Symbiotic Collusion to Present Innovative New Music, Art on First Night Pittsburgh
Artists Include Symbiotic Chamber Orchestra, Freya String Quartet, John Russell, & Visual artist Derek Reese
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, December 20, 2012 –Symbiotic Collusion will be presenting innovative, genre-bending music and art on December 31 from 7-11 at the Sound Gallery as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s First Night celebration. Musical performers include the Symbiotic Chamber Orchestra, John Russell and the Freya String Quartet. Visual artist Derek Reese will be presenting his art installation Wonder Bred.
First Night will mark the first performance of Symbiotic Chamber Orchestra–part indie rock, part classical, and a completely new sound in music. They will be performing The Ghost & Mister Able, a tale of one mans journey to the realization that he has free choice. Also performing is John Russell. Presenting the solo violin in a unique light, he uses two full pedal boards, drums, and string quartet, taking the listener to modern places through known styles, from hints of old Texas fiddle to shades of modern electronica. The Freya String Quartet will be presenting a suite of lighter classical pieces by Sean & Richard Neukom.
Reese’s Wonder Bred was inspired by his upbringing in West Virginia. “The region in which I grew up felt to me at times like a stale bag of Wonder Bread amidst an artisan bakery world. Growing up it seemed that any semblance of cultural pride was taken from West Virginia decades ago and had been filled with strip mines and Wal-Marts. As I grow older, however, I feel a growing sense of interest and pride in my cultural roots. My artwork attempts to celebrate, denounce, mock, and legitimize certain aspects of Appalachian culture. Through constructed artifacts, assemblages, concrete and abstract imagery, video, and performances, I attempt to stitch together a narrative of real, invented, and embellished aspects of my life in order to get to a more authentic sense of the culture that has made me who I am today.”
All performances will take place at the Sound Gallery, 131 7th Street Downtown. The Sound Gallery is part of Project: Pop Up, a collaboration of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Department of City Planning, and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. Admission to Symbiotic Collusion’s performances and all First Night Pittsburgh events is $8, and may be purchased at trustarts.org. All First Night events are family friendly.
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Symbiotic Collusion is an arts organization dedicated to developing innovative music and self-sustaining business models for artists and other arts organizations. Artists include the Symbiotic Chamber Orchestra, Freya String Quartet, Chamber Light Players, and visual artist Derek Reese. Symbiotic Collusion is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.
Contact: jason.hohn@symbioticcollusion.com
Name of Media Contact: Jason Hohn
Company Name: Symbiotic Collusion
Contact Phone Number: 412-805-9920
Website URL: http://www.symbioticcollusion.com
Project Pop-Up Pittsburgh: http://www.downtownpittsburgh.com/about-pdp/pdp-initiatives/project-pop-up
First Night Pittsburgh: http://www.firstnightpgh.org
Photo Credit: Jamie Rennich (Otis and James Photography)
Photo By-Line: Symbiotic Collusion L-R: Jason Hohn, Jason Neukom, Ashley Buckley, Katya Janpoladyan, Sean Neukom.
