Community / Calendar

Live Music: Jazz & Blues

7:30 PM

Philadelphia-born composer Julia Wolfe’s earliest musical epiphanies came from her love of American folk music, and as a young woman she studied and played the mountain dulcimer—a key component of the Appalachian musical tradition. Wolfe takes inspiration from the stories and music of Appalachia in her new composition Steel Hammer, which is based on the legend of John Henry and his attempt to use brawn to overcome the onslaught of the industrial age. New York City’s Bang on a Can All-Stars—equal parts rock band and amplified chamber group—expands its usual gathering of clarinets, cello, keyboard, electric guitar, bass, and drums with a chorus of dulcimers, wooden bones, banjo, steel hammers, and other instruments to lay down the musical bed for Steel Hammer. Trio Mediaeval, a Norwegian ensemble known for what a San Francisco Chronicle critic calls an “unerringly precise blend of voices,” sings a narrative that tells the timeless tale. The resulting fusion promises to be an exquisite example of art balladry.

Details

COST:

Adult $29   University Park Student $10   18 and Younger $19

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Center for the Performing Arts @ Penn State
WEBSITE: http://www.cpa.psu.edu/events/bang.html