Relâche New Music Ensemble Presents Not So Quiet City with Peter Evans

Sunday, January 14, 2:00 pm at the Penn Museum

Philadelphia, 2018 – Celebrated avant-garde trumpeter/composer Peter Evans and three members of his band join up with the Relâche New Music Ensemble, in residence at the Penn Museum, for Not So Quiet City, on Sunday, January 14 at 2:00 pm.

Evans, the recipient of this year's Dina Wind Commission, is renowned for his eclectic palette, collaborative spirit, and virtuosic playing. Improvisation and experimentation will permeate the concert’s program. In addition to some of Evans' own improvisational compositions, the program includes Pauline Oliveros' The Well, Chuck Holdeman's Mural Music, a 2014 collaboration with Mural Arts Philadelphia, and a Relâche version of Aaron Copland’s Quiet City.

Pauline Oliveros’ The Well was originally composed for Relâche in 1983. Performers are given a musical palette from which to spontaneously create, and instructions on how to interact with one another, resulting in a sublime, unique sound every time the piece is performed. Relâche bassoonist Chuck Holdeman wrote Mural Music to accompany artist Shira Walinsky’s Southeast by Southeast mural, which celebrates the experiences of refugees from the Himalayan region who now live in South Philadelphia. Aaron Copland’s Quiet City closes the first half of the program, showcasing the improvisatory talents of both Relâche English horn player Lloyd Shorter and guest artist Peter Evans over an achingly beautiful arrangement of Copland’s original music.

Peter Evans takes over the second half, first showcasing his band, which includes Relâche keyboardist Ron Stabinsky as well as violinist Mazz Swift, percussionist Shayna Dunkelman, and bassist Moppa Elliot. The program ends with Evans' new piece for Relâche, the Dina Wind Commission for this third annual Dina Wind Memorial Concert. Dina Wind (1938-2014) was a Philadelphia artist, philanthropist, and ardent Relâche supporter and board member whose endowment fund supports this program.

Not So Quiet City is presented in the Widener Hall of the Penn Museum, 3260 South Street in Philadelphia. Tickets are $20 general admission; $15 for seniors; $10 for Penn Museum members; and $5 for students with ID, with an accompanying student free. Tickets may be purchased online in advance at www.penn.museum, or at the door subject to availability. Tickets may be used to enter and explore the Museum galleries any time after 1:00 pm on the day of the concert.

About Relâche

Relâche is a new music ensemble that for 40 years has maintained an international reputation as a leader in commissioning and performing the innovative music of our time. Relâche has a unique sound—flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, viola, piano, bass and percussion, and performs works that are neither classical, nor popular, but somewhere in between—a melding of Western classical traditions with jazz, rock, electronica, world music, and more. Among the oldest continuously operating, non-profit organizations and chamber ensembles dedicated to contemporary music in the United States, Relâche has consistently offered world-class performances and presentations of music by leading American and international composers and artists. To date, Relâche has performed more than 600 concerts in the Greater Philadelphia area, around the country and the globe, including residency, festival and touring appearances in South America, Japan, and Eastern and Western Europe. The Ensemble boasts a touring-ready repertoire of over 50 pieces and a repertory library of over 400 works. Relâche commissions include works by Robert Ashley, Kitty Brazelton, John Cage, Uri Caine, Fred Frith, Kyle Gann, Philip Glass, Fred Ho, Michael Nyman, Pauline Oliveros, Bobby Previte, George Russell, Somei Satoh, Gavin Bryars, Paul Lansky, Heath Allen, Mark Hagerty, and Lois V Vierk. Relâche has released seven CD’s to date, from Relâche on Edge (1991), to Comix Trips (2014).

About the Penn Museum

The Penn Museum (the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) is dedicated to the study and understanding of human history and diversity. Founded in 1887, the Museum has sent more than 300 archaeological and anthropological expeditions to all the inhabited continents of the world. With an active exhibition schedule and educational programming for children and adults, the Museum offers the public an opportunity to share in the ongoing discovery of humankind's collective heritage.

The Penn Museum is located at 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (on Penn's campus, across from Franklin Field). Public transportation to the Museum is available via SEPTA's Regional Rail Line at University City Station; the Market-Frankford Subway Line at 34th Street Station; trolley routes 11, 13, 34, and 36; and bus routes 21, 30, 40, and 42. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and first Wednesdays of each month until 8:00 pm, with P.M. @ PENN MUSEUM evening programs offered. Closed Mondays and holidays. Admission donation is $15 for adults; $13 for senior citizens (65 and above); free for U.S. Military; $10 for children and full-time students with ID; free to Members, PennCard holders, and children 5 and younger.

Hot and cold meals and light refreshments are offered to visitors with or without Museum admission in The Pepper Mill Café; the Museum Shop offers a wide selection of gifts, books, games, clothing and jewelry. Penn Museum can be found on the web at www.penn.museum. For general information call 215.898.4000. For group tour information call 215.746.8183.