Soprano Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, known for her “inexhaustible palette" (Chicago Classical Review), is an experimental singer and indie classical music curator based in Omaha, Nebraska. For her 2015 Resonant Bodies Festival set, she is performing with Jesse Langen, celebrated guitarist of Ensemble Dal Niente.
This duo program centers around world premieres by Morgan Krauss, Jonn Sokol, Max Grafe, and Ray Evanoff, whose work, while aesthetically divergent, presents a similar conceptual challenge to the interpreters: how does the hyper-restrained and athletic physicality of their technique intersect with individualism, personality, emotion, and communication. Evanoff’s vigorous pointillism layered with acoustic disturbances creates conflicting realities for the performer, while Krauss’s disintegrating recurrences hint toward the elusive (and fragile) ideal. These pieces will be presented with works commissioned, composed, and improvised by Langen/DeBoer.
Everything is Personal (2015, World Premiere) - Ray Evanoff (b. 1984)
mars one (2015, World Premiere) - Max Grafe (b. 1988)
Basic Lands (2015, World Premiere) - Jonathan Sokol
presence of slumber (2015, World Premiere) - Morgan Krauss (b. 1985) with Jesse Langen, guitars
Described by the New York Times as “an indie pop diva with an avant-garde edge,” composer/performer Du Yun's music exists at an artistic crossroads of orchestral, chamber music, theatre, opera, orchestral, cabaret, storytelling, pop music, visual arts and noise. Her RBF '15 set features new compositions for her band Ok Miss (Pat Swoboda, double bass; David Cossin, percussion) with Du Yun as vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist and performance artist.
Church of an immaculate, useless body
The Man who Swallows the Snake
Remains of the temple of Sun
Brick J, from the opera Angel’s Bone
Hail to the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, joined by vocalist Nick Farrell
Chicago-based Australian soprano Jessica Aszodi, praised as “vivid" (New York Times) and “beautiful and dramatically controlled" (The Australian), has performed with ICE (international contemporary ensemble), the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Victorian Opera, Wild Up, the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra, Eighth Blackbird, Bang on a Can, and in Los Angeles Philharmonic's Green Umbrella series. She has been featured in festivals around the world including the Aldeburgh Festival (UK), Darmstadt (Germany), Melbourne International Arts Festival, Vivid Sydney Festival (Australia) and Tanglewood Festival (USA).
Aszodi’s 2015 Resonant Bodies Festival set will consist of theatrical pieces for solo voice with and without electronics, including world premiere pieces by Jenna Lyle and Natasha Anderson. Lyle’s work pushes theatrical and physical buttons with a witty blade. Anderson’s work plunges headlong into complex philosophical arguments of sonic life and subjectivity.
Grafting (2015, World Premiere) - Jenna Lyle (b. 1984)
De-suture (2015, World Premiere) - Natasha Anderson (b. 1968)
Solo, from 15 texts for speaking voice (1987) - John Holland (b. 1944) with Jenna Lyle, voice and electronics.
