Microtonal String Quartets with the Partch Quartet
New Performances of Microtonal Works
In collaboration with UnTwelve, this fundraiser will sponsor the performance, recording, and filming of an hour-long concert of microtonal string quartets. This is an opportunity to increase the amount of such repertoire that's out in the world, and to give a platform to composers both emerging and established. The Hawai'i-based Partch Quartet, newly formed for this project, is excited to see what this call will bring.
The Call for Scores and Proposals, available through clicking the link, will be live from November 15 to November 30, 2020. All requirements can be found on that page. There is no fee for submission.
Digital Concert for the Final (we hope!) Days of Covid
If this were 2019, the concert would be performed for a live audience. And depending on the progress of mass vaccination, the final performance date--May 1, 2021--might yet bring us that opportunity. But we are planning as though we all must remain safely distanced or isolated, and this concert will be digital until further notice.
A Mutually Beneficial Project
This fundraiser is a way for the microtonal-interested community to support the dissemination of new works and the creation of new resources for the selected composers, as well as help sustain the musicians during a period of global crisis in the arts. The concert will be hosted on the YouTube channel of our nonprofit partner, UnTwelve. In addition, each composer will be able to re-post the video of their own piece anywhere, or even offer the recording for sale, with no restrictions.
The goal of $2500 will cover the rehearsal and performance of these new works by the quartet, as well as professional audio and video recording. If the fundraising goal is exceeded, the contributing composers may receive compensation, or additional works may be added to the program, depending on the logistics of rehearsal.
If this fundraiser does not reach its goal, composers whose works were selected will be asked to cover the remaining fee, in proportion to the length of their piece. (However, if a composer cannot do this, they will not be disqualified.)
The Quartet:
Rachel Saul (Violin I) is a member of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, and performs with the Hawai’i Opera Theatre, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Maui Chamber Orchestra, Maui Pops Orchestra, and Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. She has performed and recorded with numerous pop musicians, including Jack Johnson and Eminem. In 2013 she founded the After-School Strings Program at Mid-Pacific Institute and became a Teaching Artist with Kalikolehua – El Sistema Hawai’i. She maintains an active private violin studio in Honolulu and teaches chamber music at Punahou Music School.
Joseph Stepec (Violin II) is the Director of Orchestras for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He has recently been featured as music director for various collaborations with the Indiana University Opera-Ballet program and Cinema. He recently gave the North American premiere of Neil Brand’s score to Hitchcock’s silent film, Blackmail, to great acclaim. As a violinist, Mr. Stepec has participated in festivals in Maine, Texas, Vermont, and North Carolina. He has performed recitals in Cleveland, Nashville, Cincinnati, and abroad in Slovenia. He was the featured soloist for a celebration of Slovenian Independence in 2013 in Cleveland’s City Hall and has extensive experience as a freelance musician in that city.
Alexander Peña (Viola) serves as Orchestra Director at the historic ‘Iolani School in Honolulu, a position he assumed after several years working as Director of the ROCmusic Collaborative and as a senior faculty member at the Eastman Community Music School. A regular performer with the Hawaii Chamber Music Festival and Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Alexander also enjoys presenting new music by living composers and has been on tour with contemporary ensembles like Music in the American Wild and Sound ExChange. A passionate educator, Mr. Peña also directs the Explore Music program at LAMF, a program for youth that is now celebrating its 8th year in the Brainerd Lakes Area.
After his classical training at Manhattan School of Music, Joshua Nakazawa, a native of Boston MA, set on a musical path that continues to lead him around the globe. Josh has performed Solo, Chamber and Orchestral music at the Banff Music Festival in Canada, the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, and the Spoleto Music Festival in South Carolina. After playing with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and in addition to his current tenured position with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, he also plays with the Hawaii Opera Theater and as a guest musician with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Joshua founded Mana Music Hawaii, a creative hub for music in Hawaii, and is the creator of the visually stunning beginner cello teaching series "Zero to Bach in Four Months" on cello.vhx.tv. Joshua is a longtime supporter of community music outreach education, and is always looking for fun and creative ways to tie culture, passion, people, and music together.
