Almost Human

Cellist Maya Beiser brings the West Coast premiere of her new multimedia production, which includes vocal samples, dramatic lighting, film, and text. Entitled Almost Human, the program is inspired by the vocal characteristics of the cello and features such ancient vocal traditions as traditional Cambodian, Chinese and Taiwanese minority singing, Renaissance madrigals, Armenian folk songs, and Jewish cantorial chanting. The program includes new works by Brett Dean, Jodby Talbot, Michael Gordon, Tan Dun, Chinary Ung and an OtB co-commission by Eve Beglarian featuring video by Shirin Neshat.

Over the last decade Beiser has conceived of and presented major pieces for the cello, written for her by some of the most prominent contemporary composers including Philip Glass, Tan Dun, Steve Reich, Osvaldo Golijov, Brian Eno, Louis Andriessen, and Simon Shaheen, among many others. Her performance of Steve Reich’s “Cello Counterpoint” was released last fall on a CD and was chosen by The New York Times as one of the top albums of 2005.

Part of the New Performance Series.