The Yarn/Wire chamber ensemble will be traveling from New York to perform at Southeastern as part of their tour of the South.
The performance will take place Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Pottle Auditorium.
“Yarn/Wire is a chamber music ensemble based in New York and specializes in the performance of contemporary art music,” said Dr. Philip Schuessler, instructor of theory and composition. “Specifically, the ensemble, which was founded in 2005, commissions composers to write new works for their distinct instrumentation of percussion and piano quartet. Students should expect to hear a wide range of musical styles and performance techniques for these instruments. The two piano-two percussion instrumentation offers a variety of possibilities for interesting color and rhythmic combinations. Much of the music the students will hear is virtuosic and demanding to play.”
Schuessler, who has a personal connection with the members of Yarn/Wire, invited the ensemble to perform at Southeastern with hopes that students will benefit from the group’s far-extending talents in contemporary music.
“I have been friends with the members of Yarn/Wire for many years and have been captivated by the music they play,” said Schuessler. “I want this group to come to Southeastern to give students, both music majors and non-music majors alike, the opportunity to hear and see professional and passionate musicians at work. The Fine and Performing Arts Department provides opportunities such as this one for audiences to hear what is going on in contemporary music both from here and from around the country and world.”
Students can expect a varied range of music from the performance. The ensemble will perform both classical works and unique pieces designed specifically for the group.
“Some of the music is tonal, with melodies and harmonies that you can sing, and some of the music is atonal, dissonant and somewhat harsh upon first listen,” said Schuessler. “Even though these pieces are very different from most music you may hear on a classical music radio station, all of the music they play is in the tradition of formal chamber music that was handed down to us today by such composers as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner and Debussy. Two of the works on the program, my piece entitled ‘Particle Fountain’ and a piece by New York composer Daniel Koontz entitled ‘Flywheel,’ were written specifically for Yarn/Wire.”
For more information on Yarn/Wire, students may go to the ensemble’s website at yarnwire.org.