NAT 28 NEW MUSIC

June 08, 2019

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
1066 Washington Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
8:00PM
$15 general admission / $5 students

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Since its inception, NAT 28 has been committed to highlighting the many narratives of those who our society has historically ignored and silenced. NAT 28's final concert of the season In Spite of All This features works unearthing untold narratives. 
 

The concert includes Miya Masaoka's string quartet Survival from the multi-disciplinary work Triangle of Resistance which references the 1942 US executive order that authorized the internment of Japanese Americans, the Russian Revolution, and symbols of feminist activism.*  Tan Dun's Elegy - Snow in June for cello and four percussionists, meant to be "a lament to victims everywhere," is based on a 13th-century Chinese story of a woman who was executed for a crime she didn't commit. A work for Pierrot ensemble will follow: Kati Agócs' Immutable Dreams, titled after part of the final conversation Agócs shared with one of her oldest friends. Missy Mazzoli's work In Spite of All This, after which the program is titled, reflects the hope that we have for people to continue to thrive and create a better future for all despite current forces which seek to undermine that opportunity.

This concert is presented by the St. Paul's Episcopal Church Friends of Music Concert Series.

* description taken from Miya Masaoka's website

April 27, 2019

The Homewood Cemetery
1599 S. Dallas Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
7:30PM
$15 general admission / $5 students

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In celebration of multiculturalism and diversity in American history, NAT 28 presents Creation/Preservation. The concert is presented in collaboration with The Homewood Cemetery Historical Fund as part of a series of performances which take inspiration from the Cemetery's history. NAT 28 recognizes that a cemetery is a cultural expression which provides a vivid look into the history of its surrounding city. The Homewood Cemetery's history reflects the multicultural history of Pittsburgh, and preserves the stories of those who inhabit it.

The concert will feature the momentous work Apartment House 1776 by John Cage, commissioned to celebrate the United States' Bicentennial in 1976. The concert-length work is centered on four songs sung by four singers who represent one of four religious traditions in practice at the founding of the United States in 1776: Native American, African American, Sephardic, and Protestant. Each singer performs their song independently while the accompanying ensemble performs American Revolution era anthems and hymns which Cage recomposed through his iconic chance operations. The performance celebrates and honors the opportunity for people of many backgrounds to create and preserve their traditions in a shared space, and reflects our hope to preserve and protect the multicultural fabric of our city and world. This performance will also include Frederic Rzewski’s Coming Together featuring Pittsburgh-based Slam Poet Sherrika Mitchell, and Jean-Patrick Besingrand’s Au delà des nuages, l’endroit promis for flute, clarinet, and violin.

February 09, 2019

Kelly-Strayhorn Theater
5941 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
7:30PM

Tickets are "pay-what-makes-you-happy" online/at the door

Call for Scores Winners

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The annual Pittsburgh Composers' Project features the work of established and emerging composers based in Pittsburgh. This year's concert includes the winners of NAT 28's third annual Call for Scores by emerging composers. Additionally, we will feature Leonardo Balada's Caprichos No. 1 for guitar and string quartet, a magnificent multi-movement, concerto-style work based on Federico Garcia Lorca's arrangements of Andalusian folk songs. Fans of Rodrigo's famous Concierto de Aranjuez will certainly fall in love with this work. A Piano Concerto by Jean-Patrick Besingrand (NAT 28 Composer-in-Residence) will receive its Pittsburgh premiere with our special guest Yumi Suehiro at the piano. 

This year’s Call-for-Scores winners:
Devon Osamu Tipp’s Blood on the Pavement 1984 (bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano)
Xinyang Wang’s San-Guei  (flute, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello)
Cullyn D. Murphy’s Come to/Hypnic Jerk  (piccolo, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion)

The Pittsburgh Composers' Project is a great opportunity for audiences to experience the creative and innovative music written by composers who call Pittsburgh home.

This series is generously underwritten by Samuel & Diana Harbison.

December 08, 2018

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
1066 Washington Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
7:30PM
$15 general admission / $5 students

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During the 2018 Pittsburgh Festival of New Music, NAT 28 presented A Scattering of Sequenze - a dozen pop-up performances throughout the city of Pittsburgh of works from Luciano Berio’s Sequenze.  NAT 28 returns to this iconic series of virtuosic, modern works for solo instrumentalists/voice with RE:Quenza - a fully-staged, seamless performance of four Sequenze in collaboration with four Pittsburgh artists, each producing a visual illumination of the music.

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NAT 28 is thrilled to shine the spotlight on its brilliant musicians by featuring them as soloists in this concert.

Sequenza I for flute | Zoe Sorrell with Jess Medenbach, video/media designer
Sequenza III for voice | Anna Elder with Joshua Brown & D. T. Burns, multi-media artists
Sequenza IX for clarinet | Allyson Huneycutt with her own video work
Sequenza XIV for cello | Nadine Sherman with David Bernabo, video artist

October 20, 2018

Third Presbyterian Church
5701 Fifth Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
7:30PM
$15 general admission / $5 students

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NAT 28’s Portraits Series presents milestone works by an established composer living in Pittsburgh. This season we will feature the work of composer, performer, and educator Amy Williams. Amy's music has been presented by major institutions around the world including Pittsburgh's most-well known organizations: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Music on the Edge series, the Pittsburgh Festival of New Music, and many other music ensembles in the Steel City. NAT 28 is proud to shine the spotlight on Amy's work as her commitment to the contemporary music scene in Pittsburgh and abroad so closely reflects our mission.

The program includes five of Amy’s chamber works interspersed with interludes from her well-known Cineshapes, a series of pieces inspired by structural and thematic elements from different films. The works on this concert highlight NAT 28’s flexible and broad instrumentation: Dream Landscape for percussion quartet, Quodlibet for flute, oboe, violin, viola, cello, and piano, and Switch for piano four-hands. The arc of the concert is designed to give the audience a deep look into Amy’s work highlighting the past 15 years of her career.

September 01, 2018

​NAT 28 is joining the Pittsburgh Festival of New Music to produce A Scattering of Sequenzas, a unique set of pop-up performances throughout Pittsburgh in September. We will be performing from Luciano Berio's Sequenze, a set of virtuosic, modern works for solo instrumentalists. Visit our A Scattering of Sequenzas page for full details. 

June 09, 2018

Winchester Thurston School

555 Morewood Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
7:30PM
$15 general/$5 students
 

In celebration of Pittsburgh’s Pride Week, NAT 28 presents A Polyphony of Pride, a concert of works by LGBTQ composers. NAT 28 embraces diversity and inclusivity by programming music meant to highlight and celebrate the composers, community, audience, and ensemble members whose voices and backgrounds reflect a rich array of experiences and perspectives. By continually presenting the work of a diverse body of artists, NAT 28 seeks to help the classical music tradition become increasingly vibrant and relevant. The concert is made possible by support from The Opportunity Fund and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

The program includes works by Meredith Monk, Jennifer Higdon, Sean Shepherd, Nico Muhly, Andrew Norman, and Pauline Oliveros.

March 23, 2018

Frick Fine Arts
University of Pittsburgh
650 Schenley Drive (across from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Main)
Pittsburgh, PA
7:30PM
$15 general/$5 students
 

NAT 28 celebrates its close connection to the music and culture of France. The ensemble's own composer-in-residence and French native (from Bordeaux), Jean-Patrick Besingrand has selected a program of works by his teachers and colleagues which capture the breadth of contemporary music in France today. 

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The program includes works by Georges Barboteu, Benoit Albert, Jean-Louis Agobet, Etienne Rolin, Pierre Boulez, and Jean-Patrick Besingrand.

January 20, 2018

Kelly-Strayhorn Theater
5941 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA
15206
7:30 PM
$15 general/$5 students

The annual Pittsburgh Composers Project features the work of established and emerging composers based in Pittsburgh. This year's concert includes the winners of NAT 28's second annual Call for Scores by emerging composers. It is a great opportunity for audiences to experience the creative and innovative music written by composers who call Pittsburgh home. The program will be announced once the winners of the Call for Scores are chosen on November 1, 2017.

November 11, 2017

Kresge Theatre
Carnegie Mellon University - College of Fine Arts
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA
5:00PM and 8:30PM
$15 for one concert/$20 for both concerts
FREE for CMU students

The annual Spotlight Series features the work of living composers whose careers have helped define contemporary classical music as we know it today. This year NAT 28 features the music of the inventive and ground-breaking composer, George Crumb. In order to present a comprehensive program of his most famous works, this will be a two-concert event with a dinner in between. The first concert begins at 5:00pm. The second concert begins at 8:30pm. Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) for flute, cello and piano simultaneously examines whale song and the creation of the universe. Mundus Canis for guitar and percussion is a set of musical caricatures that capture the spirit of five of the composer's dogs. Eleven Echoes of Autumn for violin, alto flute, clarinet, and piano explores Federico Garcia Lorca's lament on the "broken arch" of fall's climax and collapse. Black Angels is a thrilling work for amplified string quartet depicting figures of the underworld. The program also includes An Idyll for the Misbegotten for flute and percussion, and Dream Sequence for violin, cello, piano, percussion and glass harmonica.

September 30, 2017

Third Presbyterian Church
5701 Fifth Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
7:30PM
$12 online/at the door
$5 for students at the door only

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Vox Novus explores the questions of what it means to have a voice; how the human voice relates to tradition, storytelling, and record keeping; and the ways in which folk songs and folk tales relate to identity and understanding.

The concert features the talents of NAT 28 musicians alongside three vocalists who are celebrated for their performances of contemporary music. Soprano Jennifer Aylmer will be featured on two works by the award-winning Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho: Miranda’s Lament, a setting of the eponymous character’s words from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and Die Aussicht based on the poem by the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin. The American premiere of NAT 28 composer Jean-Patrick Besingrand’s Aux couleurs du couchant reflété par mes yeux for solo voice will be given by soprano Anna Elder. Anna will also be featured on the world premiere of Curtis Rumrill’s Domestic Beasts of Vinland Char based on a poem by the composer’s long-time collaborative partner, Zach Webber. The concert will end with Folk Songs by the iconic composer, Luciano Berio. Mezzo-soprano Kara Cornell brings life to this set of eleven “recomposed” folk songs from around the world.

June 21, 2017

Pittsburgh’s finest musicians and ensembles come together for a collaborative celebration of music-making. Join us on June 21st at the Panther Hollow Watershed to witness a performance that flows through the music of Dean Rosenthal, Steve Reich, Pauline Oliveros, and Terry Riley. Feel free to either join us or just watch! Featuring NAT 28, Trillium Ensemble, The Brass Roots, Eclectic Laboratory Chamber Orchestra, Kamratōn, Kassia Ensemble, as well as many of Pittsburgh’s favorite individual artists. Enjoy an hour of semi-improvisatory music followed by mingling in a beautiful space with ensemble members and composer Dean Rosenthal. A light, outdoor reception will follow.

June 20, 2017

Join NAT 28 in celebrating its first birthday! Admission gets you hors d'oeuvres, 2 drink tickets, access to our silent auction, a private performance, and one-on-one time with the musicians of NAT 28. Salon attendees will also be the first to hear the lineup for our second season (it's BIG, folks!). Silent Auction will include Pittsburgh sports collectibles, local business merchandise and gift cards, tickets to local events, and arts goods from local artists. 

May 21, 2017

A concert of world premieres written for NAT 28's musicians by composers from around the world. $15 admission, $5 with student ID.

April 30, 2017

New York Counterpoint, Vermont Counterpoint, Clapping Music, and Double Sextet - all accompanied with multimedia art. Featuring musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. $10 admission. For more information, click here. 

April 04, 2017

This program, a “conflict kitchen of music”, celebrates composers and works with identities that are challenged by our current American administration. We will represent composers of Jordanian, Chickasaw, and Persian descent, as well as pieces written in response to fascist governments and the struggles of Black identity. Admission is pay-what-you-wish. Presented by Chamber Music Pittsburgh.

March 11, 2017

The first half of the concert will feature the winners of NAT 28's inaugural call-for-scores from young local composers while the second half highlights Pittsburgh's established career composers. Admission: $15, students free with ID. For more information click here.  The Pittsburgh Composers' Project is underwritten by Samuel and Diana Harbison.

November 13, 2016

NAT 28 celebrates local composer Federico Garcia-De Castro's decade of professional work in Pittsburgh with a full concert of his music.  $12 suggested donation. For more information, click here.