Amanda DeBoer Bartlett and Ryan Muncy: Personified Landscapes

In their San Francisco debut, soprano Amanda DeBoer Bartlett and saxophonist Ryan Muncy of Ensemble Dal Niente, a Chicago based new music collective described as “supermusicians” by the Chicago Tribune, perform a program of music for voice, saxophone, and electronics based on the sonic personifications of various geographic locations – the sounds of rainy Scotland in the vocal music of James Dillon, Chicago’s Wicker Park in Marcos Balter’s energetic saxophone composition, and Philippe Leroux’s vision of a sublime, fictional green place in his duo for voice and saxophone. The program also includes Chris Cerrone’s Requiem for Kurt Vonnegut, and Chaya Czernowin’s The Last Leaf, a rare solo piece for sopranino saxophone – both pieces that reference the canyon in more abstract ways. The concert will conclude with the world premiere a new amplified duo for sax and voice by up-and-coming Chicago composer Marissa Deitz.
Program
Philippe Leroux (b.1959): Un Lieu Verdoyant: Hommage à Gérard Grisey (1999) for soprano voice and soprano saxophone
James Dillon (b.1950): Evening Rain (1981) for soprano
Marcos Balter (b.1974): Wicker Park (2009) for soprano saxophone
sop sax + amplification w/ reverb
Christopher Cerrone (b.1984): Requiem [for K.V.] (2007/09) for solo amplified voice and live electronics
Chaya Czernowin (b.1957): The Last Leaf (2012) for sopranino saxophone
Marissa Deitz (b.1990): Close Inside Mine (2014, World Premiere) for voice and saxophone
About the performers
Soprano Amanda DeBoer Bartlett specializes in contemporary vocal literature and project-based performances that integrate classical music into modern social contexts. She is a member of Ensemble Dal Niente (Chicago) and Aetherplough (Omaha), and is a co-founder of the Color Field Ensemble (New York), Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble (New York), and Ars Cantus Antiquitas (Omaha). Ms. DeBoer recently performed alongside legendary rock band Deerhoof with Ensemble Dal Niente at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, and her vocal quartet, Quince, was featured on a concert with Phillip Glass performing the music of Tristan Perich at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn. She has been featured at the MusicArte Festival with Ensemble Dal Niente (Panama), the RedNote Festival (Normal), SoundSCAPE Composition Performance Exchange (Italy), the Rendez-Blue Festival (Buffalo), and presented by the (Un)Familiar Series (Chicago), Permutations Series (New York), and the Contagious Sounds Series (NYC). Ms. DeBoer released her first solo album in February 2013, and will record a full album with Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble in Spring 2014. She earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Bowling Green State University in 2012. amandadeboer.com
Ryan Muncy is a saxophonist that performs, commissions, and presents new music. He is a recipient of the Claire Rosen and Samuel Edes Foundation Prize for Emerging Artists as well as a Fulbright Fellowship and has participated in the creation of more than 150 new works for saxophone. His debut solo album was released in October 2013 on New Focus Recordings and was listed by Alex Ross in the New Yorker’s year-end list of notable recordings. Since 2010, Muncy has been the executive director of Ensemble Dal Niente, the first-ever ensemble recipient of the Kranichstein Music Prize, awarded at the 46th International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany. He is also a founding member of Anubis Quartet and has performed at international series and festivals including Wien Modern, Ecstatic Music Festival, MATA Festival, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music Series, MusicArte (Panamá), Festival Internacional Chihuahua (Mexico) and SALT New Music Festival (Canada) as well as classical radio stations WQXR (New York) and WFMT (Chicago). He performs regularly with the Talea Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, and received the Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University in 2012. ryanmuncy.com
Ensemble Dal Niente is a 20-member Chicago-based contemporary music collective that presents and performs new music in ways that redefine the listening experience and advance the art form. The programming, brought to life by a flexible repertoire-based instrumentation, seeks to challenge convention and create engaging, inspiring, and immersive experiences that connect audiences with the music of today. Described as “super-musicians” and noted for “bracing sonic adventures by some of the best new-music virtuous around” (Chicago Tribune), Ensemble Dal Niente became the first-ever ensemble recipient of the coveted Kranichstein Music Prize – the top award for music interpretation – at the 2012 International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany. dalniente.com