OZ ARTS PRESENTS THE RUSHES ENSEMBLE AND MANTRA PERCUSSION WITH MICHAEL GORDON’S ‘RUSHES’ AND ‘TIMBER’ ON MARCH 22

Notable composer’s music for single instrument ensembles provides a night of extraordinary music, curated by Nashville bassoonist Maya Stone as part of OZ Arts’ TNT Local Spotlight Series

OZ Arts Nashville’s popular local spotlight series “TNT” provides a platform for the unexpected, be it in the realm of visual arts, performing arts or a unique blend of genres. Each TNT event, regardless of classification, provides a local artist or collective the opportunity to present their dream project within OZ Arts’ ever-malleable and vast open space. On March 22, an experiential music program will be the focus, supported by two, singular ensembles connected simply by the compositions they will bring to life.
 
Curated by Nashville-based musician Maya Stone, this concert evening pairs Rushes and Timber, two works by Michael Gordon, composer and co-founder of the iconic Bang on a Can collective. Rushes features one of the most unusual groups imaginable, Rushes Ensemble, which consists of seven bassoonists from across the US (of which Stone is a member). Timber features six simantra (simple two-by-four slabs of wood, amplified and yielding trance-like sonic textures), performed by Mantra Percussion.
 
Both works expand the boundaries of a single instrument’s repertoire into unknown (and at times, otherworldly) places. Rushes takes the listener on a meditative journey through rich, undulating harmonies produced by the velvety sound of the seven bassoons. The composition brings out tonal and timbral aspects of the instrument that are meant to induce a quasi-meditative, almost ecstatic state, in the listener as well as the performer. Timber brings the physicality, endurance and technique of percussion performance to a new level. Gordon shapes the music in both polyrhythmic and dynamic waves of textures; often each players’ hands are in separate rhythmic “worlds,” each traversing a different dynamic contour, from loud to soft to loud.

“It is not unusual for the artistic programming at OZ Arts to encourage audiences to ‘let go’ of their own reality and become immersed in the experience. However, in this case, the sonic landscapes that will be constructed by these courageous and masterful musicians surely demands it,” said Artistic Director of OZ Arts Lauren Snelling.

“OZ Arts is a perfect setting to share this experience,” said Maya Stone. “This program, the combination of these two giant works by Michael Gordon, is an unforgettable encounter. It’s an opportunity to get lost in Gordon’s artistic world, whether seeking deep introspection or simply allowing the waves of sound to fully encompass you. We can’t wait to share it with Nashville at OZ Arts.”

Presented at both ends of the rectangular, open warehouse space at OZ Arts, audience members will be given the liberty to choose whether they would like to sit, stand or lie down in the areas surrounding the musicians, wherever they see fit best to take in the aural soundscape of Gordon’s two works.

Michael Gordon’s Rushes, Performed by Rushes Ensemble, and Timber, Performed by Mantra Percussion:
·       March 22, 2018
·       Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.
·       Tickets go on sale at www.OZArtsNashville.org on Thursday, Feb. 22.
·       7pm (Doors open at 6:30pm)
·       Part of OZ Arts Nashville’s TNT Local Spotlight Series

About OZ Arts Nashville
 
Since opening in 2014, OZ Arts Nashville, a 501(c)(3) contemporary arts center, has changed the cultural landscape of the city. Housed in the former C.A.O. cigar warehouse owned by Nashville’s Ozgener family, OZ Arts, under the artistic leadership of Lauren Snelling, brings world-class performances and art installations to the city, and gives ambitious local artists opportunities to work on a grand scale. The flexible 10,000 square-foot, column-free venue, nestled amidst five acres of artfully landscaped grounds, is continually reconfigured to serve artists’ imaginations, and to challenge and inspire a diverse range of curious audiences. OZ Arts is supported in part by Metro Arts – Nashville Office of Arts + Culture. The TNT series is additionally supported in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Danner Foundation and the Amphion Foundation.

For more information, please visit http://www.ozartsnashville.org/.