On Saturday (June 1), the contemporary music ensemble wild Up returns to the Hammer Museum with the experimental opera company The Industry to present First Take: a West Coast Workshop of new operas-in-progress. wild Up’s 40 musicians perform works by three CalArts alumni as well as four other pieces, including an excerpt from a collaboration between legendary composer Pauline Oliveros and the poet Ione.
The free event features excerpts from composer Alex Vassos‘ (Music MFA 12) latest opera, The House is Open, as well as composer Ellen Reid (Music MFA 11) and writer Amanda Jane Shank‘s (Theater MFA 13) work, Winter’s Child. (Both operas originated as student projects at CalArts.) Also performing at the Hammer are several faculty and alumni musicians, including conductor and faculty member Marc Lowenstein. Video introductions preceding each piece will give the audience a taste of each creator’s process.
Below is the First Take schedule:
- 2-3 pm
Brother Brother – Aaron Siegel
The House is Open – Alexander Vassos - 3:15-4:15 pm
longitude – David Brynjar Franzson, Angela Rawlings
Winter’s Child – Ellen Reid, Amanda Jane Shank - 4:30-5:30 pm
Pierrot Lunaire – Mohammed Fairouz, Wayne Koestenbaum
The Nubian Word for Flowers – Pauline Oliveros, Ione
The performances will be recorded (audio and video) for streaming on a dedicated website hosted by The Industry; and the company is partnering with Beth Morrison Projects in New York City to select one work from First Take for further joint development.
Read more: Los Angeles Times Music Critic Mark Swed chose First Take as this week’s ‘Critic’s Pick‘