Duo Cortona with the USC Percussion Studio: Duets and Concertos

The Southern Exposure New Music Series is devoted to exploring the rich variety of contemporary classical and world music written in the past 30 years and masterworks of the 20th century. Arrive early as hall fills to capacity for this popular series.

On this concert, USC faculty Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano, and Ari Streisfeld, violin, two of contemporary music’s most notable performers, comprise this unusual and surprisingly versatile duo. Calloway and Streisfeld perform engaging works written for Duo Cortona. They are joined by members of the USC Percussion Ensemble in concertos by two of the 20th century’s most important composers: György Ligeti’s folk- and avant-garde inspired song cycle Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedüvel (With Pipes, Drums, and Fiddles) and Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra, a colorful synthesis of Eastern and Western musical traditions.