FRINGE '04: Force = Mass Times Acceleration

The Acceleration Quintet and the 2004 Fringe NZ Festival present a truly remarkable musical experience: a programme of music entirely by living, Wellington-based composers.

‘Music from our own community is performed more frequently these days,’ says composer and concert producer Aaron Lloydd, ‘but it’s always buried amongst music by dead Europeans. Force Equals Mass Times Acceleration celebrates our city’s music in the right context, not just as a token entry.’

Most of the works on the programme have been composed exclusively for this occasion. ‘To be commissioned by performers of this calibre is an exciting and daunting challenge,’ says composer Thomas Liggett, ‘and to be in the company of friends and fellow composers makes this a doubly rewarding experience’.

The fellow composers in question include:

· Carolyn Ayson, a recent music graduate and film composer;
· Chrissie Butler and Kieran Monaghan, prominent performers and musical agitators;
· Emma Carlé, champion of local music and noted composer for gamelan;
· Thomas Liggett, whose Two Chorales for Strings was recently workshopped by the Auckland Philharmonia;
· Aaron Lloydd, composer of the 2002 Fringe Opera The Black Mill;
· Kenneth Young, established composer and conductor, whose Brass Quintet has already become part of a standard repertoire.

The Acceleration Quintet is a brass quintet comprising performers drawn from the Wellington Sinfonia, and led by tuba player Kerry Benge. The ensemble performs regularly, and is dedicated to the performance of contemporary music by New Zealand, and especially Wellington-based composers.

ENDS

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