The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt and chatterbird, a Nashville-based chamber ensemble, are collaborating to spotlight four Blair School of Music composers and their new works on Wednesday, April 12.
The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Elle, an 8,000-square-foot event space in the Wedgewood–Houston neighborhood, as part of the venue’s artist spotlight series. A primary goal of the event is to celebrate the creative spirit that defines Nashville.
Works by faculty composers Molly Herron, Stan Link, Michael Alec Rose and Michael Slayton will be featured during the show, which is titled “An Opening Goodbye.”
“We are beyond excited to collaborate with chatterbird on this unique concert experience,” said Leah Lowe, director of the Curb Center and associate professor of theatre. “Having the opportunity to showcase four Blair School voices through the unveiling of four new works aligns perfectly with the Curb Center’s mission to explore the arts as a mode of inquiry into the world around us. We are also delighted to support an event that builds audience engagement in new music.”
The four participating composers will explore themes of crisis and conflict surrounding topics that include climate change, fascism and questions surrounding the interplay between art and culture. Vanderbilt scholars and community members will facilitate audience discussion after the performance.
“It’s a great honor for us, always, to work with chatterbird, a Nashville treasure and easily one of its most distinguished art music ensembles,” said Slayton, associate dean for faculty affairs and chair of the Department of Composition and Theory at Blair.
Formed in 2014, chatterbird performs classical music that skirts traditional boundaries, sliding between classical, jazz, hip-hop, rock, avant-garde and country, creating a thoughtful and inventive way to discover and experience modern classical music. One of its goals is to bring cutting-edge chamber music repertoire into spaces where listeners wouldn’t usually find it, such as bars, galleries, breweries, basements and everywhere in between.
Attendees for “An Opening Goodbye” are requested to honor ticket prices that are based on their hourly wages. Tickets for the performance, at 1420 Third Ave. S., may be purchased here.