Present Music to Perform “The Blue Hour”

Milwaukee, WI (February 16, 2024) – Milwaukeeans are in for a treat on Thursday, April 11, at 7:30 pm, when Present Music will collaborate with composers and guest artists to perform The Blue Hour. The composition from the 2024 Grammy-nominated album features an evening-length song cycle, which was written collectively by female powerhouse composers Shara Nova (My Brightest Diamond, who opened for Wilco in fall 2023), Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón, Caroline Shaw, and Sarah Kirkland Snider.

Recognized by NPR as a 2022 Top Ten ‘album across all genres” The Blue Hour is set to excerpts from noteworthy poet Carolyn Forché’s epic work On Earth, and the music follows one woman’s journey through the space between life and death via thousands of hallucinatory and non-linear images.

The stirring music which highlights Nova as vocalist explores memories of childhood, of war, of love, and of loss, all while amplifying the beauty, pain, and fragility of human life from a collective female perspective.

The Washington Post called it “a gorgeous and remarkably unified work.”

Present Music’s The Blue Hour event will occur at the Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Drive, Milwaukee, and it will be the only opportunity in 2024 to hear this noteworthy composition performed in a live setting.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at  https://www.presentmusic.org/ . This program is aligned with two exhibits at the Milwaukee Art Museum – “50 Paintings” and “Idris Khan: Repeat After Me”. In-person PM performance ticket holders will also receive access to the Milwaukee Art Museum galleries the day of the performance. This program includes a post-concert “Afterglow” reception in Windhover Hall at MAM.

Present Music is grateful to Lois A. Smith for underwriting Shara Nova’s performance; Randall Lindert for underwriting conductor Deanna Tham; and the Women’s Club of Wisconsin for being a cultural partner for The Blue Hour.

Since its founding 1982, Present Music’s mission has been to commission and perform new concert music, bringing over 100 new works to life. Ensembles range from a core group of seven musicians to an ensemble of 20 or more. Present Music has had the privilege of working closely with many of the nation’s top composers, including John Adams, Henry Brant, David Lang, Caroline Shaw, Ingram Marshall, Missy Mazzoli, Bright Sheng, Roberto Sierra and Michael Torke.

The not-for-profit organization has a long and impressive track record for identifying outstanding talent early in the artists’ careers. Present Music’s discography includes world premiere recordings on the Argo, Albany, Aoede, Northeastern, Naxos and Innova labels. The group is led by Co-Artistic Directors violinist/composer Eric Segnitz and conductor David Bloom. Present Music was founded by conductor Kevin Stalheim, who was Artistic Director for the first 37 years of the ensemble’s existence until 2019.

Visit https://www.presentmusic.org/ for additional information.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.