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Chamber Music remix

Project Trio

 

By DAVID DUPONT, Sentinel News Editor

Project Trio doesn’t have the usual classical chamber ensemble biography.

The musicians –  flutist Greg Pattillo, cellist Eric Stephenson and bassist Peter Seymour – were “all good buddies” at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the late-1990s.

Seymour said in a recent telephone interview that they loved playing together, both within the walls of the conservatory and “extracurricular” gigs where they explored rock, hip hop and jazz.

After graduation and grad degrees, the three headed off on the difficult path of making musical careers for themselves. Still they got together when they could, and when they could they talked. Those conversations turned to the eclectic mix of music they had always enjoyed.

Seymour said they wanted “our own little project that we could do a couple times a year and make music we really wanted to do.”

After lots of talk, in 2005 they played their first show. Then in 2007, Pattillo posted a video, “Inspector Gadget Remix.” It featured his distinctive beatbox technique for flute which  incorporates vocal sounds and percussive effects into his playing.

The video exploded. It has now had 26 million views.

On the basis of that the trio was able to focus on  Project Trio full time. Since then the trio has toured worldwide. Project Trio will perform Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. in Kobacker Hall as part of Bowling Green State University’s Festival Series. Tickets are $15 and $5 for BGSU students. Visit bgsu.edu/arts or call 419-372-8171.

That video represented a lot of hard work, Seymour said, and it took more hard work to exploit its popularity to show presenters an audience existed for the ensemble’s twisted blend of musical styles.

The musicians match their stylish repertoire with an appealing stage manner.

“There’s no question that concert music, instrumental music is changing, and that engaging the audience is one of the most important things we do as chamber and jazz musicians,” Seymour said. “There’s a lot of cool new music going on in classical, jazz and instrumental music and we’re trying to add our voice to that.”

They put high priority in connecting with audiences. “We speak to the audience regularly,” Seymour said. “We smile. We have fun. We dance.”

That’s not an act though, “it’s who we are.”

“We love to perform, we love to share music with people,” he said.

As the band arranges and composes new material “we truly think about what the audience  might like.” That prompts adventures into new genres – Brazilian choro music or Indian ragas.

“We’re always trying to push forward.”

And there’s one way to test those experiments: “The only place you can find out if an audience will like stuff is to bring it to the stage and see what happens.”

Seymour said the Bowling Green audience can expect a mix of what the trio has to offer. That includes off-beat versions of classical masterpieces such as “Peter and the Wolf” and the finale to the opera “William Tell.”

The show will include original music, as well as the sound of jazz composer Charles Mingus, and some hip hop, Seymour said. “Truly something for everyone.”

 

PROJECT Trio Makes a splash at BGSU

Project Trio

“Toledo’s classical music scene next week will focus intensely on youth music education — both performers designing programs to interest and inspire young audiences, and youthful performers revealing their capabilities in concerts and recitals.

Topping the list is Project Trio.

If you’ve never thought of the flute, the cello, and the bass as percussion instruments, then you’ve clearly missed out on this young and energetic musical trio. Energetic young New Yorkers playing on classical-music oriented instruments are ready to free Northwest Ohio of such limited thinking.

The players — bassist Peter Seymour, cellist Eric Stephenson, and flutist Greg Patillo — who met while studying at the Cleveland Institute of Music, have applied a fresh new face and sound to the idea of chamber music through clever improvisation and fresh arrangements of standards.

“Absolute technical masters of their instruments — Patillo is renowned as the leading beatbox flutist in the United States, Stephenson is a regular in major chamber performances — they amp up the energy playing together, mixing styles from classical, jazz, urban, and original works with skill and wit.

Project Trio is coming to Bowling Green State University for a residency and to Toledo for several youth concerts Nov. 19-22. Their big marquee appearance will be at 8 p.m. Nov. 22 in Kobacker Hall. Tickets are $5-$15 at 419-372-8171. A preconcert talk for ticketholders will start at 7 p.m. in nearby Bryan Hall.”

Read more at toledoblade.com

Toledo Symphony Orchestra reads BGSU student composer pieces: 11/19

Next Wednesday (11/19) from 3:30-6:00pm the Toledo Symphony will read, rehearse and record BGSU student compositions in Kobacker Hall.

The orchestra will be conducted by Michael Lewanski with guest composer Steven Stucky on hand to work with our composition students.The program is as follows–

Chris Lortie                 And death i think is no parenthesis
Lydia Dempsey           Passage
Alan Racadag             Prelude and Partial Postlude
–break–
Brian Sears                  Fractured Spirits
Kyle Laporte               Fire Breather

The event is open to students, faculty and staff of the College of Musical Arts and invited guests.  If you are aware of members of the public who would like to attend, please have them email faculty liaison Christopher Dietz (cjdietz@bgsu.edu) to be included on the guest list.This is a very unique opportunity for BGSU composers.  While there are some very competitive national and international competitions for readings with professional orchestras, few academic institutions can offer this kind of professional experience to their students, exclusively.

If available for some or all of the reading session, please consider attending.

Thank you,
Christopher Dietz

A Capella Choir to Premiere New Work

A Cappella Choir

The A Cappella Choir will perform the world premiere of Sven-David Sandström’s “Vanity of Vanities” on its fall campus concert scheduled for Saturday, November 15 at 4 p.m. in the Donnell Theater.

The prolific Swedish composer has set Ecclesiastes 1: 2-11, whose message is that life is futile when it is based on earthly ambitions and desires. The piece is slated to be published by Santa Barbara Music on the newly-established Bowling Green State University Choral Series. Mark Munson is director of the A Cappella Choir.

For tickets and more information click here.

Music of composition student, Hong-Da Chin, featured in “Philadelphia” magazine

Hong-Da Chin

Hong-Da Chin’s music featured in online magazine “Philadelphia”

The music of DMA composer, Hong-Da Chin, was featured in “Our Chat With Mimi Stillman, the Coolest Flute-Player in Philly.” The article was written by Bryan Buttler for the online magazine, Philadelphia (October 29, 2014)

A video of a live performance of his piece, “Paradise of Birds” is included in the article. The work for soprano, flute/piccolo and piano was the winner of the Dolce Suono Ensemble Young Composers Competition in 2013.”

Fidelio Trio to perform at BGSU

 

Fidelio Trio

“Bowling Green State University will continue its Music at the Forefront series by presenting the Fidelio Trio in a free concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 13 in Bryan Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center. The series is organized by BGSU’s MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music.

Based in London, the Fidelio Trio specializes in performing new music, even commissioning many new works by international composers. But they also keep alive works by well-established composers from the past.

Their latest CD release includes music by Arnold Schoenberg and Josef Korngold; the trio is preparing a recording of the complete Schumann piano trios. They have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and State University of New York.”

Read more at toledoblade.com

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