SŌ Percussion is the Brooklyn-based collective that straddles the world between classical music and indie-rock. Having performed with everyone from Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to jam band favorite Madeski, Martin and Wood, and Wilco’s Glenn Kotche, they perform in just about any venue that will have them. They’ve also commissioned an impressive roster of some of the greatest composers of our time including Steve Reich, Steve Mackey, Paul Lansky, Martin Bresnick, and many others.
They return to Austin tonight (Wednesday, March 11th, 2015) for the first of two concerts presented by Texas Performing Arts. Thursday’s concert (March 12th, 2015) consists of a complete performance of Steve Reich’s seventy-five minute long work Drumming in collaboration with students from the UT Percussion studio.
Tonight’s program also features the music of Steve Reich in addition to a world premiere by composer Steve Mackey, which is a co-commission between Texas Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall. Additionally, the centerpiece of the evening is a set of songs performed in collaboration with the multi-genre singer Shara Whorden (My Brightest Diamond).
SŌ Percussion visited the KMFA studio while in Austin. In their conversation with KMFA’s Chris Johnson, SŌ Percussion members Adam Sliwinski and Jason Treuting talked about the music of Steve Reich and Steve Mackey, and the intersection between minimalist classical music and indie-rock.
Look to the right of the post title above to find the orange audio play button to listen to the interview.