On Saturday, April 9, the Los Angeles Philharmonic reintroduces its Noon to Midnight series with A Day of New Music, featuring five commissioned works and 12 world premieres. The program, held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA, features the musical talents of numerous CalArtians and a Herb Alpert Award in the Arts recipient.
Performances held at the Keck Amphitheatre include several CalArtian pianists, including former School of Music Visiting Artist Nic Gerpe, who will perform Volume I of George Crumb’s four-volume piano work Makrokosmos at 12:15 pm. Following Gerpe is Music faculty and pianist Vicki Ray, whose 30-minute set includes a performance of Majestic, composed by acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and former faculty Wadada Leo Smith.
Alumnus Danny Holt (Music MFA 06) performs works by Alexander Mosolov, Sarah Seelig, and Graham Fitkin at 3:30 p.m. And Aperture Duo performs a piece by violinist and composer Andrew Tholl (Music MFA 08, DMA 12) during their 7 p.m. program.
Among the ongoing installations is EVERY VOICE, an AR sculpture and sound work created by 2021 HAAIA recipient Kaneza Schaal and Christopher Myers. Schaal and Myers were asked to create a piece that “would reflect on the meaning of artists and audiences’ return to Walt Disney Concert Hall following the darkest days of the pandemic.” The piece was commissioned by the LA Philharmonic as part of its Humanities program, which launched in 2019.
EVERY VOICE is located outside the main entrance of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, on the corner of 1st Street and Grand Avenue. The experience is available 24/7 via the “Every Voice LA Phil” mobile app (available on iOS and Android) until June 10, 2022.
Another ongoing installation is Chris Kallmyer’s (Music MFA 09) Song Cycle, a commissioned kinetic work “continually inscribed and reinscribed by a 256-character split-flap sign,” located in the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s Grand Avenue Lobby. At 7 pm at BP Hall, the LA Philharmonic presents the world premiere of Song Cycle, a live performance and reading directed by fellow CalArtian Zoe Aja Moore (Theater MFA 11).
View the CalArtians performing throughout the 12-hour musical marathon below:
Set #1, 12:15-12:45 pm | Keck Amphitheatre
Former School of Music Visiting Artist Nic Gerpe, piano
CRUMB Makrokosmos, Vol. 1
Set #2, 1:15-1:45 pm | Keck Amphitheatre
School of Music faculty Vicki Ray, piano
SCHNITTKE: Improvisation and Fugue
Former School of Music faculty Wadada Leo Smith: Majestic
KAGEL: Impromptu (À deux mains)
Cecil TAYLOR (trans. Kaja Draksler): Life as …
LIGETI: Capriccio No. 2
Set #4, 3:30-4 pm | Keck Amphitheatre
Danny Holt (Music MFA 06), piano
MOSOLOV: Turkmenian Nights
Sarah SEELIG: Tingsha
Graham FITKIN: Fervent
7-7:45 pm | BP Hall
Chris Kallmyer (Music MFA 09) + Zoe Aja Moore (Theater MFA 11)
Chris KALLMYER: Song Cycle, LIVE by Special Request (world premiere, LA Phil commission)
Directed by: Zoe Aja Moore
Lighting by: Chris Kuhl (Theater BFA 05)
Performed by: Sarah Davachi, Korede Oladimeji, Alexandra Rose Franco, Matt Kivel, Clinton Patterson (Music MFA 07), superteam
Text by: Chris Kallmyer
See the full Noon to Midnight program on the LA Philharmonic’s website.
