The June in Buffalo Festival is thrilled to welcome back [Switch~ Ensemble], who have been regular performers in the Festival and at the Center. They last visited the Center for 21st Century Music for a terrific residency from February 27 to March 2, 2023 and for June in Buffalo 2024.
A new music ensemble for the 21st Century, [Switch~ Ensemble] is dedicated to the creation of new works for chamber ensemble: they bring bold new acoustic, electroacoustic, and multimedia projects to life. At the core of each performance is their commitment to the total integration of technology and live musicians. They strive for compelling artistry achieved through the seamless creation, production, and execution of new music, and believe that working directly with composers—in a medium where the score is a point of departure rather than a finish line—allows for new and thrilling musical possibilities.
[Switch~] contributes to the future of the genre by strongly advocating for and commissioning the music of a new generation of emerging young composers. They have enjoyed fruitful collaborations with both emerging and established composers, with commissions and premieres of works by composers including Anna-Louise Walton, Alican Çamci, Igor Santos, Katherine Young, Stefano Gervasoni, Stefan Prins, Wojtek Blecharz, Anthony Vine, Rand Steiger, Philippe Leroux, Timothy McCormack, Tonia Ko, James Bean, Matt Sargent, Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri, Esaias Järnegard, Sivan Eldar, Julio Zúñiga, Zeynep Toraman, Alexander Schubert, Adrien Trybucki, Elvira Garifzyanova, Santiago Diez-Fischer, Lisa Streich, Anthony Pateras, and many others.
Founded in 2012 at the Eastman School of Music, the [Switch~ Ensemble] looks toward the future of contemporary music. They are dedicated to performing high-level chamber music integrated with cutting-edge technology and supporting emerging and early career composers. They are passionate about helping to build a diverse canon of 21st century works that leaves space for all voices—especially those that have historically been excluded from our field.