Bastard Assignments / Chihiro Ono / James McIlwrath


NONCLASSICAL presents,

Bastard Assignments / Chihiro Ono / James McIlwrath

Thursday 25 November 2021 | 7:30pm [7pm doors]

Tickets: £8 concession, £12 advance, £15 General Admission https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bastard-assignments-chihiro-ono-james-mcilwrath-tickets-191647020397

Searing strings, mind-bending noises and absurd theatricals come together – we’re bringing together some of our favourite experimental artists at IKLECTIK this autumn. Kicking off the evening, performer-composer James McIlwrath returns from his victory at Battle of the Bands in early 2020. He’ll be performing his original work This piece isn’t about teeth; an eclectic and confrontational piece which precariously balances grotesque visuals, humour and discomfort. Later in the evening, violinist and experimental sound artist Chihiro Ono will be performing a set of music for solo violin, intertwining early music with her own compositions and improvisations. Experimental and theatrically absurd, Bastard Assignments are a composer-performer collective renowned for their high-energy and genre-bending performances. Following James’ set, they’ll perform Edward Henderson’s WIll – a meditative instrumental work moving seamlessly between composed and improvised music. In stark contrast, the quartet will close the night with Josh Spear’s FEED, a theatrical work combining visuals, movement and lip-syncing, resulting in what the ensemble describes as a ‘high-octane werewolf piece’.

PROGRAMME

James McIlwrath
This piece isn’t about teeth – James McIlwrath

Bastard Assignments
Will – Edward Henderson

Chihiro Ono HachiRen – Chihiro Ono with works by J S Bach, George Antheil and Giacinto Scelsi

Bastard Assignments
FEED – Josh Spear

Bastard Assignments

Bastard Assignments are Timothy Cape, Edward Henderson, Caitlin Rowley and Josh Spear, four composer-performers making work that explores experimental music and performativity. They work collaboratively and have developed a shared creative practice that encompasses concert music, movement work, online pieces, text and improvisation. Bastard Assignments organise performances in London and show work across the UK and internationally. In 2020 they performed at the Royal Academy of Music in Oslo and then embarked on an exploratory body of work called Lockdown Jams. These were pieces made remotely over the internet both Bastard Assignments and a wide range of practitioners who they commissioned.

bastardassignments.com

Chihiro Ono

Born in Chiba, Japan, Chihiro Ono is a London-based Japanese violinist, specialising in classical, contemporary, experimental music and sound art. She has been performing at major festivals and venues across UK and the worldwide, with classical, contemporary and experimental groups including Apartment House, ARCO, CHROMA, Ensemble Modern. Alongside performing, Chihiro’s work as a sound artist has let to her producing works for radio, theatre and film productions. Her work draws on influences from a rich variety repertoire, encompassing folklore, field recording, improvisation and more. Her debut release HachiRen for solo violin with field-recording was released on Nonclassical earlier in 2021. chihiroono.com

James McIlwrath

James McIlwrath is an experimental composer-performer based in Stirchley, Birmingham. He is a PhD student working with experimental theatre company Stan’s Cafe, having studied music at the University of York and experimental performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. James is the director of a m o k: an experimental music and performance platform based in York, and was selected as one of Sound and Music’s composer-curators in 2019. James have made music for people to sing on their bikes, music for people in boxes after a dream about boxes and an opera about a tin can. He won our Battle of the Bands contest in 2020 and has performed with fellow composer-performer Neil Luck live onstage at the BBC Proms. James is part of two music duos; flxnflx with Maya-Leigh Rosenwasser and egnairio with Raymond Brien.
jamesmcilwrath.com

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