Soundset set for a 5th year

Posted at 10:52 AM on May 25, 2012 by Euan Kerr (0 Comments)
Filed under: Music

(Editors note: MPR Engagement Team intern Sarah Harper contributed this blog entry)

Minnesota mainstay Atmosphere, anti-establishment Chicagoan Lupe Fiasco and Wu-Tang legends Ghostface Killah and Raekwon are slated to headline the annual Soundset festival this Sunday at Shakopee's Canterbury Park.

A slew of Twin Cities artists will perform, including I Self Divine, Prof and the Tribe & Big Cats. National acts include a strong West Coast representation -- two rappers, Grieves and Macklemore, come from Seattle alone.

With Rhymesayers Entertainment behind Soundset , it's no surprise local acts dominate the lineup. But the expected Doomtree affiliates are joined by a diverse bunch of new faces.

Freshest among them is the 16-year-old Tomorrow Genius, a rapper from North Minneapolis who got his big break when Brother Ali brought him up on stage at local faves Get Cryphy's fourth anniversary show.

The precursor to Soundset was a hip-hop rave in a warehouse on Lake Street in 1997, according to City Pages . The event has since grown into a nine-hour festival with three stages, over 40 artists and plenty of diversions. Crowd members with wandering attentions can check out things like a B-boy/B-girl DJ tent and a custom car show.

It's tempting to say the Minnesotan portion of the Soundset lineup is a portrait of the Twin Cities hip-hop scene. But that would be to paint with too broad of a stroke. Soundset is more of a rowdy Sunday picnic, during which crowds can sample a smorgasbord of flavors available in the Twin Cities on any given night.
Find the full lineup and ticketing information here.

(MPR file image of Atmosphere by Nate Ryan)

Comment on this post

Clinton Smith to lead St Cloud Symphony

Posted at 2:15 PM on May 23, 2012 by Euan Kerr (0 Comments)
Filed under: Music, Opera

The St. Cloud Symphony today named Dr Clinton Smith as its new artistic director and principal conductor.

The Symphony's search committee chose Smith after a season featuring four guest conductors who were candidates for the post.

Smith will make his debut in his new position on September 11, 2012 at Ritsche Auditorium on St. Cloud State University campus.

In a statement released today Smith expressed his delight at the appointment.

"I am thrilled to embark on this new relationship with the St. Cloud Symphony. As an ensemble this orchestra is a terrific combination of talent, creativity, and personal warmth. I look forward to developing the orchestra's quality of sound and personality while maintaining an environment in rehearsals and performances where the appreciation and exploration of classical music can flourish. The community of St. Cloud will hear a season filled with fun and exciting repertoire. Moreover, I believe the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra is one of the cultural focal points of the community, and the public will assuredly see performances of tremendous energy and passion."

Smith currently works with the Minnesota Opera as assistant/cover conductor and chorus master, a position he will maintain. He will be conducting an upcoming workshop of the recently commissioned operatic adaptation of the "Doubt." He is also conducting the Skylark Opera's upcoming production "Mademoiselle Modiste," coach the Ash Lawn Opera and guest coach the National University of Tainan in Taiwan.

(Image courtesy of St Cloud Symphony)

Comment on this post

Minnesota Orchestra invades Willmar

Posted at 5:36 AM on May 22, 2012 by Euan Kerr (0 Comments)
Filed under: Arts around the state, Music

Downtown Willmar (All images MPR file photographs)

The Minnesota Orchestra heads west this week for a Common Chords residency in Willmar. The program will feature some 30 concerts, classes and performances in places as diverse as the local library, the VFW, the farmers market and a coffee shop.

"One of the hallmarks of this program is it allows us to be in the community for an entire week, which is kind of an unheard of luxury in the touring of orchestras," said Minnesota Orchestra Outreach Manager Mele Willis, who is co-ordinating the activities.

The week will culminate with full orchestra concerts in Friday and Saturday. Most of the events are free, and tickets for the two final concerts are just $5.

Willis says a steering committee in Willmar worked with the Orchestra for a year deciding what should be offered. One request was easy to fulfill.

"Music! Music! Music!" laughed Willis. There was also interest in as much access as possible to the musicians, particularly for the youngsters in town.

Willis said it will be a two way street. "The kids are going to perform for our musicians and then they'll be able to have some side-by-side opportunities, where the musicians will sit with them and work on some of the music that they've been working on."

There will be Kinder Konzerts at the library on Wednesday and Thursday and a young person's concert on Friday at the Willmar Education and Arts Center. Sarah Hicks (right) will also lead a session on the art of conducting.

This is the second Common Chords residency. Last year the Orchestra went to Grand Rapids. Next April the Orchestra heads to Bemidji, and then will visit Detroit Lakes and Hibbing in the 2013-2014 season.

Willis says learning what each community wants is part of what makes the program so special for the orchestra staff.

"Each community has such a unique identity and so when we come into a community as much time as we can spend learning about them and asking questions and listening really carefully about what kind of things are important to them and what challenges that community is facing, that's extremely important to the success of the program."

Yet through those unique challenges Willis says they have also been able to find common desires.

"In one community they might be facing unique socio-economic challenges, in another community it might be issues of ethnic diversity that they are starting to grapple with which they haven't before, and I think in any community what we have learned is that they have wanted to be as inclusive as possible, and they have wanted to have as broad access and availability to the programs as possible," she said.

Willis says the musicians were blown away by their Grand Rapids experience. Not only were the audiences receptive and appreciative, many locals went out of their way to make the visitors welcome. A couple of players found themselves spending a morning on a farm after meeting one audience member, and one orchestra bike enthusiast who rode all the way up from the Cities quickly met with the Grand Rapids bike community, and had a chance to explore the countryside on two wheels.

Common Chords kicks off this morning with the orchestra's brass quintet appearing on KWLM radio from 10-11, then quickly heading off to the Rice Hospital Garden Court for a concert from 11.30-12.30.

If you are not in Willmar you can still follow the fun through the Common Chords site.

Comment on this post

Debbie Duncan, a singer who rings true

Posted at 3:01 PM on May 21, 2012 by David Cazares (0 Comments)
Filed under: Music

Midway through her first set at St. Paul's Artist Quarter on Friday, jazz singer Debbie Duncan asked a great question.

As she prepared to sing the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "Flower Drum Song," Duncan couldn't help but observe that the original version rings truer than a modern rendition she recently heard.

"Why they got to modernize everything?" she asked. "Why can't it just be like it was?"

For all the attention given of late to the shrinking jazz audience, and how younger audiences are disconnected from what the late pianist Billy Taylor called "America's classical music" -- and certainly there is an argument to be made for more modern forms -- that's an important point. Much of our great music needs to be retained, reinterpreted by great artists.

That tradition indeed lives through Duncan, an impeccable singer who embraces her repertoire of show tunes and standards, and spontaneously remakes them.

In an agile and moving performance, she used her voice like the instrument it is, delivering not just words but a flood of rich sound, at times taking the role of a horn player, and at others scatting much like one of her obvious influences, the great Ella Fitzgerald.

Backed Friday by the classy trio of Peter Schimke on piano, Eric Gravatt on drums and Anthony Cox on bass, the singer delivered a night of romantic and vibrant tunes, from the standards "Blue Skies" and "Come Rain or Come Shine" to another show tune, "Happy Talk."

She caressed the notes of each song while artfully playing her audience with humor, and paid artful attention to the lyrics, which enriched the tunes.

In an era in which jazz musicians can expand upon the theoretical and technological innovations of the inventive players that came before them to push their art in new directions, it is refreshing to see, and hear, a performer remind us of an earlier age.

Adeptly using tone, inflection, timing and volume, Duncan plays the role of a leader who is also part of a great band. In a sharp performance with no superfluous beats, Duncan and the trio created a link between modern life and a glorious musical past that still resonates in the present.

"I have no idea what I just did," she said between songs, "but it was fun."

Comment on this post