Pittsburgh has a surprisingly vibrant new music scene for a town with not a tone of 20 and 30 somethings. In my years here, I have tried to support it whenever I can, from railing at the PSO (which has improved, and its composer-of-the-year program has connected local audiences to some of the most important living composers) to writing about the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (recent blog post on its financial troubles) and Pitt's Music on the Edge, from profiles of local composers to articles on local contemporary groups like IonSound and Alia Musica Pittsburgh (a new one on the block is the Eclectic Laboratory Chamber Orchestra).
But my role at the Post-Gazette as generalist (yes, most people would think that the classical music critic is a pretty specific post at a newspaper, but it is actually impossibly large of a beat, covering many genres and centuries), has kept me from covering contemporary music as well as I would like to. I will keep on chugging, including writing about a cool event on Pitt's Music on the Edge series and co-presented by The Andy Warhol Museum (though at the New Hazlette Theater): the new music group Alarm Will Sound, and reminding you of events. And, as always, giving you my honest opinion. Just because I support new music (or perhaps because I do) doesn't mean I won't heavily criticize it or performances of it. New music has to live up to standards just like the canon.
But this is all to say that Pitt composer Phil Thompson is doing a great job catching what I miss by following the scene closely in his niche blog, Pittsburgh New Music Net. I am officially adding it to my blog roll (which is in serious need of an update). Enjoy!
Oh, and some upcoming concerts:
• Alarm Will Sound performs ‘1969.’ 8 p.m. Friday @ the New Hazlett Theater, North Side. Tickets: $8-$15; www.proarts.org or 412-394-3353.
• The newly formed Eclectic Laboratory Chamber Orchestra lives up to its name with a concert including music by bands Sonic Youth and Sigur Ros and by composers Webern and Machaut, at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, March 22, at the Brew House in the South Side. Tickets are $5- $10 at the door; 412-608-6120.
• New music mavens Alia Musica Pittsburgh presents Philip Thompson’s “Trouble,” based on a Lenten Gradual, and works by Mark Fromm, Ivan Jimenez, Kerrith Livengood, Matthew Heap and Ayo Oluranti at 8 p.m. March 31 @ Synod Hall, Oakland. Tickets $10-$12 at the door.
Posted
Mar 16 2009, 06:19 PM
by
Andrew Druckenbrod