Southern Exposure
New Music Series

PAST SEASONS

The 2010-11 Season

 

Now Ensemble Saturday, September 25, 2010 Winner of the Chamber Music America / ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, the Southern Exposure New Music Series kicks off its 2010-2011 season with a performance by the acclaimed NOW Ensemble. Hailed by Newsweek Magazine for "striking a balance between the old and the new [that] has rarely sounded this good," NOW features a unique instrumentation of flute, clarinet, electric guitar,

double bass, and piano that brings a fresh, exciting sound to the classical tradition. The ensemble's performers are each virtuoso players with distinguished solo careers, and have given recitals in Carnegie Hall, been members of world-class orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, and have appeared onstage and on recordings with indie rockers like Sufjan Stevens, The National, and Bright Black Morning Light. NOW's Southern Exposure performance includes works by composers Mark Dancigers, Patrick Burke, Alexandra Gardner, and Judd Greenstein, as well as selections from the brilliant multi-media chamber opera, "The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt," conceived by composer Missy Mazzoli and filmmaker Stephen Taylor, with vocals by mezzo-soprano Abigail Fischer. At the work's preview in 2009, the New York Times said "A boisterous crowd filled the space to capacity. The buzz was understandable . . . [It's] a haunting multimedia concert piece . . . [with] melodic lines that slowly stretched and curled over melancholy harmonies and fidgety rhythms, or wafted, ghostlike, within cistern-resonant electronic passages." This is a concert you won't want to miss! So mark your calendars NOW, and please join us for the beginning of a brand new Southern Exposure season.

Matt Haimovitz and Geoffrey Burleson Saturday, November 20, 2010 Southern Exposure New Music Series is honored to present a concert by world renowned cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Geoffrey Burleson. Known as a musical pioneer and one of the world's greatest living cellists, Haimovitz is acclaimed for his visionary approach, groundbreaking collaborations, and innovative recording projects, which he combines with a tireless touring schedule and with mentoring an award-winning studio at McGill University in Montreal. Haimovitz made his debut

in 1984, at the age of 13, as soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic. At 17 he made his first recording with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for Deutsche Grammophon. He has since gone on to perform on the world's most esteemed stages, with such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Haimovitz made his Carnegie Hall debut when he substituted for his teacher, the legendary Leonard Rose, in Schubert's String Quintet in C, alongside Isaac Stern, Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas Zukerman and Mstislav Rostropovich. The solo cello recital is a Haimovitz trademark, both inside and outside the concert hall. In 2000, he made waves with his Bach "Listening-Room" Tour, for which, to great acclaim, he took Bach's beloved cello suites out of the concert hall and into clubs across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Haimovitz's 50-state "Anthem" tour in 2003 celebrated living American composers, and featured his own arrangement of Jimi Hendrix's "Star-Spangled Banner." He was also the first classical artist to play at New York's infamous CBGB club, in a performance filmed by ABC News for "Nightline UpClose." In 2006, Haimovitz received the Concert Music Award from ASCAP for his advocacy of living composers and pioneering spirit, and in 2004, the American Music Center awarded Haimovitz the Trailblazer Award, for his far-reaching contributions to American music. Together with critically acclaimed pianist Geoffrey Burleson, who the Boston Globe hailed as "a remarkable pianist" and a "first-class instrumental presence," this Southern Exposure concert will feature masterpieces of contemporary cello music, including works by Claude Vivier, Brian Cherney, Salvatore Sciarrino, Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, David Sanford, and Elliott Carter.

The Music Of Igor Stravinsky Friday, February 7, 2011 Chamber Innovista and Southern Exposure join forces to present masterworks by the great Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, in an incredible evening of music, theater, and dance. Featuring the talents of faculty members and students from USC’s School of Music as well as the Department of Theatre and Dance, the concert focuses on several of Stravinsky’s most beloved works. We’ll begin with the brief “Fanfare for a New Theater,” performed by James Ackley and Stephen Rushing, trumpets, followed by excerpts from Stravinsky’s ballet “Petrushka” in an

arrangement for two pianos by the composer, performed by pianists Marina Lomazov and Joseph Rackers. Stravinsky’s neoclassic “Octet” ends the first half, with Jennifer Parker-Harley, flute; Joseph Eller, clarinet; Peter Kolkay and Michael Harley, bassoons; James Ackley and Stephen Rushing, trumpets; Brad Edwards and Colt Campbell, trombones; conducted by Rebecca Phillips. After intermission, we’ll conclude the concert with a semi-staged version of Stravinsky’s masterpiece “A Soldier’s Tale,” performed by William Terwilliger, violin; Joseph Eller, clarinet; Peter Kolkay, bassoon; James Ackley, trumpet; Brad Edwards, trombone; Craig Butterfield, double bass; Scott Herring, percussion; conducted by Rebecca Phillips; with special guest artists Jacob Will as The Narrator, Victor Holtcamp as The Soldier, Robert Richmond as The Devil, and Ashley Johannsen as The Princess.

Jack Quartet Friday, April 15, 2011 The Southern Exposure New Music Series finishes its 2010-2011 season in grand style with a performance by the incredible JACK Quartet, hailed by the New York Times for performances that are "brilliant...viscerally exciting...

[and] a tour de force of intensity and color," and by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "perhaps the single most intrepidly experimental quartet on the horizon...among the most stimulating new-music concerts of my experience. "The quartet's recording of composer Iannis Xenakis's complete string quartets was included in the "Best of 2009" lists by the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, New Yorker Magazine, and National Public Radio. And their Southern Exposure performance features not only Xenakis's masterpiece "Tetras," but new works by Julia Wolfe, Caleb Burhans, and Hannah Lash, as well as an arrangement of Renaissance composer Don Carlo Gesualdo's "Love Lost and Found," performed in its original tuning.

The 2009-10 Season

Real Quiet Friday, October 2, 2009 An ensemble dedicated to hard-edged acoustic and electric music that often blurs the borders between classical, pop, and alternative genres, Real Quiet is percussionist David Cossin, cellist Felix Fan, and pianist Andrew Russo. The program features the music of guest composer Marc Mellits,
as well as works by Annie Gosfield, Phil Kline, and Lou Harrison. See also: Columbia Free Times Real Quiet will read compositions by USC student composers Thursday, October 1, from 7 - 9 p.m. in R011, and Marc Mellits will give a public talk at the USC School of Music (R210) Friday, October 2, 2:30-4 p.m.

Wu Man, pipa virtuoso Friday, November 13, 2009 World renowned pipa virtuoso Wu Man performs works from the traditional pipa repertoire, as well as contemporary works by herself and composers from China and Kyrgyzstan. See also: Columbia Free Times and USC Times (pdf)
Wu Man will give a public talk in the USC School of Music Recital Hall Wednesday, November 11, 2009. This event is sponsored by the Carolina Institute for Leadership and Engagement in Music.

 

Los Angeles Piano Quartet with special guest composer Steven Stucky Friday, April 16, 2010 The Los Angeles Piano Quartet presents an evening of contemporary music featuring the music of special guest composer Steven Stucky, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Second Concerto for Orchestra. Steven Stuckey will give a public talk at the USC School of Music (R210), Friday, April 16, 2:30-4 p.m.

 

The 2008-09 Season

International Contemporary Ensemble Saturday, October 4, 2008 "The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) performs landmark works of the previous century, including John Cage’s 'Credo in US,' a wild sonic ride for percussion, electric buzzers, and FM radio; George Crumb’s lyrical 'Vox Balaenae' (“Voice of the Whale”); and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ theatrical masterpiece, 'Eight Songs for a Mad King,' complete with video projections." (USC Times)

ICE will give a public talk on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2:00 p.m. at the USC School of Music (R210) and ICE will read works by student composers from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in R011.

Phillip Bush, pianist Wednesday, December 3, 2008 Internationally renowned pianist Phillip Bush gives a solo recital featuring music by Luciano Berio, Kenneth Frazelle, Philip Glass, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Olivier Messiaen, Toru Takemitsu, and John Zorn. See also: USC Times ~ Columbia Free Times

Music from Copland House Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Music from Copland House features clarinetist Dereck Bermel, pianist Michael Boriskin, cellist Wilhelmina Smith, and guest violinist Adela Pena perfoming Copland's “Two Pieces" for violin and piano,” Sebastian Currier's "Verge," Derek Bermel's "SchiZm" for clarinet and piano and "Thracian Sketches" for solo clarinet, and works by Pierre Jalbert and John Mackey. See also: USC Times

Composer Derek Bermel will give a public pre-concert talk at the USC School of Music (R210), 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The 2007-2008 Season

Amernet String Quartet Saturday, September 29, 2007 Amernet String Quartet from Miami, featuring USC School of Music faculty member Peter Kolkay, bassoon, in works by Bartok, Carter, Hoffman, and Platt. In attendance will be guest composers Joel Hoffman and Russell Platt.
Platt will give a public talk Friday, Sept. 28, 2:30 p.m., USC School of Music, R210. Hoffman will give a public talk Saturday, Sept. 29, 3:00 p.m., USC School of Music, R210.

Music from Russia Monday, November 12, 2007 Featuring USC School of Music faculty and guests from the Charleston Symphony, in works by Schnittke, Gubaidulina, Shchedrin, and a world premiere by
USC composer and Southern Exposure artistic director John Fitz Rogers.

The Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht
Saturday-Sunday, February 9-10, 2008

USC Opera, under the direction of Ellen Douglas Schlaefer, and Southern Exposure, under the direction of John Fitz Rogers present The Threepenny Opera, a revolutionary work of musical theatre adapted from an 18th century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann.

Gamelan Galak Tika
Saturday, March 29, 2008

Gamelan Galak Tika is a Balinese percussion orchestra based in Boston, under the direction of Evan Ziporyn. Jointly sponsored by Southern Exposure, the Walker Institute at USC, and the Arts Institute at USC, as part of Asian Arts Week.

Ziporyn will give a public talk Friday, March 28, 2:30 p.m., USC School of Music, R210.

Lecture/Workshop with gamelan and legendary Balinese dancer and scholar I Made Bandem Saturday, March 29, 1:00-2:30 p.m., USC School of Music, R206.

 

The 2006-2007 Season

So Percussion Thursday, April 5, 2007 The New York-based quartet So Percussion first electrified Columbia audiences in 2004 with their energy and jaw-dropping precision.

Since then, their concerts and recordings have been praised by The New York Times as "brilliant" and by Billboard Magazine as "astonishing." Now the group is back to perform in the final 2006-07 concert of the Southern Exposure New Music Series. This year, So Percussion will be in residence at the School of Music for nearly a week, coaching, rehearsing, and performing together with the USC Percussion Ensemble under the direction of assistant professor of percussion Scott Herring. The two ensembles will combine to perform Drumming, Steve Reich's rarely heard 75-minute masterpiece from 1971.

Exposed Wiring III Thursday, February 1, 2007 Composer Paul Lansky and Seattle-based guitarist Michael Nicolella will be our guests for an exciting evening of music for solo classical and electric guitars, electronics, multimedia, and more.
Works by Lansky will include his Bang on a Can arrangement of A is For, Dancetracks for electric guitar and tape, selections from Semi-Suite for solo guitar, and a new composition for solo laptop. Works by Reginald Bain, Jimi Hendrix, Dennis Miller, and Michael Nicollela will also be featured. Lansky will give a public talk Friday, Feb. 2, 2:30 p.m., USC School of Music, R210.

 

New Century Saxophone Quartet November 11, 2006 The New Century Saxophone Quartet, well known for its dynamic and versatile style of performance, is internationally renowned, having played in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the White House and major music halls throughout Europe. It is the first ensemble of its kind to win First Prize of the Concert Artists Guild Competition. Highlights will include the premiere of Revolutionary Etudes, written by composer David Lang and co-commissioned by Southern Exposure, and the American premiere of Dutch composer Jacob ter Veldhuis's Heartbreakers, a multi-media arrangement for saxophone quartet that uses

both text and audio from various talk shows combined with DVD projections. In addition to the premieres, the New Century Saxophone Quartet will perform selections from J.S. Bach's "Art of the Fugue," as well as works composed for the quartet by Ben Johnston and the School of Music's own John Fitz Rogers. Ter Veldhuis will give a public talk Friday, Nov. 10, 2:30 p.m., USC School of Music, R210.

 

New York Lyric Chamber Players October 7, 2006 The New York Lyric Chamber Players are known for their virtuosity and dynamic style. Fanfare Magazine describes the young ensemble as "vigorous, searing with intensity, and meticulously accurate."
The concert will feature French composer Olivier Messiaen's masterpiece, Quartet for the End of Time. Messiaen wrote the composition in 1940 as a prisoner of war in a Nazi camp, and it premiered a year later before 5,000 of his fellow prisoners. The program also will feature a recent work by American composer Peter Schickele, who is sometimes known as P.D.Q. Bach.

The 2005-2006 Season