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.
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.
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