"The word ruckus," says UMBC clarinetist E. MichaelRichards, "signifies a burst of diverse, and sometimesconflicting, activity -- it seems to conveniently represent the pluralismand diversity of music today." So when Richards and his twocolleagues in the Department ofMusic, percussionist TomGoldstein and flutist LisaCella, searched for a name for their new contemporary musicensemble, they thought Ruckus was ideal. Cella adds, "Thethree of us have such a wonderful time together that we felt the name ofour group should really represent the kinds of personalities we have, andthe way we interact."
For the past several months, the three performers, joined by guestpianist Kazuko Tanosaki, have been preparing for their debutconcert, which will be held on Thursday, March 14, at 8 p.m. inthe Fine Arts Recital Hall. "This concert," says Goldstein,"is the result of many hours of playing together, and of sharing ourindividual perspectives on each composition." The program includesmusic by GiacintoScelsi, Jo Kondo,David Macbride, and UMBC'sStuartSaunders Smith.
But the program isn't only the premiere of Ruckus; it will also be thefirst performance of magnificat 1, a new work composed bydepartment chair LindaDusman. "When I heard the UMBC Concert Choir perform J.S.Bach's Magnificat last fall," says Dusman, "I becamefixated on the opening line of the Virgin Mary's song: 'My soul dothmagnify the Lord.' What would it mean to conceive of the soul as a lensfor something greater than oneself, rather than the essense of oneself?And how can one shape the fragments of one's life into that unifiedvision? I had stayed home on September 11, 2001 to compose. The events ofthat day added another layer to the piece, for with horror I was remindedthat terrorists also imagine their souls as lenses of God, withdevastating results. So magnificat 1 has both elements at work --the yearning for clarity, and the twists that easily shift intodistortion."
The concert also will feature some short works by a loose-knit group ofcomposers and artists who call themselves Fluxus. Often humorousor irreverent, Fluxus pieces usually aren't scored like traditional music,but rather are written instructions. To commemorate the Ruckus kick-off,President Hrabowski agreed to help perform the first Fluxus pieceon the program, Two Inches by RobertWatts.
New music, stemming from a long classical avant garde tradition, isn'theard widely outside of academic environments. But Ruckus intends tochange that: "I see our mission in two areas," says Richards."One is to establish the group (and UMBC) as a local, regional, andnational/international research center for composers and performers ofcontemporary music, where we can explore new musical vocabularies. Theother is to serve to educate listeners through performances of music andmusical ideas that they may not have previously experienced." Withthat mission in mind, Ruckus intends to embark on national andinternational tours, representing both contemporary music and UMBC.
Admission to the Ruckus concert is free with a UMBC ID. Regular generaladmission is $7, and $3 for students and non-UMBC students. For moreinformation, call the Department of Music at x52942 or visit the online artscalendar.
