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EIGHTH BLACKBIRD: ENSEMBLE-IN-RESIDENCE                                    

Described by The New Yorker as "friendly, unpretentious, idealistic and highly skilled", eighth blackbird promises its ever-increasing audiences provocative and engaging performances. It is widely lauded for its performing style: often playing from memory with virtuosic and theatrical flair and its efforts to make new music accessible to wide audiences. A New York Times reviewer raved, "eighth blackbird's performances are the picture of polish and precision, and they seem to be thoroughly engaged by music in a broad range of contemporary styles." The sextet has been the subject of profiles in the New York Times and on NPR's All Things Considered; it has also been featured on CBS's Sunday Morning, St. Paul Sunday, Weekend America and The Next Big Thing, among others. The ensemble is in residence at the University of Richmond. Visit eigthblackbird.com for more information on 3P's ensemble-in-residence.

ENSEMBLE Ü: GUEST ARTISTS                                    

Ensemble U: is a group of six players (Tarmo Johannes - flute, Helena tuuling - clarinet, Merje Roomere - violin, Levi-Danel Mägila - violoncello, Vambola Krigul - percussion, Taavi Kerikmäe - piano) dedicated to contemporary music. It was founded in 2002 by Taavi Kerikmäe and Tarmo Johannes. The first full concert took place on October 16, 2003 in the international contemporary music festival NYYD 2003 in Tallinn.

Since then U: has been performing in numerous festivals of contemporary music like Days of New Music in Pärnu and Days of Estonian Music , NYYD festival (in 2005 in collaborations with Tristan Murail), Days of St. John Church in Tartu, Time of Music (Viitasaari, Finland), Baltoscandal (Rakvere), festival Meridian (Bucharest, Romania). The members of the ensemble are outstanding young musicians, many of them have been supplementing themselves on modern music in abroad. The ensemble works without conductor. U :has been first performer in Estonia of many masterworks of the present day's most noted composers (Boulez, Stockhausen, Murail, Donatoni, Sciarrino, Romitelli, Xenakis, Grisey etc) . Next to that U: pays a lot of attention to performing experimental and improvisational music. The ensemble works actively to broaden the idea of different types of scores as sources of music (graphical scores, video, text etc.). In the field of musical theatre U: has worked several times together with one of the internationally most renowned conceptual dance theatre artists in Estonia - Mart Kangro. The latest co-work with Mart Kangro, "Harmony" was premiered in October 2009 on the international contemporary music festival NYYD 2009. The ensemble has been responsible for commissioning new music from Estonian and foreign composers: Helena Tulve, Toivo Tulev, Mari Vihmand, Tatjana Kozlova, Märt-Matis Lill, Tauno Aints and Andres Lõo (Estonia), Roméo Monteiro (France), Antti Auvinen, Kimmo Kuitunen (Finland), Benjamin Broening, Eugen Birman, Bryan Christian (USA), Arash Yazdani (Iran) have written pieces for ensemble U:

In 2009 ensemble U: released album "U:" (UCD 001) consisting of selected works by Estonian composers dedicated to U:. International presentation of the CD took place as a virtual concert in Estonian Virtual Embassy in Second Life.

In September 2009 ensembel U: was honoured with music award of Estonian Cultural Endowment for the concert season 2008 and the CD album "U:"

Since February 2013 U: has run concert series URR - U: Rahvusringhäälingus (U: in National Braodcasting) playing programs concentrated every time on a specific subject.

DANA JESSEN: GUEST ARTIST                                    

Praised for her diverse talents, bassoonist Dana Jessen is in high demand as a soloist, chamber musician, improviser and new music specialist. Dana is the founder of Splinter Reeds, a San Francisco-based reed quintet, and has performed with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Ensemble Dal Niente, Calefax Quintet, Rushes Ensemble, Pamela Z, Anthony Braxton’s Tri-Centric Orchestra, Lucky Dragons, Amsterdam Contemporary Ensemble, Callithumpian Consort and Harvard Group for New Music, among others. Her strong ambitions to explore free jazz and creative improvisation have led to performances throughout Europe and the United States with Han Bennink, Frank Gratkowski, Joe Morris, Taylor Ho Bynum, Michael Moore, Ab Baars, Anne La Berge, Wilbert de Joode, Fred Lonberg-Holm, and many others.

Recent concert highlights include performances at the Mondavi Performing Arts Center, Ravinia Music Festival in Highland Park, Belgium’s Concertgebouw Brugge, Berlin's Universität der Künste, San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, November Music in the Netherlands, Brooklyn’s Roulette, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Amsterdam's World Minimal Music Festival at the Muziekgebouw aan' t IJ. She has been artist in residence at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Amsterdam's STEIM, De Lindenberg Productiehuis, and the Omi International Arts Center. Her recordings as a bassoonist and improviser can be heard on Cantaloupe Music, RIOJA, Evil Rabbit, Oberlin Music and the New World record labels. Dana has also been heard on radio programs including NPR's All Things Considered, Chicago Public Radio’s Relevant Tones and the BBC Radio's Hear and Now.

Dana is currently Director of Professional Development at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and has presented masterclasses and workshops on topics surrounding contemporary music and improvisation for students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and University of California at Berkeley among others. During the summer she teaches at the Walden School Young Musicians Program and is a member of the Walden School Players ensemble. Dana holds a M.M. in Bassoon Performance with academic honors from the New England Conservatory of Music and a M.M. in Improvisation from the Artez Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in the Netherlands. She lived in Amsterdam for three years as the recipient of a 2009-2011 HSP Huygens Fellowship and 2008-2009 J. William Fulbright Fellowship where she researched contemporary and improvised music.

Visit danajessen.com for more information.

ANDREA CHEESEMAN: GUEST ARTIST                                    

Dr. Andrea Cheeseman is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Appalachian State University. A versatile performer, Cheeseman appears regularly as a soloist and collaborative musician locally and nationally. As an advocate of new music and a specialist in the performance of electroacoustic music she has received invitations to perform at colleges and universities throughout the country and at diverse festivals such as the Electroacoustic Barn Dance, SEAMUS, College Music Society, Annual Meetings and the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium.

Prior to her appointment at ASU, Cheeseman was on the faculties of Delta State University, Alma College and Hillsdale College. Cheeseman earned the Doctorate of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in clarinet performance from Michigan State University and the Bachelor of Music degrees in clarinet performance and music education from Ithaca College.

When not teaching or performing, Cheeseman spends her time gardening, swimming and practicing ashtanga yoga.

more info about our other guest artists coming soon!