Mandeville Auditorium

Suzanne Ciani and Laurel Halo

Suzanne Ciani is a five-time Grammy award-nominated composer, electronic music pioneer, and neo-classical recording artist who has released over 20 solo albums including “Seven Waves,” and “The Velocity of Love,” along with a landmark quad LP “LIVE Quadraphonic,” which restarted her Buchla modular performances. Her work has been featured in films, games, and countless commercials as well.

She was inducted into the first class of Keyboard Magazine’s Hall of Fame alongside other synth luminaries, including Bob Moog, Don Buchla and Dave Smith and received the Moog Innovation Award. Most recently, she is the recipient of the Independent Icon Award from A2IM, The Golden Ear Award, and the SEAMUS Award.

Suzanne has provided the voice and sounds for Bally’s groundbreaking “Xenon” pinball machine, created Coca-Cola’s pop-and-pour sound, designed logos for Fortune 500 companies, and carved out a niche as one of the most creatively successful female composers in the world. A Life in Waves, a documentary about Ciani’s life and work, debuted at SXSW in 2017 and is available to watch on all digital platforms.

Laurel Halo is a composer, producer, musician and DJ based in Los Angeles. Drawing inspiration from a range of musical traditions, her output is singular yet stylistically diverse, with releases traversing ambient, leftfield club, experimental pop and film score. Since 2012 she has released a number of critically-acclaimed albums including Quarantine (2012, Hyperdub), In Situ (2015, Honest Jon’s), Raw Silk Uncut Wood (2018, Latency), and Possessed: OST (2020, Vinyl Factory). She has performed in venues, festivals, clubs and institutions across the world, including the Southbank Centre, Sydney Opera House, The Kitchen, Kölner Philharmonie, CTM/Transmediale, Sónar, and Montreux Jazz Festival. She has collaborated with musicians, artists and fashion designers including Moritz von Oswald, Metahaven, Kevin Beasley, Julia Holter, Hanne Lippard, Eckhaus Latta, Martine Syms, John Cale, and the London Contemporary Orchestra. In September 2023 she will release her latest album, Atlas, as the debut release on her new record label, Awe.

Carlos Simon | Requiem for the Enslaved

Multi-genre work Requiem for the Enslaved by Carlos Simon is a musical tribute to commemorate the stories of 272 enslaved men, women and children sold in 1838 by Georgetown University, infusing original compositions with African American spirituals and familiar Catholic liturgical melodies. Performed by the Hub New Music with Carlos at the piano, Requiem features spoken word and hip hop artist Marco Pavé, and trumpeter MK Zulu.

Requiem for the Enslaved was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

Carlos Simon

Grammy-nominated Carlos Simon is a multi-genre composer and performer who is a passionate advocate for diversity in music. As winner of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence 2021 and Composer-in-Residence at the Kennedy Center, Carlos is a unique voice and sought-after cultural ambassador for new music Globally as well as an important spokesperson for the Black community and new audiences.

Simon is passionate about social outreach and his work addresses complex themes that include migration, belonging and community – especially illuminating the transatlantic slave trade, the Jim and Jane Crow era, and the injustice people of African ancestry face today. His unique upbringing and journey into music has resulted in his music possessing both classical textures and structures in a contemporary aesthetic alongside strong jazz, hip-hop and heavy gospel influences as well as branching out in to the world of Film – Carlos Simon’s music transcends genre.

Listed in the Kennedy Center’s Next 50’, his recent commissions have been granted by the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Kennedy Center, Minnesota Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, PBS and the Washington National Opera as well as his work being set to ballets by Washington National Ballet and American Ballet Theater. He is signed to Decca Records/Classics and his next album (following his Grammy-nominated release) which sees original music and a variety of celebrated guest artists with Carlos at the piano, will be out in 2023.

Hub New Music

Called “contemporary chamber trailblazers” by the Boston Globe, Hub New Music is a “nimble quartet of winds and strings” (NPR) forging new paths in 21st-century repertoire. The ensemble’s ambitious commissioning projects and “appealing programs” (New Yorker) celebrate the rich diversity of today’s classical music landscape. Founded in 2013, Hub has grown into a formidable touring ensemble driven by an unwavering dedication to building community through new art. Over the last decade, Hub has commissioned dozens of new works and continues to usher in a fresh and culturally relevant body of work for its distinct combination of flute, clarinet, violin, and cello. Hub is proud to collaborate with today’s most celebrated emerging and established composers, and is equally proud to count many of them as friends.

Marco Pavé

Tauheed “Marco Pavé” Rahim IIis a Memphis, TN, native and hip hop artist, advocate, and educator producing work influenced by Memphis’s legacy of blues, soul, and trap with KRS-One-meets-Project-Pat sensibilities. Marco Pavé has collaborated with Grammy Award-winning producers, charted at #2 on CMJ, and was featured on MTVU, The Source, The Root, MTV News, and more. Marco Pavé is also a Memphis Music Ambassador with Music Export Memphis and Founder of Radio Rahim Music, an independent record label that works at the intersection of hip hop, arts communities, technology, and activism.

MK Zulu

Jared “MK Zulu” Bailey is a Grammy-nominated trumpeter/rapper/singer/songwriter from Forestville, Maryland. Graduating from Howard with a Bachelor’s in Music Business, he later received his Master’s in Jazz Performance from Rutgers. Since then, MK has been working as a teaching and performing artist in the DMV through various outlets. MK Zulu has had the opportunity to perform at some of the city’s most prominent venues including The Atlas Performing Arts Center, The Howard Theatre, and the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center. Thriving in collaboration, he participated in over 25 releases as a contributing performer. MK’s collaboration with composer Carlos Simon for his album, “Requiem for the Enslaved”, was Grammy nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Meanwhile, his latest solo project “The Legend EP” is an energetic package of songs created to motivate others to never give up on their dreams. This project led to MK being listed among The Source Magazine’s Top Talents to Watch Fall 2021. MK Zulu’s effortless fusion of jazz, hip-hop, r&b, and funk allows him to connect with listeners from all different walks of life.

John Rawlins III

John (He/Him/His) is a Campus Diversity Officer and Director of the UC San Diego Black Resource Center. He is an EDI/Student Affairs professional with 16 years of experience as an administrator and advocate for students, more specifically students of color. John is a native of the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and his Master of Arts degree from The Johns Hopkins University. John comes to UCSD from California State University San Marcos where he served as Director of the Black Student Center and Special Assistant to the Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of Inclusive Excellence. John’s passion to support students of color began during his undergraduate career, where he served in many leadership roles in student organizations and campus advisory boards. John would begin a celebrated career at Ithaca College, continue at The Johns Hopkins University, and the international headquarters of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., before heading West to CSUSM. John holds memberships with NASPA, ASCAP, and is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He serves as the 16th and current President/CEO of the Cornell Black Alumni Association and serves on several alumni boards for the institution. John is also a Gospel recording artists and vocalist who has performed on national and international stages alike. He has been honored to share the stage and sing with artists such as jazz icon Wynton Marsalis and Gospel legend Kirk Franklin.

Aynur Doğan

Over the years Aynur has become one of the most well known musicians from Turkey and a representative for the Kurdish people. A best-seller among Kurdish folk albums, Aynur vocal style are praised not just in Turkish media, but also in international media. Musically she tries to blend Kurdish with Western music, interpreting her traditional repertoire in a modern way. She has collaborations with famous musicians and bands like world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Silk Road Ensemble, Kayhan Kalhor, Javier Limon, Kinan Azmeh, Mercan Dede, Salman Gambarov, Cemil Qocgiri, Morgenland All Star Band, Nerderland Blazers Ensemble, and Sertab Erener.

Leilehua Lanzilotti and Argus Quartet

Praised for playing with “supreme melodic control and total authority” and “decided dramatic impact” (Calgary Herald), the Argus Quartet has quickly emerged as one of today’s most dynamic and versatile ensembles, winning First Prize at both the 2017 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and the 2017 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. They will perform an evening of new music by contemporary indigenous artists including Ahupua’a by 2022 Pulitzer finalist Leilehua Lanzilotti.

Program: Leilehua Lanzilotti: ko’u inoa, ahupua’ a for string quartet (newly commissioned work), and beyond the accident of time for five voices/percussion; inti figgis-vizueta: mayu: the great river for string quartet and talamh (land) for string quartet

Ephrat Asherie Dance Company: UnderScored

UnderScored is a multi-faceted project rooted in the intergenerational stories and memories of New York City underground club heads. Created in collaboration with legendary elders from the underground dance community, Archie Burnett, Michele Saunders and Brahms “Bravo” LaFortune, the cast ranges in age from age 28–79. This project takes shape as a series of performances, community based events and an oral history archive.

Rooted in African American and Latine street and social dances, Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD) explores the expansive narrative qualities of various street and club styles including breaking, hip hop, house and vogue, as a means to tell stories, develop innovative imagery, and find new modes of expression.

Co-commissioned by ArtPower at UC San Diego

Fémina

Lyrically poignant with hip-hop and Latin folk major influences, Fémina is Argentine soul music with a purpose. The harmony-soaked vocals and electro-folk charisma of the Trucco sisters propels a new project by this acclaimed female powered band and carries messages of equality and empowerment. Hailing from the tiny mountain town of San Martin de los Andes in Argentina, the band’s live shows are often theatrical in nature, and mix a variety of Latin American genres with rap, spoken word and beautiful melodies. A unique and thrilling combo.

This event is part of UC San Diego’s Latinx History Month celebration.

Rosanna Gamson/World Wide
Sugar Houses

“The choreography and music are gripping, the company is impressive, and the uses of mixed-media are meaningful.”—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times

Immersed in the dark world of the Brothers Grimm, Sugar Houses is a new dance theater work that employs the tale of Hansel & Gretel to explore the dynamics of scapegoating, and the complexity and complicity of looking the other way. Created by celebrated choreographer Rosanna Gamson, this adult retelling of the tale exposes hidden histories and finds contemporary resonances in the familiar story, recounted in bold imagery informed by the horror genre. The audience joins a cast of six dancers/singers/actors on stage in an evening filled with gallows humor, choral singing, athletic dancing, arcane rites, and spooky incantations. Traditional American songs arranged by Fahad Siadat and Tomasz Krzyzanowski and witches’ spells by famed horror writer Brian Evenson are performed live with sonic sampling by Simon Greenberg.

The presentation of Sugar Houses by Rosanna Gamson/World Wide was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This project was supported by a National Performance Network (NPN) Artist Engagement Fund, with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information, visit www.npnweb.org.

David Roussève/ REALITY | Halfway to Dawn

“Shattering dance/theater.”—New York Times

Choreographed, written, and directed by David Roussève, Halfway to Dawn is an evening-length work weaving dance, music, sound, video, and text to uncover the deeper ”truths” of African American, gay jazz composer Billy Strayhorn’s life (1915–67) while also creating a dialogue on urgent social issues of our own time. The work is danced to a score of Strayhorn and Duke Ellington songs, from raise-the-roof jazz anthems to emotion-laden ballads. Halfway to Dawn intersects fact, conjecture, comment, abstraction, and fantasy to create an abstract portrait of Ellington’s most important, though largely unknown, collaborator.

Founded in 1988, David Roussève/REALITY creates expressionistic dance/theater works that combine the accessibility, grit, and passion of African American traditional and pop cultures with the challenging compositional structures of avant-garde dance and theater in order to explore socially-charged, immensely relevant, and often spiritual themes.

Manual Cinema | No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks brings to life the story of one of Chicago’s most beloved figures. Brooks was an icon, a poet laureate, and a Pulitzer Prize winner, but she was also a treasured educator and mentor to the countless writers and children who knew her as their very own “Miss Brooks.” Weaving together poetry, storytelling, original music performed by a full jazz combo, and striking visuals, No Blue Memories is an exploration of Brooks’s beloved city and a story of how she navigated identity, craft, and politics over the course of one of the most remarkable careers in American literary history. A Chicago-based performance collective, Manual Cinema uses vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and a live music ensemble to transform the experience of attending the cinema, imbuing it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality.

Roland Auzet

“Art is a game between all people of all ages.”—Marcel Duchamp

Music is a tool to create and consolidate a totality, a community of reflections on our daily lives.

A bare hands is a sound performance, focused like a magnifying glass on an object that we know well. With my “bare hands,” I will look at … a car. We’ll have an intimate encounter that will reveal the joys of rhythms and sounds.

From the time we were children we have played with and in cars. We travel in them, for sure, but we also talk, take shelter from the rain, eat, and make love in them. Sometime we even live in them…a sad fact too often the case today.

The car as object will live through sound. It is not mute but its language is secret. It is the secret of all secrets. It contains all the worlds. It is our history; it is.

Part of San Diego Symphony’s It’s About Time festival.