Todd Harper (composer/piano/director) and Jun Miyake (metal & bamboo flutes) will come together for their second collaborative tour this fall, starting with a performance at Studio Z on Thursday, Oct. 18 featuring seven premieres by Harper contemplating the relationship with humans and their environment. We interviewed Harper to find out more about the project: 
​

​How did your collaboration with Jun Miyake get started and how has it evolved?

​Jun and I met at our SGI Florida Nature & Culture Center in September 2016.  We started talking in the lunch line:  
"What do you do?” I asked.
"I play free jazz.“
"No kidding! No one admits to that anymore!"

We resolved to play together. We had our first tour in the fall of 2017, playing Studio Z, Phalen Poetry Park, a barn, and a club. This ended with recording a CD, Before Dawn. When I think of it, I am amazed at how we came together having never played before. Jun and I decided to do this again. Studio Z is the first stop of our 5-day, 6-event tour.  We will also play Phalen Poetry Park, the barn, Jazz Central, and end at the East Side Freedom Library. And, yes, we will record again!
 
Tell us about Musical Ecology.

This is a hard question! Part of Musical Ecology is an aesthetic/philosophic statement, which I am still developing. I am going to leave it to your curiosity to define it! This music is not "classical," not "jazz." Actually, it doesn’t really matter what I call it. For ASCAP, there are two categories: "serious" and "popular."  This music is not "popular!" So I guess this is serious music. Musical Ecology is the name of this ensemble.
 
Who is in the ensemble? 

For this ensemble I am bridging two different musical streams in my musical life: composing and improvising. The musicians I chose for this project have  a wide range of complimentary strengths. Jun Miyake is touring in Japan with pioneering drummer Pheeroan akLaff, in his "Dear Freedom" ensemble. They have collaborated for several years. Jun lives in New York City, and performs with a wide variety of musicians.

Musical Ecology is Todd Harper, composer/piano/director; Jun Miyake, metal & bamboo flutes, tenor saxophone; Aaron Kerr, acoustic/electric cello; Eric Coursen, drums/percussion. All of these musicians performed with Jun last year, but not as the same unit. Drummer Eric Coursen and I have a long history. We played together in “The Seekers of Beauty” from 1988 to 1993, and reconnected in 2015. You can find Eric playing for Haitian dance classes, and playing in Brazilian, Cuban, & West African ensembles. Cellist Aaron Kerr also has many hats as member of The Modern Spark Trio (classical) his band Dissonant Creatures (original rock.) We also collaborate with Eric in The Open Air Trio. Aaron plays cello and electric cello, which can take a bass or a soloist role. When I have a paying gig, Aaron and Eric are the first people I call. We have a book of original and interesting tunes to play for cafes, Farmer’s markets, and private functions. 
 
How do you and Jun Miyake collaborate long distance? 

It’s kind of an odd process, and we are defining it as we go along. For this ensemble, I tend to write more music than we could possibly play, and then edit it down in rehearsal to find the essential elements. What remains are vehicles for engaging inventions. My tendency has been to bring in more of my musical friends, to make things bigger, but at the moment, I am going deeper with a smaller unit.

Tell us about the theme and the various new pieces for "Ending the war on trees."

While there are many great musical works which are not programmatic, I tend to write about topics. Shiny voracious Beetles addressed the attackers of my plum and cherry trees. Snake River Trail is a tone poem about a walk in humid hot woods before a thunderstorm. Forgotten Forests is an evocative work regarding the forests which exist only in our memory. However, in these serious times, we need to lift our spirits. I am ending with the idea of resilience, “ Old tree, laughing in the blizzard”. At the end of the concert, we will have a short dialogue about the connection between ecology and music.

Clocks in Motion builds many of its own instruments. Tell us about these instruments and how they are used in performance. 

Clocks in Motion has built many instruments over the years. Our most notable instruments include:

• Quarimba - a four-octave marimba tuned 1/4 step flat. This instrument when paired with a traditional marimba creates a 24-tone chromatic scale.
• Sixxen - These instruments are constructed from aluminum channel. There are six sets of these instruments all tuned within 3/4 tones from one another. This results in wild mixing over-tones when all six sets are played together. These instruments are necessary for performing Xenakis' symphony-length percussion sextet, Pleiades.
• Galvitone - This instrument consists of 88 tuned galvanized pipes. We will be using a small selection of these pipes in our Studio Z performance. They create a ringing, chime-like sound.
• Found percussion objects - Tin cans, rattles, conch shells, toys, cricket-callers, and other gadgets will be used in John Cage's Third Construction during this concert.

​Most percussionists double as "inventors" of some type. We are always figuring out new ways to combine our instruments to create new sounds and textures. Finding the "right" sound is always an adventure as we swap mallets and move instruments into different setups. The instruments that we have built as an ensemble always serve to perform specific works of music and also inspire new composers to write for these unique sounds. Although our repertoire at Studio Z does not feature many of our hand-made instruments, it will still feature our inventiveness and general approach to performing.

​
Atomic, Atomic by Andrew Rindfleisch was written for Clocks in Motion and will be performed at Studio Z. How did this collaboration come about and how has it evolved? 

Andrew Rindfleisch has been a long-time supporter and friend of Clocks in Motion. Rindfleisch invited Clocks in Motion to perform at Cleveland State University back in 2013 and we have had an ongoing relationship since then. A few years ago, Rindfleisch came to a Clocks in Motion performance in Madison and he approached me about wanting to write us a marimba quartet. After some negotiation, I convinced him to write a "mallet quartet" instead of a marimba quartet. The mallet quartet instrumentation is two vibraphones and two marimbas and is becoming more or less a "standard" instrumentation for the percussion quartet. Much of our music is centered in that setup. The great thing about the mallet quartet is that you get to take advantage of the huge range of the marimba and have the fantastic resonance of the vibraphone. It just frees the composer up to do a lot more with the texture. Also, as a touring ensemble, it's important for Clocks in Motion to consider common instrumentation across our repertoire. That way, we can transport our instruments in a truck and have everything fit. We tend to always tour with two marimbas and two vibraphones, so having Rindfleisch write for that instrumentation allows us to perform his piece frequently.

Atomic Atomic, Rindfleisch's resulting mallet quartet, is an in-depth study of the sonic and dynamic capabilities of the ensemble. The title refers to the attraction and repulsion of subatomic particles. We find the piece to be extremely effective and evocative. Each performer is required to have no less than 5 different combinations of mallets of various hardness that we switch between throughout the composition. It really shows off the wide variety of sounds that can be produced on the instruments.


What else can you tell us about the music on the program? 

Third Construction, John Cage's 1941 percussion quartet masterpiece, features entirely non-pitched percussion instruments. 

Glitz! by Bejorn Berkhout is a wacky percussion quartet featuring Matthew Coley on hammered dulcimer. This piece is a sort of tone poem depicting a casino with a person having a heart-attack after winning big.

Fantezie by Sergiu Cretu is a tour de force featuring Matthew Coley on hammered dulcimer playing traditional Eastern European music.

Mechanical Ballet by Anders Koppel is loosely based on George Anthiel's Ballet Mechanique. This fun composition has a chromatic jazzy language and rhythmic complexity.

Gravity by Marc Mellits was written for Clocks in Motion in 2013 as part of a consortium of various percussion groups. This post-minimalist mallet quartet has become a staple of our repertoire.

We are also playing three movements from Threads by Paul Lansky. This moody piece combines pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments in an ever-changing sonic landscape. This piece features loud, complex drumming alongside, quiet serene Arias.

Clocks in Motion is a percussion quartet from Madison, Wisconsin, specializing in new music from living composers, classical repertoire from the 20th century, and experimental sounds with hand made instruments. They seek to inspire new audiences, educate people within the percussive and musical arts, and generate meaningful lasting collaborations with composers and other artists. ​

Visiting artists Chartreuse will perform a concert of new music for string trio at Studio Z on Saturday, July 14, featuring works by Sofia Gubaidulina, Leah Asher, Kaija Saariaho, and Henry Purcell. Violinist Myra Hinrichs shares a preview... 
​

Because we live in different parts of the country, in the summer we converge on a single place and learn a bunch of music in a very short period of time. So that’s what we’re doing right now! In this show you’ll hear pieces from past seasons, as well as fresh picks from this week! When we commission pieces, we like to go back and forth with ideas about sounds and then see how the composer organizes those into a form. They can adjust based on how we play their in-process ideas so the piece really fits our group. The pieces where we are part of the process and we feel like we have agency often become our favorites. It’s exciting to grow the string trio corner of the repertoire with music by composers we admire. 

Growing up playing classical music, we did a lot of research to find out what composers were thinking and how they wanted their music to sound. When we play new music, we know exactly what they want, and we’re the ones who get to create the style book for musicians of the future. 

Myra Hinrichs
​Violinist, Chartreuse String Trio

July 14  •  8 p.m.   •  $10
Details

Chartreuse string trio is violinist Myra Hinrichs (Chicago), violist Carrie Frey (New York City), and cellist Helen Newby (San Francisco). The tricoastal trio pools the strengths of their cities of residence, commissioning new works from composers across the globe and collaborating with fellow performers. Chartreuse is uniquely committed to repeat performances and developing the string trio repertoire through adventurous commissions. Cleveland Classical described the trio in concert as "a maelstrom almost tactile in its grittiness." 

Questions for Davu Seru:

​How did this collaboration with Thollem and the other artists for June 15-16 come about? 

The residency at Studio Z has provided a convenient opportunity for me to bring some of my favorite fellow improvisers into what is--acoustically speaking--my favorite space to perform.   

Though there are people who would blur the distinctions between improvised and composed music, I view the methods to be different. Composing for the page is, in part, about posterity--it is a way to project ourselves onto a future--a future which we assume will require lessons from the past. These performances are an effort to remain true to my roots as an improviser. They are an affirmation of what it means to be alive now, with others, as if that were all there is. 

How do you choose who to improvise with and what makes a good improvisatory collaboration? 

People should listen to one another, and these musicians do. But how to respond? These musicians have made it their priority to compose in living time; which requires an adeptness at drawing from one's surroundings to make something new, faced with the urgency of now.   And what they bring to the ritual are unique, musically informed voices, a wealth of experience, technical range and the confidence to risk everything. ​
​

Questions for Thollem McDonas:

You have traveled to the Twin Cities several times in the past few years for solo performances and collaborations with local improvisers. What brings you back? What new relationships have formed from your visits?

I tour perpetually, so the Twin Cities are on my yearly route, more or less. This time, Davu Seru has brought me back as part of his residency at Studio Z. Davu is a remarkable musician, thinker and human being, and my relationship with him has been important to me. He's a curious person and artist and stands firm in his world views, writing eloquently about his informed opinions and ideas. He's a very responsive and fluid drummer/percussionist who hears the whole picture and nuance of every sonic moment in an improvised music setting. I also have good friends and family who live here, so it's always a bit of a homecoming for me!

Tell us about your "artistic and political commitment to egalitarian precesses" and how it plays out in your work. 

For over a decade, I have been perpetually traveling, primarily focusing on improvised music and short-term collaborations. We are fortunate to live in a time with this concept of free improvisation that gives us the ability to connect with our fellow human beings in deep and immediate ways. One of the foremost concepts of free improvisation is that each individual musician's voice has something integral to offer the situation regardless of their experience level; each member of the group is respected for what they are able to bring and are solely responsible for the choices they make every moment along the way. This is a practice that I believe is important for civic life in a society. It's not a matter that everyone is equal; I do believe that experience and mastery of an instrument should be highly respected. At the same time, everyone's perspective has some validity, and everyone is capable of bringing something unique that can enlighten everyone.

I also believe that art is crucial to a healthy society, and by traveling perpetually, I am able to help make connections between communities, sometimes within the same town or city and sometime across national borders. My partner ACVilla and I have also dedicated ourselves to documenting artists as well as the focused work artists do in their communities through our project, Artists Engaged.

At this moment, my focus is in transition and this will actually be the last improvised music concert for me for some time. I have been developing several solo projects: Hot Pursuit Of Happiness, that I'll be touring for a couple of months leading up to the mid-term elections, and Technicolor Grey Zone, a project playing live scores to the films of 6 filmmakers. So, this concert will be a sort of swan song for me and this period of my life. It feels very appropriate, playing with Davu and the ensemble he's brought together.

Friday, June 8, Studio Z will be home to four performances highlighting the relationship between sound and image presented by Nada. A total of five artists will showcase solo and collaborative approaches to audiovisual performance using computational processes. The works presented demonstrate an interest in digital synthesis, improvisation, and generative systems. Headlining the event will be Pittsburgh’s Spednar and REW, with opening acts from local artists Kindohm, John Keston, and Michael Flora.

Spednar aka Kevin Bednar uses live coding methodologies to create poly-rythmic and microtonal compositions often employing an improvised and impromptu approach. His recent works have included both installation and curatorial projects. In 2016 he composed an original soundscape for Dennis Maher's A Second Home installation piece at Pittsburgh's Mattress Factory. Spednar has also curated events for the VIA Music and New Media Festival, at Wood Street Gallery and for Pittsburgh's Cultural Trust.

REW (Rachel Wagner) is a new media artist who has exhibited work at experimental film festivals in the United States and internationally. Her video works use abstraction, distortion, and ethereal textures to inspire awe and curiosity in the viewer. REW’s videos have been projected onto the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh via The Drift Project, and in Carnegie Mellon University's Gates-Hillman Center. She works as a VJ, freelance videographer, video editor, and animator.

What is a cimbalom and how did you become interested in specializing in cimbalom performance?
 
The cimbalom is a type of dulcimer, in the zither/chordophone family, that originates from Central-Eastern Europe. It is trapezoidal in shape with strings stretched across the top. It has a dampening pedal that is much like the pedal system of the piano or vibraphone. The dulcimers that I've had a long interest in are hammered dulcimers, and most countries in the northern hemisphere have a traditional hammered dulcimer that is integral to the folk music; the German Hackbrett, the Chinese Yangqin, the Persian Santoor, etc. The performer utilizes different stick-shaped hammers that widen at the striking end; bare wood, with a rawhide strip, or wrapped in cotton in the case of the traditional cimbalom hammer. 

In the late 19th century the Hungarian instrument maker, Josef Schunda, developed the 'concert' cimbalom, the one you will hear on my concert at Studio Z on April 22nd. He was interested in improving on the common regional/folk instruments already in circulation in order to solidify this particular zither within a strong Hungarian national identity in the classical music of the area. The cimbalom is offered as an instrument for study in the conservatories of Hungary and cimbalom players are often the leaders of the folk ensembles and orchestras of the region. An extremely influential moment for me was when I got to see a concert by the Moldavian National Folk Orchestra in Chisinau, Moldova. The leaders and central focus of the group were the two cimbalom players alternating between the melody, improvisation, and common accompaniment doubled by the 'rhythm' section; the viola, accordion, and bass. Stage right there were six violins and stage left there were a combination of clarinets, ocarinas, pan flutes, and possibly other winds. They played for three hours straight, full volume, fast and furious, with the audience clapping along the whole time!


What cimbalom music should we look forward to hearing on the 22nd? 

I will perform traditional and classical music of Eastern Europe. It was somewhat common for composers of that region to add cimbalom to their symphonic orchestral music. Stravinsky, Bartok, and Kodaly are the main three from the turn of the century. I've created a version with piano of the Song and Intermezzo movements from Kodaly's Hary Janos Suite that featuring the cimbalom more than it does in the original orchestral version. We will also perform two traditional dulcimer tunes from Moldova, Fantezie on American hammered dulcimer, and Briu on the cimbalom. We will also perform two movements from the Hungarian Dances by Brahms. These come from a version for cello and piano that I've adapted for the cimbalom.


Tell us about your project of performing Book 2 from J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier on the marimba. How did this project come about and what will it entail? 

This project reflects a path I started down early on with solo marimba performance. I've always had a fascination with fugues and complex contrapuntal works. I've written several modern fugues for myself and commissioned composers to write them for solo marimba. Along the way (since 1998) I've been playing movements from Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. There are also some large-scale marimba solos that I've tackled over the years that reflect this interest: Nereus by Jeffrey Holmes, Night and Fugue by Ben Phelps, my own Concealed Chambers, Trois Tableaux by Tobias Brostrom, and of course Khan Variations by Alejandro Vinao. I think I was originally drawn to the WTCii because it seemed to be uncharted territory following much of the Bach performing that Vida Chenoweth and Leigh Howard Stevens did on marimba. I also realized early on that a soloist could potentially play every movement in the work with almost no alterations. After some 'false' starts, and performing some of the movements individually along the way, I officially 'launched' the project in 2017 with performing five preludes and fugues, 10 movements. I will attempt to add 6-8 movements each season, and in five years or so I hope to have worked my way through the whole collection of 48 pieces and recorded much of it! Additionally, one day I would like to commission a collection of several modernized Preludes/Interludes and Fugues by multiple composers. 

The modern fugues I've commissioned/written and premiered include:
Fugue on a Chromatic Subject by Bjorn Berkhout
Four Etudes and Fugues by Andrew Ardizzoia
Superfluous I and II, Pentagonal Arabesque, Crazy Characters, and III. Cortex from Concealed Chambers by Matthew Coley
Fugue Odyssey by Dolores White

Over the last 18 months Pancake7 has collaborated on Linesmasher shows with artists as diverse as Dead People Particles; spoken word artist IBé; emcee Katana Da Don and poet Sharon Chmielarz; dancer and choreographer Dolo McComb; and singer/songwriter Zen Anton. No two Linesmasher events look or sound the same. We aren’t quite sure what April 21 will look and sound like. But, as we like to tell ourselves: if we’re not a little unsure and a little scared about what is going to happen then we’re clearly not turning the steering wheel hard enough left.  Don’t stay in your lane. ​

What is the Celtic Collective? 

The Celtic Collective is a group of Irish musicians from across the US, many from Minnesota, who I gathered together to record my compositions based on the early life of St. Patrick, which accompany the audiobook and illustrated text called The Boy Patrick. It is the story of the young boy who became St. Patrick; his daring adventures as a slave in ancient Ireland,  and his escape to freedom and his love of the Irish people.

What does the Boy Patrick story mean to you? 

It's a story of courage, coming of age, the birth of compassion in the heart of a young boy, and the triumph over obstacles that seem insurmountable. It is an uplifting tale that resonates into the present day.

How did you decide to create a multimedia audiobook project based on the story? 

The story balances the kind of revelry that is typical of St Patrick's day with the authentic facts about the life of St. Patrick, told in an entertaining way with the authentic instruments of Ireland's musical language. Our goal is to reinforce the celebration by offering some depth and insight for all ages to enjoy.

Who are the artists and musicians who worked on this project, and how did the collaborative process work between all of you? 
​
We are lucky enough to include two veterans from Riverdance on the recording, namely Katie McMahon and Pat Mangan, who recorded harp and fiddle respectively. Among the Minnesota musicians we had Jode Dowling, Tom Klein, John McCormick and Amy Shaw. In San Diego we had Mairtin De Cogain recording Bodhran. We are lucky enough to live in an age where recordings can be sent back and forth online, thereby allowing Pat in New York and Mairtin in California to contribute to the project. 

Anything else you would like to add? 

It's been a great pleasure to collaborate with such fine musicians on a such a worthwhile project and we can't wait to share it with the world, starting in St. Paul on April 15.
​

​The Celtic Collective proudly presents THE BOY PATRICK - The story of a boy who became a saint. Told in music, words and pictures.

This unique project is comprised of an audiobook telling the true adventures of the boy who grew to become St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint. It is his true tale of capture, slavery, escape and determination against all odds. 

The CD Audiobook also includes a musical soundtrack written and recorded by artists from Riverdance as well as local traditional Irish musicians. The full score is played on the authentic instruments of Ireland. It  is accompanied by a fully illustrated read-along book, which also offers background to the musicians involved in the project plus the instruments used.

The event will include live music, excerpts from the book and projections of the illustrations. Performances scheduled throughout the day. 

Esteemed Minnesota composer Scott L. Miller discusses the story and process behind his new CD/DVD entitled Raba, coming March 16 on New Focus Recordings. The Raba CD/DVD release show featuring Scott L. Miller and Dan Lippel is this Saturday, March 10 at Studio Z. 

There is Raba the CD/DVD and Raba the composition. The CD was first conceived as a retrospective of previously unreleased audio-visual works from different collaborations I’ve been part of since 2001. It quickly became the foundation for new collaborations, and revealed a trend, if you will, in my compositions the past two decades. A large body of my music has become increasingly patient, ambient, and informed by the environment. 

The music is a mixture of fixed-media electronic music and music for acoustic instruments and electronic sound. The human musicians are Laura Cocks (flute), Dan Lippel (acoustic and electric guitars), and Ensemble U:, Estonia's premier new music ensemble. The video and filmmakers I collaborated with and whose work we will see at the concert include Rein Zobel (Tallinn), Mark Zaki (Princeton), Rosemary Williams (St Paul), Ted Moore (Chicago), Ron Gregg (NYC), and Paul Clipson (San Francisco). Paul tragically passed away on February 3 this year, and the concert is dedicated to his memory.

When I started proposing music to New Focus Recordings that I wanted to include on the CD, it became clear that I have worked with a lot of film and video artists and so this seemed like a great way to revisit the original works and also forge new collaborations. I was simultaneously involved in a separate project developing the virtual reality (VR) concert version of the composition Raba. Eventually I realized that this composition complemented perfectly the other works on the CD, so it was included and also became the title track.

The musical composition, Raba, was originally commissioned by Spitting Image Collective. Raba (which means “bog” in Estonian) is inspired by the Marimetsa Raba, located about an hour drive from Tallinn. I wrote it following my first visit to Marimetsa as a Fulbright Scholar at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2014. This new version was created with support from a St. Cloud State University 2017 Research Faculty Improvement Grant and Eesti Kultuurkapital. Raba is experienced by the audience seated in swiveling chairs while wearing VR headsets. Audience members visually explore a 360º film while Ensemble U: performs the synchronized music. The ensemble and speakers (for the electronic sound in the music) physically surround the audience, unifying the audience experience with a live, immersive audio performance while each audience member has a unique, individual immersive visual experience. I am really interested in producing collective audience experiences through live performance. What is exciting to me about Raba is that the audience is immersed in the sonic reality of the space, surrounded by the performers and electronic sound, while they are visually immersed in the unique beauty of the Marimetsa Raba.

We won’t have Ensemble U: present at this concert, but I have created a version that can be experienced using VR headset and headphones with music from the CD recording made by U:. Folks can have an individual VR experience before and after the concert.

​--Scott L. Miller

As part of the celebration of Athena Kildegaard's new book of poetry, Course, beloved Minnesota soprano Maria Jette and noted pianist Ann DuHamel will perform the world premiere of a song cycle by award-winning St. Paul composer Linda Kachelmeier. The song cycle, I Give Voice to My Mother, features six poems from Kildegaard's book. Kachelmeier's remarkable cycle reflects and enlarges the themes in the book.
 
The celebration will be Saturday, March 3, 7:00 p.m. at Studio Z. The program begins with the poet, composer and performers discussing the challenges and surprises of bringing poetry to life as art song. Kildegaard will read selections from the book, and then Jette and DuHamel will return to do a performance of the complete song cycle. A reception and book signing will follow.
 
Course is Kildegaard's fifth book of poetry and is published by Tinderbox Editions, an independent press based in Red Wing, MN. The book explores the course of Kildegaard's mother's life and death, the course of grief, and the course of a river. Four-time Minnesota Book Award winner Jim Moore says: “'Tenderness toward existence' is the phrase that came to me again and again as I read Course, Kildegaard’s marvelous new book of poems in which grief and joy course together through time and to the end of time. 'Any tender place a place for death,' Kildegaard writes. But equally true, as this book so lovingly demonstrates, is that any tender place is a place for life. Athena Kildegaard has written a book which has found a true home for tenderness in a world so desperately in need of it.”  
 
The commissioning of the song cycle and the performance are made possible by an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Athena Kildegaard has been a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award and the Midwest Book Award. Her poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and have appeared in such journals as Ecotone, Poetry Northwest, North American Review, and Alaska Quarterly Review. She lives and teaches in Morris, Minnesota.
 
Linda Kachelmeier is a composer, conductor, and professional singer in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has received grants and commissions through the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Jerome Foundation, the American Composers Forum, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and is a 2017 McKnight Fellowship recipient for composition. She has written over 50 choral pieces and art songs performed by professional choirs such as The Singers, VocalEssence, and The Rose Ensemble, as well as many school and church choirs across the United States.
 
Soprano Maria Jette has sung everything from early Baroque opera to world premieres, in the United States and abroad.  She has performed with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Houston, Kansas City, San Luis Obispo, Santa Rosa, Charlotte, Buffalo, Grand Rapids, Austin, Marin and San Antonio Symphonies, New York Chamber Symphony, Portland Baroque Orchestra and Musica Angelica; plus Berkshires Opera, Roanoke Opera, Sacramento Opera. In the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro, she has sung with VocalEssence (led by conductor Philip Brunelle), Chamber Music Society of Minnesota, Minnesota Sinfonia The Schubert Club and Lyra Baroque Orchestra.
 
Pianist Ann DuHamel serves as Head of Keyboard Studies at the University of Minnesota, Morris, where she coordinates and teaches solo, collaborative, and group piano, as well as piano pedagogy. She is a founding member of new music group ensemble: Périphérie, which has performed in Carnegie Hall. Other venues where DuHamel has played include Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Sweden, and across the U.S., including the San Francisco Festival of Contemporary Music.

Athena Kildegaard is a fiscal year 2018 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 from the arts and cultural heritage fund.