Meet the Composer

September 22, 2009, Zipper Hall, Los Angeles. The Calder Quartet and the California EAR Unit will perform a double bill in the Festivals annual LA Satellite Concert. This concert will include Matt McBane's 2x4, a string octet to be performed by the members of both ensembles with the composer on violin. September 25, 2009, Schulman Auditorium, Carlsbad: The EAR Unit performs a concert that includes McBane's piece Anchor. September 26, 2009, Schulman Auditorium: The Calder Quartet performs a concert that includes the premieres of new quartets by Jason Treuting, Charles Punchatz, and Ted Hearne. September 27, 2009, Schulman Auditorium: The Calder Quartet and the EAR Unit perform the music of Fred Frith alongside the composer/guitarist. All of the festival composers will join the ensembles in structured improvisations led by Frith.

Composer and musician interaction with the audience is a central part of the Carlsbad Music Festival's mission. In addition to the above-mentioned performances, at each concert the composers will give pre-concert talks, introduce their pieces during the concert, and attend free, public post-concert receptions. This allows the audience multiple opportunities for interaction with the composers, from the more formal pre-concert talks to the more casual post-concert receptions. All of the composers will attend multiple concerts and receptions so audience members can interact with the composers on more than just the day that their music is performed.

All of the composers will participate in "Very Open Rehearsals" of their pieces in which, as in a traditional open rehearsal, the public is invited to attend for free. In addition, the audience will be invited to ask questions of the composers and musicians at specified times throughout the rehearsal, allowing for a particularly personal interaction between the audience and composers. Fred Frith will also give a performance/demonstration of his music at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad in which he will perform works for solo guitar and talk about his creative process, work as a guitarist, and the relationship of composition to improvisation. The audience will have multiple opportunities for question and answer. McBane will also participate in three performance/demonstrations at Carlsbad public junior high and high school music classes. The students that participate in these events are offered free tickets to the CMF concerts. To build an interest in and of understanding of the
emerging composers, beginning in August they will blog on the CMF website about the creation of their pieces and the rehearsal process with the Calder Quartet. In addition to writings, these blogs will include score samples, rehearsal recordings and pictures to aid the audience in understanding their work. The audience will be able to interact with the composers via the comments section.