Monday, May 30th, 2016
Timucua Arts Foundation, The Civic Minded 5
present an Atlantic Center for the Arts Outreach
Myra Melford with Angela Morris
Timucua white house
2000 S. Summerlin Ave, Orlando
7:00 pm doors, 7:30 concert
Free admission, all ages welcome
Composer/pianist Myra Melford appears at the Timucua white house for her Atlantic Center for the Arts Master artist In Residence Outreach. She is well-known for seamless fluency in mixing composition and improvisation on recordings and in performance.
Myra Melford is a Chicago native, interfacing with Leroy Jenkins of the legendary Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) early in her training as a pianist. She moved to New York City in the early 1980’s, steadily involved in the budding Downtown scene. Melford joined Leroy Jenkins and Art Ensemble of Chicago/AACM member Joseph Jarman in the Equal Interest trio starting in the late 1990’s. She counts singular pianists Don Pullen and Jaki Byard as mentors, as well as the beyond category (and recent Pulitzer winner) composer Henry Threadgill.“…a fearless pianist and harmonium player…”- Nate Chinen, New York Times
Melford’s studies of Mexican, Cuban, African, Middle Eastern and Indian cultures, spiritual and musical practices are notable in her compositions and performances on piano and harmonium. Each project that she creates and develops takes on new, discernible influences not explored in her earlier work. She has become a faculty member of University of California at Berkeley instructing contemporary improvising practices. She has been a Fulbright scholar, a Guggenheim Fellow, a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation awardee and a winner of the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts.
Melford brings the rich diversity of her studies and practices for a solo piano set and in tradition developing between Atlantic Center for the Arts and their presenting partners around Central Florida , a duet with an Associate from Melford’s residency, saxophonist Angela Morris.
Take part in the Timucua instant arts community created at each event by appearing willing – described by composer Anthony Braxton as the “friendly experiencer.” Timucua encourages a small plate dish and a bottle of wine for community distribution. We’ll see you there.
