Program
Apr 28, 2015
AACM @ 50: S.E.M. Ensemble with Ostravská banda

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) with Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis, Henry Threadgill, Ostravská banda & S.E.M. Ensemble, Petr Kotík, conductor.
50th ANNIVERSARY OF ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF CREATIVE MUSICIANS
April 28, 2015: S.E.M. Ensemble with Ostravská banda
April 29, 2015: The Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble
with soloists:
Roscoe Mitchell, Saxophones, Flute
Muhal Richard Abrams, Piano
George Lewis, Trombone and Electronics
Thomas Buckner, Baritone
Petr Kotik, Conductor
The grand finale of the celebration of the AACM’s 50th anniversary, presented by the S.E.M. Ensemble in partnership with the Interpretations series, features major works for symphony and chamber orchestra by composers associated with the AACM – Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis and Henry Threadgill – as well as works by John Cage, Christian Wolff and Petr Kotik. April 28 includes a duo by Mitchell and Lewis (Lewis’ Bound) and on April 29, a rare performance by the distinguished improvising trio of Abrams, Lewis, and Mitchell.
Originating on the South Side of Chicago in 1965 and very much active today, the AACM has garnered international recognition for the major role it has played in the history of American experimental music. Both concerts are co-produced by Ostrava Center for New Music and the Czech Center New York.
PROGRAM:
TUESDAY,
APRIL 28, 2015 @ 8 pm
The S.E.M.
Ensemble and Ostravská banda
Petr Kotik,
Conductor
Thomas
Buckner, Baritone
Roscoe
Mitchell, Saxophones, Flute
George
Lewis, Trombone and Electronics
BOUND
(2012) George Lewis
AND YET
(2001) Henry Threadgill
NINE +1
(2013) Petr Kotik
FIVE (1989)
John Cage
TRUST
(2012) Christian Wolff
WOULD YOU
WEAR MY EYES (2011) Roscoe Mitchell
(On a poem
by Bob Kaufman)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015 @ 8 pm
The
Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble
Petr Kotik,
Conductor
Thomas
Buckner, Baritone
The Trio:
Roscoe Mitchell,
Saxophones, Flute
George
Lewis, Trombone and Electronics
Muhal
Richard Abrams, Piano
Program:
Large
orchestral works
MERGERTONE
(2007) Muhal Richard Abrams
KINGMAKER
(2015) Roscoe Mitchell (World Premiere)
MEMEX
(2014) George Lewis
THE TRIO
Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis
CONCERT
III.
Admission:
Suggested Donation at door
For more
information, visit: www.semensemble.com
The two concerts highlight the collaboration that began 20 years ago between the AACM and the S.E.M. Ensemble, when the SEM Orchestra under Petr Kotik began performing works by members of the AACM’s New York chapter. This collaboration was further expanded at the Ostrava Days Festival, which featured works by composers Muhal Richard Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell. Abrams’ Mergertone for large orchestra was composed for and premiered at the 2007 Ostrava Days. George Lewis will be a resident composer at the Ostrava Days 2015. The programmatic combination of works by founding composers of Ostrava Days (Cage, Wolff, Kotik) and AACM composers (Abrams, Mitchell, Lewis, and Threadgill) underline the proximity of their musical ideas, characteristic of American experimental tradition.
The
international chamber orchestra Ostravská
banda consists of young musicians from Europe and U.S. Formed in
2005 by Petr Kotik, Ostravská banda started as the resident
large-scale ensemble for the Institute and Festival Ostrava Days.
Besides Petr Kotík, Ostravská banda has also worked with conductors Roland
Kluttig, Peter Rundel, Ondřej Vrabec, Barbara Kler, and Johannes Kalitzke.
Apart from regular performances at Ostrava Days festivals, Ostravská banda
has performed and toured at such venues as the Paris Conservatoire,
Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Akademie der Künste Berlin, Vredenburg
Music Centre, Musicadhoy series in Madrid, and Prague Spring festivals, to name
just a few. On March 2014, Ostravská banda was part of “Christian Wolff @
80 & Ostrava Days in New York“ events, which was chosen by ArtForum
International as one of 10 best musical events in 2014.
Hailed
by The New York Times as “the best of
what is left of the experimental tradition,” S.E.M. Ensemble was founded in 1970 when Petr Kotik gathered a
group of musicians from the fellows at the Center of the Creative and
Performing Arts, SUNY/Buffalo. Since then, S.E.M. Ensemble has established
itself as one of the most distinguished ensembles for new music in the U.S.,
maintaining a continuous schedule of concerts in New York, touring annually in
Europe, and also performing in South America and Japan. SEM has performed in
venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and Merkin
Hall. Recent recordings, all on the Dog w/a Bone label (New York), include
Morton Feldman’s For Philip Guston (4-CD
set), Petr Kotik’s Many Many Women
(3-CD set), Music by Marcel Duchamp
(1 CD) and Spoken Music —a live
performance recording with John Cage, Dick Higgins, Jackson Mac Low and others.
Recent recordings of The Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble are also available on
Asphodel Ltd. (San Francisco) and Wergo (Mainz).
Venue:
321 East 73rd Street
NY 10021
New York
United States
Date
Apr 28, 2015
Organizer:
Czech Center