Institute For Advanced Study Concert To Feature "Music Of The South Caucasus"

"Music of the South Caucasus" is the next event in the Institute for Advanced Study�s concert season. Continuum�, an ensemble co-directed by Joel Sachs and Cheryl Seltzer, will perform on February 25 and 26 at 8:00 p.m. in Wolfensohn Hall on the Institute campus. In addition to the concert, Sachs will speak on "The Musical World of the South Caucasus" on February 25 at 4:00 p.m. in the West Building Lecture Hall. On February 26 at 6:30 p.m. in Wolfensohn Hall, Sachs and Seltzer will join Institute Artist-in-Residence Jon Magnussen for a discussion of the works on the concert program.

The program will include Franghiz Ali-Zadeh�s "Apsheron" Quintet for piano and string quartet; Alexander Aslamazov�s Napyev ("Melody") for clarinet solo; Olez Felzer�s Vestige, for violin, clarinet, and piano; Giya Kancheli�s Psalm 23, for soprano, alto flute, viola, cello, double bass, synthesizer, and tape; Faradzh Karayev�s Postludia II, for piano, double bass, and string quartet (U.S. premiere); Sulkhan Nasidze�s Four Improvisations for violin and piano; and Suren Zakarian�s In Statu nascendi � Seven Miniatures for String Quartet (U.S. premiere). 

"This colorful music from the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, reflects an increasingly common phenomenon in music�the cross-pollination between world musical cultures," comments Institute Artist-in-Residence Jon Magnussen. "While this music employs western instruments and clearly has a strong link to western classical music traditions, at times one also hears distinctly non-European sounds from these instruments, creating a sense of spirituality not readily found in the west."

Continuum, now in its 39th season, embodies the philosophy that new music and older music form an unbroken tradition. Aiming to expand the audience for recent music, Continuum has performed throughout the United States, including appearances at the Kennedy Center and Library of Congress. The ensemble has also toured in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The New York Times stated that "[T]here is no musical organization � that produces more intellectually enticing or more viscerally satisfying programs than Continuum."

Continuum has recorded on Naxos, Nonesuch, TNC, Capstone and other labels.

Conductor, scholar, and pianist Sachs is founder and conductor of the New Juilliard Ensemble, a chamber orchestra for new music. He has performed, and held residencies, in Central and South America, the Near East, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan, and has conducted at major European and American festivals.

Co-founder and co-director of Continuum Seltzer, a pianist, debuted with the San Francisco Symphony. She has recorded for such labels as Vox, Nonesuch, and Musical Heritage Society. She is on the faculty of the Lucy Moses School for Music and Dance.

Concert tickets are free but must be reserved; no tickets are necessary for the talks. For ticket information, or further information about the Institute for Advanced Study�s Artist-in-Residence program, call (609) 734-8228 or visit www.ias.edu/air.