(BOSTON – July 28, 2010) The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) presents Callithumpian Consort: The Sinking of the Titanic, a concert performed from a boat on Boston Harbor, audible and visible from the Putnam Investments Plaza outdoors and the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater indoors, at the ICA (100 Northern Avenue, Boston). The event takes place on Friday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 for members and students, and available by calling (617) 478-3103. For more information, visit www.icaboston.org.

 

Hear British composer Gavin Bryars’s seminal improvisational piece, The Sinking of the Titanic, inspired by first-hand accounts of the famed shipwreck’s survivors, performed from a boat on Boston Harbor, by new music ensemble Callithumpian Consort. This musical masterpiece, inspired by the Titanic’s band playing hymns as the ship sank, conjures the roar of the ocean, the clang of a ship’s hull, and the final contemplative moments at sea. For this performance, five musicians will be positioned on a boat visible from the Putnam Investments Plaza as well as the

Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theatre. The musicians will be amplified, and the music will be fed through a computer and manipulated, to create an atmospheric, ocean-themed sound installation, audible from the grandstands on the plaza as well as inside the theatre. The Water Café will be open and serving drinks, and audience members are encouraged to move inside and out as desired.

 

The Callithumpian Consort is dedicated to the proposition that music is an experience. Founded by pianist and conductor Stephen Drury, they are an ensemble producing concerts of contemporary music at the highest standard. The Consort consists of a senior band of long standing Thump soloists, but is fundamentally flexible in size and makeup, enabling the group to tackle unusual repertoire in non-standard or larger chamber ensembles, or to take part in experimental projects. The repertoire encompasses a huge stylistic spectrum, from the classics

of the last 50 years to works of the avant-garde and experimental jazz and rock. They have worked with composers John Cage, Lee Hyla, John Zorn, Michael Finnissy, Franco Donatoni, Lukas Foss, Steve Reich, Helmut Lachenmann, John Luther Adams, Frederic Rzewski, Christian Wolff and many others.

 

An influential forum for multi-disciplinary arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art has been at the leading edge of art in Boston for more than 70 years. Like its iconic building on Boston's waterfront, the ICA offers new ways of engaging with the world around us. Its exhibitions and programs provide access to contemporary art, artists, and the creative process, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the excitement of new art and ideas. The ICA, located at 100 Northern Avenue, is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is $15 adults, $13 seniors and $10 students, and free for members and children 17 and under. ICA Free Admission for Youth is sponsored by State Street Foundation. Free admission on Target Free Thursday Nights, 5 - 9 p.m. Free admission for families at ICA Play Dates (2 adults + children 12 and under) on the last Saturday of the month. For more information, call 617-478-3100 or visit our Web site at www.icaboston.org.

 

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