$10
ALL AGES
8pm
As an instrumentalist and composer, developing original compositions for solo viola has been integral to Jessica Pavone's practice. This music informs her written practice and plays a vital role in her approach to ensemble composition. She explores music's tactile and sensory experience as a vibration-based medium and incorporates time-based principles to shape the works. Inspired by processes centered on intuition and instinct, her music channels all these ideas by focusing on how music feels when played and heard and exploring how sonic vibrations affect the body, weaving her experiences as an instrumentalist into works that transcend time.
In 2017, Pavone created the J. Pavone String Ensemble as an expansion of her solo viola repertoire. In contrast to the traditional improvisatory approach that prizes the showmanship of the soloist, the ensemble approach focuses on a vision of collective improvisation that prioritizes a collaboratively sewn musical fabric. The group has performed at the Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival (Montreal), Logan Center for the Arts (Chicago), the DiMenna Center for Classical Music (Manhattan), NYC Winter Jazzfest, Roulette and ISSUE Project Room (Brooklyn), and many other festivals and venues. Three studio albums have been released to critical acclaim from The Wire, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, JazzTimes, and San Francisco Classical Voice. Brad Cohen of Jazz Times described her as "a free-thinker who can't be pigeonholed." Pavone's albums have been produced by Tzadik, Out of Your Head Records, Thirsty Ear, Astral Spirits, and Relative Pitch Records. Additionally, she has released four collaborative duo recordings with guitarist Mary Halvorson (2019 MacArthur Fellow). In 2011, Pavone was featured in NPR's "The Mix: 100 Composers Under 40." The New York Times wrote that her music is distinct and beguiling; its core is steely, and its execution clear," and in Wire Magazine, Julian Cowley noted that Pavone [is] not like other composers, she is uniquely herself, and from that stems the improbable strength of her music."
Mute Sphere is an improvised music group comprised of five longtime collaborators, including members of the Atlanta Improvisers Orchestra, the Atlanta Improvisers Chorus, Whispers of Night, Relay Station, and former members of Hello Ocho and Faun and a Pan Flute. The group performs sensitive, dynamic improvisations which oscillate between harsh, churning, industrial rythyms and delicate, expressive soundscapes.
As fellow Atlanta composer and saxophonist Jeff Crompton observes, "the members of Mute Sphere create sounds, toss them around to each other, and sometimes disrupt each other. There are no stars and no egos in this band, because the job at hand is bigger than what any of them do individually: they are creating a world. These are musicians, yes, and improvisers, yes--but above all, they are listeners. And that's the key; that's what makes the music of Mute Sphere improvised music at its very highest level."
Members: Chris Childs (synth and vibraphone), David Gray (guitar), John Gregg (drums), Monique Osorio (voice), and Ben Shirley (cello and electronics).
