New Music Festival at Williams Features Contemporaneous, Paul de Jong and Melissa St. Pierre

Contemporaneous

Contemporaneous

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.) – I/O Fest ‘13, a three-day festival of new music from around the globe featuring five concerts with several world premieres, works by thirty composers, and performances by Contemporaneous, Paul de Jong (formerly of The Books), and Melissa St. Pierre, takes place from Thursday, January 10, 2013, through Saturday, January 12, 2013, at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance on the Williams College campus in Williamstown. All events are free and open to the public. Neither tickets nor reservations are required.

I/O Fest is an annual new music festival. I/O Fest ’13 opens with a double bill of composer/performers Paul de Jong and Melissa St. Pierre. Composer, cellist, and audio scavenger de Jong presents a first peek into his forthcoming solo show, “Mild Stimulants,” featuring recent compositions and several premieres. de Jong performs on cello and arpeggione, a six string instrument that is bowed like a cello, but shares many characteristics with the guitar. de Jong manipulates live loops, spoken word, and his signature samples and mixes this with video collages.

Melissa St. Pierre brings a “prepared” piano – one that has been physically altered to produce different sounds than the standard instrument. Her program ties recent centennial celebrations of the composer John Cage to the music and technology of today.

Day two features the I/O Ensemble presenting music by living composers and three world premieres that represent some of the most vital corners of contemporary music.

Day three includes the annual “Out of the Box” concert in the glass dance studio of the ’62 Center. Members of the festival’s resident ensembles perform small ensemble and solo works. Titled “Syntax of Snow,” the works take advantage of the extraordinary space and a view of the wintry scene outside. I/O Fest ’13 will conclude with IOTA, a student run group of Williams musicians and special guests Contemporaneous, an extraordinary band of young musicians who have taken the new music world by storm.

 

I/O Fest ‘13 concert schedule at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance at Williams:

Thursday, January 10 at 8 p.m., CenterStage

Paul de Jong – Mild Stimulants

music for cello, loops, samples, and video

 

Thursday, January 10 at 9:45 p.m., CenterStage

After Hours: Melissa St. Pierre – Alien Clangs and Clanks

new music for prepared piano

 

Friday, January 11 at 8 p.m., CenterStage

THE BOX – music by living composers: Hummingbirds

I/O Ensemble

 

Saturday, January 12 at 2 p.m., Dance Studio

Out of the Box: Syntax of Snow

members of I/O ensemble, IOTA, WiPE, and Contemporaneous

 

Saturday, January 12 at 8 p.m., CenterStage

Currents

IOTA Ensemble and special guests Contemporaneous

 

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