2023 _______________ Long Piano Project 4.0 Location and date TBD
An Hour for Piano — Tom Johnson (60 minutes) Pianist, Alone --Jurg Frey (90 minutes) _______________ Long Piano Project 5.0 Location and date TBD
Inner Cities (mvmts. 9-14) — Alvin Curran (184 minutes) _______________ Long Piano Project 6.0 Location and date TBD
Serious Immobilities, Part 1 — Arthur Jarvinen (360 minutes)
_________________________ Previous concerts:
2019-2021
Long Piano Project
A project conceived several years ago, and finally being realized this year, Trevor Berens presents a series of five solo piano concerts in the Boston area. Each piece performed in the concert is at least 55 minutes in length. The pieces are widely varied, from Christian Wolff's constantly-shifting modernist sound world, to Morton Feldman's crystalline harmonies, to Arthur Jarvinen's hyper-minimalism. The adventurous experience of listening over a length of time allows the listener to immerse themselves in the music.
Long Piano Project 1.0
Saturday, October 23, 6:30-9pm First Parish of Watertown 35 Church St., Watertown, MA
Long Piano (Peace March 11) — Christian Wolff (55 minutes) Light, More Light! — Trevor Berens (55 minutes) _______________ Long Piano Project 2.0
Saturday, March 7, 3-6pm Bemis Hall 15 Bedford Road, Lincoln, MA
Stations — Ian Wilson (70 minutes) -- U.S. premiere For Bunita Marcus — Morton Feldman (70 minutes)
2018
"Sonorous Vessel"
October 12, 8pm, Bemis Hall, Lincoln, Mass.
Trevor Berens presents an evening of experimental solo piano music, exploring the nature of vibration and sensation, on Bemis Hall's beautiful Steinway. This event is free to all.
Program
Among Red Mountains--John Luther Adams Walk in Beauty--Peter Garland Lutine Bell--Richard Cornell Ein Kinderspiel--Helmut Lachenmann Music for Piano with Slow Sweep Pure Wave Oscillators--Alvin Lucier Pisces Rising--Trevor Berens To Weave (A Meditation)--James Tenney
"The Marvelous Path"
July 15, 2018, 5pm, Lincoln House Concert
Trevor Berens and Jessica Berens present the music of Trevor Berens, Jacques Burtin, and Paul Humphreys in an intimate house concert in Lincoln, Mass. Jacques is a renowned kora player, composer, and improviser who I have been collaborating with over the last year and a half.
Program
Lazarus--Jacques Burtin Arsinei--Jacques Burtin Three Improvisations (for Jacques)--Trevor Berens The Legend of Lao Tse--Paul Humphreys Pisces Rising--Trevor Berens*
* world premiere ____________________
Sonic Liberation Players present "For All Love Lost"
May 26th, 2018, 9pm at Third Life Studio, 33 Union Square, Somerville, MA/$12
The final concert of our second season features a new work, “For all love lost and spirit gained”, written especially for SLP by Boston composer, Joshua Jandreau. Also included on the program are piano/percussion duos by Peter Garland and Jo Kondo, John Cage’s sparkling string quartet, “Four”, John Luther Adams’ first piece for solo piano, “Among Red Mountains”, and finally, “And the Moses Drowned”, a haunting reflection on the toll of war on children by Iranian composer Mahdis Golzar Kashani.
Third Life Studio 33 Union Square, Somerville, MA $15 tickets at the door, or through Brown Paper Tickets
Program
Penasco Blanco–Peter Garland And the Moses Drowned–Mahdis Golzar Kashani Aquarelle–Jo Kondo Among Red Mountains–John Luther Adams Four–John Cage For all love lost and spirit gained–Joshua Jandreau ____________________
Sonic Liberation Players present "Hear! Calls! Everywhere!"
February 10th, 2018, 5:30pm at Third Life Studio, 33 Union Square, Somerville, MA/$12
The Sonic Liberation Players received submissions from 5 continents, over 40 countries, and over 400 composers. Out of over 2000 individual pieces received, SLP chose 10 to be included in this season: three of those pieces will be performed tonight by composers from different countries: Nicole Murphy (Australia), Paolo Tortiglione (Italy), and Nickos Harizanos (Greece). Lou Harrison’s exquisite “Varied Trio” for percussion (including tuned riced bowls), violin, and piano, Feldman’s austere “Viola in my Life 3”, and L.A. composer Bob Clendenen’s work for cello and percussion “Dirt Roads” rounds out the concert.
Program
Varied Trio–Lou Harrison Dirt Roads–Bob Clendenen Parched Paddock–Nicole Murphy Viola in my Life 3–Morton Feldman Levertov Breviary–Mel Powell Five Music–Paolo Tortiglione Iho–Nickos Harizanos
2017
November 19th, 2017, 5:30pm at First Parish Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown, MA/$12
Sonic Liberation Players present "All Together Now"
This program is a musical response to the current political atmosphere of this country. Music about the influence of money in politics (“Koch-aine”), socio-political breakdown (“He Got Dictators” and “The Fall of Empire”), violent racism (“Poem for Emmett Till”), and inconceivable misogyny (“Presidential Address”) reflect our feelings of anger, confusion, and despair. John Cage’s joyous anarchistic “Apartment House, 1776”, a celebration of diversity and inclusion and Wolff’s “I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman”, a song of fierce determination to persist against odds, bookend the concert.
September 22nd, 8pm house concert in Lincoln, MA
Fundraiser for "Sonic Liberation Players"
In an intimate setting at a private home in Lincoln, Trevor and Jessica Berens present a night of new music for piano and voice. The first half of the concert includes "Thoreau" from Ives' iconic Concord Sonata, Helmut Lachenmann's "Ein Kinderspiel", and "Lutine Bell" by Lincoln composer, Richard Cornell. The second half of the concert includes the first full performances of Trevor's song-cycle "Pomes Penyeach" as well as "Lazarus", written just this year for Trevor and Jessica by French composer, Jacques Burtin.
Recommended donation is $12/person and all proceeds will benefit the second full season of Trevor and Jessica's new music ensemble, Sonic Liberation Players. Please email [email protected] to reserve a seat and to receive the address.
June 27, 7:30 pm house concert in Lincoln MA
"Journey to the East"
Lincoln-based pianist and composer Trevor Berens presents an evening of modern classical solo piano music, inspired by Buddhism. The pieces presented include Giacinto Scelsi's "Ttai" (a meditation on Time and Man, expressed through the sacred syllable "Om"), Frederic Rzewski's "Turtle and the Crane" (inspired by a rock garden at a famous Kyoto temple), and the premiere of Nicholas Chase's "Zuo Wang" (a piece influenced by the Chan/Zen concept of sitting and forgetting), John Cage's "One", and Yuji Takahashi's wild and improvisatory "For Thomas Schultz".
April 27nd, 7:30pm at UMass Boston, The Recital Hall, Dept. of Performing Arts, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA
Sonic Liberation Players present "Maximal Effect 1.0"
Sonic Liberation Players present an evening of music programmed around Josef Albers' dictum, "Minimal means, maximal effect." Music includes "Broken Line" (Alvin Lucier), "Narayana's Cows" (Tom Johnson), the rarely performed string quartet "Four" (John Cage), and the hypnotic "Stay on It" (Julius Eastman). Tickets = $5/students, $10/general
May 6, 8pm at Third Life Studio, 33 Union Square, Somerville, MA
Sonic Liberation Players present "Maximal Effect 2.0"
Sonic Liberation Players present an evening of music programmed around Josef Albers' dictum, "Minimal means, maximal effect." Music includes "Broken Line" (Alvin Lucier), "Narayana's Cows" (Tom Johnson), "Stay on It" (Julius Eastman), and "Sutram", written for SLP by Nicholas Chase (Eugene, OR). Tickets = $12 at the door or through here
June 17, 7:30pm in Lincoln, MA (house concert for charity)
"Journey to the East"
Music inspired by Buddhist and Hindu spirituality. Pieces include "The Turtle and the Crane" (Frederic Rzewski), "Ttai" (Giacinto Scelsi), and "For Thomas Schultz" (Yuji Takahashi). Please email for address. All proceeds benefit Environment Massachusetts and National Resources Defense Council. Recommended donation = $20.)
April 8, 8pm, at Follen Church, Lexington, MA April 9, 3pm at First Parish, Watertown, MA
Halalisa Singers present "Music Down in My Soul"
Music Down in My Soul features heartfelt, joyful selections to inspire hopefulness, strength in action, and togetherness for both the audience and singers. This soulful mix of spirituals, gospel, and contemporary choral music spans 300 years of courage and resistance from the Americas, Yemen, China, Tanzania, and South Africa, sung in Mandarin, Spanish, Hebrew, Swahili, and Zulu.
February 3, 8pm at Third Life Studio, Somerville, MA
Sonic Liberation Players present "Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello"
Members of SLP perform Morton Feldman's swansong, composed in 1987. This haunting, ethereal piece transcends time and space during its 75 minute length. A truly breathtaking experience to hear live.
2016 December 3, 8pm, at First Parish, Lexington, MA December 4, 3pm at First Parish, Sudbury, MA
Halalisa Singers present "Star of Wonder"
Halalisa’s winter concert “Stars of Wonder” shimmers with gorgeous choral music selections including Ola Gjeilo’s “Northern Lights”, Eric Whitacre’s “Glow”, “Stars” by Erik Esenvalds, Randall Thompson’s classic “Choose Something Like a Star”, Morton Lauridsen’s “Sure on This Shining Night”, “Rise Up Shepherd, and Follow” by Andre Thomas, and the world premiere of “Winter Stars”, composed by Halalisa’s own accompanist Trevor Berens, and more.
December 10, 7:30pm at Bemis Hall, Lincoln, MA
"Corpus-Cantus-Spiritus!"
Jessica Tunick Berens and Trevor Berens present a free concert of modern classical music inspired by Buddhist, Christian, and Taoist traditions. Composers represented include John Cage, Yuji Takahashi, Arvo Part, Frederic Rzewski, Paul Humphreys, and Mel Powell. This is a free concert!
October 15, 8pm First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown, MA
June 26, 7pm at Unitarian Universalist Church of Watertown, MA
"Light, More Light!" This concert features three works for solo piano performed by Trevor Berens. The centerpiece of this concert is the premiere of "Light, More Light!", a 55 minute existential meditation on the human condition. The title is taken from Henry Miller's "A Notice to Visitors", which he hung in his garden in Big Sur. The composer likewise hung this sign in his own garden for several years, inspired by the dedicatee of the piece, the late harpist and improviser Susan Allen, who did the same.
Accompanying this piece are Feldman's half hour "Palais de Mari", his last solo piano piece (1986) and Nicholas Chase's meditational "Gapayati", for speaking pianist.
May 28, 4pm at St. Marks Presbyterian Church, Lomita, CA
"Light, More Light!" This concert features three works for solo piano performed by Trevor Berens. The centerpiece of this concert is the premiere of "Light, More Light!", a 55 minute existential meditation on the human condition. The title is taken from Henry Miller's "A Notice to Visitors", which he hung in his garden in Big Sur. The composer likewise hung this sign in his own garden for several years, inspired by the dedicatee of the piece, the late harpist and improviser Susan Allen, who did the same.
Accompanying this piece are Feldman's half hour "Palais de Mari", his last solo piano piece (1986) and Nicholas Chase's meditational "Gapayati", for speaking pianist.
Tickets are $10 at the door.
May 21, 7pm in Palos Verdes (house of Lenita and David Witherspoon)
"Extasy/Entasy" The center of this concert is the world premiere of eight songs from Trevor Berens' fourteen movement song cycle, "Pomes Penyeach". Using various compositional techniques and tonalities, he explores the subjects of love, joy, fear, and death that are present throughout Joyce's last collection of poetry.
Accompanying this is the west coast premiere of "Cella Duru" by Berens, a trio for soprano, oboe, and piano, and the world premiere of "Gapayati" by Nicholas Chase, both of which explore the inner experience of listening. Morton Feldman's mesmerizing final piece for solo piano, "Palais de Mari" will complete the program.
"...the wild freedom of the dance, extasy silent solitary illumination, entasy... --Gary Snyder (from "What you Should Know to Be a Poet")
March 19, 5pm at the Lilypad, Cambridge, MA
Sonic Liberation Players present "Introducing the...Sonic Liberation Players" Music by Cage, Feldman, Saariaho, Scelsi, featuring premieres by Trevor Berens, NF Chase, Jonathan Marmor $10/door, or through brown paper tickets ___________________
Current Solo Piano Concert Offerings
"Light, More Light!" This concert features three works for solo piano performed by Trevor Berens. The centerpiece of this concert is the premiere of "Light, More Light!", a 55 minute existential meditation on the human condition. The title is taken from Henry Miller's "A Notice to Visitors", which he hung in his garden in Big Sur. The composer likewise hung this sign in his own garden for several years, inspired by the dedicatee of the piece, the late harpist and improviser Susan Allen, who did the same. Accompanying this piece are Feldman's half hour "Palais de Mari", his last solo piano piece (1986) and Nicholas Chase's meditational "Gapayati", for speaking pianist.
"For Bunita Marcus" This concert features Morton Feldman's 75-minute meditation on listening for solo piano.
"Journey to the East" Music inspired by Buddhist and Hindu spirituality, including music by John Cage, Frederic Rzewski, Giacinto Scelsi, Yuji Takahashi, and Nicholas Chase.
"Serious Immobilities, Part One" For serious listeners only. This 6 hour piece for solo pianist (and occasional typewriter and speaker) is part one of a 24 hour-long piece of variations on Eric Satie's notorious "Vexations", composed by the late Arthur Jarvinen.
For ticket purchasing or concert information, please contact me at [email protected]
