2006-2007

2007 Essential Art: Essential Elements IV- Fire

Fulcrum Point – Chicago's most ambitious advocate of new music from around the world, continues its long-term exploration of the essential elements–water, earth, wind, and fire–as life-giving resources, life-changing forces and creative inspiration. We've quenched ourselves with water, dig into the earth, and inhaled fresh air during the past three years. This season we're playing with fire–warming to the blaze of passion, reaching a creative flashpoint, kindling a combustible blend of jazz and new art music.  So spark your senses. Bring more of what's essential to your life.

We're stoking the musical embers–including 11 pieces that have never been heard live in Chicago plus a multi-media world premiere–and sending up flares by musical icons and iconoclasts from around the world.

Season at Harris Theater for Music and Dance:


Other concerts:

August 20, 2006, 2:00 p.m.

Live with The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra

Ravinia

Artistic Director Stephen Burns will be conducting the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival.  The program will include works by Arturo Marquez, Astor Piazzolla, Manuel de Falla, Arriaga, Bizet, Rossini and Mozart.

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October 2, 2006, 7:00 p.m.

Fulcrum Point on Tour

The Student Center, Assumption College, Worcester, MA; Free concert!

Fulcrum Point will appear on tour at Assumption College performing a cabaret style show of Post-Minimalist, Funk-inspired new art music.

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October 9, 2006

Fulcrum Point on Tour

Bethel United Church of Christ, 315 East St. Charles Road, Elmhurst, IL; $20

Fulcrum Point will appear on tour at Bethel United Church of Christ performing works by Messaien, Bernstein and Gerswhin.

Telephone at Bethel United Church of Christ: (630) 279-4040

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October 28 2006, 4:00 p.m.

Picture Books Come to Life: Sadako

Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL
This is a free concert.

Family Concert as part of "Sonic Impact: Creating New Art Music in a Global Culture."  A co-production of New Music Chicago, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art and the Chicago Humanities Festival.

Enjoy a spectacular family concert featuring Fulcrum Point New Music Project led by Stephen Burns. The concert features composer Kevin James' world premiere musical adaptation of the illustrated book "Sadako" by Eleanor Coerr and Ed Young.

A Japanese legend holds that if a person who is ill makes 1000 paper cranes, the gods will grant that person’s wish to be well again. Based upon a real-life story, "Sadako" shows one girl’s courage in the face of personal struggle. Thousands of children all over the world have come to know about Sadako and her message of peace.

Special Guest: Indiana University School of Music Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Carmen Tellez, Dir.

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December 14, 2006, 7:30 p.m.

The 9th Annual Concert for Peace: Signals from Heaven

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL; $20

  • Signals from Heaven -- Toru Takemitsu
  • Hikari (Light) -- Sômei Satoh
  • Echo Canyon -- Karen Tanaka, Midwest Premiere
  • Sadako, Prayers for Peace -- Kevin James

Special Guests:
  • Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Contemporary Vocal Ensemble
  • Prof. Carmen Helena Téllez, Dir.
  • Vasiliki Tsousva, Asst. Dir.

Encore Performance after the sold-out premiere during Sonic Impact

Commissioned by the Chicago Children's Humanities Festival and the Virginia S. Gassel Family

"Based on the book by Eleanor Coerr and using the charming chalk illustrations by Ed Young (flashed on a screen behind the ensemble) the 45 minute cantata melds images, narration, and music by Kevin James to recount the poignant real-life story of Sadako Sasaki, a spirited young Japanese girl. Music, song, image, and spoken word form a seamless and deeply moving meditation. Unutterable sadness at last gives way to the hope that the warring nations will learn to make a better, safer world for their own Sadakos...With the threat of mass nuclear suicide again bullying its way to the center of the world stage, 'Sadako: Prayers for Peace' could not be more timely."
-- John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, 10/30/06

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January 30, 2007, 7:30 p.m.

Passion... Like A Raging Fire

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL; $20

Explore the flames of passion through works by Donatoni, Andriessen, Param Vir, Chen Yi and David Lang.

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March 13, 2007, 7:30 p.m.

Out Of The Ashes

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL; $20
Presented in partnership with The Nature Conservancy

Discover the restorative powers of fire in a World Premiere multi-media music/video work by Paul Oehlers and Stefan Masurek in addition to the dramatic music of Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Torke, and Kaija Saariaho.

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April 27, 2007, 9:00 p.m.

Cool, Hot and Burnin'

Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL
www.artchicago.com

New Art Music Inspired by Rock, Latin, Jazz, and World Music

  • Dead Elvis -- Michael Daugherty
  • Lewis Kirk, solo bassoon
  • Quemar las Naves -- Javier Alvarez
  • Hot -- Franco Donatoni
  • Jeremy Ruthrauff, solo saxophones
  • subZERO -- Daniel Schnyder
  • David Taylor, solo bass-trombone

Pop-Art brilliance and Darmstadt sophistication meet post-modern Latin Jazz in 4 Jaw-dropping virtuoso showpieces  by international superstars, performed by Fulcrum Point, Chicago’s “barrier-busting” leader of New Art Music.

This 75-minute Cabaret showcases the hottest New Art Music of the last 20 years. Inspired by Rock, Latin, Jazz, and World Music this music will transport you from Elvis’ Graceland to Castañeda’s Mexico, through European “imaginary jazz’ to the tribal sounds of Morocco.

Michael Daugherty is the Roy Lichtenstein of music. He writes diamantine New Art Music inspired by American Pop icons— Superman, Jackie O, Motown, J. Edgar Hoover, and, of course, The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis. ("Dead Elvis")

Javier Alvarez composes post-modernist deconstructed Salsa, Merengue, and Montuno—dark, funky and mesmerizing. ("Quemar Las Naves")

Franco Donatoni’s "Hot" is a classic modernist’s take on “imaginary Jazz” using Cool Jazz voicings and dark, Darmstadt chromaticism. ("Hot")

subZERO is an amalgam of Blues, Rock, and World Music created by Jazz saxophonist and composer Daniel Schnyder (pronounced SHNEEder) as a vehicle for the outrageous bass-trombone virtuoso David Taylor who has played with everyone from Gil Evans to Pierre Boulez, Duke Ellington and the Rolling Stones. ("subZERO")

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May 19, 2007, 10:00 a.m.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Convocation

Pritzker Pavillion, Millennium Park
Free and open to the public

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June 12, 2007, 5:00 p.m.

Neo-Romantic and Jazz-inspired New Art Music

St. James Episcopal Cathedral
Free and open to the public

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August 16, 2007, 7:30 p.m.

Reginald Robinson, Ragtime Pianist/Composer and MacArthur Fellow
With the Fulcrum Point New Ragtime Project, orchestrations by Stephen Burns

Pritzker Pavillion, Millennium Park

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