315 Ensemble
Catching Up with Old Friends
ENSEMBLE Frederick Marvin & Ernst Schuh Recital Hall Onondaga Community College Syracuse, NY December 8, 2021 7:30 pm
OUR PAST…
315 Ensemble
Founded in 2016 while I was completing my Masters Degree in Music Composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in Birmingham, England, 315 Ensemble was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to contemporary music. In our first year we performed at the renown Frontiers Festival in Birmingham, commissioned five new works from exciting, young US and UK composers, and premiered several of my own works. The live recording of my work, From Dreams, We Emerge was selected by the International Music Council for their Windows on the World program and was broadcast throughout Europe. In May 2017, we went into the studio to record two of my works, From Dreams, We Emerge and The Lost Art of Losing Sleep which were released in March 2018 on Ravello Records.
OUR PRESENT…
After settling back home in Central New York in September 2018, and experiencing some unexpected twists and turns, I am delighted and thrilled to be relaunching 315 Ensemble in its namesake community. We are committed to bringing exciting, new music that blurs the line between contemporary classical, ambient, electronic, and other musics. We will be commissioning and performing music from some of the world's leading composers and most interesting new voices, including those here at home and intend to become a mainstay of the ever growing music scene in Central New York. - Chris
315 Ensemble recording at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2017.
The Musicians Diane Jones (flutes) Elizabeth Marie Schmidt (clarinets) Edgar Tumajyan (violin) Kristen Kopf (cello) Nick Abelgore (piano) Chris Cresswell (electric guitar, electronics)
Diane Jones is a composer and multi-instrumentalist, as well as Program Manager and mid-day host at WCNY. Her music has been recorded by Trio Casals, trombonist Haim Avitsur, and Samba Laranja, and she is fortunate to have had her music heard in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in four separate concerts. Diane is host/producer of Feminine Fusion, the nationally syndicated program highlighting women in classical music. Elizabeth Schmidt is a clarinetist, conductor, and music educator based in Syracuse, NY. She enjoys collaborating with other musicians, including composers, in the performance of jazz and contemporary music. Elizabeth is currently pursuing a Master of Music in clarinet performance and music education at Syracuse University, where she is a graduate teaching assistant in the band department. Edgar Tumajyan is a native of Yerevan, Armenia. He began his violin study at age 8, at the Tchaikovsky Specialized Music School. His Bachelor’s Degree is from the Yerevan State Conservatory; his Master’s Degree from Syracuse University, where he worked with Symphoria Concertmaster Peter Rovit. Kristen Kopf is an innovative, veteran music educator, currently celebrating her thirtieth year with the North Syracuse Central School District. She also teaches privately in her studio. Kristen is considered a pioneer in the Alternative Style Strings, and performs professionally on both cello and baritone saxophone. Kristen is the co-founder and cellist of the Opus Black String Quartet and cellist in Monk Rowe's Five Families Ensemble. She has dedicated her life to enthusiastically sharing her love of music and is excited to be performing in the 315 Ensemble. Though Nick Abelgore studied classical trombone in school, he is also a proficient jazz pianist, pipe organist for St. David’s Episcopal, and self-accompanied singer. He plays in wedding bands, clubs, restaurants, and other freelance venues around CNY doing unique arrangements of classic rock/pop covers, jazz standards, originals, and more. Additionally, Nick has a master's in Music Education and is a yoga instructor at several local studios. A composer, sound artist, and guitarist, Chris Cresswell is a curious musician whose work betrays his affection for sonic wanderlust. His music has been heard in coffee shops, concert halls, and venues around the world, from chic Brooklyn venues like Areté Venue and Gallery and The Firehouse Space, to Birmingham, England’s renown Symphony Hall and the Paleis voor Schone Kunsten in Brussels. He is the founder/Artistic Director of 315 Ensemble, has a private composition studio, and is an instructor at Onondaga Community College.
The Music The Lost Art of Losing Sleep (2017) Chris Cresswell From Dreams, We Emerge (2015) Chris Cresswell Sorry, where are we now?** (2017) Emily Levy Away in a Manger* (2021) Rob Roberts coventry carol* (2021) Jamie Elless Sonic Abstractions (2019) Chris Cresswell
*World Premiere ** US Premiere
The Lost Art of Losing Sleep (2017) - Chris Cresswell
Composed in the aftermath of the 2016 election, The Lost Art of Losing Sleep is the sound of me grappling with anxieties, both internal and external, that dominated my life at the time. A short poem accompanies the work:
woven fragments wash over him as he rediscovers the lost art of losing sleep
From Dreams, We Emerge (2015) - Chris Cresswell
Originally commissioned by Wild Rumpus New Music Group in San Francisco, From Dreams, We Emerge was an important milestone in my compositional arc. In addition to being a prototype, both aesthetically and in instrumentation, for 315 Ensemble, it represents a conscious move towards embracing a more improvisatory, visceral means of composition.
Sorry, where are we now?** (2017) - Emily Levy
As musicians/listeners we spend a lot of time trying to pin down time and pitch. It can can be a pleasure or a frustration depending on the day/piece/moment. And sometimes it's futile. Outside, the natural world continues freely without a second glance at our efforts. Occasionally between the music and the elements I catch glimpses of freedom and perspective. Plus, the question "Where are we now?" seems a pretty concise response to 2017's political climates. (Program note by Emily Levy)
Away in a Manger* (2021) - Rob Roberts coventry carol* (2021) - Jamie Elless
I reached out to friends on social media to ask them to write/arrange short "experimental Christmas carols" for 315 Ensemble to perform today. These are the results. *World Premiere; **US Premiere
Sonic Abstractions (2019) - Chris Cresswell
Commissioned by CNY Arts for the Society of New Music, Sonic Abstractions is inspired by the artwork of Nelson, NY based visual artist, Shawn Gilmore. I initially planned on writing a piece in the style of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, where each movement was a direct response to a particular painting, but after meeting with Shawn I became enamored with his creative process. I adopted ideas from his process and have applied them to Sonic Abstractions. These guidelines have included: Let the material guide you, trust the gesture Embrace the confrontational, the grotesque Don't adhere to traditional standards of beauty Big, singular gestures Slow, ever evolving textures Dig deeper into what is there, don't add more
315
's CNY
315 Ensemble is invested in, and supported
by the Central New York arts community. We thank you for attending tonight's performance and can't wait to share more of our music with you.
We would also like to thank: Andrea Scheibel, Brian Lee, Amber Cresswell, Arjun Jethwa, Luke Newby, Laurie McGee, Laetitia Van Wyk, Heather Duncanson, Onondaga Community College, WCNY, and CNY Arts
We want to stay in touch with you. www.315ensemble.com
Stream our record on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you find good music.
Support for 315 Ensemble is provided by THIS PROJECT WAS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE FUNDS FROM THE STATEWIDE COMMUNITY REGRANTS PROGRAM, A REGRANT PROGRAM OF THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE AND ADMINISTERED BY CNY ARTS.