgeist’s members were myself and Jay Johnson; percussion, Thomas Linker, piano; and Robert Samarotto, woodwinds. Participating composers were Eleanor Hovda and the indomitable Fred Ho. Fred passed away this past year, Eleanor in 2009, and Bob in 2003. How bittersweet are these memories. 

--Heather Barringer

Guitarist and composer Jeff Lambert has recently completed a brand new work written for Zeitgeist entitled From Afar, the Dragon Calls. The work will received its world premiere this weekend at Zeitgeist's season opener at Studio Z. We were delighted to chat with Jeff about his new piece and his work as a composer and performer. 


Tell us about the new piece you wrote for Zeitgeist. 

From Afar, the Dragon Calls is scored for soprano saxophone, piano and 2 percussion (marimba, cymbals, snare drum and tom). The four movements are to be played without pause. The outer movements enlist the entire ensemble while the middle movements highlight duets within the group. The piece is entirely modal, and the rhythm is fairly straightforward and groove oriented. Even when meters continually shift, the pattern is often repetitive, giving the listener a chance to really get to know it. Occasionally, so-called irrational meters are used along with incomplete tuplets. However, they are used in such a way as to be identifiable and accessible to the listener. For example, if a measure consists of five triplet-ed quarter notes, I want the listener to be able to know that without looking at the score.

In part, my composition was influenced by attending Zeitgeist concerts over the last 15 years and by performing with the group as well as its individual members. As I wrote, I would often imagine watching them play. I would remember things they did in the past that I really liked, and sometimes this led to the formation of a similar idea. 


In addition to composing, you are also an accomplished guitarist. How does your work as a performer influence your composing, and vice versa?

As a performer, I've worked with composers to present new works many times, so I know what it's like to be on that side of the collaboration. It's no fun to receive a piece that's awkward to play or in which the ensemble is difficult without good reason. So when I'm the composer, I want the performers to have idiomatic parts that lay reasonably well on their instruments, and I try to avoid unnecessary ensemble challenges. To this end, I prefer to work closely with the performers. When I don't play the instrument for which I'm writing, their feedback is invaluable, and I use it to make a more performer-friendly piece. 

Composing also influences the way I interpret music as a performer. I feel that it allows me to get inside the head of the composer, helping me come to an understanding of what's behind the notes printed on the page, and to grasp overarching ideas more easily. 


Do you have any other projects coming up that we can look forward to?


I have spent the last year studying the ten guitar etudes of Giulio Regondi (1822-1872), and I will be giving two performances of them in December. Hopefully, I will be able to present these on a Romantic guitar which is in the process of being built for me. In April I will be performing with the Bakken Trio at MacPhail Center for Music in downtown Minneapolis. I also play in the Solaris Guitar Duo with University of Minnesota guitar instructor, Maja Radovanlija, and we plan to present a program of new music in the spring.

Guitarist and composer, Jeff Lambert, has performed extensively as a soloist and ensemble musician, having appeared in over thirty states and Canada. As a soloist, Jeff has been awarded top prizes in guitar competitions in both Minneapolis and Chicago. He has released three solo albums and enjoys working with composers to present new works. Each album showcases a new piece commissioned by Jeff, including David Crittenden’s concerto for guitar and orchestra, Haunted. As an ensemble musician, he has shared the stage with a variety of world-class artists including Zeitgeist, the Minnesota Contemporary Ensemble and members of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. In addition, Jeff was a member of the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet (MGQ) for ten years. As a member of the MGQ, he appeared as a soloist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and others. The group also appeared on National Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio, Twin Cities Public Television, WFMT – Chicago, and Wisconsin Public Radio.

As a composer he has written for a wide variety of instrumentations ranging from full orchestra to drum set to unaccompanied clarinet. He has been commissioned to compose for Zeitgeist, the Ironwood Trio (clarinet trio) and the Saint Paul Guitar Trio, and he has received multiple commissions from MacPhail Center for Music. A full album of his works is currently in production.

Jeff holds Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees from Northwestern University. He teaches at MacPhail Center for Music in downtown Minneapolis where he enjoys working with students in a variety of styles including rock and roll where he can revisit his roots as a musician on a weekly basis. 


Zeitgeist: New Discoveries, Old Favorites
Oct. 3-4, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5, 2 p.m.


Studio Z, 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200
St. Paul


$10 Friday & Sunday 
$20 Saturday*
Tickets

Zeitgeist kicks off the 2014-15 season with the debut of the ensemble’s newest member, pianist Nicola Melville. A concert of favorites both old and new, the season opener features the world premiere of From Afar, the Dragon Calls by Minnesota composer Jeff Lambert, new music by Justin Rubin, Joshua Harris and Doug Opel, and long-treasured works from Eleanor Hovda and George Crumb.

Works include:
Jeff Lambert: From Afar, the Dragon Calls
Eleanor Hovda: If Tigers Were Clouds
George Crumb: Mundus Canis 
Joshua Harris: OCT 21 2015 
Doug Opel: Playtime with Elvis and Krispy
Mike Olson: Breathing Voltages
Justin Rubin: The armed man should be feared… and other lessons from the Renaissance

*Saturday’s performance includes wine and hors d'oeuvres, a special solo performance by pianist Nicola Melville, and a post-concert reception with Melville and composer Jeff Lambert.


Jeff Lambert is a Fiscal Year 2014 recipient of an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.  This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

This Sunday, September 14, The University of Minnesota Wind Quintet will perform September Skies, a concert of works by Minneapolis composer Lisa Ragsdale. Lisa has composed works for mixed chorus as well as a variety of solo and chamber ensemble works for winds and brass, with a special emphasis on woodwinds. Sunday’s concert includes four premiere performances and the reprise of “In a Dark Time,” her second wind quintet. Lisa shares the inspiration behind these new works below. 
--


Woodwind Quintet No. 2 "In a Dark Time" (2006)

The second wind  quintet, In a Dark Time, was the second attempt at composing a second wind quintet. The first attempt was so bad I shed no tears when I destroyed it. This work was composed in 2006, as in November 2005 I was diagnosed with epilepsy.


Sonata for Bassoon & Piano (2010)

The Sonata for Bassoon & Piano was the third in a series of two-movement works for all five instruments of the wind quintet. The last two to compose are works for oboe and piano and French horn and piano.


Two Songs for Solo Oboe (2013): Inquiringly and Sailing

Two Songs for Solo Oboe are the last two of a set of Four Songs which started out as a set for an oboist in another city who backed out of the project after I had composed the first work. I have met many oboists locally and figured somebody would like new music. 


Woodwind Quintet No. 3 "Winter Music" (2006)

Winter Music was composed during the 2010-11 winter when we received over 80 inches of snow. Some days I would just sit and watch it snow, other days I wrote a lot of music! The work was also composed to compliment Samuel Barber'sSummer Music and Jennifer Higdon's Autumn Music, both wind quintets.


Two Works for Solo Clarinet (2014): Heat and Water

Heat and Water were composed in just over two months from mid-January 2014 to mid-March 2014. These are intentional musical rants regarding climate change as I am a environmental enthusiast / fanatic.


University of Minnesota Wind Quintet 
September Skies: Music of Lisa Ragsdale


Sept. 14, 2014
2 p.m. 


Studio Z, 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200
St. Paul


$10 
Tickets and information

The University of Minnesota Wind Quintet presents music by Lisa Ragsdale, featuring world premiere performances ofWinter Music (Woodwind Quintet No. 3), Sonata for bassoon & piano, Heat and Water for solo clarinet, and Inquiringly andSailing for solo oboe. The program also includes Ragsdale’s Woodwind Quintet No. 2 "In a Dark Time." 

All works will be performed by the University of Minnesota School of Music Woodwind Quintet (Haley Camer, flute; Camille Galles, oboe; Esther Baumgartner, clarinet; Aaron Goler, bassoon; Sandor Miko, horn) with John Jensen, piano. 

Zeitgeist is pleased to announce its 2014-15 series of cabarets, performances and celebrations to take place at Studio Z in Lowertown:

New Discoveries, Old Favorites
Oct. 3-4, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 5, 2 p.m.


Zeitgeist kicks off the 2014-15 season with the debut of the ensemble’s newest member, pianist Nicola Melville. A concert of favorites both old and new, the season opener features the world premiere of From Afar, the Dragon Calls by Minnesota composer Jeffrey Lambert, new music by Joshua Harris and Doug Opel, and long-treasured works from Eleanor Hovda and George Crumb.


6th Annual Zeitgeist New Music Cabaret
Nov. 6-9


A four-day festival of new music from multiple genres, Zeitgeist’s 6th Annual New Music Cabaret highlights cutting-edge performances from the fringe of the Twin Cities music scene. An eclectic mix of the music of our time, this year’s cabaret includes performances by Zeitgeist, ANCIA Saxophone Quartet, Nautilus Music Theater, Steve Kenny Quartet, Ted Moore’s Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and more. Attend one or all shows for $10 per night.


Playing it Close to Home
Mar. 13-14, 7:30 p.m. at Studio Z; Mar. 15, 2 p.m. at Roseville High School


With winning songs from our Eric Stokes Song Contest plus music by local composer Abbie Betinis, our annual Playing it Close to Home concert celebrates the wealth of musical creativity found right here in our own backyard. The program includes the world premiere of Betinis’s new work commissioned by Zeitgeist plus Nattsanger, her award-winning song cycle featuring guest soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw.


Zeitgeist’s Early Music Festival: Music of Stockhausen
April 23-26


As a group of musicians dedicated to the music of our time, we know the most meaningful expressions of today are informed by the musical contributions of yesterday. Zeitgeist’s 5th Annual Early Music Festival explores the powerful contributions of our musical pioneers with a celebration of composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. One of the 20th century’s great visionaries, Stockhausen’s groundbreaking work in electronic and spatial music embraced new artistic possibilities and continues to shape new music today.


Tipping Point
June 12-13, 7:30 p.m.; June 14, 2 p.m.


Celebrating 10 years of collaboration between Zeitgeist and composer Scott Miller, Zeitgeist looks back on a decade of artistic partnership with one of the Twin Cities’ most adventurous composers. The event marks the release of Miller’s new album Tipping Point with music from the CD and the reprise of Shape Shifting: Shades of Transformation, a lush electro-acoustic musical landscape with sensuous poetry by Phillipe Costaglioli.



Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul

Tickets: $10; $20 for fundraiser performances on Oct. 4, Mar. 14, Apr. 25, Jun. 13
Find tickets and details at zeitgeistnewmusic.org.


About Zeitgeist:
Founded in 1977, Zeitgeist is a new music chamber ensemble consisting of two percussion, piano and woodwinds, and is one of the oldest and most successful new music groups in the country. Based in St. Paul, Minn., the group presents an annual concert series and delivers a wide variety of community-based performance programs for residents of the Twin Cities and the surrounding areas. Our mission is to bring newly created music to life with performances that engage and stimulate. Members are: Heather Barringer, percussion; Patti Cudd, percussion; Pat O’Keefe, woodwinds; Nicola Melville, piano.

Zeitgeist is supported by the The City of St. Paul’s Cultural STAR Program, The Amphion Foundation, The Knight Foundation, The Lowertown Future Fund, the Target Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, the Albrecht Family Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund, The Mandel Family Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature.