Southern Exposure’s final concert of the 2013-14 season is the dazzling sextet yMusic, perhaps the leading product of a new generation of musicians that live in the fertile stylistic zone bridging contemporary classical music, rock, pop and jazz that has been called “indy classical.”
The free concert takes place on Friday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the University of South Carolina School of Music Recital Hall (813 Assembly St., Columbia, SC 29208). Arrive early for this popular series as seats fill to capacity.
Comprised of three winds (trumpet, flute and clarinet) and three strings (violin, viola, and cello), the group met playing backup for artists like Sufjan Stevens, the National, and Antony and the Johnstons.
Their debut record, “Beautiful Mechanical,” was Time Out New York’s number one-ranked classical album of 2011. It features driving, edgy music that sounds both refreshing and familiar, including newly composed pieces by Shara Worden of the indy rock group My Brightest Diamond, Annie Clark (the singer-songwriter better known as St. Vincent), and electronic musician Son Lux.
While including some choice tunes from “Beautiful Mechanical,” yMusic’s show will also feature new music from their second, as-yet-unreleased-and-untitled album. Composers writing for yMusic on this recording, and featured in their Southern Exposure show, are a “who’s who” in classical / pop music today, including Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Andrew Norman, Marcos Balter and Mark Dancigers.
yMusic is: Rob Moose, violin and guitar; Nadia Sirota, viola; Clarice Jensen, cello; C.J. Camerieri, trumpet; Alex Sopp, flute; Hideaki Aomori, clarinet.
Events
(free and open to the public)
Thursday, March 20, 7:45 – 9:15 p.m.
Master classes on violin (room 201), viola (room 106), and clarinet (room 214)
Friday, March 21, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Educational Outreach Concert at Dreher High School Auditorium (for K-12 students
and parents)
Friday, March 21, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Composition Seminar, University of South Carolina, School of Music, room 210
Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m.
Southern Exposure Concert
Saturday, March 22, 10:30 a.m. – noon
Master classes on flute (room 201) and trumpet (room 006)
Saturday, March 22, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Master class on cello (room 016)
Artist Exposure
Artist Exposure features a local visual artist and their work on selected concerts throughout the series, making meaningful connections between visual arts and music and supporting Columbia's local arts scene. The initiative is made possible by collaboration between Southern Exposure and local arts organization Pocket Productions. The featured local gallery artist for this concert is Sara Schnekloth, associate professor of studio art at the University of South Carolina.