Chicago Composers Orchestra: gathering | streams
$35-$45 ($15-$20 student)
- Sarah Plum, violin
- Michi Sugiura, violin
Tyler Taylor — Out of Dust (world premiere)
Mari Takano — Doppelconcerto for 2 Violins and Orchestra (world premiere; Sarah Plum & Michi Sugiura, violins)
A celebration and exploration of the contributions and experiences of immigrant and multicultural communities featuring world premieres by Mari Takano, Tyler Taylor, and Fernanda Aoki Navarro by Chicago Composers Orchestra, Chicago's largest new music ensemble!
About Chicago Composers Orchestra
Hailed as "…an energized, risk-taking orchestra that advocates for contemporary music in such a way as to make composers, performers, and listeners feel part of the same engaged community" (Chicago Tribune), the Chicago Composers Orchestra is one very few orchestras to be solely devoted to contemporary music. The orchestra's mission is to present music by living composers, and to extend the orchestral tradition to be open, vibrant, and diverse, and to speak to our lives today.
https://www.chicagocomposersorchestra.orgAbout Sarah Plum, violin
Sarah Plum began her performing career by winning the gold medal at the International Stulberg Competition in 1983. Since then she has carved out a distinctive role as a serious interpreter of a wide range of repertoire both old and new.
Soon after receiving her DMA at SUNY Stony Brook, Plum moved to Europe where she was a leading player with world-class orchestras such as the West German Radio Orchestra (WDR) and the London Philharmonic and a performer in new music ensembles such as Ensemble Moderne, Musik Fabrik and Nieuw Ensemble Amsterdam. Plum had the good fortune to take part in historic concerts of new music at the Luzerne Festival, the Festival Automne (Paris), and Ars Musica (Brussels) among others.
Plum has been touring with an evolving solo program of new music since she celebrated the release of her 2011 solo CD Absconditus (BGR 235) with a critically acclaimed performance at the Ankunft:Neue Musik Festival at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof. These concerts have brought her to festivals and venues worldwide such as Quiet Cue Intermedia (Berlin), the Center for New Music San Francisco, Spectrum New York, Unruly Music at the Marcus Center (Milwaukee), Stanford University's CCRMA (center for computer research in music and acoustics) and the Cube at Virginia Tech's Institute for Creativity among others.
In 2015 Plum released two CDs on the Bluegriffin label. Bela Bartok Works For Violin Volume 1 (BGR 373), is the first of a projected two CD set with her longtime duo partner Timothy Lovelace. Music for a New Century (BGR 371) features performances of two 21st-century concertos: Yaël, a violin concerto from composer Sidney Corbett in a live recording from its American premiere; and the Violin Concerto of Christopher Adler, which was commissioned by Plum. Whole Note Magazine wrote about this CD: "I can’t think of a better flag bearer than Sarah Plum who is quite brilliant here, or better performances or interpretations. This is an important addition to the contemporary violin concerto discography."
Recent concerts include appearances with 5th House Ensemble at Kalamazoo's Festival of Sacred Music, the Harris Center in Folsom, California and the King Auditorium in Denver as well as their premiere of Daron Hagen’s Opera Orson Rehearsed, at the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago. In November she was a featured guest at the 3rd Practice Festival in Richmond Virginia where she performed music of Eric Moe, Joo Won Park, and Ben Broening.
https://www.sarahplum.com/About Michi Sugiura, violin
Michi Sugiura has received prizes at the Queen Elisabeth, Menuhin, Carl Flesch, Montreal, and Japan International Violin Competitions. Her engagements have included concerts with orchestras such as the BRT (Belgian Radio-Television) Philharmonic Orchestra (Brussels), Knoxville Chamber Orchestra (USA), Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinu (Czech Republic), Gunma Symphony Orchestra (Japan), and recitals in Japan, Washington, and Brussels.
As part of the Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music at the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival (Maine, USA), Michi Sugiura performed the Corigliano Sonata with famed composer John Corigliano present. The performance was received with high acclaim from composer and audience alike. Other chamber concerts during the summer festival included collaboration with Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, and Charles Neidich.
As winner of competitions in the U.S., Michi Sugiura has performed with orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra (Academy of Music), National Symphony Orchestra (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Born in Washington D.C., Michi Sugiura was invited, at the age of 16, to attend the Curtis Institute of Music by renowned pedagogue Ivan Galamian. Upon graduation, she continued her studies at the Indiana University of Music. Starting with the tutelage of Berl Senofsky, her teachers include Ivan Galamian, Arnold Steinhardt (Guarneri Quartet), Yumi Ninomiya Scott, Miriam Fried, Franco Gulli, and Toshiya Eto.
While residing in Indiana, Michi Sugiura joined the Whitney Piano Trio. Their concerts led to performances on the Phillips Collection and the National Gallery of Art Concert Series in Washington D.C., both of which were heard on radio broadcasts. The piano trio received government grants for an educational/concert series serving schools and communities in the Indiana and Kentucky area. Michi Sugiura held the position of Visiting Associate Professor at the Indiana University of Music. She currently serves on the jury of the prestigious Japan National Music Competition for Students.