ALIAS Chamber Ensemble To Perform ‘Divided Sky’ & More Tonight

Tonight, the Grammy-nominated ALIAS Chamber Ensemble will perform a spring concert at Nashville’s Turner Hall. ALIAS Chamber Ensemble’s show will feature the group’s version of “Divided Sky” by Phish incorporating the talents of rock violinist Tracy Silverman.

In addition to “Divided Sky,” the group will perform compositions by G.P. Telemann, Mason Bates and Sarah Kirkland Snider. Here’s an explanation of tonight’s program via ALIAS’s website:

On May 9, 2017, ALIAS Chamber Ensemble delves into a world of musical contrasts brought together in unexpectedly harmonious ways. At first blush, a baroque oratorio and a psychedelic rock composition may not seem to have much in common, but as we explore Telemann’s Cantata 69 and Trey Anastasio’s Divided Sky, we find that they are connected by virtuosic musicianship and masterful improvisation. Inspired by the fiddles, guitars, mandolins, and banjos of old time string bands, Mason Bates created String Band, a work that begins with a theme which hearkens back to its inspiration, disintegrates into a fractured pitch world, and then comes together as a unified band of resonating strings. In her piece Shiner, written about finding beauty in unexpected places, Sarah Kirkland Snider composes for an unlikely cast of characters: trombone, harp, viola, and marimba. Snider’s exploration of unusual sonorities continues in Thread and Fray (composed for viola, bass clarinet, and marimba) where the composer weaves a single, middle-register melody through an increasingly fragmented musical landscape. These disparate pieces, presented together in concert, allow audiences to experience the beauty of finding accord in surprising places.

Head here for tickets to tonight’s concert. The ensemble held a rehearsal on Sunday and YouTuber Alan Nelson shared audio featuring an excerpt of “Divided Sky” along with some stills and video: