Role

:

Ensemble

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Chamber

 

The California EAR Unit is a classical music ensemble that was founded in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed by a group of musicians who were interested in exploring new and experimental music, and they quickly gained a reputation for their innovative and boundary-pushing performances. The founding members of the California EAR Unit included Robin Lorentz on flute, Vicki Ray on piano, Amy Knoles on percussion, and Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick on cello. Over the years, the group has had a rotating cast of members, but the core mission of exploring new and experimental music has remained the same. One of the early highlights of the California EAR Unit's career was their performance at the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles. The group performed a program of contemporary music that included works by John Cage, Morton Feldman, and Earle Brown, among others. The performance was well-received and helped to establish the group as an important force in the world of contemporary classical music. In the years that followed, the California EAR Unit continued to perform and record new and experimental music. They collaborated with a wide range of composers, including John Zorn, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley, and they premiered many new works by up-and-coming composers. One of the most notable performances in the California EAR Unit's history was their 1991 performance of Morton Feldman's six-hour-long work "For Philip Guston." The performance took place at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and featured the group playing in a darkened gallery while the audience was free to come and go as they pleased. The performance was a major success and helped to cement the California EAR Unit's reputation as a group that was willing to take risks and push the boundaries of what was possible in classical music. Over the years, the California EAR Unit has won numerous awards and accolades for their work. They have been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council, and they have been recognized by organizations such as the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Music Center. Despite the many changes in the classical music world over the years, the California EAR Unit has remained committed to their mission of exploring new and experimental music. They continue to perform and record new works, and they remain an important force in the world of contemporary classical music.

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