Orkestra Projekt: Agitate!

The final concert of Orkestra Projekt’s sixth season is set for two performances: 7:30 p.m. 19 June and 7:30 p.m. 20 June in the Fringe Building, 719 East St. Clair Street, Indianapolis.

"Agitate" continues to rock (verb: to move back and forth, to cause to move to and fro violently, to impair or destroy the composure of).

The feature is "Different Trains" by Steve Reich, a contemporary American composer. It is a piece written for three string quartets and voices on prepared tape with the addition of a live string quartet to complete the performance. He describes this as a musical documentary. It is presented in three seamless movements: "America – Before the war", "Europe – During the war", and "After the war". With train whistles, vocal phrases, and instruments mimicking those vocal phrases as closely as possible, Steve Reich explores the themes of separation and Holocaust providing an immersive experience.

Then comes a piece by Tan Dun, the contemporary Chinese composer famous for composing the music for the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". His piece, "Lament: Autumn Wind" is scored for six instruments of any type and a voice of any range. We will feature an interactive experiment to involve the audience in the selection of the instrumentation during the performance.

The third, a world premiere, is "Bigot", a piece for quintet by New York native Scott Comanzo. Scored for string quintet, it describes a conflict between a reactionary and a radical.

Of course, we make this adventure into new music feel safer with some arrangements of Led Zeppelin tunes "Dancin’ Days" and "Black Dog".

All Orkestra Projekt concerts feature this experience of new music, casual atmosphere, free light hors d’oeuvres and drinks and some of the coolest classical music audiences in Indianapolis.

Orkestra Projekt’s casual and intimate concert environment attracts young professional adults, families, and others who want to connect with the world of contemporary classical music and be intensely entertained at the same time.

Check here for ticket information; prices are $5-19.