Labels aren鈥檛 a priority for the creative directors behind the College of Music鈥檚 Pendulum New Music series.
The live performance/forum for new works, which will officially change its name from Pendulum to CU Boulder SoundWorks in January 2023, doesn鈥檛 place the same emphasis on formal categorization that obsesses many music fans and scholars alike. According to Egemen Kesikli, Pendulum/SoundWorks鈥� newly appointed artistic director, the focus of the concert series is more about inclusion, exploration and innovation than it is about classification.听
鈥淲e value a broad aesthetic range of sound-based art that is inclusive of all genres and manners of music making, ranging from concert music to songwriting, electroacoustic to jazz, experimental and beyond,鈥� says Kesikli, a composer, performer and educator who earned a doctorate in composition from CU Boulder and a master鈥檚 from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to his new role, Kesikli serves as instructor of music theory at Colorado State University. 鈥淚n my position for CU Boulder Soundworks, I strive to promote diversity in contemporary music and decolonize the canon.鈥�
On that note, the program鈥檚 new title will represent its all-encompassing mission. Kesikli鈥檚 own creative output represents an ambitious creative approach, one that includes orchestral works, concertos and chamber works that spotlight traditional Anatolian instruments as well as unorthodox ensemble arrangements. He wants to bring that same spirit to a concert series that鈥檚 pushed musical boundaries since its inception in 2001 by CU Boulder faculty Michael Theodore, Andrew May and Daniel Sher. The series kicked off thanks in part to a generous donation by Tom Higley.
鈥淭he Pendulum Committee and College of Music have thought long and hard about the mission of this wonderful series and decided that it鈥檚 time to rebrand, to better capture its spirit of innovation and inclusivity,鈥� Kesikli says, pointing to the program鈥檚 recent achievements under the direction of Elizabeth McNutt, Hsing-ay Hsu, Clay Allen and Annika Socolofsky. 鈥溾�楽oundWorks鈥� embraces all visions, creative processes, genres, theories and manners of music making.鈥澨�
For the CU Boulder Soundworks鈥� 2022-23 season, that mission translates into a broad range of performers who represent a wide spectrum of backgrounds, musical styles and creative approaches鈥攆rom two new string quartets by Keenan Powell and Spencer Stepanek, pieces written specifically for the College of Music鈥檚 L铆rios Quartet; to three new saxophone quartets by Rain Michael, Isabel Goodwin and Ilan Blanck, written for ~Nois, one of the preeminent contemporary music ensembles and saxophone quartets in the country; to two new chamber works by graduate composers Abby Kellems and Jessie Laus茅, written for the Boulder Altitude Directive (BAD).
These new works push the vision and accomplishments of the CU Boulder SoundWorks series, even as it honors the achievements听of the past. Since its creation more than 20 years ago, the series has featured artists and innovators like Alarm Will Sound, Bang on a Can All Stars, Eighth Blackbird, HOCKET, loadbang, ~Nois and annual appearances by the BAD ensemble, directed by Carter Pann. The CU Boulder Wind Symphony, directed by Donald McKinney, and Renova鈥攖he college鈥檚 newly established choir founded by Jessie Flasschoen鈥攈ave also been featured in the series.
For Kesikli, this lineup reflects the all-encompassing heart of CU Boulder SoundWorks, a performance series and format to celebrate new music, deconstruct preconceptions and open the world of composition to a whole new crowd of artists and audience members.
鈥淪oundWorks is inclusive, and avoids a binary of artistic polarities and stylistic dichotomies such as 鈥榟igh and low,鈥� 鈥榯onal and atonal鈥� or 鈥楨ast and West,鈥欌�� he concludes.
