Voxare Meets the Man with a Movie Camera
Dziga Vertov's 1929 silent Soviet masterpiece, The Man with a Movie Camera, ranked as the 8th greatest film ever by the British Film Institute, is stunningly and painstakingly scored by Voxare. Drawing on the feast of Soviet-era quartet music composed during the same time period as the film, Voxare creates a visual and sonic experience unlike any concert ever seen. Music includes quartets by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Mosolov.
The New York Times writes, "With rustic melodies made edgy through piquant harmonies, and in passages of turbulent mechanical chugging, the music neatly corresponded to Vertov’s jumpy barrage of images. The members of the quartet, seated in darkness to one side of the stage, played with precision and passion; Emily Ondracek-Peterson, the first violinist, provided elegant solo work." LEARN MORE
PROJECT: Terry Riley!
The father of the American Minimalist School, Terry Riley is one of America's greatest composers. But, his music extends far beyond the sphere of Minimalism. Voxare's project: to explore Riley's music and his influence on the music of his contemporaries and those who have followed.
The New York Times said about one concert, "The personable and passionate Voxare players...offered a vibrant interpretation. The performance was excellent, with distinctive contributions from each player. LEARN MORE
Voxare Rocks
Great music is not limited to the classical genre– rock music has seen its share of great artists who create music of incredible energy, emotion, and beauty. No ensemble is better suited to express these affects better than the string quartet– namely, Voxare. Voxare has made its own arrangements of rock and pop songs ranging from music by The Rolling Stones to Metallica to Coldplay and Radiohead.
Independent Lines: Fugues for 4
4 voices, independent lines weaving through a rich tapestry– the string quartet is the perfect medium for composers to explore contrapuntal writing. Many of the greatest works for string quartet highlight music's most intellectual form: the fugue. Voxare brings to light the interactions and connections found in fugal writing, both old and new.
Dig It! New Music
Voxare's new music series at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York brings together composers both emerging and established for evenings of premieres and discussion of music. Composers have ranged from Pulitzer Prize winning composer David Del Tredici to upcoming composer Mark Nowakowski.
Clockwise from top left: Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Virgil Thomson, Ned Rorem
America's Greatest: Mid-Century Neo-Romanticism
During the 20th century, the United States saw numerous and diverse compositional threads. Perhaps no thread was more compelling than the Neo-Romantic movement, one which included some of America's greatest composers: Barber, Rorem, Thomson, Copland. Over multiple seasons and in conjunction with our residency at Columbia University's Miller Theatre Noon Concert Series, Voxare has explored the thread of string quartet literature by America's great masters as well as contemporary composers following in their footsteps.