NEWS

Spring Performances

Sun, 7 Apr 2013 17:03:48 -0500

Wild Onion
Sunday Salon Series - Quartets Concert featuring Chicago Q Ensemble, Barakada Quartet, Gillespie Quartet; music by Baxter, Boustead, Elmquist, Gillespie, and more
Sunday, April 28 - 3:00 pm
Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall - 78 E Washington
FREE ADMISSION - click here for more info

Old World Elegy - world premiere - poetry by Richie Hofmann
Poetry Off the Shelf - Ars Poetica: Art Song featuring the voices of Angela Tomasino, Alison Wahl, Jenna Lyle, and the strings of Chicago Q Ensemble; music by Baxter, Boustead, Gullickson, Lyle, Malmquist, L. White
Friday, May 10 - 7:00 pm
Poetry Foundation - 61 W Superior
FREE ADMISSION - click here for more info

Brian to participate in Ten x Ten

Mon, 4 Feb 2013 08:45:03 -0600

On Sunday, February 17 at Spudnik Press, ACM will kick off it’s latest round of composer and printmaker collaborations at Homeroom Presents: VIsual Music 101. Brian will be participating as a collaborator, stay tuned for more details...

Homeroom presents: Visual Music 101 Hosted by Seth Vanek Sunday, February 17th 3pm The Annex at Spudnik Press 1821 W. Hubbard, Suite 302 Free

Spring Song in 1,001 Chicago Afternoons

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:15:24 -0600

1,001 Chicago Afternoons is running a 3 part feature this week on the Chicago Composers Orchestra and Brian’s Spring Song, premiered last week at the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory, was featured in part 1. Check it out!

Poetry Project

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:35:16 -0600

I am delighted to announce my next project featuring the poetry of Richie Hofmann, one of the Poetry Foundation’s 2012 Ruth Lilly Fellows. I will be setting his Old World Elegy, for voice a string quartet. The project will be presented by the Poetry Foundation and Singers On New Ground and I am delighted to be working again with the Chicago Q Ensemble. Click here for more info on the concert coming up in May!

Reviews for Chicago Moves

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:21:52 -0600

Click below for coverage of Chicago Moves, the latest from Gaudete Brass featuring Brian’s A Great Commercial City...

Nathan J. Silverman of Musical America Worldwide: “Baxter’s A Great Commercial City, a Valentine to his and Gaudete’s home town of Chicago, injects rich sonorities and urban energy into a 19th-century folk song extolling the virtues of Illinois.”

Elliot Mandel of Chicago Classical Music: “Brian Baxter, who seems to be everywhere in the city’s new music scene, provides A Great Commercial City, with its legato progression of chords leading into the brash middle section that resolves in a powerful ending.”

John J. Puccio of Classical Candor: “It may remind some listeners of Carl Sandburg’s famous ode to Chicago in spirit if not in tone: “Strong, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders.”

Doyle Armbrust of Time Out Chicago: “Gaudete’s delivery is sumptuous and lucid, displaying what is most remarkable about the ensemble: individual player prowess convincingly consolidated into a pentagram of tonal color.”

Get your copy today!

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:29:07 -0600

Click here to buy your copy of Gaudete Brass Quintet’s latest disc, Chicago Moves.

 Tracks: "Gaudete" by John Woodward "Sonata for Brass Quintet" by John Cheetham "A Great Commercial City" by Brian Baxter "Helios" by Stacy Garrop "Brass" by Rob Deemer "Chicago Moves" by David Sampson "Copperwave" by Joan Tower

Chicago Moves Released!

Mon, 5 Nov 2012 22:30:52 -0600

Digital Release: NOV 6th, 2012
Physical Release: NOV 13th, 2012

This is Gaudete Brass Quintet’s first CD with Cedille Records! The disc is titled "Chicago Moves". It features all commissioned music for Gaudete Brass except for one work (Joan Tower). You can purchase "Chicago Moves" on iTunes, CD universe, Cedille Records, Naxos, and other sites.
 Included on the disc:  "Gaudete" by John Woodward "Sonata for Brass Quintet" by John Cheetham "A Great Commercial City" by Brian Baxter "Helios" by Stacy Garrop "Brass" by Rob Deemer "Chicago Moves" by David Sampson "Copperwave" by Joan Tower

New Music Halloween Bash

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 21:46:06 -0500

A limitless Halloween celebration and new music salon, featuring some of Chicago’s finest composers and performers on Halloween Night, Wednesday, October 31st, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division Street (The concert will be appropriately situated in the theatre’s dimly lit lower level Cabaret Lounge space).

The Halloween program features timeless works by George Crumb and Kaija Saariaho, as well as chamber music premieres by composer and artistic director of the Hard Art Groop, John Elmquist; Chicago based composer and saxophonist, Amos Gillespie; Chicago Composers
Orchestra co-founder, Brian Baxter; and Chicago based pianist and composer, Amy Wurtz. Performing on this concert is a vibrant group of Chicago talent.

Performers include William Jason Raynovich, Amy Wurtz, Trevor Patrick Watkin, Dave Keller, Richard Zili and Amos Gillespie.

Tickets to the New Music Halloween Bash are $15 at the door, $10 online, children are free. Food and reception snacks are included. A variety of beverages, wine and imported beers will be available at the lounge bar.

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4538085536

Thirsty Ear Festival: Live From the Empty Bottle

Wed, 1 Aug 2012 07:44:26 -0500

Produced by Seth Boustead, host of WFMT’s Relevant Tones, Thirsty Ear Festival happening Saturday, August 11, 5-7pm at the Empty Bottle will feature a variety of new music sounds from Chicago. The Chicago Q Ensemble will perform Brian’s Roots Run Deep. The concert will be broadcast live on WFMT. For more details click here.

Thirsty Ear Festival Program and Playlist 4:00 Doors Open 4:15 – 4:45 Joint performance of Ben Vida’s Liminal Bends by all of the day’s performers spaced throughout the venue.
4:45 Sound check
5:00 We’re live! Palomar takes the stage
Palomar Playlist Yellow by Lansing McCloskey Super Soft by Stefan Weisman Devil Dance by Payton MacDonald Three for Zhou B. by Seth Boustead
5:30 James Falzone
James Falzone Playlist Sighs Too Deep for Words – an alternately meditative and explosively virtuosic improvisation for solo clarinet and prayer bowls.
6:00 MAVerick Ensemble takes the stage
MAVerick Ensemble Playlist Charisma by Iannis Xenakis ‘price by Jason Raynovich Private Games by Shulamit Ran
6:30 Chicago Q Ensemble takes the stage
Q Ensemble Playlist Roots Run Deep by Brian Baxter String Quartet Number 1 (excerpt) by Amy Wurtz Fjords (excerpt) by Kyle Vegter

Recording News

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 07:53:04 -0500

The release date has been set for the latest recorded effort by Gaudete Brass Chicago Moves including Brian’s A Great Commercial City. It will drop on Cedille Records on November 13 so be on the look-out for events surrounding this release later this fall. GBQ sounds better than ever on this recording produced by the award-winning Judith Sherman.

The Chicago Q Ensemble has chosen Brian’s first string quartet, Roots Run Deep to record on their upcoming project being produced by Matt Pakulski’s new label, FPE. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project.