International Contemporary Ensemble: Yvette Janine Jackson's 'T-Minus,' A Radio Opera
Free
- Isabel Lepanto Gleicher, flute
- Joshua Rubin, bass clarinet
- Kristina Teuschler, bass clarinet
- Gareth Flowers, trumpet
- Sam Jones, trumpet
- Mike Lormand, bass trombone
- Ben Stapp, tuba
- Lester St. Louis, cello
- Clare Monfredo, cello
- Randall Zigler, double bass
- Levy Lorenzo, percussion
- Nathan Davis, percussion
- Ross Karre, electronics
- Vimbayi Kaziboni, conductor
Yvette Janine Jackson's T-Minus is part of a series of radio operas themed around the environmental and socioeconomic impact of space tourism on local communities near launch sites. The idea was prompted by the livestream of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 in May 2020 which took place at a time when people around the world were taking to the streets in protests against police brutality and systemic racism. The juxtaposition of events evoked a 1970s Gil Scott-Heron poem come to fruition. T-Minus builds on Left Behind, which was premiered by Jackson's Radio Opera Workshop ensemble at the Venice Music Biennale, and The Coding, a video concréte influenced by Samuel Delany's Babel-17 novel that examines the power of language.
"Radio opera" is a term Jackson first used to describe her narrative electroacoustic compositions, such as the Invisible People series, that frequently forefront historical events and social issues. The term continues to take on new meaning for the composer as she expands these ideas to include live performance, visuals, lighting, and interactivity. Influenced by productions from the Golden Age of Radio Drama, Jackson's radio operas leave room for the listener’s experiences to give meaning to the music.
Also on the program is Jackson's Swan. Swan is a musical journey that unfolds in three scenes: it opens aboard the tallship Swan transporting Africans along the Middle Passage to the Americas and gradually morphs into a spacecraft headed to freedom. Swan is a radio opera without words; the fixed media performance allows the audience to be at the center of the narrative and experience the journey. The work is composed from original foley, analog synthesis, and recordings from studio sessions by Jackson's Invisible People Ensemble (Yvette Janine Jackson, piano; Kjell Nordeson, vibraphone; Shayla James, viola; Judith Hamann, cello; Sam Dunscombe, bass clarinet) interpreting her traditionally notated and graphic scores, as well as guided improvisations.
A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm Eastern on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbpBqBUIWmE
About International Contemporary Ensemble
With a commitment to cultivating a more curious and engaged society through music, the International Contemporary Ensemble – as a commissioner and performer at the highest level – amplifies creators whose work propels and challenges how music is made and experienced.
https://www.iceorg.org/About Isabel Lepanto Gleicher, flute
About Joshua Rubin, bass clarinet
About Kristina Teuschler, bass clarinet
About Gareth Flowers, trumpet
About Sam Jones, trumpet
About Mike Lormand, bass trombone
About Ben Stapp, tuba
About Lester St. Louis, cello
Lester St. Louis (b.1993) is a New York-born and -based composer, improviser, cellist, sound designer, and curator. His work traverses through performance, installation, curation, artistic research, and recording. His works are rooted in dynamic environments of improvisation both sonically and socially, ecstatic sound worlds. flow and interaction. He has performed internationally throughout the U.S, the E.U, Canada, China, and in South America; and collaborates with artists such as Chris Williams [under the moniker HxH], Edi Kwon Jaimie Branch, Dre A. Hočevar, Charmaine Lee, Isabel Crespo Pardo, Emeka Okereke, Tortoise, Yo La Tengo, TAK Ensemble, The International Contemporary Ensemble, Random International, Superblue, Terrence Nance, Found Sound Nation, Wet Ink Ensemble, and many more. As a composer, Lester has been commissioned by artists such as The JACK Quartet, RAGE THORMBONES, Jennifer Koh, String Noise, and Ghost Ensemble, among others. He is deeply excited to see what new ventures and collaborations the future may bring and those that will be made.
https://metropolisensemble.org/artists-collection/lester-st-louisAbout Clare Monfredo, cello
About Randall Zigler, double bass
https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/directory/randall-zigler
About Levy Lorenzo, percussion
About Nathan Davis, percussion
About Ross Karre, electronics
About Vimbayi Kaziboni, conductor
Described as a conductor of "great intensity, without distancing, maneuvering, without indifference" (neuemuzikzeitung), Zimbabwean-born conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni (b. 1988) is widely sought-after for his depth of approach and his interpretive imagination and expressivity. He has led many critically lauded performances with orchestras across the globe in Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uzbekistan.
A former Fulbright Fellow (2013-14), Kaziboni holds degrees from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles and the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK) in Germany.
http://www.vimbayikaziboni.com/