Los Angeles is going to be hearing more from the musicians of Wild Up. The group has been part of the city’s new-music scene for a decade, but for all that, its members have done some of their best work outside of Southern California. “For years before the pandemic, we played more on the road than we did at home,” says Artistic Director Christopher Rountree.
Now, the ensemble is looking to change that. Wild Up is presenting a set of five concerts this season under the title “Los Angeles New Music,” promising to keep more of the performances in the area. These “homebase” programs, running May 15 – July 10, build on a model the group has developed with series like “Darkness Sounding” — a handful of ambitious projects, clustered together. “We’re thrilled to share this first group of concerts, and we’ll be announcing a whole lot more soon,” says Rountree.
One upcoming performance brings together several ongoing interests. The entire 30-player ensemble is set to realize another piece by Julius Eastman, the minimalist composer whose works have seen a revival in recent years, including a recording project launched by Wild Up in 2021. The group gives Eastman’s Buddha the “dawn to dusk” treatment, playing the music throughout the day at 2220 Arts + Archives in L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown (June 19).
Wild Up takes the opposite approach — one performer, many composers — for “Inheritances.” With this solo program, pianist Adam Tendler premieres 16 new pieces written for him by everyone from Laurie Anderson to Devonté Hynes — also at 2220 (July 10).
The group adopts the straightforward recital format for an evening of 20th- and 21st-century brass music (May 29). The series starts more experimental with concert sets by composer-performers M.A. Tiesenga and Rohan Chander (May 15) and a sound installation piece by Davíð Brynjar Franzson (May 22).
For tickets, detailed program information, and any upcoming events, visit Wild Up’s website.
