315 Ensemble: this is where I am right now A Portrait Concert of Chris Cresswell

315 Ensemble performs electro-acoustic music works of Chris Cresswell.

315 Ensemble members and special guests:
Katie Weber, soprano
Diane Jones, flute
Ryan Sparkes, clarinet
Floris van der Fleek, saxophone
Loren Loicano, piano
Ben Ellis, classical guitar
Chris Cresswell, electric guitar
Andrea Scheibel, percussion

Program

this is where I am right now (2021)
piano & electronics

Too Late in the Evening (2023)
soprano, alto flute & electronics

Means both sanctioned and forbidden (2024)
baritone saxophone & electronics

all that’s left is dirt and sky (2019/24)
soprano, alto saxophone & electronics

of even the beautiful (2019)
glissando flute & electronics

in search of distant guiding suns (2022/24)
classical guitar & electronics

Another Morning of Music Ramblings (2024)
bass clarinet, electric guitar, percussion & electronics

Formed in Birmingham, England in 2016, 315 Ensemble is led by composer/guitarist Chris Cresswell and is dedicated to performing electro-acoustic music. Revived in 2021 in its namesake community, 315 Ensemble features some of the top players from Central New York’s classical, jazz, and experimental scenes and “…blurs the boundaries between industrial and organic, soothing and suspenseful, introspective and anxious” (International Clarinet Association).

Committed to performing new music that embraces contemporary classical, ambient, and electronic musical worlds, 315 Ensemble has commissioned and championed exciting composers from around the world, including Emily Levy, Kevin Baldwin, Patrick Ellis, and Jamie Elless. It also serves as the primary vehicle for Chris Cresswell’s work as a composer and sound artist. They have performed at the Frontiers Festival in Birmingham, England, have been featured on the International Music Council’s Window on the World radio program, and released their debut EP on Ravello Records in 2018.

The music of Loren Loiacono has been described as “plush…elusive” (New York Times), “vivid and colorful” (Albany Times Union), “dreamy, lilting” (Pioneer Press), and “quirky and fun” (Bad Entertainment- Twin Cities). An emerging orchestral voice, Loiacono has received commissions and performances from such nationally esteemed ensembles as the Detroit Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Sacramento Philharmonic, Lexington Philharmonic and the American Composers Orchestra.  She frequently collaborates with the Albany Symphony, partnering with them to create new concerti for Sandbox Percussion (2022) and pianist Vicky Chow (2018).  Dr. Loiacono also served as the Albany Symphony’s Mellon Composer-Educator-in-Residence for the 2017-18 season.

Mezzo Soprano Kay Weber is a dynamic and moving performer, with a commitment to text, musicality, and communication through music. “Weber possesses a formidable instrument, with a highly melodious but penetrating timbre.”(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle). Born and raised in Syracuse NY, Kay received a double bachelors from the Eastman School of Music in Voice Performance and Music Education. Her time at Eastman was filled with wonderful experiences performing leads in such operas as Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites(Mother Marie), Handel’s Orlando(Orlando), and Handel’s Xerxes(Arsamene),  as well as other productions with Eastman Opera. She expects to graduate in May 2024 with a Masters of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from Syracuse University Setnor School of Music.

Floris Van der Veken (1998) is a Belgian saxophonist and performance artist currently residing in Rochester, NY. His performances are characterized by a strong emphasis on contemporary repertoire and interdisciplinary collaboration. At the moment he pursues the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music with Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin. He received his Master’s degree as well as a postgraduate specialization degree in performance, both with highest distinction, at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, Belgium, studying under Hans de Jong. Floris specializes in contemporary and experimental repertoire, often working together with composers to highlight new works.

Ben Ellis programs recitals that explore all the unexpected corners of the guitar repertoire. Programing and pairing works from 18th to the 21st century, Ellis finds the surprising threads that connect contrasting works. His programs have included pairing transcriptions of violin music by Ysaye and Bach as well as the standard “When You Wish Upon A Star” arranged by Chet Atkins paired with an homage to Walt Disney by contemporary composer Darragh O’Neil.  Fascinated with reaching out to new audiences, Ellis also curates special programs that pair music with art, wine, dance, and historical events. Ben has presented these custom designed events at venues such as the The Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY, Shelter Studios in NYC, and the historic Barnes Mansion in Syracuse, NY. Most recently, Ellis presented arrangements of rock and roll songs for the classical guitar at The Principle Art Gallery in Charleston, SC. The musical selections highlighted the galleries exhibit of behind the scenes photos of notorious rock musicians.

A composer, singer/songwriter, educator, guitarist, and sound artist, Chris Cresswell is a curious musician whose work betrays his affection for sonic wanderlust. With an ear that incorporates all sorts of sounds, from pitch set theory and baroque counterpoint, to field recordings and a singer/songwriter at an open mic night, Cresswell’s music has been praised for its “textural variety” (Gramophone) that “… blurs the boundaries between industrial and organic, soothing and suspenseful, and introspective and anxious” (International Clarinet Association), creating “a truly immersive, dreamlike atmosphere” (PopMatters). He has shared the stage with a Pulitzer Prize winning poet and a Top 40 country star (two different occasions) and his music has been heard in coffee shops, concert halls, and venues around the world, from chic Brooklyn spots like Areté Venue and Gallery and The Firehouse Space, to Birmingham, Englands’s renown Symphony Hall and the Paleis voor Schone Kunsten in Brussels.

315 Ensemble is invested in, and supported by the Central New York arts community. They have received support from CNY Arts, WCNY-FM, Birmingham Conservatoire, and new music fans from around the world. They are committed to becoming a mainstay of the ever growing music scene in Central New York.

This recital has not yet been sponsored. If you would like to sponsor this event and have your name published on the program, please make a donation of $250 to CMM and let us know which event your sponsorship is going towards.

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