Since its launch in March 2020, the PARMA Live Stage has streamed nearly 50 concerts for artists to present their craft in an age of social distancing. A myriad of piano concertos, symphonies, string quartets, and other music ensembles have been showcased, and will continue through 2021.
The PARMA Live Stage recently featured two artists in April, one jazz based, and one classical. Composer and Saxophonist Jordan VanHemert appeared on the PARMA Live Stage on April 8. As a Korean American jazz artist, VanHemert’s performance centered itself on raising awareness of recent hate-related crimes against the Asian American community. The performance showcased pieces from VanHemert’s recent album, I AM NOT A VIRUS — an album influenced by political awareness of race and social issues, designed to encourage change through music, along with traditional Korean melodies reharmonized into a jazz setting.
On the classical front, Tower Duo presented “Interlace”, a series of modern duet writing featuring works of composers Michael Conti, Guy Lacour, Robert Muczynski, Clare Shore, and Joseph Sowa. Tower Duo is a flute (Erin Helgeson Torres) and saxophone (Michael Rene Torres) ensemble focused on presenting the works of living composers in an engaging fashion.
What’s to Come
An exciting mixture of artists with a vast array of different styles and proclivities is coming to the PARMA Live Stage this year. With PARMA artists and participants in the Call for Ensembles campaign on the docket, here’s a glance at what’s to come.
David Haney and Dave Storrs Present: A Passage to Improv
David Haney and Dave Storrs are revolutionizing ways to experience classical music on their upcoming Live Stage performance this May. Sourcing music from composers like Beethoven and Stravinsky, Haney and Storrs are meshing the ideologies of composed and improvised music, making for an inventive and exciting hybrid performance in Corvallis, Oregon’s “Sound Shack”. Catch composer and pianist David Haney and multi-instrumentalist Dave Storrs on the Live Stage on May 6, at 7 PM EDT.
Boiler House Jazz Concert: Ken Field and David Harris
Live from the Charles River Museum’s Boiler Room in Waltham MA, Ken Field (alto saxophone) and David Harris (tuba) will present a breadth of electro-acoustic music via PARMA Live Stage. With composed and improvised music on the docket, Field and Harris will perform repertoire from Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, plus re-envisioned treatments of material by J.S. Bach, Charlie Parker, and others. Tune into Live Stage on May 7, at 7:30 PM EDT for a unique concoction of saxophone, tuba, and various electronic flavors.
PARMA Music Festival Presents: Tanguango Quinteto: ¡Gracias, Astor!
An all female ensemble consisting of piano, violin, accordion, double bass, and vocals, the Tanguango Quinteto is bringing the sounds of the tango nuevo movement to the PARMA Live Stage. Selected from PARMA’s Call for Ensembles, the performance will feature works of the late Astor Piazolla, the father of tango nuevo, and works inspired by Piazolla from Serbian artists and Argentinian traditional tango songs in “nuevo” form. The concert will stream live from Belgrad, Serbia on May 26, at 2 PM EDT, and will feature a professional tango duo dancing with the music. This performance will be presented through PARMA Music Festival, a non-profit dedicated to presenting new, innovative, and enjoyable music through a diverse and highly accessible platform.
Eight Strings & a Whistle Present: PopUP+!
Consisting of flute, viola, and cello, Eight Strings & a Whistle is a unique group specializing in adaptations of Boroque, Romantic and Classical repertoire. Prior to the pandemic, this coterie of wind and string musicians could be found performing in casual venues. They have now transitioned to online performances, and are utilizing Youtube chat functions to communicate with their audience. Tune in for their PARMA Live Stage event on May 27, at 6:30 PM EDT, where they will perform new pieces — including two from their upcoming PARMA release — live from Catalpa Arts Club in Ridgewood, Queens.
New Music On The Bayou 2021 Summer Festival
Coordinated by Mel Mobley and Greg Lyons, New Music On The Bayou is a three day festival, packed with contemporary chamber music sourced domestically and abroad. Presented as a means to inspire composers and performers with the mainstay cultural flavors of northern Louisiana, the festival will be streamed across multiple locations, allowing composers and performers the chance to interact with each other digitally, while simultaneously delivering contemporary music to a live audience. Tune in on June 10, at 8 PM EDT to witness the festival on stream.
Solaris: Solo Piano Works by Women Composers
Brankovich has been deemed “A new force of American Pianism” (News Magazine), “The Black Swan of Piano” (Miami Herald), and “Marta, The Tempest” — an accurate alias reflecting her stormy aesthetic and empowering presence behind the keys — and the chosen title of her upcoming album with PARMA. Even during the pandemic, Brankovich’s love for performing hasn’t subsided, and has utilized the new wave of live streamed performances to stay connected with her audience, including the PARMA Live Stage. Brankovich is expected to return to the PARMA Live Stage this summer, where she will perform works for solo piano. Featured works in this program are all written by female composers, with an emphasis on PARMA related pieces.
That’s Not All!
These performers, and many more are appearing on the Live Stage this season. Be on the lookout for other performances such as: Points of Interest: New Music for Percussion, Lukáš Oravec Quartet with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble ad Hocketus Pro Tempore, and Madison New Music Ensemble.
