Fulcrum Point New Music Project 

Presents

Neuromaze: Joyful Sparks     

Music of Ginka Mizuki & Gene Pritsker

Guest Artist: Michiyo Suzuki, clarinet 

Neuromaze                                                      
Ginka Mizuki 

Off the chart                                                      
Ginka Mizuki

Aconnesco                                                      
Ginka Mizuki

Be Formless, Shapeless, Like Water                    
Gene Pritsker 

Chicken & Noodle                                          
Ginka Mizuki
Rika Seko, violin   Michiyo Suzuki, clarinet

Balkan Beetle Dakosa                                         
Ginka Mizuki

Kostabi Melody Variation II                                
Gene Pritsker

Whitish Gecko: Kostabi Melody Remix              
Ginka Mizuki 

 ARTISTS

Stephen Burns, trumpet/flugelhorn

Michiyo Suzuki, clarinet 

Steve Roberts, electric guitar

Kyle Flens, percussion

Rika Seko, violin

Christian Dillingham, electric bass

At the fulcrum point between composition and improvisation, this concert features music by New York iconoclasts Ginka Mizuki and Gene Pritsker. One part Jazz, one part Classical, shaken by Rock ‘n Roll, with a twist of theater, this 90-minute program of new art music is lots of fun.

Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes with no intermission

Fulcrum Point New Music Project Presents

“ENCUENTROS”

An AuxIn: Connected! Event Curated by Victoria Moreira


7pm Doors
7:30pm Show

MUSICIANS
Orlando Pimentel, clarinet
Victoria Moreira, violin
Doyle Armbrust, viola
Elena Abend, Piano
___________________________________________________

This concert explores the shared emotional language of humanity as expressed through the rich and complex heritage of Latin America. Shaped by the meeting of three continents, Europe, Africa and the Indigenous Americas, the music reflects a cultural dialogue, tension and fusion. The pieces selected for this program speak from both a distinct cultural identity and to something universally human. In these sounds, we hear longing, joy, resilience and memory, emotions that belong to no single place, yet find a powerful voice in Latin America’s unique artistic inheritance.

The AuxIn: Connected! concert series is supported by a generous grant from the Driehaus Foundation.

Fulcrum Point New Music Project
Lux Aeterna: The Wonder of Brass


 
PROGRAM
Anders Hillborg Brass Quintet
Kevin King Wonder of a Child
Regina Harris Baiocchi QFX
Evan Williams Lux Aeterna
Ira Taxin Brass Quintet
 

MUSICIANS
Stephen Burns & Hamed Barbarji, trumpets
Momo Hasselbring Seko, French horn
Robyn Smith, trombone
Kevin Harrison, tuba

90’ program with reception following

TICKETS (LINK)
Gen Ad - $24
Student - $13

Buchanan Chapel - 126 E Chestnut St, Chicago, IL 60610




Fulcrum Point New Music Project & The Poetry Foundation 

Present 

The 27th Annual Concert for Peace: A Voice, A Scream, A Lament


Overview

Poets Pádraig Ó Tuama and E. Ethelbert Miller join the Fulcrum Point New Music Project for their 27th annual Peace Concert.

Poetry Foundation partners with Fulcrum Point New Music Project in continuation of its longstanding annual concert for peace. The Fulcrum Point Ensemble, led by Stephen Burns, will perform music intertwined with readings by featured poets Pádraig Ó Tuama and E. Ethelbert Miller. 

Presented in partnership with the Fulcrum Point New Music Project and Fourth Presbyterian Church. 


Special Guests

E. Ethelbert Miller, poet

Pádraig Ó Tuama, poet & peace activist

Light In, Light Out                            Anna Meredith (2017)

         American Premiere

Una Voz, Un Grito, Un Lamento                  Gustavo Leone (2006) 

For the Fallen                                            Judith Shatin (2012)

Melody for Peace                                      Myroslav Skoryk (1982)

Faith is the Evidence                                   Randall Woolf/Gary Ralph (2023/25)

World Premiere



NOTE: The building should be entered through its 126 W Chestnut St address to ensure the most direct access to Buchanan Chapel.

KAIA String Quartet will present works by Latinamerican composers that represent the female voice. The concert will feature two commissioned pieces including a world premier, by Chicago composer Amos Gillespie based on writings of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Isabel Allende. After the performance, stay for a virtually Q&A with composers Sonia Morales Matos from Puerto Rico and Laura Chavez Blanco from Mexico. 

The Bridge 2.18

Hunter Diamond (tenor saxophone), 

Florian Nastorg (baritone saxophone),

olula negre (cello)  

Yoram Rosilio (double bass).

Fulcrum Point New Music Project AuxIN:Connected 

Julián Pujols Quall, piano

Florian Nastorg (baritone saxophone

Bakudi Scream media artist 

A 75-minute celebration of Argentinian American composer Gustavo Leone featuring works for trumpet, electronics and string quartet with Artistic Director trumpeter Stephen Burns


Stephen Burns, trumpet & conductor

Rika Seko, violin

Amanda Beaune, violin 

James Kang, viola

Claudia Lasareff-Mironoff, viola

Paula Kosower, cello

Kuang Hao Huang, piano

“Urban Classical Funk: A World Upside-down” Women’s Club of Wilmette


Artists:
Stephen Burns, Rebecca Oliverio, trumpets
Momo Hasselbring Seko, French horn
Robyn Smith, trombone
Kevin Harrison tuba



FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Come meet our new AuxIn: Connected! co-curators, Victoria Moreira and Julián Pujols Quall. This series aims to connect musicians with the public, fostering dialogue about the creative process. The series features various events, including performances, discussions, and collaborations, often focusing on emerging composers and underrepresented voices. 

The meet and greet will be accompanied by a 90-minute set by Julián Pujols Quall entitled, “Modular Modes.”


ABOUT MODULAR MODES

Imagine puzzle pieces that, when arranged in different ways, each reveal a distinct, complete image—or a Swiss Army knife whose tools sprout new tools as you use them. A modular set of music is like that and more: you never know in what order you’ll hear the piece, or which parts might remain unplayed that night.

Julián Pujols Quall (Pianist and keyboardist)
Aaron Kaufman-Levine (Saxophonist)
Frank Morrison (Drums)
Leo Buczkowski (Upright and electric bass)

General Admission $25
VIP $40

Student Tickets $20
Cash Only
Available at the door ONLY with valid student ID

Fulcrum Point New Music Project  presents
Urban Classical Funk: A World Turned Upside-down
Nichols Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago, Evanston

Green Sky
Madison Anglin (2024)

Brass Quintet
Ed Bland (1980)

Eucalyptus
Randall Woolf (2001)

Brass Quintet
Alvin Etler (1966)

Stephen Burns, Rebecca Oliverio, trumpets

Momo Hasselbring Seko, French horn 

Robyn Smith, trombone

Kevin Harrison, tuba

A concert featuring virtuoso brass music by 3 generations of Minimalist, Modern, Thirds Stream, and Post-Modern composers reflecting upon the topsy-turvy, social dynamics of our time. Nichols Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston.

About the Artists

The Pyrenean String Quartet was founded in July of 2020 during the pandemic. They found comfort together as a "pod" making music during this challenging time by exploring works in depth while isolated from most of their other musical  colleagues, friends and family. Throughout the pandemic they performed, live streamed and recorded a number of traditional and contemporary string quartets for Chicago arts organizations including the Fulcrum Point New Music Project and the Chicago Philharmonic. These projects were primarily fund raisers for fellow musicians in need. In 2021 they celebrated Adolphus Hailstork's 80th birthday by performing his first string quartet for him via a Youtube live streaming concert. They were featured at New Music Chicago's Impromptu Fest performing Eleanor Alberga's String Quartet No 3 and later that year recorded a new string quartet called Chants and Antiphons by Lawrence Axelrod for his latest CD.

Group members have participated in workshops and master classes with student and professional composers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Chicago, Merit School of Music, Northeastern Illinois University, DePaul University, Bowling Green University and also under the auspices of Fulcrum Point New Music Project's Discovery series and Picosa.

Stephen Burns, trumpet 


Pyrenean String Quartet

Kate Carter & Rika Seko, violins
Claudia Lasareff-Mironoff, viola
Paula Kosower, violoncello


Special Guests from the Music Institute of Chicago 

Porphyrion String Quartet

Mingshi Xia & Sasha Varchenko, violins

Neena Agrawal, viola
Simon Updegraff, violoncello


Works by Takemitsu, Haas, Balter, Fung, and Al-Zand


General Admission $20
Students $10 (w/student ID)

Click Here for Tickets




NOTE: Individuals with special needs, disabilities, visual, mobility, and speech impairments, and/or are who are deaf and hard of hearing, may contact us at info@fulcrumpoint.org for further assistance.

Discoveries Auxin: Connected: Julián Pujols Quall

“This concert pulls from the work IRCAM has invited me to research at the end of 2025. We will be playing through-composed text-based free-improv and examining the limits that our linguistic skills can be put to musical use.” — Julián Pujols Quall

This 90-minute intermedia program, curated by Julián Pujols Quall, explores the sociological roots of ghost stories in collaboration with scat vocalist Lorin Benedict, experimental electronic musician Qiujiang Levi Lu, and poet/writer Sabrina Alsaffar. The artists will develop the elements and attributes of 3 characters, weaving a narrative in real time, while engaging with the audience in an investigation of the artists’ inspiration, sources, and creative process. 


Discoveries Auxin: Connected: 

Julián Pujols Quall, Curator, pianist, composer
Lorin Benedict, Vocalist 
Qiujiang Lu, Electronics
Sabrina Alsaffar, Poet 

Tickets
- sold at door -

General Admission $20
Students $10 (w/student ID)

Dive into compositions by five composers whose archives consisting of sheet music, photos,

letters, and more reside in the Center for Black Music Research. The goal of this concert, and

possible future collaborations with the Center for Black Music Research (CBMR), is to educate

and inspire audiences through the works and stories of Black composers whose legacies are

preserved within the CBMR's archives. Many of these composers remain largely unknown, even

to musicians who could greatly benefit from their works and stories. By performing these

compositions, sharing their narratives, and celebrating their achievements, I hope to ensure

their continued recognition and performance for future generations. Additionally, I aim to

highlight the invaluable presence of the CBMR within the city of Chicago and raise awareness of

this hidden gem.




Musicians: 

Caitlin Edwards, Violin

Khelsey Zarraga, Violin 

Josef Fischer, Viola 

Tahirah Whittington, Cello   

Daniel Schlosberg, Piano 

Repertoire: (in no particular order)

Zenobia Powell-Perry - Excursion for Piano trio

Talib Rasul Hakim- Currents for string quartet

George Walker- Music for 3. (violin, cello, piano)

Lettie Beckon Alston- Memories for piano trio

Dorothy Rudd Moore- Modes for String Quartet

Works for Organ and Trumpet
Fourth Presbyterian Church, Sanctuary



Dr. Douglas Cleveland (organ)

Featuring
Fulcrum Point New Music Project 
Stephen Burns (trumpet)
Hamed Barbari (trumpet/flugelhorn)



Pre-concert meet & greet for Friends of Music members from 5:30-6:30 PM (RSVP required)

December 17, 2024  
7pm  Buchanan Chapel at Fourth Presbyterian Church 
126 E Chestnut St, Chicago, IL 60611

This music is our  response to the violent repression the government executed against civilian protesters, repression that costed lives and the continuous violation of human rights. With longing of times of peace and prosperity, the piece engages with dream-like sections in which a color-saturated imagery of a perfect future is tinted with crispy dissonances. — Carolina Heredia

They bury their dead with great ululations               Osnat Netzer 

Ius in Bello                                                               Carolina Heredia

Mioritza: Requiem for Rachel Corrie                     Alice Shields 

Lamentation on the Disasters of War                        Karim Al-Zand 

Lo Yisa Goy                                                       Stacy Garrop 

Pianist and AuxIn: Connected co-curator Angelo Hart is back with a talented quartet of musicians. This November 20th at Elastic Arts come take part in Conversations: A Night of Community, Belonging, and Connection. This performance promises to be an evening of communion, exchange, and gratitude for the gift that music is and the space art creates to hear one another. The musicians will engage the audience and each other in an exercise of active listening as they push to create new sonic pallets and improvisational brilliance. We hope to see you there.

- Performers -

Angelo Hart on piano
John Sutton on Bass
Clif Wallace on Drums
Mai Sugimoto on alto, flute and percussion

Co-curator Dalia Chin


- PERFORMERS -

Fulcrum Point New Music Project

Ben Bolter, Guest Conductor

Stephen Burns, Artistic Director and trumpet

Ed Harrison, maracas soloist

Diana Lopez, trumpet soloist

Rachel Castellanos, trombone

Jeremy Ruthrauff, soprano sax

Andrew Lawrence, piano

Paul Mutzabaugh, electric bass

Fonema Consort

Accordion, Julia Williams

Soprano, Nathalie Colas

Flute, Dalia Chin

Guitar, Sam Rowe

David Cubek, conductor

Beyond This Point

John Corkill, percussion

Adam Rosenblatt, percussion


LOCATION
Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (SRBCC)
4048 West Armitage Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60639 United States

Celebrate an extraordinary evening of music and collaboration at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center. Join us for a unique performance where Fulcrum Point, Fonema Consort, and Beyond This Point come together for a night of unforgettable music honoring the life and work of Javier Álvarez.

TICKETS
This event is FREE to the public.
Fulcrum Point is accepting $20 suggested donations (Donation not required for admission).

This concert is a calling for the voice of spirits in a ritualistic tone to remember Álvarez’s legacy.

Meditations: Reflections on John Coltrane

Curated by Angelo Hart, piano

with

Greg Artry, drums
Sarah Clausen, saxophone/bass clarinet
Hunter Diamond,  electronics/sax
Marion Mallard,  bass

*** Tickets Sold At Door ***

$15 / $10 w/ Student ID

Performers

Shi-An Costello, piano
Stephen Burns, trumpet

Program will feature works by

Paul Hindemith

Viet Cuong

Toru Takemitsu

Igor Santos

Sômei Satoh

Shi-An Co

Leonard Bernstein

“Music for Trumpets and Trees” by Dick Higgins

What would it sound like if you could hear the visual patterns of the world, not the sounds of the wind or waves or a city street – that’s John Cage’s idea for 4’33” of ‘silence’ -- but the lines, colors and shapes, as if they were the notes? Music for Trumpets and Trees ( 1976) by seminal Fluxus Artist/Composer Dick Higgins, uses graphic notation as a guide for a group improvisation. What does the soft edge of a cloud sound like? Does a blue sky sound blue? How about the jagged edge of a leaf? A solid tree trunk? What about playing trees, or playing in trees? How about trumpets in trees?

Echoes from the Archives: Celebrating Composers from the Center for Black Music Research

Curated by
Caitlin Edwards
Rob McKay, Host

Date: July 25th at 7PM

Join us July 25th for a concert celebrating the works and lives of composers from the archives of the Center for Black Music Research. 

Featuring works by: Irene Britton Smith, Frederick J Work, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Coleridge Taylor Perkinson. 

Musicians:

Caitlin Edwards 

Khelsey Zarraga

Wilfred Farquharson 

Lindsey Sharpe

Student $10
Gen. Admission $20

Angelo Hart Album Preview

Constellation Chicago
3111 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

Event Date: June 13, 2024

Show Time: 8:30pm

Doors Open: 8:00pm

Set Length: Minimum two (2) 40-minute sets

Ticket Price: $15


Musicians:

Angelo Hart- Piano

Tomasso Moretti- Drums

Jake Wark-Sax

Ben Dillinger-Bass


“I am very excited to be presenting some new music with such great musicians! This night is all about digging into our creative wells to create a memorable experience for everyone involved. This is an album preview. I had a different idea ahead of my next album. Instead of creating the music alone, I am getting some of my favorite musicians together in a sort of think tank . The idea is to keep the creative process as organic as possible, while keeping the creative direction open to endless possibilities. Then I take what we come up with into the studio and build off of it. I am so thrilled to have a live audience in the process!” — Angelo Hart

Program Title
"Josh Henderson's One More Night"
85 min. set with 9-piece ensemble

7:30 Doors
8pm Show
$15 Suggest Donation
FREE PARKING


Description

A Tour de force evening-length performance piece created by multi-instrumentalist Josh Henderson and inspired by "The Day the Music Died" and Rock & Roll Legends - Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson - One More Night is a musical odyssey that takes the audience from the Blues to experimental Opera to Punk Rock with metaphysical pit stops along the way exploring this grand journey of life that we're all on together. Henderson is joined by an All-Star band featuring Sylver Wallace (Voice), Caroline Davis (Alto Sax), Brendon Randall-Myers (Electric Guitar), Rick Martinez (Drums), and The Desdemona String Quartet.



Bios

The One More Night Band is a special collaborative performance project that brings together a diverse group of artistic powerhouses who in their own rights are faculty members at various colleges and universities, have been profiled by the New York Times and other publications, and are recipients of numerous awards and honors in their field.



The Ensemble

Josh Henderson - Composer, Violin/Viola, Electric/Synth Bass

Desdemona - String Quartet

Caroline Drexler (violin)
Rose Kow Xiu Yi (violin)
Kayla Williams (viola)
Julia Henderson (cello)

Caroline Davis - Alto Sax

Rick Martinez - Drum Set

Brendon Randall-Myers - Electric Guitar

Danielle McKnight - Vocalist

Gen. Admission: $30/Student $15

"Espirales" is a dynamic new quintet of Gold Medal Awarded Cuban musicians who perform new art music bridging jazz, classical, and Cuban popular music. Its members (Tania Haase, Olivia Rodríguez, Alejandro Aguiar, Jesús Estrada and Rodrigo García) have extensive national and international experience in multiple genres, giving "Espirales" a unique style in the panorama of current Cuban music. This year they have been featured at the prestigious "Cuban International Jazz Plaza Festival" and the "Havana Clásica Music Festival" among others. Their first tour of the USA will bring them to Boston, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 

Don’t miss these exciting emerging artists! 

Come discover the coolest of new art music in our ongoing collaboration between trumpeter Stephen Burns, Fulcrum Point New Music Project and ~Nois Saxophone Quartet. Featuring the World Premiere of Shawn Okpepholo’s “Black Music”, which in the composer’s words… “embraces and captures elements of Black artistry, experience, and joy” this concert invokes the horn lines of Motown and the improvisations of Hard Bop in Scott Johnson’s “Raised By Wolves”.

Raised By Wolves    Scott Johnson 

Black Music  Shawn Okpebholo (World Premiere)

One Tree, Many Branches

Presents

Fulcrum Point New Music Project

Stephen Burns, Artistic Director

Brass Fantasy

Colchester Fantasy                  Eric Ewazen

         The Rose and The Crown

         The Marquis of Granby

         The Dragoon

         The Red Lion

Brass Quintet #1                      Jorge Amado

         Adagio

Moderato Grazioso

Drammatico – Allegro Vivace

Brass Knuckles                                Mischa Zupko

         Sucker Punch

         Shadow Boxing 

Stephen Burns & Rebecca Oliverio, trumpet

Momoko Hasselbring Seko, French horn

Robyn Smith, trombone

Kevin Harrison, tuba

EVENT DETAILS:

Fulcrum Point New Music Project 25th Annual Concert for Peace: Border Crossings

Doors: 5PM for Golden Hour 

Showtime: 7:30PM 

Tickets: $30 - General Admission | $80 - VIP table for 2 | $160 - VIP table for 4 | $15 - Student

‘Service charges apply to ALL ticket purchases (online and box office)’ - Credit card only at door

The purchase of a VIP table for 2 or 4 includes an exclusive invitation to the post-concert meet and greet reception. 



AGE REQUIREMENT:

Must be 21+


ABOUT:

Take our musical journey of new art music from minimalism to Negro Spirituals. Featuring the exquisite soprano Joelle Lamarre with the Fulcrum Point String Orchestra, this concert takes us on a sonic adventure from Sômei Satoh’s Zen-inspired “Toward the Night” through Brit Rocker Steve Martland’s “Crossing the Border” leading us to Tania León’s “Green Pastures” and Jessie Montgomerie’s “5 Freedom Songs”

Stephen Burns, Artistic Director

Joelle Lamarre, soprano

Five Freedom Songs             Jessie Montgomery

Toward the Night                    Sômei Satoh

Green Pastures                       Tania León

Crossing the Border              Steve Martland

Chicago Humanities Festival Presents - Experience the Midwest premiere of “The Melodic Version (1984) of The Second Dream of The High-Tension Line Stepdown Transformer from The Four Dreams of China (1962) in Dream Light" by legendary minimalist artists La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela—This transformative work, performed by Fulcrum Point (led by Stephen Burns and Ben Neill), bathes the audience in magenta light while the tones from 8 muted trumpets flood the space.

Join Fulcrum Point and The Chicago Humanities Festival for a wholly unique experience that will transport you into the sonorous and luminous minds of these singular, creative artists.

Performers
Stephen Burns, Ben Neill, Nicolas Bejarano, C.J. Camerieri
Joe Drew, Rob Frear, Jim O’Connor, John Charles Thomas
La Monte Young Artistic Representative
Jung Hee Choi

In a time of division, polarity, and isolation, being connected is essential! Fulcrum Point New Music Project partners with The Bridge in curating a soulful, immersive musical experience in The Sanctuary of Epiphany Arts. Tapping into their intuitive creativity these internationally acclaimed musicians explore blues, jazz, electronics, and free-improv in a communal expression of curiosity, collaboration and joy. This one-time confluence of artists is not to be missed!

Fulcrum Point & The Bridge 

Creative Intuitive Music 

Epiphany Arts: Sanctuary

210 S Ashland Ave, Chicago

November 9, 2023

7:30 p.m.

featuring

Fulcrum Point: 

Co-Curator of AuxIn: Connected Angelo Hart, piano; 

Marion Mallard, bass; Corey Wilkes, trumpet

&

Bridge Artists:

Quentin Biardeau, sax & synths and Étienne Ziemniak, drums 

With special guest

Françoise Dô, poet

Fulcrum Point New Music Project has been invited to participate in this year’s Pegasus Awards. The Pegasus Awards are hosted annually by the Poetry Foundation and are among some of the most prestigious award given in American poetry. Fulcrum Point’s contribution to the celebratory night will include performances by the following:


Dalia Chin-flute & co-curator

Constance Volk - flute

Caitlin Edwards - violin & co-curator

Julimar Gonzalez - violin

Wilfred Farquharson - viola 

Lindsey Sharpe - cello

For more information please contact: info@poetryfoundation.org