Southern Theater Co-Presents String Theory Music Festival, 4/14-17

The Southern Theater will co-present the String Theory Music Festival, showcasing the work of national and regional composers and musicians, at six Twin Cities venues April 14-17, 2011. The festival is a joint project of the Southern, McNally Smith College of Music, New Amsterdam Records, History Theatre, Minnesota Public Radio, Invisible Button Entertainment and the Walker Art Center.

Designed to engage music novices and aficionados alike, the festival will shine a celebratory spotlight on the role of bowed-string instruments as a focal point and compositional centerpiece within modern popular, indie/alternative, new music and classical ensembles.

The four-day event will include seven public concerts, a youth recital, workshops and master classes.

The festival will open at two Minneapolis venues on Thursday, April 14, when Missy Mazzoli and Nadia Sirota present three, 20-minute sets in the Walker Art Center's Gallery 2, an event that is part of the new "Sound Horizon" series at Walker Free Thursdays.

Across town at the Southern on the same evening, Chris Koza and Adam Levy will host the third installment of the Southern's 2010/11 Southern Songbook series. Guest musicians for "The Rites of String: Intersection of song, songwriter and strings" will include Dessa, Mississippi Peace, Martin Devaney, Eliza Blue, Chan Poling, StarDweller, Molly Dean, The Laurels String Quartet, music director DeVon Gray (dVRG), and instrumentalists of Heiruspecs as house band.

Moving to St. Paul on Friday evening, April 15, a triple bill at the History Theatre will feature Owen Pallett, Nat Baldwin (Dirty Projectors), and yMusic string players performing their own material with new arrangements by yMusic's Rob Moose. This unique roster and concert-scenario is designed expressly for the String Theory Music Festival by the artists and Southern Theater music curator Kate Nordstrum.

Late-night sets at the Artists' Quarter (located in the historic Hamm Building, downtown St. Paul) will feature Twin Cities based ensembles Orange Mighty Trio (10:30pm) and Felix (midnight).

Events on Saturday, April 16 get underway with a 2pm performance at the McNally Smith Recital Hall by winners of the Eclectic Strings Competition in three age categories, sponsored by the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teachers Association.

Action then shifts across the street to Minnesota Public Radio's UBS Forum for a 5pm concert showcasing compositions and performances by artists of New Amsterdam Records, hosted by Classical MPR program director Daniel Gilliam. Members of ACME and yMusic will present a selection of Minnesota premieres by Nico Muhly, William Brittelle, Caleb Burhans, Judd Greenstein, and Sarah Kirkland Snider, plus the world premiere of newly expanded arrangements by Rob Moose of his own solo works.

Following a post-performance reception at MPR, the focus will return to the History Theatre and an 8pm string sampler performance by Tom Hagerman of Devotchka (with full band), Anni Rossi (trio), Robert Black of Bang on a Can All-Stars (world premiere by Mary Ellen Childs), and Mississippi Peace (Twin Cities-based Christopher Cunningham, Melissa Matthews, Michelle Kinney, Graham O'Brien, Gregory Reese and Nicholas Gaudette). Each ensemble will present approximately 25 minutes of material.

The festival's sixth and final performance, Sunday, April 17, will feature the split bill of two of today's most highly praised classical ensembles, JACK Quartet and Victoire, beginning at 7pm at the History Theatre.

A variety of workshops and master classes throughout the festival will be coordinated by Christopher Cunningham, head of the songwriting and composition department at McNally Smith.

The String Theory Music Festival is the brainchild of Nordstrum and Cunningham, with planning and resource assistance from Judd Greenstein, a founder of New Amsterdam Records.

Nordstrum took the lead in assembling the roster and pairings of musicians and featured-composers from the classical and contemporary music worlds. "This is an opportunity for classical and non-classical music lovers to converge, listen, and learn," said Nordstrum. "My hope is that attendees will take a chance on music that is new to them."

"While the sight of a stage full of violins, violas, cellos, and basses is five or six centuries old," said Cunningham, "recent years have seen increased visibility of these instruments in popular music. And the use of computers, controllers, software, and Artificial Intelligence in general have pushed even further the boundaries of what is musically possible."

Financial and tactical support for the String Theory Music Festival has been provided by McNally Smith College of Music.

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