Sergio A. Mims: Renée Baker at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago May 3, 2015 at 7:30 PM in Edlis Neeson Theater, 220 East Chicago Avenue

 Renee' Baker

Sergio A. Mims:

I thought you would be interested in this.

Sergio

MCA Stage presents the Creative Music Summit

On May 3, Renée Baker conducts her Chicago Modern Orchestra Projects in Sunyata: Towards Absolute Emptiness, a chamber opera and dance piece inspired by Buddhist writings about the afterlife. The concerts and related programs are held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and take place in the Edlis Neeson Theater at the MCA.

Violinist and composer Renée Baker engages Padma Sambhava's Book of the Dead (The Bardo) for her first MCA Stage commission, interweaving music, voice, and dance. Sambhava hid his writings in remote locations, believing that people would recover them at a time when they would have the biggest impact. This inspired Baker to push at the limits of today's creative music.

Baker conducts her twenty-three member Chicago Modern Orchestra Project, with guest artists including Nicole Mitchell, Douglas R. Ewart, Michael Zerang, and The Bridge Network's Jean-Luc Cappozzo. Featured vocalists-Dee Alexander, Taalib-din Ziyad, Saalik Ziyad, Ann E. Ward, Rae Myra Hilliard, Yoseph Henry, Dwayne Lee-and dancers are also major contributors to the performance. Baker describes this ambitious work for chamber opera and dance as part of her interest in reconstructing materials and "building something fantastic, unexpected, and unknown."

Renée Baker is a composer, conductor, ensemble leader, violinist, and violist who composes and performs across cultural boundaries. In 2010, her piece Brass Epiphany premiered at MCA Stage as part of ACCM's 45th anniversary. She has founded or led numerous contemporary music projects, including the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project, FAQtet, Mantra Blue Free Orchestra, and Red Chai. She has collaborated with Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Strings and Black Earth Ensemble, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, the David Boykin Expanse, and Orbert Davis.

TICKET INFORMATION

Mandorla Awakening: Emerging Worlds takes place May 2 at 7:30 pm. Sunyata: Towards Absolute Emptiness takes place May 3 at 7:30 pm. Both performances are in the Edlis Neeson Theater, 220 East Chicago Avenue. Tickets are $28. The MCA Box Office is at 312.397.4010 or www.mcachicago.org. One free general museum admission is granted with an MCA Stage ticket stub, valid up to seven days after the performance. 

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Thank you Mr. Zick for the posting..  Best- Renee' Baker