March 27, 2001 Summary Facts:
In their first major collaboration, The Lobero and UCSB Arts & Lectures present two eminent contemporary composers Philip Glass and Foday Musa Suso performing the Southern California debut of The Screens on Tuesday, May 1 at 8 pm in the Lobero Theater. The two artists jointly composed this score for a 1989 production by Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater of The Screens, Jean Genet’s play about Algeria’s struggle for independence from France. The New York Times says, “What they produced is a blend of world music and neo-Romantic post-Minimalism, with collaborative pieces as well as works composed individually by Mr. Glass and Mr. Suso.” Glass will play piano, Suso will perform on the kora (the 21-stringed West African harp lute), dousongoni and nyanyer; he will also sing. Jon Gibson on woodwinds and Yousif Sheronick on percussion will join the composers in playing this arresting music. To enhance audience enjoyment and appreciation of the performance, Glass and Suso will participate in a pre-concert Meet-the-Artists Discussion hosted by William Kraft, Corwin Chair in the UCSB Department of Music. The talk will be held in the Lobero Theater at 7 p.m.; it is open to concert ticket holders only. The Screens Tour The Screens, Jean Genet’s last (and frequently thought to be greatest) play, premiered in Paris in 1966 at the Theatre Odeon. It startled audiences with its vivid depiction of Algeria’s bid for independence from France. Glass explains, “The landmark work appeared as nothing short of a theatrical explosion during its premiere performances, complete with riots and gendarmerie.” The 1989 Guthrie production, directed by Joanne Akalaitis, who commissioned the score from Suso and Glass to express the play’s inherent cultural tensions, spawned an unprecedented collaboration between two of the foremost composers in Western and African music. The May 1 Santa Barbara concert is part of an extensive international Screens tour that includes performances on both coasts of the United States, England, Spain and The Canary Islands. Philip Glass A major figure in 20th century music, Philip Glass is well known for his numerous orchestral and choral works, his opera Einstein on the Beach and film scores for Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi and Kundun, among others. More recently, his Symphony No. 5 premiered in Salzburg in 1999. Among his recent concert and recorded works are a new score for the Cocteau film La Belle et La Bête, and the Low Symphony, based on musical motifs from the David Bowie/Brian Eno 1977 recording Low, which Glass composed in 1993. Glass, whose early musical exposure took place in his father’s radio repair shop, began to play the violin at age six; he took up flute at eight. At 15, frustrated with the limited flute repertoire, Glass entered the University of Chicago where he majored in mathematics and philosophy, supporting himself with odd jobs and practicing piano during off-hours. Upon graduation, determined to become a composer, he moved to New York and enrolled in the Juilliard School. At 23, still in search of his distinctive musical voice, he travelled to Paris, where he studied with Nadia Boulanger for two years. While there, he was hired to transcribe the music of Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar for a French film and so received a transformative introduction to Indian music. After researching music in North Africa, India and the Himalayas, Glass returned to New York and began to apply Eastern techniques to his own music. By the mid-1970s, Glass had composed a large body of music, mainly for Mabou Mines, the avant garde theater company of which he is a co-founder, and his own Philip Glass Ensemble. He went on to create Music in 12 Parts, Einstein on the Beach, Monsters of Grace, Les Enfants Terribles and other remarkable works that have resulted in his being considered one of the most powerful and profoundly influential composers of our time. While Glass has his own music label, Point Music, his recordings are available primarily on Nonesuch. Foday Musa Suso Born in Gambia, Foday Musa Suso is an internationally recognized musician and a Mandingo griot (musician/oral historian and culture bearer). Griots function as walking libraries, singing their stories for the community while providing history, wisdom and entertainment. Tribal conflicts, empires and kingdoms, cultural heroes and family lineage are part of Suso’s traditional repertoire which encompasses extensive verbal and musical recitations. In addition to his virtuoso playing of the kora, Suso is also a drummer and composer. After years of rigorous study in his homeland, Suso established himself in Chicago in the 1970s. Since that time he has performed throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. With interest in cutting-edge idioms as well as traditional music, Suso has toured and recorded with such prominent musicians as Herbie Hancock, Philip Glass, Pharaoh Sanders and Ginger Baker. Suso has also composed five commissioned works for the Kronos Quartet; he achieved widespread national recognition for his work on their best-selling CD Pieces of Africa. In addition to performances around the world with other artists, as a soloist or as leader and founder of the fusion-jazz band The Mandingo Griot Society, he can be heard on recordings for numerous labels including Island, CBS, Sony, Flying Fish, Point Music/Philips Classics, Polygram and Elektra Nonesuch. He was a performer and consultant on a Japanese documentary film about African music and the book/CD, Jali Kunda: Griots of West Africa and Beyond. Jon Gibson and Yousif Sheronick Jon Gibson is a composer, multi-wind instrumentalist and visual artist who has performed with the Philip Glass Ensemble since its inception. He also performed in the early works of Steve Reich, Terry Riley and LaMonte Young. Recently he created an evening length work titled Stalling to Elation for the Nina Winthrop Dance Company that has been performed in New York and Los Angeles and will be presented at the Avignon Festival in Summer 2001. Yousif Sheronick specializes in percussion instruments from around the globe. He has appeared throughout the U.S. and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician and collaborative artist with Yo-Yo Ma, Glen Velez, Sonny Fortune and groups such as Handance, Pacifica String Quartet and Ethos Percussion Group. Artists in Residence In conjunction with his Screens residency in Santa Barbara, Philip Glass will introduce a special showing of the Godfrey Reggio film Koyaanisqatsi on Monday, April 30 at 7:30 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. With accelerated, relentless imagery and Glass’ dramatic score, the film illustrates the Hopi concept of “life out of balance.” Tickets are on sale now at the Arts & Lectures Ticket Office; they will also be sold at the door, if available, beginning at 6:30 pm. As part of his visit, Foday Musa Suso will participate in a Meet-the-Artist Discussion on Tuesday, May 1 at 2 pm in the UCSB MultiCultural Center Theater hosted by Catherine Cole, Assistant Professor, UCSB Department of Dramatic Art; Nina Fales, Assistant Professor, UCSB Department of Music; Stephan Miescher, Assistant Professor, UCSB Department of History; and Oyeronke Oyewumi, Assistant Professor, UCSB Department of Black Studies. This event is free and open to the public. The Lobero/Arts & Lectures Collaboration The Screens performance is the first in a series of performances that The Lobero and UCSB Arts & Lectures will co-present. Celesta Billeci, director of Arts & Lectures, says that, “The collaboration between Philip Glass and Foday Musa Suso has resulted in a landmark musical achievement. In the same way, this presentation of The Screens would not have been possible in Santa Barbara without the good will and collaboration between The Lobero and A&L. Although this is our first joint venture, it will not be our last. In the future we will co-present diverse programs that we believe will entertain, challenge and inspire everyone in the Santa Barbara community who loves the performing arts.” David Asbell, The Lobero’s theatre manager, appreciates the enabling aspect of the cooperative effort with UCSB and he looks forward to “pooling two organizations’ resources so that together we can present what individually we would not be able to offer.” Presented by The Lobero and UCSB Arts & Lectures, this residency is sponsored by The Franciscan Inn and The Santa Barbara Independent. The Meet-the-Artist Discussion with Foday Musa Suso is sponsored by the UCSB MultiCultural Center. The screening of Koyaanisqatsi is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. For tickets or more information, Editor: For photos, please call |