Oberlin College and Conservatory

Guest Master Class: Tim Munro ’02, flute (eighth blackbird)

Saturday, October 5, 2013 at 10:00am to 12:30pm

Kulas Recital Hall, Conservatory Central Unit
77 West College Street, Oberlin, OH 44074

A guest master class by Tim Munro ’02, flute (eighth blackbird)

Admission is free. 

eighth blackbird \ˈātth ˈblak-ˌbərd\ slang (orig. and chiefly U.S.).

1. verb. to act with commitment and virtuosity; to zap, zip, sock
2. adjective. having fearless (yet irreverent) qualities.
3. noun. a flock of songbirds, common in urban areas since 1996.

eighth blackbird combines the finesse of a string quartet, the energy of a rock band, and the audacity of a storefront theater company. The Chicago-based, three-time Grammy-winning “super-musicians” (LA Times) entertain and provoke audiences across the country and around the world.

Columbine’s Paradise Theater is eighth blackbird’s new staged, memorized production. Composer Amy Beth Kirsten challenges the sextet to play, speak, sing, whisper, growl, and mime, breathing life into this tale of dream and delusion. Performances will occur at University of Richmond, University of Connecticut, The Kitchen, Atlas Arts, Virginia Tech, and Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

The 2013/14 season’s acoustic program, Still in Motion, features new works by The National’s Bryce Dessner (the folk-inspired Murder Ballades), Steve Mackey (music from his Grammy-winning Slide), and Australian composer Brett Dean (the searing Old Kings in Exile). eighth blackbird brings this show to Ohio, Missouri, Idaho, Oregon, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, and California.

Other highlights include debuts with the Cincinnati Symphony (where the ensemble is an Artist in Residence) and New World Symphony; residencies at UCLA, SUNY Purchase, Baylor, and Duke; a collaboration with Oberlin College’s CME; and a debut on the Lincoln Center’s Atrium series.

eighth blackbird holds ongoing Ensemble in Residence positions at the Curtis Institute of Music, University of Richmond, and University of Chicago. A decade-long relationship with Chicago’s Cedille Records has produced six acclaimed recordings. The ensemble has won three Grammy Awards, for the recordings strange imaginary animals, Lonely Motel: Music from Slide, and Meanwhile.

eighth blackbird’s members hail from America’s Great Lakes, Keystone, Golden, and Bay states, and Australia’s Sunshine State. There are four foodies, three beer snobs, and one exercise junkie. The name “eighth blackbird” derives from the eighth stanza of Wallace Stevens’s evocative, aphoristic poem, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (1917). eighth blackbird is managed by David Lieberman Artists.

Michael Maccaferri is a Rico Performing Artist and Clinician.
Matthew Duvall proudly endorses Pearl Drums and Adams Musical Instruments, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Zildjian Cymbals, and Black Swamp Percussion Accessories.
Lisa Kaplan is a Steinway Artist.

 

Recent Activity