Crosstown Arts presents PLOT/TWIST (Part 1) feat. Blueshift Ensemble, Bluff City Liars, and ICEBERG New Music in The Green Room.
The Green Room at Crosstown Arts
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Doors open at 7 pm | Concert begins at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $10 General Admission | $5 students
ICEBERG New Music partners with Blueshift Ensemble and Memphis’ premier improv group Bluff City Liars to create a new program of music and improvised drama. Ten pieces of never-before-heard music will inspire ten never-before-seen plays, performed by some of Memphis’ best contemporary musicians and improvisers.
These concerts will feature Memphis premieres by Drake Andersen, Victor Baez, Stephanie Ann Boyd, Alex Burtzos, Yu-Chun Chien, Derek Cooper, Jack Frerer, Max Grafe, Gala Flagello, Robin Haigh, Paul Novak, and Harry Stafylakis. Like all ICEBERG / Blueshift Ensemble events, the two performances will be followed with an opportunity to talk with the composers, musicians, and improvisers.
August 17, 2023: PLOT/TWIST (Part 1) features music for woodwinds and piano composed by Victor Baez, Jack Frerer, Harry Stafylakis, Yu-Chun Chien, Robin Haigh, and Gala Flagello.
ABOUT ICEBERG NEW MUSIC
ICEBERG New Music is a collective of ten young composers based in New York City. ICEBERG’s mission is to promote the idea that substance, not surface, is the heart of music creation and perception. The collective’s ten member composers hail from different schools of thought and cultivate radically different sounds – from musical theater and indie rock to avant-garde sounds and electronic installations – but their contrasting musical languages belie a shared emphasis on structure and depth of meaning. When these artists compose for the same ensemble and present their works during a joint concert, the result is a glimpse into the ever-widening possibilities of art music in the twenty-first century.
ABOUT BLUFF CITY LIARS
Bluff City Liars was formed in late 2017 as a project between four friends hoping to explore long form improv comedy – at the time a very rare commodity in Memphis. Quickly, the group felt the spark of inspiration catch fire, and Bluff City Liars was formed.
Over time, the troupe has grown both in size and in fan base. We run multiple monthly shows and offer workshops. We’ve also been signed as an associate company at TheatreWorks, and we’ve even produced a show featuring Kevin McDonald of Kids In The Hall.
We provide high octane, interactive, and innovative laugh-out-loud comedy with a flair for both spontaneity and spectacle. But we also aim to build the improv community of Memphis with our free workshops and open-to-all jams. See a show, or try the art for yourself – either way you’re helping us grow the comedy scene of the Bluff City.
ABOUT BLUESHIFT ENSEMBLE
Blueshift is a Memphis-based contemporary chamber music ensemble dedicated to bringing artists and audiences together through artistic collaboration. By programming both new and existing classical repertoire alongside multi-genre collaborations, Blueshift aims to connect a wider audience to today’s classical music. Members of Blueshift are involved in almost every corner of the Memphis music community, from performing in the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, recording in the studio, teaching at the University of Memphis and Rhodes College, playing in your favorite local bands, and composing original music for film. Founded by flutist Jenny Davis and cellist Jonathan Kirkscey in 2016, Blueshift aims to bring classical music out of the concert hall and into the community.
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