HOUSTON DEBUT

ICE: New Sounds
Tuesday, November 2, 2010; 7:30 PM
The Menil Collection

Nathan Davis Dowser for bass clarinet and processing,
Nathan Davis PneApnea for alto flute and processing
Philippe Hurel Loops
John Zorn sortilege
Steve Reich New York Counterpoint
Steve Reich Vermont Counterpoint

International Contemporary Ensemble (Claire Chase, flute; Eric Lamb, flute; Joshua Rubin, clarinet; Campbell MacDonald, clarinet; Nathan Davis, composer)

The International Contemporary Ensemble has been called “one of the most adventurous and accomplished groups in new music,” by The New York Times. Four stellar wind players drawn from the ensemble’s 30 dynamic and versatile young performers come to Houston with a cutting edge program of virtuosic works by Reich, Zorn and French experimentalist Philippe Hurel and two pieces by Nathan Davis featuring acoustic instruments with live computer processing.

"The International Contemporary Ensemble, a flexible organization based in Brooklyn and Chicago, reliably attracts large, enthusiastic audiences with its wide-ranging programs and brilliant execution." -- The New York Times

"PneApnea (2007), by Nathan Davis, demands the most of the flutist's technique and agility, with a zigzagging barrage of terse sound bursts and thick, percussive breath sounds; live processing shadows the acoustic sounds with a kind of eerie, complementary sibilance." -- Chicago Reader

The Da Camera at The Menil series also includes Arcanto Quartet; Music for Rothko and Jeremy Denk: The American Piano. Get all four events for just $120. Or choose the Chamber Music series for all nine chamber music events.