Artburst: music, dance, theater, etc

Elegy was composed following the tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001.  Through shifting textures of slow lyrical lines that are interrupted by stuttering pizzicato phrases, the piece aims to convey coexisting emotions of sorrow and apprehension.  The relatively systematic construction of the piece, which utilizes tetrachords, reflects an attempt to restore order to the psychological turmoil suffered by Americans during the aftermath of the tragedy.
Amy Canada
Performed: March 30, 2008

Known for his meticulous craft and remarkable expressivity, Andrew Rindfleisch has consistently gained both popular and critical acclaim while garnering performances worldwide.  With over 50 national and international awards honoring his music (including the Rome Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and Aaron Copland Award), Rindfleisch consistently produces innovative works for the concert hall, including solo, chamber, choral, wind, and orchestral compositions.  He is currently Professor of Music Composition at Cleveland State University where he has created one of the most intensive and supportive programs of music composition in the country.
Program of March 30, 2008

Quiet Music is a three-movement work for solo cello.  Its title refers to the work’s singular sonority, dominated by the use of natural harmonics and the exclusive use of the practice mute (a large mute radically affecting the instruments voice).  Quiet Music was commissioned by cellists Craig Hultgren, David Russell, Jonathan Golove, and Madeleine Shapiro with assistance from the Birmingham Art Music Alliance.  This is the premiere of the work.
Andrew Rindfleisch
Performed March 30, 2008
Craig Hultgren

Glenn Engstrand is a self-proclaimed Renaissance man who has served as architect and director for various software vendors by day and endeavors as a bassoonist, writer and visual artist at night. He is the publisher for the online magazine, Projection located at .
Included in performance of March 30, 2008

Bare ruin’d choirs… was written for Hultgren.  Following a slow introduction in harmonics that displays the principal interval series of this one-movement work, a broad and accelerating connecting device leads to a fast, agitated passage of bowed tremelos.  The piece continues to unfold in alternating fast and slow tempos before returning to a quiet variant of the opening announcement.  Bare ruin’d choirs… was cited for merit in the 2003 Hultgren Solo Cello Works Biennial.