photo: Tom Bamberger

Present Music

Since its inception in 1982, Present Music has established itself as a crucial and endlessly imaginative American ensemble, engaging local and international audiences both with a robust advocacy for new work and through high-caliber, thoughtful performances and programming. Director Kevin Stalheim has led the ensemble in acclaimed concerts and tours across the world, with performances at the Interlink Festival of New American Music (Japan), the Bang on a Can Festival (New York), the Istanbul International Music Festival (Turkey), and the Columbia University Composer Portraits Series at Miller Theatre (New York). Present Music's dedication to collaborating with living composers is profound, and has led to the successful development and premieres of countless new works. Within its local community, Present Music's passionate and timely performances have developed a loyal and diverse base of Milwaukee listeners eager for the music of today.

Dave Luhrssen (Shepherd Express) writes, "Present Music has become a leader in contemporary 'serious music,' racing many miles ahead of the musty old avant-garde by making thorny new music fun." 

Visit presentmusic.org for more information.
 

Kevin Stalheim's Greenroom Picks

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  1. Andrew Norman: Try for chamber orchestra

  There’s a lot of contrast with this composer. The last piece we did by him, Sabina, was gorgeous. Try is unpredictable, bizarre, delightful and a wild musical cartoon ride. I hope to perform it soon.

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  2. Christopher Cerrone: Invisible Overture from the opera Invisible Cities

  We have been performing works by Cerrone over the last year or so. His music moves slowly even when it’s loud and exciting. It’s a good kind of slow where you really want to, and get to, hear everything clearly.

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  3. Kamran Ince: Road to Memphis for viola and piano or harpsichord

  We perform a lot of Kamran’s works and just performed Road to Memphis in 2013. It’s wild and jumpy and then out of the blue, the instrumentalists are singing a soft and beautifully haunting tune. You never know what’s next with Ince.

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  4. Timo Andres: Comfort Food

  I love Timothy’s music. We commissioned Comfort Food in 2012, so I’m partial to this piece. Like his other music, it goes from delightful to intense, complex to simple with extraordinary facility.

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  5. Marcos Balter: Intercepting a Shivery Light for saxophone quartet

  I was bopping around on the PSNY website and gave a listen to music by Balter. Nice discovery! This piece for saxes is so delicate and shimmers using saxes in a way I never imagined.