Artist Spotlight: Annalisa Pappano

by Louisa Shepherd

If it ain’t Baroque, you’ll wish it was….

concert:nova and the award winning early music ensemble, The Catacoustic Consort, will be presenting their highly anticipated concert A Common Thread in less than two weeks! You may be asking yourself, “Early music? How can early music be innovative, fun, and entertaining?” And if you’re asking yourself these questions, you will no doubt find your answer when you come to see A Common Thread.

I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure of chatting with Annalisa Pappano, Founder and Artistic Director of Catacoustic Consort, over coffee and found the very answer to these questions. What makes early music fun and interesting to today’s concert goers? How can music written such a long time ago still be engaging?

“You have to do something to make the music relevant” says Pappano who fell in love with the viola de gamba as a youngster at Interlochen Fine Arts Camp. “Older music can be appreciated on so many different levels…for its initial beauty, for its artistic technique, its historical and political background, its symbolism…each layer you learn about brings another level of beauty.”

The musicians of Catacoustic make it a point to engage their audiences by teaching listeners about the music they will hear. I think this concert will be particularly accessible to concert-goers for that very reason. concert:nova and Catacoustic play very different genres of music, as you may well know. concert:nova is comprised of instruments that have a very full sound and were meant to fill concert halls, while Catacoustic’s instruments are much softer and were traditionally played in smaller, more intimate settings. “A Common Thread is all about juxtaposing contemporary and early music instruments,” says Pappano. “Learning how to juxtapose these two different sound worlds will be a fun and interesting experience…and our audiences are always looking for new, different experiences.”

This unconventional collaboration between new and old came about very naturally. “I’m good friends with Ixi Chen, founder and Artistic Director of concert:nova.” Annalisa says. “Our ensembles share many of the same audience members and supporters. Ixi and I even have babies who are the same age. We share a deep friendship and were actually sitting right here at Coffee Emporium when the idea for A Common Thread came to life. The whole thing just made sense.”

The “common thread” tying the two sound worlds together is provided by none other than William Shakespeare. “Shakespearean plays contain themes that are universal,” says Pappano. “They’re very easy to relate to.” In addition to works composed by Shakespeare’s contemporaries, A Common Thread will feature a dramatic one-woman interpretation of The Tempest performed by Jennifer Joplin of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

So why is Annalisa exited about A Common Thread? “I get to play the treble viol! I learned that instrument while studying at Interlochen and that experience made me fall in love with music. I felt as though I’d finally found my voice when learning to play these instruments and I’m excited to give that opportunity to the audience.”

A Common Thread will be presented in downtown Cincinnati’s Mercantile Library on March 17 and 18. To learn more about the show and for ticketing information visit cncatacoustic.eventbrite.com. As our good friend Shakespeare says “better three hours too soon than a minute too late.” Grab your ticket today!

Getting out of the Classical Music Business?

An article that resonates with concert:NOVA:

http://www.artsjournal.com/sandow/2012/11/getting-out-of-the-classical-music-biz.html

Art, Song, and Dance: a quintessential collaboration

By: Louisa Shepherd

What do a photograph, a dancer, and a xylophone have in common? They’re all essential elements of our upcoming show, The So-Called Laws of Nature, a collaborative concert presented alongside MamLuft&Co. Dance and the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Concert:nova is especially known for its great collaborations and we are excited to be working once again with the wonderful folks over at the Cincinnati Art Museum. “I’m looking forward to working with concert:nova,” says Liz Gardner, Assistant Director of Interpretive Programs at the Cincinnati Art Museum. “This is an exciting time for the Art Museum. It’s a true testament to what happens when you put creative minds from different disciplines in the same place.”

The So-Called Laws of Nature will be concert:nova’s third concert in partnership with The Cincinnati Art Museum and draws inspiration from Doug and Mike Starns’ “Gravity of Light” Exhibit on display at the Holy Cross –Immaculata Monastery in Mt. Adams. Light is a central theme to this exhibit. In fact the photos in the installation are illuminated by a carbon arc lamp that produces a light so bright that it is too intense for the human eye. “Visitors will have to wear goggles,” says Liz Gardner. “This exhibit presents light as a metaphor for spiritual illumination. Visitors are sure to get a full body sensory experience.”

“Our curator, James Crump, met the Starn brothers in Stockholm and in 2010 approached them with the idea to place an installation in the monastery,” she continues. “The Starns fell in love with the space. It’s abandoned, but it has been used for displaying art on a few occasions. It’s a very intriguing space,” says Liz.

When the dancers of MamLuft&Co. Dance, a professional modern dance company, visited “Gravity of Light” they were surprised to find that the themes of the exhibit resonate so strongly with their own art form. ” We liked the Starns’ idea that in order to know something you have to see it and touch it,” says Jeanne Mam-Luft, founder and Artistic Director of MamLuft&Co. Dance. “A lot of what we do is centered around communication through touch,” she continues, “the Starn brothers speak about light and dark as things you can almost touch. As dancers our bodies are tangible, but movement, like light, is intangible.”

So what should audiences look to gain from this collaboration of art, song, and dance? “I think people will be tempted to make literal connections,” explains Jeanne. “I would encourage them to look deeper and more abstractly between the visual, musical, and dance elements. Come in with a blank slate and soak it all in! Look for meaning, but even more importantly, just enjoy the experience,” says Jeanne, whose husband, Jeff Luft, will be performing in The So-Called Laws of Nature as a member of the concert:nova Percussion Quartet.

The So-Called Laws of Nature is fast approaching with our first of two performances less than a week away. Be sure to purchase your ticket today at cnpercussion.eventbrite.com. This show promises to be one of our greatest collaborations yet!

The Gravity of Light exhibition is sponsored jointly between the Cincinnati Art Museum and FOTOFOCUS. Visit cincinnatiart.org and fotofocuscincinnati.org for more exhibit info. To learn more about MamLuft&Co. Dance visit mamluftcodance.org

Artist Spotlight: Patrick Schleker

By Louisa Shepherd

Have you ever wondered how many flowerpots it would take to put on a percussion quartet concert? My guess is—probably not, but audiences at concert:nova’s upcoming concert, The So-Called Laws of Nature, are sure to find the answer to that question and much more.

This collaborative concert will feature the concert:nova percussion quartet and the fabulous dancers of MamLuft&Co. Dance. We’re also very excited to be performing with our long time partner, The Cincinnati Art Museum, who will be presenting the highly acclaimed “Gravity of Light” exhibit in conjunction with our concert.

Last week I had the great pleasure of speaking with our very own Patrick Schleker, one of four talented percussionists performing in The So-Called Laws of Nature. The piece, The So-Called Laws of Nature, after which the concert is named features a range of sound that is “quite different than what most people are used to,” says Schleker, who also performs as timpanist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. This particular piece involves all types of equipment from pipes, to toms, and yes it even involves performers playing on teacups and flowerpots!

“Audiences can expect to get a pretty non-traditional concert-going experience,” Patrick says. “From a musical standpoint, the sound palate will be very different. We chose a program that will be very engaging to listen to.”

“Percussion instruments are very good at creating textures and moods,” as is the case with David Lang’s The So Called-Laws of Nature, “but this won’t be just a concert full of texture.” Charles Griffin’s The Persistence of Past Chemistries has a tune and may be the closest to what people are used to as far as melody is concerned. Thierry de Mey’s Musique de Tables, programed on the second half of the concert, is written just for hands on tables. “This piece emphasizes the visual aspect of percussion,” Patrick notes, “A big component of what we do is visual.”

“In all, I’m really excited to play each of the pieces on the program. We ‘re all looking forward to this concert,” says Patrick in reference to his fellow quartet members, Erica Drake, Matt Hawkins, and Jeff Luft. “We’ve all worked together in different configurations since 2006, but never as a percussion quartet.” Patrick actually met his colleague Jeff Luft while studying for a Master’s degree in percussion performance. “I went to graduate school at Cleveland State and met Jeff in school. He went to Carnegie-Mellon which was sort of a sister school to us. I’ve known him ever since.”

Be sure to catch Patrick Schleker all the members of the concert:nova percussion quartet at the Cincinnati Art Museum December 2^nd and 4^th for The So-Called Laws of Nature. It’s sure to be a show you don’t want to miss. For more details about the Cincinnati Art Museum and the “Gravity of Light” exhibit visit www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

To purchase tickets to The So-Called Laws of Nature click HERE

The So-Called Laws of Nature

concert:nova presents

THE SO-CALLED LAWS OF NATURE

November 5, 2012 – CINCINNATI, OH — concert:nova, the city’s most innovative chamber music ensemble, continues its sixth season with two performances of The So-Called Laws of Nature featuring the concert:nova Percussion Quartet and MamLuft&Co. Dance on December 2^nd at 2pm and December 4^th at 7pm at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

The So-Called Laws of Nature will engage audiences with a sensational concert experience featuring movement, sight, and sound. The concepts of energy, light, and the dynamic relationship between opposites inspired the Starns Brother’s “Gravity of Light” Project presented this fall by the Cincinnati Art Museum and FotoFocus. Central to the exhibition are a bright arc lamp, mimicking the sun, and several monumental photographs; these serve as the subject for concert:nova’s program of modern percussion quartet works.

The “Gravity of Light” will be transformed into pulse, rhythm, and sound by the works of David Lang, Charles Griffin, and Paul Lanksy. MamLuft&Co. Dance will add the element of physical movement to segments of the program while percussionists Patrick Schleker, Erica Drake, Jeff Luft, and Matt Hawkins play with the laws of sound and motion to heat up the stage of the Cincinnati Art Museum auditorium.

The So-Called Laws of Nature’s Program includes Charles Griffin’s The Persistence of Past Chemistries, David Lang’s The So-Called Laws of Nature, Thierry de Mey’s Musique de Tables, Nebojsa Zivkovic’s Trio per Uno, and selections from Paul Lansky’s Threads.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Student tickets are available for $10 with student ID. Visit cnpercussion.eventbrite.com or call us at 513.739.NOVA for more details.

Cincinnati Art Museum members can purchase their tickets directly through Cincinnati Art Museum.

ABOUT CONCERT:NOVA

concert:nova is an exploratory chamber ensemble that performs traditional and contemporary classical music. Comprised of Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra musicians, the group breaks down barriers between audience and performers for a more intimate and engaging concert experience. Dedicated to inter-artistic exchange of ideas, c:n strives to give contemporary audiences new ways to appreciate classical music. Partnerships with dancers, actors and visual artists bring a unique dimension to performances, illustrating each musical work in a modern and powerful way.

concert:nova is the brainchild of Artistic & Managing Director Ixi Chen, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s second clarinet. Visit the concert:nova website for more information: www.concertnova.com

###

Insights with Isengart

By Louisa Shepherd

We’re just one short week away from our season opener at the historic Emery Theatre in Over-The-Rhine downtown. Putting Frankenstein!! together has been a huge undertaking and we’re very excited to see the final production. One of the highlights of the show will be having Daniel Isengart collaborate with our concert:nova musicians; it’s a show you do not want to miss!

Isengart, a German native and master of cabaret, describes his performances as a “mix of the vintage and the contemporary. “I make the past accessible, then modernize it,” he says.  His role in concert:nova’s presentation of HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!! is a bit unorthodox—it involves anywhere from speaking and whispering to exaggerated operatic singing and shrieking. “I’m the only vocal part in this piece,” says Isengart. “Right now I’m working on it in New York with a student from the Manhattan School of Music to help me learn the score.” This experience is unique in that it is a true collaboration between the ensemble musicians and the vocalist, or chansonnier. “It has its own special challenges because it’s so orchestral in nature which is also a great treat for me; cabaret singers rarely have the oportunity to sing with a large ensemble,” Isengart says.

Last week I got to chat with Daniel about music, performance, inspiration and everything in-between. He’s incredibly thoughtful and a joy to speak to. Seeing him perform live on stage will be a very special treat.

Q & A With Daniel Isengart

Q: What is cabaret? How would you compare it to chamber music?
A: Cabaret and chamber music have a lot of parallels—Cabaret is a bit like the bastard child of chamber music. It’s similar to chamber music in that it is presented in a very intimate setting. Cabaret originated in Europe as a way for artists to entertain each other. It has a critical edge, but it’s meant for entertainment at the same time. In America, cabaret is very much about a social experience and is characterized by interaction between the audience and the performer.

Q: In your early 20s you left Europe for New York. What drew you there?
A: I came to New York because I wanted a creative life. You make up your own rules in cabaret. I was drawn to that. New York is a city where you make your own rules and shape your own reality. I wanted to be surrounded by people from all of the different disciplines. I was very much drawn to American popular music and New York is the hub for the type of work that I do.

Q: What is your favorite style of music to perform?
A: In the end it’s all music. I just like good material. I look for material that is intelligent, creative, and calls for a personalized interpretation. Cabaret is all about the style of performance; you mold the song to yourself. You personalize it, you make it accessible, and you make it intimate.

Q: Have you ever performed Frankenstein!! before?
A: I’ve never performed Frankenstein before so this will be my premiere. I’m a little bit nervous but I’m excited and I’m also so happy to be performing in the Emery Theatre. I am always glad to hear when a theatre such as this is being restored. It’s a part of history and American culture. These revival efforts are so important and I am very happy to be a part of it.

Q: What is one of your most memorable collaborations?
A: I worked together with Edwin Outwater, Measha Brueggergosman and the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony in 2011 and it was incredible. I’m really looking forward to working with Edwin again on the Frankenstein!! project. Edwin has also conducted the piece with the composer, HK Gruber, in San Fansico. I’ve also collaborated with many of my cabaret peers in New York. Cabaret is always a collaboration. That’s when the sparks really happen.

Q: Who inspires you?
A: Anyone who is living creatively and applies themselves fully to what their task is; any one who lives passionately…and has a sense of humor–That’s who inspires me. These are the things that make an interesting life.

Q: What’s the most remarkable thing you’ve found about being a musician?
A: Definitely being able to be “inside” of music. Music is shaped time. When you’re in music, you’re actively shaping time. Time is functioning differently..it’s richer when you’re making music. Time ceases to exist because every moment is so powerful.

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of performing?
A: I like to read. I also like to cook; I enjoy entertaining guests and having people over to visit and have dinner. I have a partner who is a conceptual artist, so I also enjoy being involved in the world of contemporary art.

We’re so excited to welcome Daniel Isengart to Cincinnati for our upcoming shows of Frankenstein!!. “I’ve never been to Cincinnati but I hear great things about it,” he says.

Remember, concert:nova will be performing Frankenstein!! with Daniel Isengart onFriday Oct 19 and Sunday Oct 21 at the Emery Theatre! visit our website concertnova.com for more info and to purchase a ticket before it’s too late! And if you happen to find yourself craving a bit of cabaret at its finest, check out Daniel Isengart at 8pm on Saturday October 20 at The Incline Lounge at the Celestial (1071 Celestial Street Cincinnati, OH 45202) Click HERE for tickets.

For more information about Daniel Isengart visit www.isengart.info

concert:nova presents “FRANKENSTEIN!!”

by Louisa Shepherd

Fall is just around the corner and we are happy to announce the beginning of our sixth season! This year is going to be jam packed with great new music, fun collaborations and some pretty cool new venues. Our season opener features HK Gruber’s FRANKENSTEIN!! The concert is being held downtown at the Emery Theater on October 19 and 21. It’s a perfect way to get in the Halloween spirit!

Here are the details…

concert:nova, the city’s most innovative chamber music ensemble, opens its sixth season with two performances of HK Gruber’s FRANKENSTEIN!! on October 19 &21 at 8:00pm in Over-The-Rhine’s historic Emery Theater.

In 1978 H.K. Gruber achieved international fame in 1978 with FRANKENSTEIN!!, a twisted variation on children’s rhymes perfectly suited for the Halloween season. But this “pan-demonium” for chansonnier and chamber ensemble is anything but child’s play.

Concert:nova’s season opener will feature chansonnier Daniel Isengart, a German native and prolific master of the cabaret. His unorthodox narrative role involves speaking, whispering, exaggerated operatic singing and shrieking. He’s accompanied by the musicians of concert:nova performing on toy instruments, creating an alien world of sound. Cincinnati assemblage artist, Peter Haberkorn, created 36 original artworks to accompany the music and illuminate the score of FRANKENSTEIN!! Haberkorn is known for his three-dimensional collages made from found material and scavenged objects.

This highlight of Cincinnati’s fall arts season will take place at the historical and recently rediscovered Emery Theater. Plans for the theater’s revival are in the works and depend on the support of our city and arts organizations; in lighting up the theater, concert:nova hopes to bring awareness to the importance of restoring it.

Tickets for FRANKENSTEIN!! are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Student tickets are available for $10 with student ID. Click HERE to purchase a ticket or call us at 513.739.NOVA for more details.

Interested in a season subscription? Purchase a NOVA:PASS today! for more info on our upcoming season visit concertnova.com. We hope to see you soon!