[ performance ]
Time : Sunday 18.05, 17:00-17:50
Location : turkis, Vester Allé 15, Aarhus C
Artist : Matthew Shlomowitz, Jennifer Walshe and Ensemble Nikel
Info
“Minor Characters seems to ask: If everyone is distracted online, following their own taste, how do we solve problems together? Even though the show feels complete, there is no true resolution.” This is how Seth Colter Walls described this work in New York Times. A song cycle for the 21st century, Minor Characters explores how the internet conveys reality.
Co-written by Jennifer Walshe and Matthew Shlomowitz for Ensemble Nikel, the music traverses a variety of styles – from rock, vaporwave, and cabaret to ASMR influences. Like a collage, the score captures the forms of digital life and is as unpredictable as scrolling through the algorithmically curated chaos of a feed.
The piece is performed by Ensemble Nikel on drums, electric guitar, piano, saxophone, and synthesizers, as well as by Walshe herself, who as a performer and singer reveals her diverse range of artistic expression, including extended techniques, free improvisation, and composed elements.
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Born 1975 in Adelaide, Australia
Lives and works in London, UK
Matthew Shlomowitz (b. 1975) is a London-based composer from Australia. Many of his works are grouped in series. Letter Pieces are open scores combining physical action and music, while Popular Contexts mix recognizable recorded sound and music. He geeks out on music techniques in Explorations in Polytonality and other Musical Wonders. He co-composed Six Scenes for Turntables and Orchestra with Mariam Rezaei and is currently working with Vid Simoniti on a monodrama called I have a big Idea for mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts Dean and Rubiks. He teaches at the University of Southampton, writes articles, co-creates the Soundmaking podcast, and co-directs the Plus Minus Ensemble.
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Born 1974 in Dublin, Ireland
Lives and works in London, UK
Jennifer Walshe (b. 1974) is a London-based composer and performer from Ireland. Her music has been commissioned, broadcast, and performed all over the world. She has been the recipient of prestigious fellowships and prizes in New York, Berlin, Darmstadt, among others. Recent projects include TIME TIME TIME, an opera written in collaboration with the philosopher Timothy Morton, and THE SITE OF AN INVESTIGATION, a 30-minute epic for Walshe’s voice and orchestra, commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Walshe has also worked extensively with AI. She is currently professor of composition at the University of Oxford.
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Ensemble Nikel is a Swiss quartet consisting of saxophone, electric guitar, percussion, and piano. A mix of traditional and contemporary instruments, they combine to form an alternative chamber music output where electric and acoustic sounds are fused into a unified sonic organism built on a wide, yet discerning musical vocabulary. Given its unique formation, the group’s repertoire is entirely based on music written for the quartet. The ensemble is a frequent guest at major festivals of contemporary music throughout Europe. In recent years, they have increased their international presence with appearances in North America, South America, and New Zealand.
