A festival celebrating contemporary American music opened yesterday in Saint Petersburg. The organisers see the festival as a chance to increase cooperation and communication between Russian and international musicians, as well as providing an opportunity for the inhabitants of the city to acquaint themselves with less mainstream world music.

The festival showcases a large variety of musical genres, staging a series of performances ranging from serious academic recitals to hard-core electro club nights. Amongst the bands performing at the festival are drum quartet ‘So Percussion’ and the ensemble-orchestra ‘Alarm Will Sound.’ The various acts will perform music written by a host of young American composers such as John Adams, Julie Wool and Steve Cage. There will also be a staging of music composed by Aphex Twin, who writes music exclusively for electrical instruments.

This is not the first international musical festival to take place in the Northern Capital. Indeed, the city has been staging annual festivals since 2001, with each festival being dedicated to a different musical culture. This year’s festival is dedicated to American culture. The festival started on 11th November and will continue until 22nd.

Festival Program

Wednesday 12 November

So Percussion and percussion students

13:30, Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (Teatralnaya Pl. 3)

Thursday 13th November

Concert: Mark Applebaum

Wristwatch: Geology for players tapping stones

Mobile for Paper for players tearing paper: Ìàrk Applebaum, So Percussion

Intellectual Property for disklavier and improvising pianist

Snagglepuss ReMix for 2-channel tape

Elegy ReMix, from The Janus ReMixes: Exercises in Auto-Plundering for 2-channel tape

Variations on Variations on a Theme by Mozart for 4-channel tape

Plundergraphic for 8-channel tape and live instrumentalists

Mark Applebaum, Sî Percussion

Mouseketier Praxis for mouseketier sound-sculpture and live electronics

Pre-Composition for 8-channel tape

19:00, Yamaha Music Centre (Savushkina, 98)

Sunday 16 November

Concert: ensemble, conducted by Fiodor Lendev

Martin Breznik: My Twentieth Century

Alvin Karren: Rose of Beans II

John Luther Adams: Dark Wind

Julia Woolf: Girlfriend

Julia Woolf: Mink Stole

19:30, Central Museum of Communication (Pochtamsky per. 4)

Monday 17th November

Bang on a Can with Julia Woolf and Olga Manikluna

19:00, Insitute ÏÐÎ ÀÐÒÅ

Tuesday 18th November

Master Class for Young Composers: Julia Woolf

14:00, Institute ÏÐÎ ÀÐÒÅ

Wednesday 19 November

Evening Recital:

Äæóëèÿ Âóëô è eNsemble present the string quartet Dig Deep

19:00, Institute ÏÐÎ ÀÐÒÅ

Thursday 20th November

Concert: Alarm Will Sound, conducted by Alan Pearson

Derek Bermel: Hot Zone

Gavin Chack: Seen

David Lang: Increase

Wolfgan Rim: Will Sound

Augusta Read-Thomas: Final Soliloquy of the Interior Paramour

John Adamson Stone Symphony

19:00, Hermitage Theatre (Dvortovaia Nab.., 34)

Friday 21st November

Videoshowing: 19:00, Institute ÏÐÎ ÀÐÒÅ

Saturday 22nd November

Concert: Alarm Will Sound, conducted by Alan Pearson

John Adams: Coast

Julia Woolf: Tell Me Everything

Aphex Twin Cock ver 10

Aphex Twin Gwely Mernans

Stephen Freud Unremixed

19:00 Small Philharmonic Hall in the name of Glinka (Nevski, 30)

News source: saint-petersburg.ru
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