The Ear Taxi Festival convened an enjoyable evening of piano, vocal, and chamber music at the Elastic Arts Studio near Logan Square on Wednesday evening. Sponsored by New Music Chicago, Ear Taxi Festival is a month-long event that shows off the incredibly deep contemporary classical music scene here in Chicago. Wednesday evening’s concert was labeled a Taxi Concert.
Pianist Alyssa Arrigo and vocalist Leila Bowie McClenahan played works for solo piano and songs in Living Sounds: A Celebration of Chicago Composers. Following intermission, Black Moon Trio of Khelsey Zarraga on violin, Parker Nelson on horn, and Jeremy Vigil on piano played Convergence: Health Equity in a Changing Climate. They paired a beautiful performance with a visual presentation focusing on climate change, health equity, and racial challenges of Indigenous peoples and residents of Lake County, Illinois.
Arrigo took the stage first with a solo performance of Mi Sueño: Afro-Flamenco (My Dream: Afro Flamenco) by Illinois-based composer Shawn E. Okpebholo. Arrigo’s delicate fingers created a rapid crinkling sound at treble end of the keyboard that soon shifted down. In a printed programming sheet, Okpebholo described how this piece was inspired by Maurice Ravel’s Miroirs. Writing it during the pandemic shut down also affected his outlook.
Up next, Arrigo backed up McClenahan for five songs from the collection Chicago Poets Sing by George Flynn, who was present. Flynn’s music can seem a bit chaotic, but these songs gave a great opportunity for McClenahan to show off a large vocal range. Arrigo’s accompaniment was spot on, whether it was quiet rills or demanding chords. The song I liked the best was a late addition to the program, “Twilight Time.” It had some very soulful sounds.
This was followed by several songs and pieces for solo piano by Stacy Garrop, starting with a delicate performance of “Repair the World,” which has also appeared as a piano trio performed and recorded by the Lincoln Trio. Garrop wrote it to commemorate the shooting at Highland Park’s Independence Day Parade in 2022. Arrigo perfectly captured the sorrowful and reflective mood.
This led without interruption to Walt Whitman’s “Smile, O Voluptuous Cool-Breathed Earth,” from Garrop’s amazing oratorio, Terra Nostra, where it’s a baritone solo. McClenahan’s high pitched voice made it resonate beautifully on Wednesday.
Arrigo’s and McClenahan’s portion of the program ended with two world premieres. Although programs can change, these are two of 71 world premieres being performed at this year's Ear Taxi Festival.
First was Train Facing by the young Illinois composer Clara Frantzen. Starting with a downward melody, it breaks quickly into repeated chords that absolutely reminds one of a train. It was almost minimalist in its constant movement and slowly changing melodies.
Their set ended with a world premiere of At the Edge, a charming song by Tim Corpus, Executive Director of Ear Taxi Festival. He was present and got to hear his composition for the first time. At the Edge set to music a poem by Chicago native Harriett Monroe. McClenahan’s supple voice was great for the melodies, and she and Arrigo shifted effortlessly to the dramatic conclusion. Very enjoyable.
Following intermission Black Moon Trio played through several pieces they commissioned. With a lineup of horn, violin, and piano, it was impossible not to be reminded of the trio Johannes Brahms wrote for the same combination of instruments. The music lent itself to this comparison, as much of it was very similar stylistically and harmonically to this 19th Century composer. Especially noteworthy is the careful shift between traditional tonalities and modern atonalities that seamlessly moved from one sound to the other.
Their promotional material says, “Black Moon Trio is committed to collaboratively affecting positive change in communities through chamber music.” The program Convergence: Health Equity in a Changing Climate paired this new music with a video focusing on climate equity, the challenges taking place in Lake County. It also highlighted challenges faced by Indigenous peoples.
Listening to Black Moon Trio, one would never know that they’ve only played together since 2022. Their ensemble balance and cohesion were remarkable. Whether Khelsey Zarraga’s violin was interacting with Parker Nelson on horn or Jeremy Vigil on piano, they sounded great together. In short, I loved it. It’s not often that I’m motivated to purchase a CD, but I'm glad I did. The CD Principal is great.
The centerpiece of their performance was a seven-movement work by local composer Marc Mellits, who named the piece after them, Black Moon. It was paired visually with several findings from a recent report on Lake County, Illinois. The performance was very enjoyable.
Ear Taxi Festival continues tonight with a Composer Showcase at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston. There, KAIA String Quartet and sopranos Laura Strickling, Michelle Areyzaga, and Hayley Fox and mezzo-sopranos Naomi Brigell and Grace Ryan perform world premieres by Illinois-based composers Rosśa Crean, Lee Kesselman, Ty Bloomfield, Justin Weiss, and Graham Meyer. 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, October 10, 7:30 pm.
Tomorrow night there will be an Anchor Performance of Chicago-based composers at DePaul University’s Holtschneider Performance Center, Gannon Hall. There, the William Ferris Chorale and the DePaul Ensemble 20+ will perform The Lost Birds by Christopher Tin, as well as music by Ben Zucker, Augusta Read Thomas, Stacy Garrop, and Ayanna Woods. 2330 N. Halsted St, Chicago. October 11, 7:30 pm.
For more information on Ear Taxi Festival, click here.
