Ethos New Music Society and IMC ARTISTS, LTD presents the critically acclaimed new music ensemble, “eighth blackbird.” The instrumentalists will perform Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall. The program features works by Franco Donatoni, Gordon Fitzell, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Stephen Hartke, Derek Bermel, and Joseph Schwantner.
Members of the group are Tim Munro (flute), Michael J. Maccaferri (clarinet), Matt Albert (violin and viola), Nicholas Photinos (cello), Lisa Kaplan (piano), and Matthew Duvall (percussion).
Described by The New Yorker as “friendly, unpretentious, idealistic and highly skilled,” eighth blackbird promises its ever-increasing audiences provocative and engaging performances. It is widely lauded for its performing style – often playing from memory with virtuosic and theatrical flair – and its efforts to make new music accessible to wide audiences.
A New York Times reviewer raved, “Eighth blackbird’s performances are the picture of polish and precision, and they seem to be thoroughly engaged… by music in a broad range of contemporary styles.” The sextet has been the subject of profiles in the New York Times and on NPR’s All Things Considered; it has also been featured on CBS’s Sunday Morning, St. Paul Sunday, Weekend America and The Next Big Thing, among others. The ensemble is in residence at the University of Richmond in Virginia and at the University of Chicago.
Since its founding in 1996, eighth blackbird has been active in commissioning new works from eminent composers and received the first BMI/Boudleaux-Bryant Fund Commission and the 2004 NEA/CMA Special Commissioning Award.
Highlights of eighth blackbird’s 2006-07 season include a return to the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, two concerts at The Kitchen in New York City, and tours through New York, California, Colorado, and Texas.
The ensemble is enjoying acclaim for three CDs on Cedille Records. The members of eighth blackbird hold degrees in music performance from Oberlin Conservatory, among other institutions. The group derives its name from the Wallace Stevens poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.”
Ethos is a student-administrated organization responsible for the presentation of four concerts each season, symposia featuring visiting composers, and field trips to hear new music in surrounding cities. Sponsored by the Student Association, Ethos has, since its founding in 1977, actively encouraged the production of new music including the presentation of visiting composers and performers of national and international reputation.
