Aug 293 min read

What it Means to Fall Apart: Varo String Quartet + Molly Bendrick in Concert at Constellation Chicago with special guests Ritual Action Reed Trio

Sunday, September 1, 2024 @ 8:30pm – 10:30pm (CDT)

Constellation, Chicago, IL, United States

Online and in-person

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In person: $15 |Stream: $5

Ethan Dymit — Selected works

Sam Kinney — Selected works

Zeynep Gedizlioglu — Selected works

Andrei Skorobogatykh — Selected works

Ruth Crawford Seeger — Selected works (arr. Cline)

Kristopher Bendrick — what it means to fall apart (world premiere)

Set 1: Ritual Action Performs works by Ethan Dymit, Sam Kinney, Zeynep Gedizlioglu, Andrei Skorobogatykh, and Ruth Crawford Seeger (arr. Cline).Set 2: Varo String Quartet and Molly Bendrick premiere what it means to fall apart (2024) by Kris Bendrick.

About Varo String Quartet

Varo String Quartet (Carmen Abelson and Hannah Christiansen, violins; Lena Vidulich, viola; and Isidora Nojkovic, cello) is dedicated to the celebration and expansion of the string quartet genre. Through intentional programming, VSQ engages new audiences and collaborators with a spirit of curiosity and innovation.

The members of VSQ have backgrounds spanning many genres and have performed with groups including Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Thurman Barker & the Cagy Bird Orchestra, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Japanese Breakfast, Ensemble Dal Niente, Music Theatre International, and Chicago Sinfonietta. Varo String Quartet takes its name from the Surrealist painter Remedios Varo, whose vibrant creativity and lifelong pursuit of discovery inspire the Quartet’s inventive programming and spirited performances.

About Ritual Action Reed Trio

Ritual Action is a Chicago-based ensemble championing modern classics of the reed trio repertoire and commissioning daring new music for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. The musicians of Ritual Action came together in 2017 as alumni of the Lucerne Festival Academy, the training program founded by Pierre Boulez.

About Ben Roidl-Ward, bassoon

Recently named one of 23 artists who are “changing the sound of classical music” by the Washington Post, Ben Roidl-Ward is the Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also serves as Principal Bassoonist of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Solo Bassoonist of Ensemble Dal Niente, and Contemporary Leader of the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland.

Ben’s dedication to working with and advocating for composers of his generation has led him to commission numerous works featuring the bassoon, and he has participated in the premieres of over 125 compositions to date. He has performed with leading ensembles around the country, including the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the International Contemporary Ensemble, and has presented masterclasses at Northwestern University and the Oberlin and Peabody Conservatories, among others.

Ben earned his DMA from Northwestern University, where he studied with David McGill and researched methods of notating multiphonics. Previously, he studied with Ben Kamins at Rice University, George Sakakeeny at the Oberlin Conservatory, and Francine Peterson in the Seattle area.

https://www.benroidlward.com/