Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Part of the MCA Composers Stage series.

Featuring:

Jayce Ogren, guest conductor
Claire Chase, flute
And Dai Fujikura, composer

Program:
Pierre Boulez: Memoriale (…explosante-fixe…originel) (1985) for flute and eight instruments
Arnold Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 (1906) for fifteen instruments
Dai Fujikura: ICE (2010) for chamber ensemble (CHICAGO PREMIERE)
Dai Fujikura: returning (2006) for solo piano (CHICAGO PREMIERE)
John Adams: Son of Chamber Symphony (2007) for chamber ensemble (CHICAGO PREMIERE)

Roots & Return traces the web of connections between recent works and the classic pieces that inspired them. Arnold Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony heralds the end of the romantic orchestra and provides an epic endorsement of the practical means that would come to define 20th century music. Memoriale is a miniature concerto for flute written at the apex of Pierre Boulez’s mature musical style. Dai Fujikura’s returning is a brief work for solo piano, where individual lines weave together in an elegant matrix. Fujikura’s second piece on the program, ICE, written for the ensemble, is a symphony of textures, arranged in intricate counterpoint reminiscent of his mentor Pierre Boulez. American icon John Adams’ Son of Chamber Symphony is a kinetic work for chamber orchestra that recalls the lighthearted energy of his own Chamber Symphony, as well as the presence of Schoenberg’s early 20th century masterpiece. Dai Fujikura will be present at the concert and participate in audience discussions. More about Roots & Return.

The MCA Stage embarks on its first ensemble-in-residence with ICE, with three distinct programs planned this season: a concert with works by John Adams and Dai Fujikara, Pierre Boulez, and Arnold Schoenberg (September 11); a portrait concert with related programs featuring John Luther Adams and guest conductor Steven Schick (February 26); and an ICE Lab concert featuring newly commissioned works by Nathan Davis, Marcos Balter, and Du Yun (June 4).

About the Artists:

A powerhouse of new-music programming on a Chicago-New York axis…brilliant and unexpected. - The New Yorker

The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), hailed for their “fired-up performances” (Alex Ross, The New Yorker), was founded in 2001 in Chicago, and over the past nine years has established itself as one of the leading musical ensembles of its generation as well as one of the most innovative young arts organizations in the US. Described by the New York Times as “one of the most adventurous and accomplished groups in new music,” ICE was winner of the 2010 Trailblazer Award from the American Music Center and the 2010 ASCAP/CMA Award for Adventurous Programming. ICE performs more than fifty concerts a year throughout the United States and abroad, and has commercially released six acclaimed albums. A champion of music by young composers, ICE has also given more than 400 world premieres by composers under the age of 35. More about ICE.

Jayce Ogren is rapidly developing a reputation as one of the finest young conductors to emerge from the United States. He recently finished his tenure as assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and as Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, having been appointed by Franz Welser-Möst. Mr. Ogren has made key debuts including with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert hall, Grand Rapids Symphony and with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra where he conducted works by Haydn, Ligeti and Beethoven.

Claire Chase, flutist, founded the International Contemporary Ensemble in 2001 and has served as ICE’s executive director since its inception. Over the past decade Ms. Chase has played and produced more than 500 concerts of new music with the ensemble on three continents, and she has been featured on critically acclaimed releases from the Naxos, Tzadik and Bridge labels. In 2008 Ms. Chase took First Prize in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and will give recitals this season at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and throughout the US. Ms. Chase released her debut solo album in October 2009 on the New Focus Recordings label featuring world premiere works for solo flute by emerging composers, which was named one of the Top Ten Classical Albums of 2009 by TimeOut Chicago. More about Claire.