June 1-15: World Premiere of COLOR THEORY, Saxophones & Percussion
PRISM, SŌ PERCUSSION and PARTCH (East Coast Debut)
Premiere and record new works written for them by STEVEN MACKEY, KEN UENO and STRATIS MINAKAKIS
For centuries, visual artists have used color theory to develop a body of knowledge about mixing pigments to create color combinations that provoke powerful emotional responses. PRISM’s COLOR THEORY project pioneers new possibilities of orchestration and musical color with first-time instrumental pairings that represent enormous unexplored potential.
From June 1–15, 2016, the PRISM Quartet will partner with the PARTCH Ensemble and Sō Percussion, and composers Ken Ueno, Steven Mackey, and Stratis Minakakis to create, present, and record a new body of music combining saxophones with a breathtaking range of percussion, including Harry Partch’s visually and sonically fantastic instruments. The project also features groundbreaking music by Donnacha Dennehy, Kati Agócs, Georg Friedrich Haas, Steve Lehman, Iannis Xenakis, Bryce Dessner, and Harry Partch.
Four concerts take place in two cities: Philadelphia (Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, co-presenter) and New York (Roulette, in the heart of downtown Brooklyn). COLOR THEORY includes 12 community outreach activities for all ages (elementary school to teens and adults), with a fascinating panoply of exploratory lectures, panel discussions, instrument-making workshops, drumming workshops, and composition classes. Partners include the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Curtis Institute of Music, and Nextfab.
COLOR THEORY will be broadcast by media partner WWFM and culminate in a recording of commissioned works for release on XAS Records (PRISM’S new label), distributed worldwide by NAXOS, with liner notes by WNYC’s John Schaefer.
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