BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS JOIN
LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE AND
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR GRANT GERSHON
FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
JULIA WOLFE’S 2015 PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING ANTHRACITE FIELDS
FEATURING STUNNING MULTI-MEDIA BACKDROP
Sunday, March 6, 2016, 7:30 pm
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The acclaimed Bang on a Can All-Stars join the Los Angeles Master Chorale for the highly anticipated west coast premiere of Julia Wolfe’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning Anthracite Fields, on Sunday, March 6, 2016, 7:30 pm. Performed with a multimedia backdrop by celebrated visual artist and scenic designer Jeff Sugg, the text weaves together the oral histories, interviews, union speeches and even accident reports from the Pennsylvania mining region at the turn of the 19th century. Additionally, the program, entitled “Music of the Coal Miner” and led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon, includes selections from the Sacred Harp Anthology and spirituals of Appalachia.
Anthracite Fields, which also earned a 2016 Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, is named for anthracite, a much sought after, super-efficient, clean-burning coal that spurred the vast mining industry and fueled the American Industrial Revolution. Chronicling the harsh working conditions and perseverance of coal miners during this era, the oratorio for chorus and sextet premiered in 2014 in Philadelphia and was reprised at the New York Philharmonic’s Biennial Celebration to great critical acclaim.
Wolfe draws inspiration from folk, classical, and rock genres, bringing a modern sensibility to each while simultaneously tearing down the walls between them. Her music is distinguished by an intense physicality and a relentless power that pushes performers to extremes and demands attention from the audience. Recent projects include her evening-length Steel Hammer for the Bang on a Can All-Stars and singers, currently touring in an expanded theatrical form with director Anne Bogart and her SITI Company. In 2009 Wolfe joined the NYU Steinhardt School composition faculty. She is co-founder and co-artistic director of New York’s legendary music collective Bang on a Can. Her music is published by Red Poppy Music (ASCAP) and distributed worldwide by G. Schirmer, Inc.
Bang on a Can All-Stars are recognized worldwide for their ultra-dynamic live performances and recordings of today’s most innovative music. Freely crossing the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world and experimental music, the six-member amplified ensemble has consistently forged a distinct category-defying identity, taking music into uncharted territories. Performing each year throughout the U.S. and internationally, the All-Stars have worked in unprecedented close collaboration with such groundbreaking musicians as Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Tan Dun and many others. The group’s celebrated projects include its landmark recordings of Brian Eno’s ambient classic Music for Airports and Terry Riley’s In C.
Sugg, New York-based artist, designer and technical advisor, has collaborated on numerous Broadway productions as well as with such leading theatre companies as the Goodman, The Public Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, BAM’s Harvey Theater, Vineyard Theatre and Soho Rep. The award winning designer is also a co-founding member of the performance group Accinosco with Cynthia Hopkins and Jim Findlay.
Tickets range from $29 – $129. Group rates are available. For tickets and information, please call (213) 972-7282, or visit www.lamc.org. Tickets can also be purchased in person in advance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office (Mon-Sat, 10 am-6 pm) and at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office on concert days starting 2 hours prior to the performance. The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue at First Street in downtown Los Angeles.
EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:
WHAT:
Los Angeles Master Chorale
West Coast Premiere of Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields
Grant Gershon, conductor
32 Singers
Bang On A Can All-Stars
video projection
WHEN:
Sunday, March 6, 2016, 7:30 pm
(Listen Up! Pre-concert Talk, 6:30 pm)
WHERE:
Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
PROGRAM:
JULIA WOLFE Anthracite Fields
+ Selections from the Sacred Harp Anthology
+ American Spirituals
TICKETS/INFORMATION:
$29 – $129
213-972-7282
www.lamc.org
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02/16/16(b)
