A concert that reveals the results of a two-day workshop for composers with Oslo Domkor. The cathedral choir, led by its artistic director Vivianne Sydnes (a former choirmaster of Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim), is one of the most versatile choirs in Norway. With its annual collaboration with Ultima, Oslo Domkor encourages emerging composers to innovate in choral composition, and involves itself in the whole composition process from draft to the premiere of the final work.
This year, five up and coming composers have been developing new work. Their mentor has been composer, trombonist and computer music pioneer George Lewis, whose new work Lone Coast Anacrusis is performed at Ultima this year by the American vocal ensemble Ekmeles.
In this concert we will hear performances of brand new material and prototypes for forthcoming works. Will follow a short Q&A with each composer, opening the process of composition and evaluation to feedback from the audience.
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Fresh produce
Hearing these new pieces from young composers is like viewing an art exhibition where the paint is still wet. How Pfeil delved into the interplay between artificial expression and the real; Black’s evocation of reverberating experiences; Huse’s extended techniques and fearless improvisation; Röttingen’s exploration of the voice-body connection; or Amaya’s wish to take risks! The concert left us eager to follow their ongoing refinement and expansion.
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Strongest power yet
George Lewis is one of our finest living analysts of contemporary music and improvisation. I loved his book A Power Stronger Than Itself. His, Vivianne Sydnes’s and the choir’s insights and comments on thecomposers’ works are full of passion, knowledge and many decades of experience. This was a revealing look at how creative people think – and how they can improve with feedback from others.
Oslo Domkor I Photo: oslodomkor.no
