10th Anniversary Limited Edition Merchandise
Bluecoats Presents… TILT
TILT Closer - Drum Corps International
Repertoire
Uffe's Woodshop - Tyondai Braxton
to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem - Andy Akiho
The Hymn of Acxiom - Vienna Teng
Platinum Rows - Tyondai Braxton
TILT (verb)
to cause to lean, incline, slope, or slant.
Throughout history, rules and traditions have often acted as impediments to progress and innovation in the arts. As history has shown time and time again, those same rules and traditions can also serve as a catalyst for the new. The Bluecoats 2014 program “TILT” takes a vibrant slant on the mold-breaking music of young American composers Tyondai Braxton, Vienna Teng and Andy Akiho. These young composers create true excitement for the new, and view the world from a different angle.
Experimental composer Tyondai Braxton (b. 1978) has been writing and performing music under various collectives since the mid-90s. Braxton is the son of multi-instrumentalist and avant-garde composer and improviser Anthony Braxton. His music has been performed by the Kronos Quartet, Philip Glass and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Taiwanese American pianist and singer-songwriter Vienna Teng (b.1978) has released five studio albums: Waking Hour (2002), Warm Strangers (2004), Dreaming through the Noise (2006), Inland Territory (2009) and Aims (2013). Teng's musical style incorporates folk, pop, classical, jazz and Americana. Her use of strong melodies, integration of technology and enjoyable harmonic twists creates music that is fresh, powerful, unique and utterly entrancing.
Described as “vital” by The New York Times and as “a young composer to watch” by The LA Times, Andy Akiho (b. 1979) is an eclectic and contemporary composer whose interests run from steel pan to traditional classical music. Recent engagements include a world premiere commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, a performance with the LA Philharmonic and a tour in Taiwan for the 2012 International Drum Festival.
These composers worry not about categories and narrative. They compose music through atmosphere, energy, and sound. They create high voltage minimalism, somber songs and shimmering textures full of electronic color. This new generation of composers redefines music for a 21st Century audience. They give us a glimpse of how modern technology and contemporary sounds blended with the rules and traditions of “Classical” music can cause art to lean forward and create something powerful and new.
Score & Placement
Season: 2014
Score: 97.175
Placement: 2nd