Tuesday, August 22, 2017

New Music Circle announces 2017-18 season

New Music Circle has announced their 2017-18 season of concerts.

The venerable presenting organization for experimental and contemporary music will open their 59th season with a concert by trombonist Steve Swell's quintet on Saturday, October 7 at The Stage at KDHX.

Swell's band (pictured) is something of an all-star aggregation of veteran avant-jazz musicians, with William Parker on bass, Dave Burrell on piano, Jemeel Moondoc on saxophones, and Chad Taylor on drums.

Next up is electronic musician, composer, and former St. Louisan John Wiese, who will perform on Saturday, November 11 at the University Theatre in Saint Louis University's Xavier Hall. Wiese will create "a site-specific composition that includes over 20 local musicians, utilizing both traditional and non-traditional instrumentation."

NMC will close out 2017 with a performance by Battle Trance, a quartet featuring tenor saxophonists Travis Laplante, Patrick Breiner, Matthew Nelson, and Jeremy Viner, on Saturday, December 2 at The Luminary.

The new year then will begin with a concert by flute player and composer Claire Chase's International Contemporary Ensemble on Saturday, January 13 at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

The performance will feature a trio version of ICE with Chase, drummer Tyshawn Sorey, and pianist Cory Smythe presenting works by Pauline Oliveros and Morton Feldman, plus a new Smythe/Sorey duet and another new composition by Sorey for drums and contrabass flute.

NMC's season will continue with a performance by electronic musician and vocalist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe on Saturday, February 24 at Urb Arts in the Old North neighborhood.

The final two shows in the series have some details yet to be confirmed, but they will feature saxophonist Mats Gustafsson's free-jazz power trio The Thing sometime in March at Off Broadway and Chicago-based saxophonist Matana Roberts in a solo performance on Saturday, May 19 at a venue TBA.

The season also will include public workshops and other events featuring some of the visiting musicians, the specifics of which will be announced at a later date.

Unless otherwise noted, tickets for all NMC shows are $20 general admission, $10 for students or "struggling music supporters," and can be purchased online or at the door.

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