THE CROSSROADS PROJECT
FRY STREET QUARTET
LAURA KAMINSKY
LIBBY LARSEN
OVERVIEW
Throughout history, musicians and activists have enlisted the power of music to connect us to the pressing issues of our times. The brainchild of physicist Robert Davies, THE CROSSROADS PROJECT comprises two performances, Rising Tide and Emergence, performed by the Fry Street Quartet in multi-disciplinary collaboration.
To form the musical anchor for these performances, The Fry Street Quartet commissioned two composers ― Laura Kaminsky and Libby Larsen ― to each create a musical landscape that speaks to the crisis of climate change and an imminently unsustainable human world…and move the listener toward meaningful response.
Weaving together poetic science lecture, evocative imagery and Kaminsky’s powerful music, CROSSROADS | Rising Tide unfolds in a series of four vignettes ― H20, Bios, Forage, and Societas. Kaminsky’s four movements of these same names then form a meditative space in which audiences explore connections between the human world and the natural world that envelops us.
Where Rising Tide is about what we know, CROSSROADS | Emergence is about how we respond to this knowledge on an intimate and personal level. In this performance, the string quartet takes the stage, along with an actor, against a backdrop of projected video. Larsen’s five movements play the role of inner voice as actor and quartet engage in powerful dialogue ― sometimes fanciful, sometimes terrifying, sometimes poignant.
Both Kaminsky’s and Larsen’s scores showcase the Fry Street Quartet’s unique strengths, resulting in a performance that drifts from haunting to uplifting. Throughout, the music arcs and cascades in step with the flow of nature. On several occasions, the music matches the frenzied pace of change that our planet is experiencing. THE CROSSROADS PROJECT is equal parts contemplative and moving.
HIGHLIGHTS
THE CROSSROADS PROJECT was conceived and developed jointly by physicist Robert Davies and the Fry Street Quartet, and is a blend of science, performance art, and the imagery of our ever-changing planet
Laura Kaminsky is a celebrated composer that has received praise from The New York Times, commissions and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, and has performed internationally. Her works often revolve around social and political themes, with the goal of pushing humanity towards a new level of consciousness towards global sustainability
The album features works by PARMA Recordings composer Libby Larsen, who recently released the Navona album CIRCLE OF FRIENDS and is also a featured composer on The Apollo Chamber Players’ Navona release BLURRED BOUNDARIES. Larsen is among America’s most performed
Utah State University provided substantial support for the project and is home to both Dr. Robert Davies and the Fry Street Quartet, where they hold the Manon and Dan Russell Endowed String Quartet Residency at the Caine College of the Arts
ALSO ON NAVONA
Libby Larsen
Release Date: September 9, 2016
Catalog #: NV6054
TRACK LISTING
Fry Street Quartet
Robert Waters violin • Rebecca McFaul violin
Bradley Ottesen viola • Anne Francis Bayless cello
Laura Kaminsky
Rising Tide
1 I. H2O (The Source of Life)
2 II. Bios
3 III. Forage
4 IV. Societas
Libby Larsen
Emergence
5 I. Radiant
6 II. Reactive
7 III. Rage
8 IV. Resolve
9 V. Reverence
CREDITS
Tracks 1-4 recorded February 10, 2014 at the Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, Purchase College in Purchase NY
Produced and Engineered Judith Sherman
Assistant Engineer and Editing Assistant Jeanne Velonis
Tracks 5-9 recorded on September 28, 2015 at the Caine Performance Hall, Utah State University in Logan UT
Produced and Engineered Jamey Lamar
Mastered Judith Sherman
Artwork (R) Rebecca Allan | rebeccaallan.com
Tomyhoi Glacier (Mount Baker), 2007
acrylic and peel collage on paper, 9 inches diameter
Artwork (L)
Holocene Tondino, 2008
acrylic and peel collage on paper, 6 inches diameter
Executive Producer Bob Lord
Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
A&R Brandon MacNeil
Audio Director Jeff LeRoy
Production Engineer Nate Hunter
Art & Production Director Brett Picknell
Graphic Design Emily Roulo
Marketing Manager Morgan MacLeod
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Navona Records offers listeners a fresh taste of today's leading innovators in orchestral, chamber, instrumental, and experimental music as well as prime pieces of classic repertoire. Our music is meticulously performed by the finest musicians and handpicked to ensure the most rewarding listening experience.
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