wild Up, Lisa Bielawa and Colburn Conservatory – Recap of Santa Ana Sites #4
Grand Central Art Center is beginning to use the tagline “Art unRestricted” to describe our programming. A perfect example of GCAC’s philosophy took place this past Saturday evening, as we presented the fourth in our ongoing Santa Ana Sites series, co-founded with our community collaborator and artistic director Allen Moon.
Santa Ana Sites #4: wild Up in The Santora was our collaboration with Chris Rountree, founder and creative director of Los Angeles based new music ensemble wild Up; Lisa Bielawa, New York based composer, vocalist and GCAC Artist in Residence; and musicians of the Colburn Conservatory of Music.
The evening began with a reception at GCAC, where we gathered the 225+ in attendance and provided each with a program and wristband of a certain color, which marked groups of 60. At 7:30, the guests were officially welcomed by GCAC Director/Chief Curator John D. Spiak and given a brief overview of how the evening would play out. They were told they would be escorted across the plaza to the Santora Building in groups of 60, where the official program would begin.
Upon arrival at the Santora, guests were greeted in the atrium by Genesis Again, a vocal work by Lisa Bielawa with solo accompaniment on violin by Andrew Tholl.
As the short piece concluded, the audience transitioned to the second floor of the building where the full wild Up music ensemble was performing James Tenney’s Swell throughout the open area. This transition continued to occur until all 225+ audience members were gathered together on the second floor, experiencing the performance of Swell together.
As the work concluded, Allen Moon introduced Chris Rountree, who provided insight into the printed program and spaces of the building. The program laid out nine locations throughout the three stories of the Santora Building – atrium, third floor, stairway, se corner, OC Creatives, Tween’s Studio, NW corner, steet level gallery, basement – each providing a micro venue which had been separately programed for the evening. It was a structure that provided the opportunity for each audience member to self-select his or her experience.
The choices were as follows:
Chance Encounter – Lisa Bielawa
Retracing – Eliot Carter Solo for Bassoon
Quintet – Andrew Tholl
The Cohen Variations – Daniel Felsenfeld
Let Down – Radiohead
Synopsis #5 – Lisa Bielawa solo for trumpet
Cabaret and Bach – for bass and voice
Ongoing percussion installation – Corey Fogel
The Twin Suite – Samuel Vriezen
Fratres – Arvo Part
Grisey for clarinet
Spirit Worker – ongoing installation by Chris Kallmyer
Synopsis #9 – Lisa Bielawa solo for Viola
Works by Luciano Berio and John Cage for soprano and voice
Punk Rock Set 1: Deerhoof and Dog Face Hermans
Trombone Sequenza – Luciano Berio
Synopsis #9 – Lisa Bielawa solo for English Horn
Synopsis #3 – Lisa Bielawa solo for Flute
Three Meditations on California Girls – Andrew Tholl
Above Chiangmai – Harold Budd
Love in Outerspace – Sun Ra
Narayana’s Cow – Tom Johnson
Knee Play 2 – Philip Glass
The evening concluded with everyone reuniting in the street level gallery space to experience the last works of the evening together:
From the Cello Suites – J.S. Bach – Archie Carey
Punk Rock Set 2: FEAR, The Misfits, Deerhoof
It was truly a remarkable evening, as wild Up and Lisa Bielawa allowed us to continue to expand our notions of the unRestricted!
Thank you to all the talented performers who made the evening possible:
Christopher Rountree (Artistic Director/Conductor/Voice), Lisa Bielawa (voice), Andrew Tholl (violin), Linnea Powell (viola), Claire Chenette (oboe/English horn), Dana Jackson (bassoon), Chris Kallmyer (guitars/trumpet), Andrew McIntosh (violin/viola), Ruiging Tang (viola), Brian Walsh (clarinets/saxophones), Allen Fogle (horn), Corey Fogel (drums), Justine Aronson (soprano), Melinda Rice (violin/viola), Derek Stein (cello), Eleanor Weigert(clarinets), Jonah Levy (trumpet), Matt Cook (percussion), Richard Valitutto (piano/accordion/melodica), Maggie Hasspacher (bass/voice), Erin McKibben (flute/piccolo), Archie Carey (bassoon), Matt Barbier (trombone), and Jodie Landau (percussion/voice).
Santa Ana Sites #4 was made possible through the generous support of Santora Group LLC, with in-kind support provided by Ashley Eckenweiler, The ACE Agency, Tweena Tran and Memphis Cafe. We also recognize the wonderful contributions of time and energy the Grand Central Art Center team provide on a daily bases to ensure successful outcomes, so please join us in thanking them next time you visit.
Thank you as well to Kurt Mortensen and Steve Fisch for providing images and video from the evening!
Here are a few video links from the evening:
on YouTube:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhAosi92kWE&w=560&h=315]
on KCRW:
http://blogs.kcrw.com/whichwayla/2014/03/all-the-worlds-a-stage
on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202872813802754&set=vb.1274343186&type=2&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202872901164938&set=vb.1274343186&type=2&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202873016687826&set=vb.1274343186&type=2&theater
To keep informed of future programs, as well as to see images and programming of past events, visit the Santa Ana Sites Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/santaanasites
Success of programming is made possible through the generous financial support of individuals like you. Contribute to GCAC’s continued success by make a donation online today!
https://www.fullerton.edu/SupportGCAC