Gene Coleman

Gene Coleman is a composer, bass clarinetist, and visual artist. He has written over 40 works for various instruments, often-using complex notations and improvisation in the same score. Radical use of the instrument's sound producing possibilities makes Coleman, both as a composer and as a performer, a musician who seeks a greater synthesis between what is called sound (or noise) and what is called music.

Gene Coleman was a recipient of a Fellowship from the Japan-US Friendship Commission, and lived in Japan in 2001. He was a guest composer at the Takefu International Music Festival in June 2002. In the area of composition, he has four times received a fellowship from the Illinois Arts Council, as well as grants from the NEA, Arts Midwest, Meet the Composer, the Jory Foundation, and others. He has received commissions from Winifred Huan Dance Company, Trio Accanto, Klangforum Wien, The Renaissance Society, The Japan-US Friendship Commission, Trio AYA, Chicago Cultural Center, Takefu Festival, HKW Berlin and the Ernst Von Siemens Foundation. Gene Coleman is the artistic director of "Ensemble Noamnesia", a group he founded in 1987. With this group, he works regularly with The Renaissance Society, The MCA and others to present new music. Coleman also has been a guest lecturer at many universities, and his paintings and musical scores have been widely exhibited, including shows at the Art Institute of Chicago.

In the area of improvised music, he has played in concert with many important musicians, including Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Roscoe Mitchell, William Parker, Radu Malfatti, Taku Sugimoto, Kevin Drumm, Yuji Takahashi and many others. He has recorded with Jim O'Rourke and Mats Gustaffson for the Okka Disc label, music by Anthony Braxton and Gulliermo Gregorio for the Hat Art label and two CDs for Leo Records with John Wolf Brennan. Coleman has also recorded with the influential experimental rock group Gastr del Sol, several projects with Jim O'Rourke and the minimalist composer Tony Conrad. Just released is "Storobo Imp." -- a collection of improvisations with guitarist Uchihashi Kazuhisa on the False Walls label. He is currently working on CDs of his compositions for the German label GROB, which will also release “Concert in St. Louis” (with Coleman, Otomo Yoshihide, Sachiko M. and Franz Hautzinger) in the fall of 2004.

Among his ongoing projects are with the European groups Ensemble N_ER and Trio ARC. New projects such as “Kyoto In_Ex” include collaborations with several video artists and architects. With musicians from the Tokyo experimental music scene and traditional Japanese musicians he has created the group “Ensemble N_JP”. These and other projects have brought Coleman and his music to many audiences in Europe, Asia and North America.

Gene Coleman is also known for his work as a director of new music festivals. In 1997 he organized a festival in Chicago of music by Helmut Lachenmann in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut. He and his Ensemble Noamnesia have also worked with Gerhard Staebler, Kunsu Shim, Malcolm Goldstein, Salvatore Sciarrino, Harry Sparnaay, George Crumb, Mike Svoboda, Burkhard Stangl, Yoko Nishi, Karlheinz Essl, Luc Ferrari, Vinko Globokar, Ko Ishikawa, Stefen Schliermacher, Otomo Yoshihide and Mathias Spahlinger. He founded the festival "Sound Field" in Chicago in 2000 and is the artistic director. Coleman is artistic director and guest composer for “Transonic”, a new festival at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin in 2003 and 2004. He currently lives in the Philadelphia area and Chicago.

October 3rd, 8:00 PM

Chao-Ming TUNG (composer and guzheng),
Bernhard Gal (composer and electronics),
and Gene Coleman (composer and bass clarinet)
with Ensemble Noamnesia,
directed by Rei Hotoda

The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago
5811 South Ellis Ave.
Chicago, IL
773-702-8670
www.renaissancesociety.org
(free concert)

October 26th, 8:00 PM

The Renaissance Society presents:

US premiere of:
"YAGO (insects and architecture #1)"
by Gene Coleman

performed by:
Ensemble N_JP and XASAX Quartet
directed by Rei Hotoda

This composition includes saxophone quartet, gagaku ensemble,
live electronics and video. The video was created in collaboration
by Chicago artist Tom Denlinger and Gene Coleman. The concert
will also feature music by Iannis Xenakis and traditional Gagaku
music.

Ensemble N_JP (Japan/USA):

Ko ISHIKAWA (sho = bamboo mouth organ)
Aya MOTOHASHI (hichiriki = bamboo oboe)
Takeshi SASAMOTO (ryuteki = bamboo flute)
Kazuhisa UCHIHASHI (guitar and daxophone)
Toshimaru NAKAMURA (no input mixing board = live electronics)
Gene COLEMAN (sound projection)
Tom DENLINGER (video projection and lighting)
Rei HOTODA (conductor)

XASAX Quartet (France/Switzerland)

Marcus WEISS (soprano sax)
Pierre-Stephane MEUGE (alto sax)
Jean-Michel GOURY (tenor sax)
Serge BERTOCCHI (baritone sax)

This project is part of the Sound Field 2004 festival and is made possible by the following sponsors:

The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago
The Shin Higuchi Institute
Soundfield, NFP
The French Cultural Services, Chicago Office
The New Chicago Japanese American Association
The John David Mooney Foundation Gallery
The llinois Arts Council (a state agency)
Mrs. Akiko Sugano
The American Music Center
Lake Forest College

Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago
(Please call the Renaissance Society for info)
(free concert)

October 27th, 6:00 PM

Second performance of YAGO (see above), along with traditional
Gagaku music

International Currents Gallery at the
John David Mooney Foundation
114 West Kinzie
Chicago, IL
312-822-0483
(please call for reservations)

WU Wei (composer and Sheng player) with Ko Ishikawa (sho)
and Ensemble Noamnesia, directed by Rei Hotoda
performing Works by Wu, Ishikawa, Yuji Takahashi, and others.

Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago
(free concert)

October 30th, 7:30 PM

Music by Maurico Kagel and Erik Ona

featuring pianists Paulo Alvares, Amy Williams and Helena Bugallo,
with the Northwestern Univ. New Music Ensemble and Ensemble Noamnesia

Northwestern University - Lutkin Hall
700 University Place
Evanston, IL. 60201
Tel: 847-467-4000
(please call for ticket info)