May 20, 2020 Library of Congress and Portland Ovations to Present the International Contemporary Ensemble with World Premieres Live on YouTube

The Library of Congress and Portland Ovations will present the International Contemporary Ensemble in the Library’s first interactive digital concert – “Aural Explorations: Farrin, Fure and Messiaen” – on Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

The concert will feature the world premiere of the Library co-commissioned composition by Suzanne Farrin titled “Nacht,” capping a season-long celebration of women composers and performers honoring the centennial of women’s suffrage. The concert will also feature a world premiere of Ashley Fure’s “Interior Listening Protocol 1” paired with Olivier Messiaen’s “Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus” for ondes Martenot and Suzanne Farrin’s “Polvere et Ombra.”

More information on the concert is available at loc.gov/concerts, and audiences can RSVP for the free event at: https://bit.ly/2WKkqBU

Unlike premieres of other Library-commissioned works, Farrin’s will take place not in the Coolidge Auditorium but entirely online.

The Library is cosponsoring the 90-minute livestreamed event with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and Portland Ovations, a nonprofit Maine-based concert presenter associated with Farrin. The program will take the audience through a virtual immersive experience in which Farrin’s new composition, “Nacht,” unfolds in a dreamy atmosphere focusing on notions of perception and listening.

The stream will also include a “lobby” experience before and after the performance where the audience can join live discussions between Farrin, Fure, and members of ICE. Glimpses into the creation of Farrin’s “Nacht” will be shared in a screening of a short documentary. Viewers around the world can tune in to view and participate in the digital event via YouTube Live and are invited to continue conversations with the artists after the performance via Zoom.

“Nacht” is a co-commission of the Carolyn Royall Just Fund in the Library of Congress and ICE. The Library’s Music Division has a long and distinguished history of support for contemporary music, with commissioning new works established as an important commitment on the founding of the concert series in 1925. To date, more than 600 works have been commissioned under the auspices of the Library’s gift funds. The “Concerts from the Library of Congress” series is made possible through the generous support of endowments given to the Library by private donors.

About the International Contemporary Ensemble

The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is an artist collective that is transforming the way music is created and experienced. As performer, curator, and educator, ICE explores how new music intersects with communities across the world. The ensemble’s 36 members are featured as soloists, chamber musicians, commissioners, and collaborators with the foremost musical artists of our time. Works by emerging composers have anchored the ensemble’s programming since its founding in 2001, and the group’s recordings and digital platforms highlight the many voices that weave together in music’s present.

A recipient of the American Music Center’s Trailblazer Award and the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, ICE was also named the 2014 Musical America Ensemble of the Year. The group currently serves as artists-in-residence at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Mostly Mozart Festival, and previously served a five-year residency at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

About the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.