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Connecting Chords Music Festival: The Bernard Rands Effect

  • Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy Street Kalamazoo, MI, 49006 United States (map)
 

Chicago is lucky to call the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Bernard Rands one of its own, and we are tenacious in our admiration for his artistry and ingenuity. So when the Chicago Composers’ Consortium approached us about a celebration of – and tribute to – his music, we eagerly jumped on board. But the real coup is that the creatives behind C3 are writing us 8 brand-new works, all inspired by – or actively mining – elements of Bernard’s new quartet.

Bernard’s music is utterly gratifying on an experiential level. But like touring a Frank Lloyd Wright home, digging into the details and the craft only gets more delicious the deeper one goes. What is so intriguing about this particular event is that, with each premiere activated by Bernard’s unique voice, the listening experience will be something akin to viewing a Brancusi from eight different vantage points. What of Bernard’s creativity does Lawrence Axelrod, Kyong Mee Choi, Timothy Dwight Edwards, Kathleen Cecilia Ginther, Martha C. Horst, Timothy Ernest Johnson, Laura Schwendinger, and Elizabeth Start consider the most inspiring? We’re as eager to find out as you


This commission of a new quartet by Bernard Rands is made possible through the generosity of Spektral friend, mentor, and all-around shining light of a human being, John Bierbusse.


PROGRAM

String Quartet Music – Bernard Rands
Falling Leaves – Kyong Mee Choi
Rabbit Hole – Martha C. Horst
quartetto in ombra – Kathleen Cecilia Ginther
with Pause for Reflection – Timothy Dwight Edwards
For the Love of Home – Timothy Ernest Johnson
Conclusions – Elizabeth Start
Meditation on a theme of Bernard Rands – Lawrence Axelrod
una breve canzone senza parole – Laura Schwendinger


VENUE COVID GUIDELINES

  • – Audience members are REQUIRED to wear masks over the nose and mouth AT ALL TIMES. Proof of vaccination required for admittance.

    – Auditorium spaces are limited to 70% CAPACITY.

    – We use GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING. Please distance to the extent possible. Fill the upper part of the auditorium first, using the seats closest to the stage only if necessary.

    – ALL PERFORMERS ARE VACCINATED. Some performers at this concert may be without a mask; if so, they have tested negative for COVID within 72 hours.


Spektral Quartet’s programming is supported by our members, our donors, and by the following foundations and organizations: