From Vicky Chow to Charlie Parker: Your March Concert Guide

by Peter Tracy

PLEASE NOTE: Some performances may be cancelled or postponed due to community health concerns relating to COVID-19. Please double-check with the venue or performing organization before you head out to a show.

Second Inversion and the Live Music Project create a monthly calendar featuring contemporary classical, cross-genre, and experimental performances in Seattle, the Eastside, Tacoma, and places in between! 

If you’d like to be included on this list, please submit your event to the Live Music Project at least six weeks prior to the event and tag it with “new music.”

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Wayward Music Series
Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electroacoustic music, and sonic experiments. Coming up: tape manipulations, turntables, field recordings, and new music for novel instrumentations.
Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Seattle Opera presents Charlie Parker’s Yardbird. Photo by Sunny Martini.

Seattle Opera: Charlie Parker’s Yardbird
The life and times of Charlie Parker inspire a dreamlike exploration of the saxophonist’s struggle to write one final masterpiece. Scored for seven voices and small orchestra, this blending of jazz and classical idioms casts Parker as an operatic tenor amidst fluid, bebop-inspired accompaniment.
3/1-3/7, Various times, McCaw Hall | $64-$180

Bill Frisell: Harmony
Contemporary jazz guitarist Bill Frisell leads an ensemble of voice, cello, and baritone guitar in a concert that brings together three seemingly disparate American musical traditions: jazz, new music, and the Great American Songbook.
Thurs, 3/5, 7:30pm, The Moore Theatre | $32-$52

UW Modern Music Ensemble
This concert has been cancelled due to community health concerns.
From late 20th century classics like Gérard Grisey’s colorful and explosive Talea to more recent compositions by some of today’s leading composers, the UW Modern Music Ensemble presents a concert of chamber works featuring plenty of new and boundary-bursting sounds.
Fri, 3/6, 7:30pm, Meany Hall | $10

Pianist Conrad Tao. Photo by Brantley Gutierrez.

Conrad Tao: American Rage
Pianist Conrad Tao presents a program of music reflecting on moments of rebellion and political division in recent American history. He performs works by legendary American composers Frederic Rzewski, Julia Wolfe, and Aaron Copland alongside off-the-cuff improvisations for piano and electronics.
Fri, 3/6, 8pm, Octave 9 | $35

Seattle Pro Musica: Shall Not Be Denied
This concert has been postponed due to community health concerns.
In honor of the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote, Seattle Pro Musica presents a program of choral music by women whose voices have changed American music history—including the iconic vocal innovator Meredith Monk and Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw.
Sat, 3/7, 7:30pm, Trinity Lutheran Church | $21-$38
Sun, 3/8, 3pm, Seattle First Baptist Church | $21-$38

Seattle Symphony: Celebrate Asia
This year’s annual celebration highlights composer and pianist Conrad Tao, who will perform some of his own compositions as well as Gershwin’s ever-popular Rhapsody in Blue. Pre- and post-concert celebrations in the lobby highlight artistic contributions from a wide variety of Asian communities across Seattle.
Sun, 3/8, 4pm, Benaroya Hall | $29-$100

Keyboard Exchange: arx duo and Cristina Valdés
This concert has been postponed due to community health concerns.
The Seattle-based arx duo and contemporary pianist Cristina Valdés come together for an informal set at the Royal Room featuring innovative chamber works for piano and percussion and a new world premiere by Michael Laurello.
Sun, 3/8, 7:30 pm, The Royal Room | $10-$20

UW Guest Artist: Meridian
This concert has been cancelled due to community health concerns.
Explore acoustic phenomena free from conventions of rhythm or technique at this concert of groundbreaking new works. The ever-curious percussionists of Meridian will perform both improvised and composed music, plus collaborations with members of the UW Percussion Ensemble.
Wed, 3/11, 7:30 pm, Meany Studio Theatre | $10-$20

Seattle Improvised Music Festival
No scores, no rules: the Seattle Improvised Music Festival is back for another year of concerts featuring freely improvised music with wide-ranging instrumentations.
3/11-3/15, Various times and locations | $5-$20

PNB presents One Thousand Pieces and Empire Noir. Photo by Angela Sterling.

Pacific Northwest Ballet: One Thousand Pieces
This performance has been cancelled due to community health concerns.
Sculpture, movement, and music come together in this double bill of contemporary ballet. One Thousand Pieces is a large scale work inspired by the stained glass of Marc Chagall and featuring the music of Philip Glass. It’s paired with a recent collaboration between composer Greg Haines and choreographer David Dawson titled Empire Noir.
3/13-2/20, Various times, McCaw Hall | $30-$190

Onomatopoeia Trio: Ides Away
Local faculty at Music Center of the Northwest present new music for saxophone, flute, and French horn, including a premiere of Seattle composer Jessi Harvey’s migration dances and even arrangements of tunes by the Punch Brothers.
Sun, 3/15, 2pm, Music Center of the Northwest | $5

Seattle Art Museum: Eurasia Consort
This concert has been cancelled due to community health concerns.
Western and non-Western instruments come together in this concert featuring world premieres by Alice Shields and former Cornish professor Bun-Ching Lam. Plus: a rare opportunity to hear music from the Tang Dynasty discovered in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China.
Sun, 3/22, 2 pm, Asian Art Museum | $10-$25

Vicky Chow performs in Emerald City Music’s Evolution. Photo by Kaitlin Jane.

Emerald City Music: Evolution
This concert has been postponed due to community health concerns.
The history and versatility of the keyboard is in the spotlight at this concert of works for harpsichord, piano, and synthesizer. An all-star cast of keyboardists ranging from Henry Kramer to Vicky Chow performs music of Philip Glass, John Cage, Frédéric Chopin, and more.
Fri, 3/27, 8pm, 415 Westlake | $10-$45

Seattle Modern Orchestra: Celebrating 10 Years of SMO
Seattle Modern Orchestra revisits its most memorable performances, including ear-expanding works by John Cage, Kate Soper, Steve Reich, and the world premiere of a work by local composer Huck Hodge for percussion soloist and ensemble.
Fri, 3/27, 8pm, Town Hall Seattle | $10-$30

Cellos, Carols, and Holiday Cheer: New Music for December

by Maggie Molloy

Second Inversion and the Live Music Project create a monthly calendar featuring contemporary classical, cross-genre, and experimental performances in Seattle, the Eastside, Tacoma, and places in between! 

If you’d like to be included on this list, please submit your event to the Live Music Project at least six weeks prior to the event and tag it with “new music.”

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Wayward Music Series
Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electroacoustic music, and sonic experiments. Coming up: aural rituals, sonic thresholds, and dark ambient music.
Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Cornish Presents: Scores of Sound
Fill up on new and experimental music in this three-day festival of student performances and premieres from Cornish College of the Arts.
12/4-12/6, 10am-10pm, Various locations | Free

Seattle Modern Opera Company: ‘Suor Angelica’
This modern-day adaptation of Puccini’s heart-wrenching one act opera reimagines the title nun as a teenager whose spiritual and social strength is put to the ultimate test at her Catholic boarding school.
Thurs-Fri, 12/5-12/6, 8pm, University Heights Center | $22

The Westerlies Holiday Bash
The Seattle-bred, New York-based brass quartet returns home for the holidays to present a concert of festive brass music and original arrangements. All proceeds from this special fundraiser support the ensemble’s ongoing commitment to access, education, and community outreach.
Thurs, 12/5, 7pm, The Knife Room | $30-$100

Phil Kline’s ‘Unsilent Night’
In this contemporary twist on holiday caroling, audience members each download one of four tracks of music which, when played together, comprise Phil Kline’s ethereal Unsilent Night. Participants meet up with boomboxes and speakers and each hit “play” at the same time—then walk through the streets of Capitol Hill creating an ambient, aleatoric sound sculpture.
Fri, 12/6, 6:30pm, Kerry Hall | Free

Portland Cello Project: Purple Reign
Prince reigns supreme in Portland Cello Project’s latest concert program. Joined by musicians who have collaborated with Prince in the past, Portland Cello Project celebrates the pop icon’s inimitable musical voice and extraordinary artistic legacy.
Fri, 12/6, 7:30pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $40-$50

Portland Cello Project.

Inverted Space Ensemble
An introspective evening of works for solo voice with accompaniment ranging from piano to the adapted instruments of Harry Partch. Pianist Brendan Kinsella shares a program of original music alongside works by Frederic Rzewski and Luke Fitzpatrick, while Fitzpatrick and Charles Corey perform a selection of Partch’s microtonal musings.
Fri, 12/6, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

UW Composition Studio
There’s a whole lot of cutting-edge music coming out of the University of Washington, and this concert spans the gamut: hear new and unconventional sounds from students, faculty, alumni, and guests of the UW Composition program.
Sat, 12/7, 7:30pm, UW Brechemin Auditorium | Free

Ladies Musical Club: The Inspiring Words of Emily Dickinson
The immortal poetry of Emily Dickinson gives rise to many different musical interpretations by 20th and 21st century composers. Included in this program are settings by Aaron Copland, John Duke, Lori Laitman, Craig Urquhart, and more.
Mon, 12/9, 7:30pm, University House | Free

Cellist Seth Parker Woods.

Seth Parker Woods: That Which is Fundamental
The simplicity, complexity, and musicality of language inspired this program of works for cello, recorded voice, and everyday objects. Cellist Seth Parker Woods and percussionist Bonnie Whiting explore the fascinating textures and unexpected sounds of Julius Eastman, Anton Lukoszevieze, Tonia Ko, Vinko Globokar, and more.
Wed, 12/11, 7:30pm, Octave 9 | $35

Leanna Keith and Rachel Nesvig perform in High Right Now. Photo by Kelly O.

High Right Now
Drift into deeper consciousness during this evening of hypnotic minimalist music. Dreamed up by marimbist Erin Jorgensen, the sonic ritual brings together an all-star lineup of local musicians to perform the immersive musings of Brian Lawlor and Benjamin Marx.
Wed, 12/11, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $20

Emerald City Music: Jason Vieaux & Kristin Lee
From the sultry tango of Astor Piazzolla to the musical mosaics of Vivian Fung, this concert explores globe-spanning duets for violin and classical guitar. Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux and Emerald City Music Artistic Director Kristin Lee team up to explore this rich and underrated repertory.
Fri, 12/13, 8pm, 415 Westlake | $45
Sat, 12/14, 7:30pm, Olympia Ballroom | $23-$43

The Esoterics: Humility
Giving voice to verses from the Bible, a Mohawk prayer, a speech by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, and wide-ranging poetry, this expansive program explores the moments that bring us down to earth and fill us with empathy, wonder, and respect. Works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Stacy Garrop, Augusta Read Thomas, and more examine different forms of humility.
Fri, 12/13, 8pm, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (Laurelhurst) | $15-$22
Sat, 12/14, 8pm, Holy Rosary Catholic Church (West Seattle) | $15-$22
Sun, 12/15, 7pm, Christ Episcopal Church (Tacoma) | $15-$22

Neal Kosaly-Meyer: ‘Finnegans Wake’
Though most would consider James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake a work of literature, pianist Neal Kosaly-Meyer hears music in the words. He’s dedicating 17 years to learning and performing (by memory) this sprawling work—one chapter per year. This year is Chapter 6, performed as always with props, costumes, sound and lighting design, and acute musical detail.
Sat, 12/14, 7:30pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Seattle Pro Musica: Solstice
During the darkest part of the year, Seattle Pro Musica celebrates warmth and light with a program of joyous winter choral music from around the globe. R. Murray Schafer’s evocative Snowforms features a beautiful graphic score that sets Inuit words for different types of snow, while Morten Lauridsen’s O nata lux finds solace in eternal light. Plus: music of Seattle Pro Musica Artistic Director Karen P. Thomas and other Northwest composers.
Sat, 12/14, 3pm & 7:30pm, Bastyr University Chapel | $21-$38
Sat, 12/21, 3pm & 7:30pm, Seattle First Baptist Church | $21-$38

Opera on Tap: Annual Holiday Show
Grab your best ugly Christmas sweater for this annual holiday extravaganza as local singers belt out opera classics and carols alike.
Tues, 12/17, 7:30pm, Blue Moon Tavern | $5

Travel Music, Microtones, and Modern Opera: New Music for November

by Maggie Molloy

Second Inversion and the Live Music Project create a monthly calendar featuring contemporary classical, cross-genre, and experimental performances in Seattle, the Eastside, Tacoma, and places in between! 

If you’d like to be included on this list, please submit your event to the Live Music Project at least six weeks prior to the event and tag it with “new music.”

November-2019-New-Music-Flyer


Wayward Music Series
Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electroacoustic music, and sonic experiments. Coming up: acoustic portraits, immersive winds, sonic geometry, and “unofficial music.”
Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Emerald City Music: ‘In the Dark’
Get lost in the dark as Emerald City Music performs the spine-tingling music of Georg Friedrich Haas in total pitch-black darkness. The hour-long string quartet, titled “In iij Noct,” features the four musicians stationed in the four corners of the venue, surrounding the audience and immersing them in Haas’s haunting aleatoric score.
Fri, 11/1, 8pm & 10:30pm, 415 Westlake | $45
Sat, 11/2, 7:30pm, Washington Center for the Performing Arts (Olympia) | $28-$43

Seattle Modern Orchestra: Norwegian Odyssé
The mystic sounds of Norway come alive in this concert featuring five U.S. premieres by Norwegian composers, including Rebecka Sofia Ahvenniemi’s chilling The child who became invisible for soprano, percussion, and electronics and Knut Vaage’s epic Odyssé for sinfonietta.
Sun, 11/3, 1:30pm, National Nordic Museum | $10-$30

Music of Remembrance: Passage
While a political prisoner at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in the 1940s, Aleksander Kulisiewicz dared to write poetry and music right under the noses of his Nazi captors. Hear composer Paul Schoenfield’s Pulitzer-nominated setting of Kulisiewicz’s biting poetry, plus world premieres by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Shinji Eshima.
Sun, 11/3, 4pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $30-$55

Kate Soper. Photo by Liz Linder.

Seattle Symphony: Kate Soper in Recital
The line between live and pre-recorded sound begins to blur in Kate Soper’s immersive recital of original works for voice and electronics. Joined by sound artist Sam Pluta, Soper mines the expressive potential of the human voice.
Sun, 11/3, 6pm, Octave 9 | $25

Gamelan Pacifica: Vocal Music of Central Java
Drums, metallophones, and a wide array of tuned gongs are among the instruments you’ll see onstage during a traditional Javanese gamelan performance. Since 1980, Gamelan Pacifica has been performing traditional and contemporary gamelan music with dance, theater, and puppetry. For this performance, they’re joined by Javanese artists Ki Midiyanto and Heni Savitri.
Sun, 11/3, 7pm, PONCHO Concert Hall | $5-$20

Seattle Symphony: Chick Corea Plays ‘Rhapsody in Blue’
Twenty-two-time Grammy-winning jazz pianist Chick Corea teams up with the Seattle Symphony for Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue, plus a performance of his own original Piano Concerto No. 1.
Wed, 11/6, 7:30pm, Benaroya Hall | $62-$82

Meany Center: Danish String Quartet
Completed in the year before his death, Shostakovich’s final string quartet is an introspective meditation on mortality. The Danish String Quartet performs this moving work alongside music of Bach and Beethoven.
Thurs, 11/7, 7:30pm, Meany Theater | $41-$49

Cappella Romana: Kastalsky Requiem
As Europe descended into the chaos of World War I, Alexander Kastalsky began composing his haunting Requiem to commemorate the allied soldiers who had fallen. Epic in scale and scope, the work receives its Northwest premiere under the baton of guest conductor Steven Fox.
Fri, 11/8, 7:30pm, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church | $32-$52

Seattle Symphony: Angelique Poteat Cello Concerto
Seattle-based clarinetist and composer Angelique Poteat turns her attention to the cello in a new concerto which receives its premiere by Efe Baltacıgil and the Seattle Symphony.
11/14-11/16, Various times, Benaroya Hall | $24-$134

Seattle Opera presents The Falling & the Rising. Photo by Ziggy Mack.

Seattle Opera: The Falling & The Rising
Interviews with active-duty soldiers and veterans formed the basis of this new chamber opera by composer Zach Redler and librettist Jerre Dye. Tracing a soldier’s journey through a battle explosion and a medically-induced coma, the opera seeks to shine a light on often untold stories of service and sacrifice.
11/15-11/24, Various times, Seattle Opera Center | $35-$45

Harry Partch Ensemble: Final UW Concerts
Two chances remain to hear the inimitable handmade instruments of Harry Partch before the collection’s residency at UW concludes. On Thursday, director Charles Corey and his cast of local musicians perform Partch’s sprawling And On The Seventh Day Petals Fell In Petaluma, selections from his haunting Eleven Intrusions, and more. On Friday, the Partch Ensemble teams up with UW Percussion for another program of ear-expanding works.
Thurs, 11/21, 7:30pm, Meany Hall Studio Theater | $10
Fri, 11/22, 7:30pm, Meany Studio Theatre | $10

The Harry Partch Instrumentarium concludes its residency at UW this November.

Seattle Symphony: ‘The Rite of Spring’
I
t’s a piece that needs no introduction: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring has been the stuff of classical music legend ever since its riot-inducing premiere in 1913. This earthshaking ballet about the pagan sacrifice of a virgin dancing herself to death is expertly paired with Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy.
Thurs, 11/21, 7:30pm, Benaroya Hall | $24-$134
Sat, 11/23, 8pm, Benaroya Hall | $24-$134

Composer Gabriel Kahane.

Gabriel Kahane: ‘Book of Travelers’
A train ride across the country provided ample time and inspiration for composer and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Kahane to craft a musical diary of America. He performs selections from his Book of Travelers alongside wide-ranging songs from his other albums.
Sat, 11/23, 8pm, Meany Theater | $31-$39

Paco Díez: Music from Northern Spain
Born into a family of farm workers in the heart of Castille, singer and multi-instrumentalist Paco Díez grew up steeped in the folk music, traditions, and histories of his homeland. Widely considered one of the most important champions of Judeo-Spanish music today, Díez is joined by his students in a performance of Sephardic and Castilian folk music.
Tues, 11/26, 7:30pm, UW Brechemin Auditorium | Free

Triptych, Triadic Memories, and Other Can’t-Miss October Concerts

by Maggie Molloy

Second Inversion and the Live Music Project create a monthly calendar featuring contemporary classical, cross-genre, and experimental performances in Seattle, the Eastside, Tacoma, and places in between! 

If you’d like to be included on this list, please submit your event to the Live Music Project at least six weeks prior to the event and tag it with “new music.”

New-Music-Flyer-October-2019


Wayward Music Series
Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electroacoustic music, and sonic experiments. Coming up: minimalism, meditation, and sound mosaics.
Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Pacific Northwest Ballet performs Carmina Burana. Photo by Angela Sterling.

PNB: ‘Carmina Burana’
A 2,500-pound golden wheel spins above 100 dancers, musicians, and singers in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana (with choreography by Kent Stowell). It’s paired with the equally epic Agon, a legendary collaboration between George Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky.
10/3-10/6, Various times, McCaw Hall | $37-$190

Philharmonia Northwest: Songs of Life
An ensemble of Tibetan singing bowls and strings accompany Sheila Silver’s new concerto for French horn and Alpenhorn, performed by Ann Ellsworth with Philharmonia Northwest. Amy Beach’s magnificent “Gaelic” Symphony and Emily Doolittle’s majestic “Reedbird” complete the program.
Sun, 10/6, 2:30pm, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (Seattle) | $15-$25

Earshot Jazz Festival: The Westerlies
The Seattle-bred, New York-based brass quartet returns home to perform original tunes and eclectic arrangements in the Earshot Jazz Festival, opening for the Gerald Clayton Quartet.
Tues, 10/8, 7pm, The Triple Door | $10-$37

Roomful of Teeth performs Bryce Dessner’s Triptych.

Bryce Dessner: ‘Triptych’ ft. Roomful of Teeth
Thirty years after Robert Mapplethorpe’s death, his controversial photographs remain radical and subversive. In this multimedia tribute featuring music by Bryce Dessner, poetry by Essex Hemphill and Patti Smith, and performances by the inimitable Roomful of Teeth, Mapplethorpe’s visceral images are displayed in unprecedented drama and scale. Click here for 15% off tickets.
Wed, 10/9, 8pm, The Moore Theatre | $42-$72

Seattle Symphony: Olga Neuwirth Premiere
Clattering typewriters and muted trumpets add texture to the backdrop of Olga Neuwirth’s kaleidoscopic new flute concerto Aello. It’s performed by Claire Chase with the Seattle Symphony alongside music of Mozart and Bach.
Thurs, 10/10, 7:30pm, Benaroya Hall | $24-$134
Sat, 10/12, 8pm, Benaroya Hall | $24-$134

Seattle Symphony: Density 2036
Claire Chase is working on a new body of repertoire for solo flute. In fact, she’s commissioning one new piece for her instrument every year until 2036, which marks the centennial of Edgard Varèse’s groundbreaking flute composition Density 21.5. Hear her perform selections from the project in the immersive new Octave 9 space.
Fri, 10/11, 7:30pm, Octave 9 | $25

Amy Denio: ‘Truth is Up for Grabs’
Current events, the politics of war, and the poetry of Pablo Neruda are among the inspirations behind composer and multi-instrumentalist Amy Denio’s chamber suite Truth is Up for Grabs. See it performed live alongside an expansive video production by James Drage.
Fri-Sat, 10/11-10/12, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$25

Ladies Musical Club: Contemporary Korean Composers
Two Korean artists, soprano Ki-Jung Jun and pianist Hannah Cho, breathe life into songs and piano solos celebrating the vibrant and diverse voices of contemporary Korean composers.
Mon, 10/14, 7:30pm, University House (Wallingford) | Free

Earshot Jazz Festival: Seattle Modern Orchestra
This ear-expanding collaboration brings together a cast of all-stars from Seattle’s jazz and classical scenes to perform sprawling works by Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, and more. Plus, new premieres by saxophonist Darius Jones and pianist Wayne Horvitz.
Tues, 10/15, 7:30pm, Town Hall | $10-$23

Max Richter. Photo by Wolfgang Borrs.

Max Richter ft. Grace Davidson and ACME
Hovering above a collection of keyboards and synthesizers, Max Richter builds electroacoustic sound worlds that are as introspective as they are immersive. For this concert, he performs them with soprano Grace Davidson and musicians of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble. Click here for 15% off tickets.
Wed, 10/16, 7:30pm, The Moore Theatre | $26-$76

Earshot Jazz Festival: Clarice Assad
Drawing inspiration from classical, jazz, and Brazilian music, Clarice Assad performs original solo works for piano and voice, plus wide-ranging works for string quartet featuring local musicians.
Fri, 10/18, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$20

The Esoterics: Honesty
Truth, lies, and unanswered questions are among the themes tying together this concert of wide-ranging works by Ted Hearne, Julia Wolfe, and more. Four world premiere commissions by this year’s POLYPHONOS Competition winners round out the program.
10/18-10/20, Various times and locations | $15-$22

Seattle Symphony: [untitled] 1
Brass instruments sparkle and shine in this late-night concert featuring old and new works for french horn, trumpet, tuba, and timpani.
Fri, 10/18, 10pm, Benaroya Hall Lobby | $15

Pianist Jesse Myers performs Morton Feldman’s Triadic Memories.

Jesse Myers: Feldman’s ‘Triadic Memories’
It’s easy to lose track of time amid the sparse tones of Morton Feldman’s Triadic Memories. The 90-minute work lends itself well to meditation—which is exactly the idea behind pianist Jesse Myers’ upcoming performance. Grab a pillow and get lost in its softly sprawling sounds.
Fri, 10/25, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $10-$15

Summer Vibes and Toy Piano Trios: Upcoming Concerts You Can’t Miss

by Peter Tracy

Second Inversion and the Live Music Project create a monthly calendar featuring contemporary classical, cross-genre, and experimental performances in Seattle, the Eastside, Tacoma, and places in between! 

If you’d like to be included on this list, please submit your event to the Live Music Project at least six weeks prior to the event and tag it with “new music.”

New-Music-Flyer-AUG-SEPT-2019-2


Wayward Music Series
Concerts of contemporary composition, free improvisation, electroacoustic music, and sonic experiments. Coming up: American song cycles, the art of sound healing, and new music from around the world.
Various days, 7:30/8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Songs from the Exotic
Emily Ostrom and Peter Nelson-King perform contemporary American compositions for voice and piano, including song cycles by Hale Smith, Judith Weir, and Aaron Kirschner, plus original compositions and rare works from the American song repertoire.
Fri, 8/2, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Northwest Film Forum: Puget Soundtrack
Archival footage of the Pacific Northwest forms the basis of Naer Vaer, a montage film accompanied by an original live score from local new music ensemble Postcard From the Badlands. Translating to “close-dwelling”, Naer Vaer explores our deep and often contradictory connections to each other and the natural world around us.
Sun, 8/4, 8pm, Northwest Film Forum | $13-$16

Live Music Project: A Trio of Trios
The Live Music Project connects you to classical concerts every day of the year—but this day is particularly special, because all proceeds from the concert (and the beer) benefit the important work of LMP in our community. Enjoy three trios for viola, double bass, and toy piano written specifically for LMP by Spencer Arias, Jessi Harvey, and Joyce Kwon and performed amid smiles and pizza at the Lagunitas Taproom.
Mon, 8/5, 5:30pm, Lagunitas Taproom | $5

Bassist Ariel Kemp, violist Ryan May, and (toy) pianist Tristan Greeno.
Photo by Shaya Lyon of the Live Music Project.

East Coast Meets West
Two trumpet players from opposite coasts come together to present a concert of contemporary works for trumpet and piano, including two world premieres by Seattle-based composer Peter Nelson-King.
Thurs, 8/8, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Inverted Space Ensemble
Local new music collective Inverted Space presents a unique concert of atmospheric works for violin, piano, and percussion by Brian Banks, Lou Harrison, and Bun-Ching Lam.
Fri, 8/9, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Symphony for Climate Change
Music, film, and poetry come together in a screening of composer and conductor Christophe Chagnard’s multimedia symphonic work Terra Nostra (“Our Earth”). Presented at the scenic lakeside Discovery Park, the piece aims to engage, educate, and inspire policy change to protect our planet.
Sat, 8/17, 4pm, Discovery Park | Free

Beetle Box
Experimental composer and keyboardist Beetle Box comes to Substation in Fremont for an ear-expanding evening of piano and electronics.
Wed, 8/21, 8:15pm, Substation | Free

Aaron Butler + Bonnie Whiting
Two innovative percussionists, Aaron Butler and Bonnie Whiting, come together in a concert of newly composed solos and improvised duets. Wide-ranging percussion works by Nick Zammuto, Brian Harnetty, and Rob Funkhouser are programmed alongside a long-lost piece for vibraphone solo by David Gibson.
Fri, 8/23, 8pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $5-$15

Nash Naubert.

Nash Naubert: Music of Now
Originally from Seattle, Nash Naubert has spent the past two decades in India studying the bansuri (a bamboo flute used in Hindustani classical music). For this concert, he returns home to perform a collection of entrancing ragas with Aditya Kalyanpur on tabla.
Sat, 8/24, 8pm, Nordstrom Recital Hall | $24-$30

Good Vibes Only
An all-star lineup of local percussionists tackle a variety of groove-driven tunes for marimba, xylophone, and vibraphone, including works by Steve Reich, Ivan Trevino, and Marc Mellits.
Fri, 8/30, 8pm, Washington Hall | $25

Erin Jorgensen, Storm Benjamin, and Rebekah Ko perform in Good Vibes Only.

Emerald City Music: Tale Retold
The real-life stories of women battling to enlist in the U.S. military are retold in a world premiere by Seattle-based composer Angelique Poteat. Plus, a reimagining of Stravinsky’s iconic The Soldier’s Tale in a cross-disciplinary performance bringing together dance, drama, and music.
Fri, 9/13, 8pm, 415 Westlake | $45
Sat, 9/14 7:30pm, The Minnaert Center (Olympia) | $10-$43

Janaka Stucky and Lori Goldston: Ascend Ascend
Poet and performer Janaka Stucky spent 20 days secluded in the tower of a 100-year-old church, drifting in and out of a state of trance and writing a book of mystic poetry in the process. In this immersive, multidisciplinary performance, he presents his new work alongside Seattle cellist and composer Lori Goldston.
Fri, 9/20, 7:30pm, All Pilgrims Church (Seattle) | $18-$45

The Sound Ensemble: Reflections
The Sound Ensemble meditates on some big questions in this concert of works reflecting on who we are as a community and where we go from here. Structured as an introspective journey of sorts, the program includes a world premiere performance of Jerry Mader’s Zodiac for violin and chamber ensemble featuring violinist Marley Erickson.
Sat, 9/28, 7pm, Good Shepherd Chapel | $15-$20