22nd March (Friday), 19:00, BNR, Concert Studio – TRANSITion


Transition

Concert with extended piano of
 (Malta)

(© Joe Smith)


Featuring
(electronics/projections, Malta)

(© Pia Daphne Deguar)


Atau Tanaka (b. 1963, Japan/France/England):
Suspensions for piano and EMG sensors (2017) *

Ruben Zahra (b. 1972, Malta):
Pounding for piano and video (2010) *
All Work and No Play for piano and video (2018) *

Henry Cowell (1897 – 1965, USA):
The Voice of Lir (1920) *

Steve Reich (b. 1936, USA):
Piano Counterpoint for piano and tape (2011) *
[Arrangement of Reich's Six Pianos (1973) by Vincent Corver]

Michel van der Aa (b. 1970, the Netherlands):
Transit for piano and video (2009) *

George Crumb (b. 1929, USA):
Makrokosmos – Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac
Selection from Volume I (1972) & Volume II (1973)
Primeval Sounds (Genesis I) (Cancer) [Vol. I]
Gargoyles (Taurus) [Vol. II]
A Prophecy of Nostradamus [SYMBOL] (Aries) [Vol. II]
Morning Music (Genesis II) (Cancer) [Vol. II]

__________
* Bulgarian premiere
* * *
 
Born in Malta of Irish and Welsh descent Tricia Dawn Williams is committed to contemporary music, multimedia and new technologies. Her concerts transform the piano recital into an interdisciplinary performance featuring video-art, electronic music and extended piano technique. Williams is one of the first concert pianists to collaborate with developers and composers internationally on the application of motion-capture technology. She uses the MYO gesture control armband interface on her forearms to manipulate and trigger electronic music in real time during her concerts. As a dedicated promoter of new music, Williams has commissioned, premiered and recorded numerous works.
Her international performances include: Les Invalides (Paris), Bartók Béla Memorial House (Budapest), Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Dusseldorf), The Royal Danish Theatre (Copenhagen), Den Jyske Opera (Aarhus), Arena New Music Festival (Riga), European Capital of Culture (Pafos), Festival International de Carthage (Tunis), John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts (Washington DC), Cape Town Festival (Cape Town) and Riverside Theatre (Sydney).
Williams began studying the piano at a very early age with Rita Micallef and was further mentored on 20th century music by Pawlu Grech. In 2010, she was appointed secretary of the Malta Association for Contemporary Music committed to establish new heights in its goal to promote the performance and understanding of contemporary music.
(© Joe Smith)

Ruben Zahra (b. 1972) is a composer committed to contemporary music and interdisciplinary expression. His music carries fragments from a variety of musical cultures. Influences from rock, folk and jazz are transformed within the fabric of his contemporary work. Music and productions by him have been presented in major festivals, opera houses and theatres all over Europe, as well as in Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, USA, India, South Africa, Australia and Hong Kong.
In 1994, he graduated from the University of Malta in Music and Theatre Studies and was awarded a scholarship by the Italian Cultural Institute to further his studies in composition with Azio Corghi at the National Music Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome. While in Italy he studied electronic music with Giorgio Nottoli and film music with Ennio Morricone. In 2000, he moved to the USA for a Master’s Degree in Composition at Mills College in Oakland (California). In 2002, he moved to Los Angeles and spent two years working for the Hollywood film industry as a soundtrack composer. Since 2004, he is based in Malta and works internationally as a freelance composer and producer.
Ruben Zahra is a cultural entrepreneur and promoter of contemporary music. He is director of the culture organisation Soundscapes, president of the Malta Association for Contemporary Music, publisher of ENCORE – Malta’s arts and culture magazine and artistic director of the Malta International Arts Festival.
(© Lisa Attard)