Special add-on to Performing Arts & Concert Series to defy standard notions of classical performance.
A truly distinct sextet — cello, clarinet, piano, violin, vocalist and an oboe — all with world-class musical training, will deliver the unexpected to Ohio University by bringing its immense classical music talents into the genres of pop music and beyond.
As part of a special add-on to the Performing Arts and Concert Series, Shuffle Concert, a modern ensemble, will be bringing its highly diverse repertoire to Baker Center Theatre on Tuesday.
Beyond the opening number, which has always been “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla, the entire performance rests on the musical taste of the audience.
“It’s not an orchestra. It’s an ensemble featuring six musicians on stage,” Eliran Avni, artistic director for Shuffle Concert, said. “When the audience comes into the hall they receive menus, with … styles ranging from classical to romantic, all the way to jazz and rock.”
Prepared at all times to play anything from a list of 30 songs from 15 musical styles, Shuffle Concert promises the audience an unorthodox experience.
“A lot of chamber orchestras come in here and have their four pieces they are gonna play in the program and play them over and over again at every stop along the tour,” Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director for the Campus Involvement Center, said. “This group doesn’t even know what the program is going to look like for that night — they pick numbers out of a hat which coincide to certain musical numbers.”
Holzaepfel said audiences are assured the same performance has never been played twice.
As a part of its agreement to play at OU, Shuffle Concert has also agreed to work with neighboring school systems. After its performance Tuesday, Shuffle Concert will be going to Alexander School District to work with its beginner band and even the high school band.
“All the musicians are classically trained and have played in conservatories such as Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music and the bART Center for Music,” Avni said. “Everybody is also an artist in their own right. They have concerts with other ensembles, so they all have training in the classical realm.”
According to Holzaepfel, that is actually a fairly standard element to many of the acts that perform in Baker.
“It’s part of the contract that they do a public performance, but, more importantly, they work with the School of Music either with Ohio students or we send them to do outreach in the community,” he said.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="475f5d90-d5cc-11e5-8615-57f183ee24da"}}
However, Shuffle Concert goes far beyond the contractual requirement of community service.
“We love doing it, in fact we just did a project with schools in Palm Desert, California, where we did two performances with one-thousand children in each,” Avni said. “There’s a lot of instances where we coach the school ensemble. We give the kids private lessons and teach master classes.”
@broermazing
