New Sounds, New Music: Ensemble Dal Niente with Chicago Composers Consortium (C3) 

Ben Melsky, harp; Kyle Flens, percussion; MingHuan Xu, violin; Winston Choi, piano

Tickets range from $20 – $30 based on seating assignment. UTRF members receive $5 off their tickets, use code MEMBERS at checkout, limited student seating is $10. A  post-event reception will be available to all guests.

Performances of brand new works written for Duo Diorama by George Flynn as well as Chicago Composers Consortium (C3) members Kyong Mee Choi, Kathleen Cecilian Ginther and Timothy Ernest Johnson. Duo Diorama is a part of Ensemble Dal Niente, and the ensemble presents smaller chamber works with harpist Ben Melsky (Executive Director of Ensemble Dal Niente) and percussionist Kyle Flens. They perform works by Dai Fujikura, Igor Santos, and Lou Harrison.

CLICK HERE to view seating arrangement. 

CLICK HERE to view parking map. 

PROGRAM:

Kyong Mee Choi
You, my temple (2022) for violin and piano

Kathleen Ginther
Psalm of Love and Sorrow (2022) for violin and piano

Timothy Ernest Johnson
from Sonata da Chiesa (2022) for violin and piano
III. The Fables We Tell Ourselves
IV. A Walk on the Edge

INTERMISSION

George Flynn
Meditative Fantasy (2019) for violin and piano

Dai Fujikura
..only… for harp (2001)

Igor Santos
Anima for harp and percussion (2019)

Lou Harrison (1917-2003)
Varied Trio for violin, piano, and percussion (1987)
I. Gending
II. Bowl Balls
III. Elegy
IV. Rondeau in Honor of Fragonard
V. Dance

Ensemble Dal Niente

Ensemble Dal Niente performs new and experimental chamber music with dedication, virtuosity, and an exploratory spirit. Flexible and adaptable, Dal Niente’s roster of 26 musicians presents an uncommonly broad range of contemporary music, guiding listeners towards music that transforms existing ideas and subverts convention. Audiences coming to Dal Niente shows can expect distinctive productions—from fully staged operas to multimedia spectacles to intimate solo performances—that are curated to pique curiosity and connect art, culture, and people.

Now in its second decade, Ensemble Dal Niente has performed concerts across Europe and the Americas, including appearances at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC; The Foro Internacional de Música Nueva in Mexico City; Radialsystem Berlin, MusicArte Festival in Panama City; The Library of Congress and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; The Americas Society; and the Darmstadt Summer Courses in Germany. Dal Niente is the recipient of the 2019 Fromm Music Foundation prize, and was the first-ever ensemble to win the Kranichstein prize for interpretation in 2012. The group has recordings available on the New World, New Amsterdam, New Focus, Navona, Parlour Tapes+, and Carrier labels; has held residencies at The University of Chicago, Harvard University, Stanford University, Brown University, Brandeis University, and Northwestern University, among others; and collaborated with a wide range of composers, from Gérard Grisey to George Lewis to Hilda Paredes to Roscoe Mitchell.

The ensemble’s name, Dal Niente (“from nothing” in Italian), is a tribute to Helmut Lachenmann’s Dal niente (Interieur III), a work that upended traditional conceptions of instrumental technique; and also a reference to the group’s humble beginnings.

Chicago Composers Consortium (C3)

The Chicago Composers’ Consortium is a grass-roots organization of composers dedicated to creating new music in Chicago. They are a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization formed in 1988 and incorporated in 1989. Since then c3 has organized scores of concerts, invited many distinguished composers, and collaborated with several musicians and ensembles, creating unique musical events.

What has set the consortium apart from other contemporary music organizations has been its composer-generated collaborative projects.

As a presenter of contemporary music in the Chicago area, the consortium has found new ways to introduce Chicago to what is new in music.

Not sure if you’re a UTRF member? Contact us to confirm or sign up to become a member HERE.

The Unity Chamber Music Series is supported in part by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and Alphawood Foundation.