Well… it’s that time again. Time to choose between the lesser of two evils, mostly. In this uber divisive time, let’s all come together to enjoy an evening of mostly politically inspired music. All are welcome no matter your political views, just leave your signs in your yard where they belong.

Election season is back, and Brightwork offers a different kind of political theater. Midterms is a night of provocative, funny, and deeply human works inspired by civic life and social change. Curated by Artistic Director Aron Kallay, the program includes Matt Marks’ This Will Hurt Someone, Ian Dicke’s Get Rich Quick, Ania Vu‘s Coś, Pamela Madsen‘s suite from Land of Little Rain, a new commission from Hesam Abedini, and Frederic Rzewski’s seminal work Coming Together, alongside a newly commissioned video by Yago de Mateo.  Leave your campaign signs at home—this is politics through sound, not slogans.

Brightwork newmusic is a Los Angeles-based chamber ensemble formed in 2013 by pianist Aron Kallay. The group is built around a sextet instrumentation (piano, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, percussion) and focuses on presenting high-caliber performances of contemporary classical music alongside landmark works from the past hundred years. Their mission is to revitalize the art of new music on the West Coast—commissioning living composers, premiering their works, and inviting listeners into the creative process. At a Brightwork performance you can expect a polished and fearless ensemble of musicians, many of whom are recognized in the professional music scene, delivering precise, responsive playing and tightly integrated chamber music under modern aesthetic standards.

 

Brightwork Ensemble

Aron Kallay (Director) – Piano

Sara Andon – Flutes

Zack Reaves – Cello

Nick Terry – Percussion and Toy Piano

Shalini Vijayan – Violin

Brian Walsh – Clarinets and Ukelele

Special Guests

Abigail Whitman – Soprano

Mike Jones – Tenor

Tracey Leigh – Narrator

 

Program 

By-By Huey – Ted Hearne

Ian Dicke – Get Rich Quick

    with video by Kate Alexandrite,

Coś – Ania Vu

    Abigail Whitman, soprano

Matt Marks – This Will Hurt Someone (arr. Aron Kallay)

    Mike Jones – tenor

    with video by Smog

-intermission-

What Remains (Âncheh Mimânad) – Hesam Abedini

    with video by Zahra Ladani

Land of Little Rain Suite – Pamela Madsen

1. Water trails of the Ceriso
2. Sacred Mountain

    with CSUF New Music Ensemble

Frederic Rzewski – Coming Together

    Tracey Leigh – Narrator

    with video by Yago de Mateo