Christopher Fisher-Lochhead

On August 29th, the Spektral Quartet kicked off their third season with another riveting Sampler Pack at the Empty Bottle.  In addition to world premieres by Daniel Dehaan and Jenna Lyle, a reprise of Hans Thomala’s captivating Albumblatt, and works from the European canon, the Spektrals played a new arrangement I had made of James Blake’s “I Never Learnt to Share.”  The original track, drenched as it is in a peculiarly beatific pathos, was in turns resistant and pliable to my efforts, but I have to admit to a certain amount of satisfaction at the result.  You can hear a recording on the Spektral Quartet Blog.

As the new concert season begins, I am looking forward to several exciting projects, including collaborations with Rebekah Heller, Third Coast Percussion, Graeme Jennings, ensemble dal niente, The Mivos Quartet, The Anubis Quartet, and the German-based duo Noise-Bridge.  My activities as a performer will also show a marked increase as the Grant Wallace Band begins to play on a regular basis.  Look for us around Chicago and the Midwest!

After having admired and respected them for some time, I was lucky enough this summer to begin a collaborative relationship  with the dynamic percussion quartet, Third Coast Percussion.  The relationship began with my participation in their ambitious RENGA project, in which they asked 100 different composers to contribute 5-7 second fragments that would be performed together.  After previews in Chicago and Washington, the full project was premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on August 9th as part of the museum’s celebration of John Cage’s centennial.  You can read more about the project on the Third Coast Blog or watch a video of the full premiere on YouTube.  A more extensive collaboration is also in the works – a full-length percussion quartet slated for premiere in 2013.  I’m excited to work with these fantastic musicians who have all mastered the art of (in the words of TCP member Robert Dillon) “hitting things”.