We’re excited to welcome the immensely talented and
strikingly charismatic violinist
Tim Fain to the University at Buffalo to
perform his innovative and critically-acclaimed multi-media project,
Portals, which integrates music, dance,
spoken word, acting, and video, to explore longing and connection in the digital
age.
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the University at Buffalo, along
with media sponsor
WNED, will present Tim Fain's
Portals, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, in the Drama Theater in the
Center for Performing Arts on the University at Buffalo's North Campus in
Amherst. Tickets range from $15 to $30 and are available by calling the
Slee Hall box office at (716) 645-2921.
A brief excerpt from the program note outlines the artistry and depth of exploration in this profoundly relevant work:
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| Tim Fain performing Portals |
“Combining music with film, dance and spoken word, Portals
explores the ways in which we communicate, and, through communication, find
meaning in the digital age. In an era when our expressions of love and sorrow,
of togetherness and longing—such private emotions—are sometimes displayed so
publicly on the web, the potential for artistic communication through digital
media is endless. The creative team and I set out to expand the boundaries of
possibility in live performance whereby the performers and artists appear
onscreen as if signing on (over Skype, iChat, etc.), each from his or her
respective private space, interacting with each other as well as with me on
stage.
“For example, at times one sees the performers readying
themselves for performance, warming up, or just relaxing in their own private
spaces, as if glimpsed by webcam. By contrast, at other times Nicholas and I
meet in an imagined performance space which combines a feeling of an empty
concert hall with a sound stage, (the empty chairs and pixilated projections)
in which we perform together. Sometimes the two worlds collide and combine, as
in Graceful Ghost, where we
occasionally switch places, passing through these different worlds, real and
imagined. Though we're not always
face to face or feeling someone's touch or the warmth of their breath, we are
deeply connected.”
Portals was conceived
by Tim Fain, who acts as the producer and creative director and is joined by
co-producer and noted film director by
Kate Hackett. It was born out of
collaboration between Fain and
Benjamin Millepied, the choreographer for the
acclaimed 2010 film
Black Swan starring Natalie Portman. As Fain plays his
violin, actors, dancers, and other musicians accompany him on screen.
Portals features the works of several
composers, with the centerpiece being a new work by
Phillip Glass specifically
written for Fain. The project has been profiled in Vanity Fair, The Wall Street
Journal, and The New York Times, and integrates original music by a a
diverse collection of composers, including:
Lev Zhurbin,
Nico Muhly,
Aaron Jay Kernis, Philip Glass,
William Bolcom, and
Kevin Puts; and features dancers
Craig Black, Julia, Eichten, and Haylee Nichele. Nicholas Britell joins the
cast on piano, along with spoken word actor Fred Child, who recites text
written by the well-loved American poet and musician
Leonard Cohen.
Tim Fain’s biography reveals an exciting and productive
career filled with music performances and collaborations in a variety of genres
and contexts :
“Avery Fisher Career Grant-winning violinist Tim Fain was
selected as one of both Symphony and Strad magazine’s “Up-and-Coming”
musicians, and was, most recently, seen on screen and heard on the Grammy-nominated
soundtrack of the hit film Black Swan, and heard as the sound of Richard Gere’s
violin in Fox Searchlight’s feature film Bee Season. Recipient of the Young
Concert Artists International Award, he made his debuts with the Brooklyn
Philharmonic and Baltimore Symphony, with Marin Alsop conducting, and appeared
as soloist with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Mexico City Philharmonic,
Maryland, Cincinnati Chamber Symphony, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and
Curtis Symphony Orchestra at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, the Hague
Philharmonic, among others.
Equally at home in virtually all genres of music, he is a fervent
champion of 20th and 21st century composers with a repertoire ranging from
Beethoven to Corigliano. His recitals have taken him to the Ravinia Festival,
Kennedy Center, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Boston’s Gardner Museum, Mexico’s
Festival de Musica de Camera, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, California’s
Carmel Mozart Society, and New York’s 92nd Street Y. Portals has toured
throughout the world including to New York City’s Symphony Space, Santa
Monica’s Broad Stage, Australia’s Melbourne Festival and beyond.
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| Tim Fain |
“He has collaborated with such luminaries as Pinchas
Zukerman, Richard Goode, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Mitsuko Uchida, has appeared with
the Mark Morris Dance Group, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and
appeared onstage with the New York City Ballet, performing alongside the
dancers in the acclaimed premiere of Benjamin Millepied’s Double Aria. He has
also worked with jazz pianists Billy Childs and Ethan Iverson (The Bad Plus),
guitarist Rich Robinson (Black Crowes), and appeared at Jazz at Lincoln Center
with Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20). A sought-after chamber musician, he has toured
with Musicians from Marlboro, appeared with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln
Center, performed at the Spoleto, Ravinia, and Santa Fe Festivals and continues
to tour internationally in a duo-recital program with Philip Glass.
“His debut CD, Arches, combines old and new solo works, and
his disc of American short works, River of Light, was recently released on
Naxos. Tim Fain performs on a violin made by Franceso Gobetti, Venice 1717, the
“Moller” on extended loan from Clement and Karen Arrison through the generous
efforts of the Stradivari Society of Chicago.”
Be sure to join us the following day, at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, Jan. 26,
for a masterclass and question-and-answer session with Tim Fain in the Mary
Seaton Room at Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo. It is free and
open to the public. The Mary Seaton Room will enjoy a coffeehouse feel, with
complimentary hot beverages and pastries. More information on the masterclass
session to come soon…
Tim Fain, Portals
7:30 p.m., Friday, January 25, 2013
Drama Theater in the Center for Performing Arts
University at Buffalo's North Campus
Tickets: $15 to $30, available at the Slee Hall box office,
(716) 645-2921.
