| Fall 2003 Cultural Constructions Ensemble |
| Hanneke Cassel, Wu Man, David Maxwell, Andrew Neumann |
|
Monday/Tuesday, October 6th/7th, 2003 Following a successful first installment in May, Cultural Constructions 2, (CC2) the second of two musical events presented by the International Society and funded in part by the New England LEF Foundation, is a festival that presents and merges diverse musical cultures. It brings together four Boston-based musicians each known for their mastery of a culturally-specific musical tradition. Over a six-week period these musicians exchange ideas and combine vocabularies to create new compositions for this single, multi-cultural ensemble, culminating with a two-night performance of their work. The performances will take place on Monday and Tuesday, October 6 and 7 at 8 pm at the Tremont Theatre of the International Society, 276 Tremont Street, Boston (New England Medical Center stop on MBTA's Orange Line). Tickets are $10 general public; $8 students each night. For more information, contact (508) 655-7076 or www.internationalsociety.com. The performances are presented by the Tremont Music Series. CC2 features Scottish fiddler, Hanneke Cassel; Chinese pipa player, Wu Man; blues pianist, David Maxwell and Andrew Neuman on samples and electronic triggers. Each artist will perform an opening set representing their musical tradition, followed by the ensemble premiering their new works. 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion Ms. Hanneke Cassel, plays a mix of Scottish, Cape Breton, and Irish fiddling. Cassel performs with the Cathie Ryan Band, and has played with Cherish the Ladies, Alasdair Fraser,and Matt Glaser and the Wayfaring Strangers. An honored Berklee College of Music Graduate she has performed in the prestigious halls of Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, and Mountain Stage. An inheritress of the Pudong School of Pipa playing - one of the best known pipa schools in China - Ms. Wu Man has not only mastered the traditional pipa repertoire but has also been recognized internationally as a leading interpreter of contemporary pipa music. The diversity in her musical interests has led her to many stages and performances with such luminary artists as the Kronos Quartet, and Henry Threadgill. She has championed new works by composers such as Tan Dun, Bun-Ching Lam, Liu Sola, Zhou Long, Chen Yi and others. Best known for his soulful virtuosity and unmatched ability to reach the heart of post-war Chicago Blues, David Maxwell has gained the respect of artists, critics and fans and has established a reputation as one of the finest blues pianists alive. In the last decade, Maxwell has received over a half dozen WC Handy and Grammy nominations and a Grammy Award for recorded work. He has played with many of the greats including tours with Freddie King, Bonnie Raitt, James Cotton, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Rodgers, Charley Musselwhite, Johnny Adams and Ronnie Earl; and gigs with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Levon Helm, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lowell Fulsom, Junior Wells and many others. Renaissance man Andrew Neumann is a Boston-based artist working in a variety of media including electronic music, sculpture/installation, video and film. He has recently had one-person shows at Bitforms Gallery, NYC, the DeCordova Museum and the Brush Art Gallery. He has been an Artist in Residence at STEIM, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Yaddo. His CDs are released on Sublingual records. "Why I left the Surf... (for Concrete)" is due in November. The Tremont Music Series and Cultural Constructions 2 is curated by a diverse group of Boston-area composers and musicians, including Michael McLaughlin, Ellen Band, Tom Hall, Ken Field, and Jonathan LaMaster. |