Formalist Group Inaugurates Concert Series at Villa Aurora

The Formalist Quartet comes to Villa Aurora for three concerts during the 2009-10 season to present programs of music by Villa Aurora composer Fellows and California composers. Inaugurating the series on Saturday evening, September 26 at 8 p.m., The Formalist Quartet offers three works of transfixing beauty: ‘A Twin of Mume Blossoms’ by current Fellow Pei-Yu Shi, ‘…lux…’ by 2003 Fellow Makiko Nishikaze, and ‘100 Cadences’ by Los Angeles composer Arthur Jarvinen. As Villa Aurora’s intimate main hall boasts of beautiful acoustics that opens to a balcony view of Santa Monica Bay, with Santa Monica twinkling in the distance, there is no better way to hear new works by contemporaries who live here together with those who live in Germany.   ’The series will accomplish several concerns I’ve had to bring high quality chamber music to the villa (whose acoustics are wonderful) and open our programming to the California composers who villa composers should meet, while introducing them to the local community as contemporaries of our Fellow composers,’ said Daniel Rothman director of programs.   The Formalist Quartet is an ensemble dedicated to the performance of adventurous and relevant repertoire focusing on contemporary pieces and world premiers as well as exploring a diverse spectrum of early music and the standard repertoire.   The quartet was born on the 100th birthday of Dmitri Shostakovich and since then has been playing frequently across the United States in concert halls, festivals, art galleries, cafes, and houses, including the Roy O. Disney Hall at CalArts; REDCAT at the Walt Disney Concert Hall; the Wulf, Los Angeles; UC San Diego; Stanford Universityand University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Their recordings include Jarvinen’s ‘100 Cadences’, music for several small films and pop records, and an upcoming CD including works by Aaron Helgeson, Carsten Hennig, Tim McCormack, and others.   Concerts will begin at 8 p.m., with audience members shuttled from Los Liones Drive beginning at 7 p.m. A reception with the Formalist Quartet and attending composers will follow. Admission: $20 for non-members & $15 for members and students with valid ID.