Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble to Perform Texas Debut of Russell Pinkston's OFF LEASH

Austin - Texas Performing Arts presents the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) performing a program that includes the Texas premiere of Off Leash, a new piece by Butler School of Music Professor of Composition and Director of Electronic Studies Russell Pinkston, on September 9, 2016. Off Leash was commissioned by Texas Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Austin for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and The University of Texas New Music Ensemble.

Founded in 1976 by composer David Stock, PNME presents compelling performances of contemporary music through world-class performances, commissions, and premieres of new work in a variety of media. PNME creates thematic unity and theatrical continuity similar to that of drama or film, often incorporating elements such as video, projected images, and spoken word to enhance the performance.

Since its inception, PNME has commissioned and premiered almost 300 works by composers including John Cage, Ellen Taafe Zwilich, Michael Daugherty, Davis Lang, Derek Bermel, Pierre Jalbert, and Kevin Puts. In 2001, Artistic Director Kevin Noe experimented with incorporating the drama, lighting, sound, and stage design of theatre into PNME's concerts. Since then, PNME's Pittsburgh audience has grown over 600%, and the wildly successful experiment continues as a fully realized performance style dubbed "Theatre of Music."

Russell Pinkston's Off Leash is inspired by his own experiences as a lifelong dog lover and observer.

"When writing these pieces, I wanted to capture a few classic dog behaviors, as well as some memories I have of specific dogs I have known - their unique personalities, the arcs of their lives from beginning to end, and some of the feelings I have had while sharing all that with them," says Pinkston. "I hope this music will evoke similar images and memories in the minds of other dog lovers, and remind them of the many great joys of sharing life with dogs."

In addition to $10 tickets for primary, secondary, and college students, Texas Performing Arts is now offering a limited number of $12 tickets to active and retired military personnel for all 2016-2017 Essential Series performances (excludes Broadway and special engagements). A military ID is required. For a schedule of upcoming 2016-2017 season performances, visit www.TexasPerformingArts.org.

For more information on this performance, go to texasperformingarts.org/season/pittsburgh-new-music-ensemble-mccullough-theatre-2016.

IF YOU GO:

TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS

ESSENTIAL SERIES

PRESENTS

PITTSBURGH NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE

KEVIN NOE, EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Lindsey Goodman, flute - Eric Jacobs, clarinet

Timothy Jones, bass-baritone - Lindsay Kesselman, soprano

Norbert Lewandowski, cello - Nathalie Shaw, violin

Ian Rosenbaum, percussion

FEATURING THE TEXAS PREMIERE

OF A NEW WORK BY

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS COMPOSER RUSSELL PINKSTON

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016, 8:00 PM

AT McCULLOUGH THEATRE

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Presented in Partnership with the College of Fine Arts Visiting Artists Chair, Butler School of Music, and KMFA-FM

PROGRAM:

In at the Eye Kevin Puts (1972

Table Music Thierry De Mey (1956)

No one to Know one Andy Akiho (1979)

Deciduous Andy Akiho (1979)

Off Leash Russell Pinkston (1949)

I. Little Dog

II. On the Trail

III. Home Alone

IV. Eddie and Thelma

V. Sleeping Dogs

VI. At the Beach

VII. Old Friend

VIII. Letting Go

IX. Remembering