California EAR Unit
The California EAR Unit was an American chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of
The original members of the EAR Unit were Dorothy Stone (flute); James Rohrig (clarinet); Amy Knoles and Daniel Kennedy (percussion); Gaylord Mowrey and Michael McCandless (piano); Robin Lorentz and Mary Terranova (violin); Erika Duke (cello); and Rand Steiger (conductor). By 1983 Terranova, Kennedy and McCandless had departed, and Arthur Jarvinen (percussion) and Lorna Eder (piano) joined. After many years with the same personnel, changes began to occur and one by one original members departed and new performers joined the group. Amy Knoles is the only remaining original member, along with longtime pianist Vicki Ray, and violinist Eric KM Clark.[2]
The EAR Unit was formed at the
In 1983, the EAR Unit performed a concert at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (one of the first of over 100 they would play there) featuring the West Coast premiere of
In the 1980s, the EAR Unit often juxtaposed strikingly different works on the same program. At one of the first concerts in 1982, in a bank building in downtown Los Angeles, they presented a program that included works by Steve Reich, Pierre Boulez, Frederic Rzewski, and Donald Martino. Later, in San Francisco they combined Martino's Noturno with Stockhausen's Stimmung, and Subotnick's Key to Songs.
Beginning in 1987 the California EAR Unit had been Ensemble-in-Residence at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. During that time they have presented over 500 premieres of musical works. Later they held court at REDCAT in the Disney Hall Complex in downtown Los Angeles.
In 1999 The EAR Unit received a Letter of Distinction from the
External links
References
- ^ "California EAR Unit - Music Biography". All Music. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ Woodard, Josef (23 October 2010). "Music Review: California E.A.R. Unit at REDCAT". LA Times. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ Shulgold, Marc (21 May 1984). "ZAPPA BENDS EARS AT BING THEATER". LA Times.