Acclaimed avant-garde pianist Lisa Moore will appear at both Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts and at the Clazel Theatre in downtown Bowling Green as part of the Music at the Forefront concert series sponsored by BGSU’s MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music (MACCM).
Moore’s first concert will begin at 10:15 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Clazel, 127 N. Main St. A $2-$5 donation is suggested. The program will feature an eclectic mix of music by Don Byron, Brian Eno, Rufus Wainwright and Randy Newman, followed by a performance of Terry Riley’s seminal minimalist work “In C” by BGSU’s Combustible Arts Ensemble.
The Dec. 2 concert begins at 8 p.m. in Bryan Recital Hall at the Moore Musical Arts Center. The program will feature Frederic Rzewski’s “De Profundis” for speaking pianist, based on the letters of Oscar Wilde, and Martin Bresnick’s “For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise,” inspired by the works of William Blake.
The Australian-American Moore lives in New York City where she collaborates with a large and diverse range of musicians and artists. The New York Times says “her energy is illuminating,” and the New Yorker magazine called her “visionary” and “New York’s queen of avant-garde piano.” Moore has released five solo discs and 30 collaborative discs. Her latest solo recording, “Seven,” has just been released on Cantaloupe.
Her performances combine musical and emotional power, whether in the delivery of the simplest song, the most challenging chamber work or complex solo score. She is passionately dedicated to the music of our time as well as the great musical canon. Moore has collaborated with composers from many musical genres, including Elliott Carter, Meredith Monk, Philip Glass and Ornette Coleman. Her repertoire spans works by Robert Schumann, Leos Janacek and Modeste Mussorgsky to music and text settings by Randy Newman. She has given concerts around the world.
Moore won the silver medal in the Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition. From 1992-2008 she was the pianist and founding member for the Bang On A Can All-Stars, the New York based electro-acoustic sextet and winner of Musical America’s 2005 “Ensemble of the Year” Award. As an artistic curator she most recently produced Australia’s Canberra International Music Festival “Sounds Alive ‘08” series, importing musicians from around the world for 10 days of music making at the Street Theatre.
Moore’s Clazel performance is the second time the college has partnered with the theater. In October, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, in town for the BGSU Festival Series, also gave a late-night show at the Clazel, which was attended by about 300 people, said Kurt Doles, MACCM coordinator.
“We are equally excited about having the opportunity to use the Clazel not only to highlight the talents of the BGSU College of Musical Arts but also to help them showcase a greater musical experience to the region,” said Dan Gallerno, Clazel marketing manager. “The Cla-zel has a long history in the Bowling Green community not only as a movie theater but also as a cultural and arts center; we see this as an opportunity to further honor that heritage.”
Music at the Forefront is an annual concert series featuring performances by accomplished and innovative performers of contemporary music. For more information contact the center at 419-372-2685 or email kdoles@bgsu.edu.