A not-so-secret Laboratorium

Another European ensemble appearing at June in Buffalo 2010 is Ensemble Laboratorium. Like Ensemble SurPlus, the group is playing two concerts -- one featuring 20th-century classics (June 3):

Transparente - Oscar Bianchi
Glint - Jacob Druckman

Influence Liquide from Laboratorium - Vinko Globokar
Assonance VI - Michael Jarrell
déja - Bernard Rands
from behind the unreasoning mask - Roger Reynolds

...and the other comprising pieces by JiB participants (June 4):

A Fragmented Landscape - John Bacon

For Bass - Matthew Goodheart
January Miniatures - Joshua Groffman

A Matter of Truth - Hannah Lash
Cross-sightedness - Diana Soh
Chiaroscuro - Gabriele Vanoni
Night Spiral - Christopher Walczak
Cleave Orestes - Stephen Wilcox

Ensemble Laboratorium is based in Switzerland, but the group's members hail from fourteen countries on five continents. A primary goal of the ensemble is the development of an interactive exchange between the cultures represented by its members. This work takes the form of specific projects that explore the complete range of contemporary music -- from well and lesser known repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries to newly commissioned works, including multimedia collaborations with artists from other fields. In addition to its JiB performances, the group's upcoming swing through New York state will include stops at two experimental music outposts in NYC: The Tank (May 31, June 11) and Issue Project Room (June 10). 

June in Buffalo: a rather distinguished list

For emerging composers, one of the vital attractions of June in Buffalo is the opportunity to attend seminars and master classes with the festival's senior faculty. Over the years, eminent composers from around the globe have taken part -- a veritable roll call of leading 20th- and 21st-century compositional giants. The list includes Milton Babbitt, Henry Brant, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Aaron Copland, Jacob Druckman, Morton Feldman, Lejaren Hiller, Lukas Foss, Otto Luening, Conlon Nancarrow, Pauline Oliveros, Bernard Rands, Steve Reich, Poul Ruders, Frederic Rzewski, Ralph Shapey, Leo Smit, Virgil Thomson, and Charles Wuorinen. 

Along with David Felder, this year's senior faculty members include Steve Reich, Roger Reynolds, Bernard Rands, Augusta Read Thomas, and Olivier Pasquet. Each brings an invaluable compositional perspective to the festival. Over the next several weeks, we'll be introducing each of them a little more fully.

Left: John Cage (photo by Irene Haupt)