“…[R]aucous, grungy, irresistibly exuberant...this group’s boisterously theatrical sensibility...draws out the vitality in the works it plays. [A] fun-loving, exceptionally virtuosic family.” – The New York Times

Wild Up performs Robert Ashley’s Private Parts, “The Park” and “The Backyard,” the bookends of his cult TV opera Perfect Lives. Narrated live by Christopher Rountree, Ashley’s hypnotic text drifts through themes of reincarnation and memory, conjuring a surreal Midwestern myth and a metaphysical awakening.

The dreamlike first half flows into an improvised Hindustani raga set. Wild Up is joined by the santoor and tabla duo of Kamaljeet and Jas Ahluwalia, along with cellist Chris Votek, to weave ancient rhythmic cycles with presence. American experimental opera meets Indian classical tradition in a musical and spiritual dialogue — inviting listeners to slip outside ordinary time.

PROGRAM

Robert Ashley: The Park

Robert Ashley: The Backyard

—intermission—

Jas Ahluwalia, Kamaljeet Ahluwalia, and Chris Votek: New Work with Wild Up (World Premiere)