Till by Turning is the collective effort of Amy Cimini, Erica Dicker, Emily Manzo Sarah Biber, and Katherine Young.
Working as performers, educators, improvisers, scholars, composers, and song-writers — Till by Turning performs new chamber music by established and emerging artists and develops creative educational programs.
“There’s an old Shaker dance number, written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett, that likely serves as inspiration for…Till by Turning. It’s called “Simple Gifts,” and what it describes is a kind of serendipitous joy in movement through time and space: “When true simplicity is gain’d / To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d / To turn, turn will be our delight / Till by turning, turning we come
round right.” The group belongs to a new generation of adventurous musicians bringing contemporary music to clubland….the players dip into the modern canon…and give breath to new works by their peers.” - Steve Dollar, Time Out Chicago
The members of Till by Turning met while studying instrumental performance at Oberlin Conservatory. Inspired in part by a unique instrumentation (violin, viola, cello, bassoon, and piano), our first concert was a program of Sofia Gubaidulina’s music. Since then, we have commissioned and premiered music by Jessica Pavone, Aaron Siegel, Sabrina Schroeder, Alex Ness, and Katherine Young. Our repertoire also includes pieces by Morton Feldman, Olivier Messiaen, Harold Meltzer, James Tenney, and Christian Wolff. Our dedication to challenging and experimental new music goes hand in hand with our commitment to educational programs.
Invert is a unique New York City based string quartet performing original new music composed by its members, and their own arrangements of other composers’ works. Invert’s name is taken from their literal inversion of the traditional string quartet format - they feature two cellos instead of the usual two violins. The group’s members are cellists Steven Berson and Chris George, violinist Helen Yee, and violist Chris Jenkins.
Since coming together in 1999, the group has created its own brand of chamber music by blending numerous genres into its compositions and performance style. Drawing from diverse, eclectic musical backgrounds, Invert’s members defy tradition by being firmly rooted in rock, jazz and world musics rather than the classical upbringing typical of most string players. The group’s compositions range from moody pieces evocative of soundtracks from expressionist cinema, to driving melodic works, often leaving open sections for improvisation that add to the excitement of their live performances.
This return performance at Issue will feature pieces from their most recent CD “The Strange Parade” as well some old favorites, some brand new works and an extended group improvisation.