Four years ago, clarinetist Ixi Chen moved from New York to join the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and immediately began networking with other young professionals. There was a lot of enthusiasm for Chen’s work with the CSO but not for actually hearing her live — not even when she offered discounted tickets.
Chen scheduled a brainstorming session that drew 15 musicians, and concert:nova was born. The group took inspiration from cellist Matt Haimowitz, a champion of new music who performs in concerts halls and Rock clubs and collaborates with leading conductors, Hip Hop artists and Klezmer musicians.
concert:nova’s goal is to make each concert an event through multimedia collaborations.
For its third season opener, concert:nova joins forces with light sculptor Tony Luensman and video artist Charles Woodman for Playing With Light, a typically eclectic program featuring works by George Crumb, Arvo Part, George Tsontakis and the English Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis.
The fusion of sound, light and imagery offers music ranging from ethereal vocal harmonies to re-imaginings of whale songs and virtuoso turns for percussion instruments, accompanied by light sculpture and video created specifically for each piece.
Concert:nova presents Playing with Light at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the concert:nova Garden downtown. Read more about concert:nova and get show details here.
