Composer night
presented by The New Ruckus
Sept. 15, 2015
Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul 7 p.m. Free |
Formerly known as the American Composers Forum’s Tuesday Salon, Composer Nights are an opportunity for composers to present their work, chat with the audience, receive feedback, and connect with others with a passion for musical adventure. These events are friendly, fun, and always surprisingly varied. Come to share, come to ask, come to listen.
Visit newruckus.org/composernights for more information. This Composer Night features music by:
Thomas Johanson presents a pre-recorded electro-acoustic sound collage entitled The Grandmother Chord.
Mark Gjevre presents four short piano solos:
1. Galleries (I): A quick sample of moving through a gallery a la Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition. 2. Invention Moderne Processional: An exercise in Bach might write an invention today using modern chords. 3. An Answer to Jeremiah: Lynyrd Skynrd responded to a Neil Young tune; this is my answer to Joy to the World by Hoyt Axton and Three Dog Night--a history lesson that takes on the same social issue, but in an uplifting way. 4. Fiscal Recessional: Composed in late 2012... Remember The Fiscal Cliff? Listen for 2 distinct phrases - Kicking the Can Down the Road and Over the Cliff We Go! "Started piano at age seven--the same year that Neil landed on the moon, followed by another Neil performing at Woodstock (I did not attend). My two passions are music and trains; the trains won out and I started working for Burlington Northern Railroad in 1992. For the last 15 years I have been a Civil Engineer for BNSF Railway doing track design and construction on new customer facilities throughout Minnesota, the Dakotas, NW Iowa and Western Wisconsin. For the last five years, I have played keyboards with a band called All About the Music. We released our first CD in June 2015. Anything that sounds like a piano, organ, synthesizer or banjo is me. I have been composing since high school. Influences include Scott Joplin, Dave Brubeck, Gary Numan and Kraftwerk." --Mark Gjevre Insectoid Intelligence is the evolving electronic music project of Minneapolis-based musician Dana Barnett. Inspired by a wide range of influences and techniques, Dana crafts a warm and inviting surrealism using an array of musical technologies both old and new.
Benjaminn Franklin Davidson presents Synonym, performed by Joe Peterson, violin; Randall Davison, cello; Yue Lor, clarinet; Merilee Klemp, piano. Two words that mean the same thing are said to be synonymous. This piece attempts to explore what it means to be "synonymous" to something, or someone else, as well as what it means to be musically "synonymous".
Benjamin Franklin Davidson is a young American composer & performer hailing from the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a composer and collaborator, Benjamin is uncompromisingly dedicated to writing compelling, colorfully orchestrated music tailored carefully to meet the needs of musicians from every background. His orchestral works have been recorded by the Minnesota Sinfonia, Augustana College Symphony Orchestra and the Luther College Philharmonia. Benjamin's concert music also appears frequently on recitals and concerts throughout the year. He has worked with a multitude of student performers, ranging from soloists and small chamber groups, to large ensembles. Benjamin studied composition at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois with David Horace Davies and Jacob Bancks, and most recently at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa under Brooke Joyce, and Steven Lyle Smith. He has also studied privately with composers Libby Larsen, Seth Custer, Andy Thompson, Jay Fishman, and his father, Randall Davidson. Benjamin has also studied composition at the International Music Festival of the Adriatic, and at the Atlantic Music Festival, with composers Stefano Sacher, Ken Ueno, David Ludwig, Eric Ewazen, Robert Cuckson, Stephen Cabell and George Tsontakis. |