(L-R) Andrew Toll, violin; Vicki Ray, piano; Marlon Martinez, bass; and Brian Walsh, clarinet-saxophone. [Photo courtesy of Sierra Madre Playhouse]
Violinist Andrew Tholl, pianist Vicki Ray, bassist Marlon Martinez, and clarinetist-saxophonist Brian Walsh will co-devise a new work in real time, combining traditional notation with improvisation. The 8 p.m. concert is part of Wild Up’s LA Composer Series, a partnership with the Los Angeles new music collective.
“A quartet of composer-performers reshapes the traditional chamber ensemble through spontaneous collaboration and experimental form,” according to the venue’s description. “Centered on shared authorship, the work unfolds through dialogue and intuition: it’s music that listens as much as it speaks.”
Tholl, described as “vigorously virtuosic” by the Los Angeles Times, co-founded the Formalist Quartet. Ray is a Grammy-nominated pianist who is a founding member of Piano Spheres and serves as head of keyboard studies at CalArts. Martinez, the protégé of Stanley Clarke who studied with Ron Carter, leads the Marlonius Jazz Orchestra. Walsh has premiered works by Luigi Nono, Girard Grisey, and James Newton.
Wild Up’s LA Composer’s Series Andrew Tholl with Vicki Ray, Marlon Martinez, and Brian Walsh will run on Friday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. For more call (626) 355-4318 or visit https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/event/wildup2025-1. Tickets: $12 – $35.
