UCSC's April in Santa Cruz festival of contemporary music kicks off with a free concert by the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, performing music by John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, Mark Appelbaum, Jeffrey Homes, Andre Marquetti, and Eric Guinivan.
Free admission.
Embarking on their third concert season, the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet has fast become one of the premier percussion chamber ensembles on the West Coast.
In presenting their unique repertoire of mostly commissioned music, the LAPQ blends the best of both the visceral and sensual elements of percussion, such that a performance could place the audience in the center of a primal drumming ceremony, or immerse them in a static field of microtonal metal ambience.
With a goal to champion the music of regional composers, the LAPQ repertoire features works by Shaun Naidoo, Steve Forman, David Johnson, and Mark Applebaum. Several LAPQ commissions from composers Sean Heim, Eric Guinivan, Jeff Holmes, Ben Phelps, and Alex Miller have quickly garnered critical recognition and awards, most notably by the Theodore Presser Foundation, Fromm Foundation, and BMI.
Recent performances include Monday Evening Concerts, Music & Conversations, Chapman Percussion Symposium, the Pasadena Art Center of Design, and as ensemble-in-residence at the 2nd Los Angeles Composer’s Project, the University of Southern California, Chapman University, and the California Institute of the Arts.
2011 will see the group’s release of numerous audio recordings (featuring the music of Eric Guinivan, Steve Forman, and David Johnson), world premieres of three LAPQ commissions, and a tour of Northern California.
For more information, visit www.lapercussionquartet.com