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Brahms with Chamber 16

Mary Bopp – piano
Sam Hutcheson – baritone
Sharon Gunderson, Claire Smith – violin
Julie Goodale, Katherine Sinsabaugh – viola
Scott Ballantyne, Clay Ruede, Leah Coloff – cello

St. Peter’s Church
619 Lexington NYC 10022
$20.00

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Damon Albarn: Everyday Robots

Damon Albarn is a fantastic songwriter. Everyday Robots is his first Solo record, but he’s known for his band Gorillaz and if you go back even further, BLUR.  Yes.

Backstage at the Highline: Martha Mooke, Damon Albarn, Leah Coloff

A little side story: I play with The Secret City most months and we played the Blur song Girls and Boys as one of the Prelude songs for the March? service.  I didn’t listened to Blur back in the day (or Oasis…) or to Gorillaz in more recent times.  Anyway, the song seemed rather simple upon first look. But it turns out that it was the most fun to play, sounded the best, and I decided that it was actually a great song, as simple songs often are. (I have yet to master this- always getting too complicated…)
A month later, Martha Mooke from Scorchio told me we were going to be the string quartet for some sessions with Damon Albarn who was promoting his new record, Everyday Robots on radio shows for WFUV and Sirius. Oh! Turns out it’s that guy who wrote that great song! Turns out he’s written many great songs!
I just love the synchronicity of that.  I never would have thought I would be playing with the guy from Blur. And he’s still as cute as he was in the video for Boys and Girls, just slightly more mellow. Only slightly. He and his band were good humored and friendly. And his music director, Mike Smith writes a very nice string arrangement.

Scorchio playing with Damon Albarn at WFUV

We were asked to play with them again on The Tonight Show and at Bonnaroo! Ah….we accepted.

Ready for Bonnaroo time! Rachel Golub, Lorenza Ponce, Martha Mooke and Leah Coloff.
The Tonight Show: Amy Kimball, Martha Mooke, Leah Coloff, Rachel Golub.
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Present Music “Multitude” Concert: Milwaukee

Last month, I had the pleasure to be a part of Milwaukee’s Present Music ensemble for their Season Finale concert, MULTITUDE.

It was not just a concert, but truly an event with the evening ending in the audience dancing!  The founder, artistic director, and conductor,  Kevin Stalheim has created an anomaly and phenomenon; Present Music manages to regularly bring to their concerts audiences of 600 and they commission pieces that go on to be established repertoire for new music groups around the world.

“Hearne’s “Warning Song” (2006), “Snowball” (2008) and three postmodern cabaret/art songs from his Delusion Story (2011) completed the program. All are mind-bending, transcendent mash-ups of genres. The greatest, most unforgettable performances of the night were by Leah Coloff, who sang Hearne’s most searing songs while ferociously playing the cello part.” ~ John Schneider, Shepherd Express

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Tibet House US Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall

Patti Smith, Jim James Top Tibet Benefit in New York
Rolling Stone

Feb 22, 2013 · … and the Scorchio String Quartet amplified every performance by balancing elaborate orchestral swirls with unsettling moments of staccato thunder.”

Scorchio played with Philip Glass, Patti Smith, Jesse Smith, Jim James, Tuneyards, Ariel Pink, Rahzel, Tenzin Choegyal, and all the monks in the grand finale!

And fun review of the night by Pitchfork calling Scorchio  “endearingly game”.

 http://m.pitchfork.com/news/49664-report-tibet-house-benefit-at-carnegie-hall-featuring-ariel-pink-tune-yards-jim-james-more/