Notable Soirée: Adams
This event is currently only available as part of a Ticket Package. Single Tickets will be available on April 23.
Scott Yoo leads an interactive musical discussion of Shaker Loops, a string septet by American minimalist composer John Adams. Shaker Loops began as a string quartet called Wavemaker, which used repeated oscillating notes to emulate waves. While it was a total flop after its premiere, Adams reworked the piece using his students at the San Francisco Conservatory as testers. The idea of musical “looping” dates from the era of tape recorders where small lengths of tape attached end-to-end could repeat ad infinitum. In this piece, the musicians repeat alternating notes over and over (“shaking”). The term “shaker” also suggests Adams’s childhood memories of growing up near a defunct Shaker community in New Hampshire.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about this piece before it is performed in full on July 24th at Chamber Concert 2.
Please note that the musicians may not perform the piece in its entirety.
After your behind-the-scenes guide to this piece, mingle with the musicians and fellow attendees over afternoon tea! You’ll indulge in hors d'oeuvres, finger sandwiches, and treats, complete with Central Coast wines, while you discuss what you learned during the Notable Encounter.