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As
an outgrowth of the world-renowned Lark Quartet, Lark Chamber
Artists (LCA) is a uniquely structured ensemble featuring
some of today's most active performers who have come together
to present a broad range of musical styles, embracing the
traditional favorites of the chamber music repertoire as well
as adventuresome commissions and collaborations for a new
standard in innovative programming. LCA is comprised of a
core group of musicians representing strings, piano, woodwinds
and percussion and features programs scored for a wide variety
of instrumental combinations ranging from soloist to small
chamber orchestra and encompassing repertoire from the Baroque
to the present. In the spirit of the Lark Quartet, the LCA
values its role in the development of future chamber music
audiences through outreach concerts and makes use of the rich
array of educational programs developed by the Lark during
its long history.
Exciting
new projects are putting the Lark at the forefront of current
musical activity and include their new, highly acclaimed CD
release on Endeavor Classics entitled, "Klap Ur Handz,"
featuring a commission by Daniel Bernard Roumain ("DBR")
whose fusion of classical elements with jazz and hip-hop is
igniting a fire around the country and appeals to audiences
young and old. In a ground-breaking new venture, the Lark is
co-creating a new genre in an adventurous collaboration with
the celebrated Ethos Percussion Group in which they commission
various composers (most recently Giovanni Sollima) for original
works as well as arrangements of rock, folk and traditional
World Musics for a new twist on the traditional octet.
The Lark
has always been very active in commissioning and premiering
new music. Many of these works have become mainstays of the
chamber music repertoire and include: Qt. No. 1 Musica celestis
and Qt. No.2 Musica instrumentalis (1997 Pulitzer Prize) by
Aaron Jay Kernis, Qt. No.2 In memoriam and Piano Qunitet No.2,
by Peter Schickele, "A Poet's Dream, by Jennifer Higdon,
Early That Summer, by Julia Wolfe and Viaggio in Italia, by
Giovanni Sollima. In addition, The Lark has commissioned 2004
Pulitzer winner Paul Moravec, hailed by critics as one of
the leading "New Tonalists," to write a work for
piano and strings. One of the youngest composers ever to win
a Pulitzer, Moravec will complete his commission for the Larks
in 2009, when they will be joined by renowned pianist Jeremy
Denk for the premiere.
Over
the course of its long history, (the ensemble was formed in
1985), the Lark has earned numerous international awards,
including the Naumburg and Shostakovich Prizes; commissioned
leading American composers such as Aaron Jay Kernis who wrote
his Pulitzer winning "Musica Instrumentalis" for
them, Peter Schickele, Julia Wolfe, and Jennifer Higdon; and
collaborated with artists as varied as dancer-choreographer
Bill T. Jones, Edgar Meyer, and Gary Graffman. The quartet
has held the position of ensemble-in-residence at Columbia
University's Miller Theatre, Dartmouth College, and Florida
State and Ohio Universities.
The Lark
is based in New York City and serves as Ensemble in Residence
at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
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