Etchings Festival Day 2 | Ecce Ensemble & Surface of Sphere
AT LOOK PARK SANCTUARY
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The Etchings Festival, now in its 17th summer, showcases cutting edge contemporary music across a wide variety of genres. Join us for concerts on July 10th, 11th and 12th featuring outstanding guest composers and virtuosic performances. On July 10th and 11th, we'll be nestled under the pines at Look Park's Sanctuary at Willow Lake. On July 12th, we'll be back in the Bombyx Sanctuary.
Ecce Ensemble is redefining the concert music experience with genre-defying works of new chamber music performed with startling virtuosity. The ensemble's core members – violinist Jordan Hadrill, cellist Robbie Bui, flautist Lily Xie, clarinetist Barret Ham, and pianist Geoffrey Burleson – are all brilliant soloists in their own right. This summer, they joins forces with percussionist Dennis Sullivan and renowned alto saxophonist Philipp Stäudlin under the direction of composer / conductor Stratis Minakakis. Pulitzer Prize Winner Melinda Wagner's seminal work Unsung Chordata will anchor the set, also featuring works by Grace Hughes' Madrigala Tarantula alongside new works by Dustyn Geary-Gilman, David Huang Mailman, Cole Nagoda and Alejandro Lobo.
Surface of Sphere is a Boston-based jazz sextet led by pianist Pandelis Karayorgis. It brings together a multigenerational lineup of longtime collaborators: improvisers Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet), Noah Campbell (tenor sax), Bill Lowe(trombone), Nate McBride (bass), and Luther Gray (drums). The band’s repertoire includes boundary-pushing composers like Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, Henry Threadgill, Eric Dolphy, Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn, as well as original pieces, and it reflects a commitment to music that resists easy categorization.
Straddling the space between structure and freedom, the music of Surface of Sphere draws from the traditions of both jazz and free jazz. Decades-long musical relationships—Karayorgis with McBride and Gray, Bynum with Lowe and Gray, among others—create a sense of trust and interaction, while the generational span of the group, from Campbell in his early 20s to Lowe in his late 70s, brings a rare breadth of perspective and energy to the ensemble’s sound.
Repertoire
Repertoire selections include works by Sun Ra, Thelonious Monk, Henry Threadgill, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Eric Dolphy. These are all composers who carved their own, divergent paths from within the dominant jazz traditions of their day. There will be a couple original works by Pandelis Karayorgis, as well.
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How does it all work? Weather permitting, we'll be at the Sanctuary in Look Park and if it rains, we'll be inside at Bombyx. It's a sure thing either way. There's plenty of parking near the Sanctuary, including spaces for vehicles with ADA placards. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and picnic (but leave the alcohol at home - the team from Look Park will be pouring a delicious selection of adult beverages).
Please note: no outside alcohol is permitted into the event. Look Park will be providing beer and wine for purchase on-site. There won't be food for sale at this event so be sure to pack a picnic. Don't feel like cooking ahead? Support our nearby Florence restaurants and order take out!
Important: there is a $5 entry fee into the Park for vehicles without a season pass, handicap placard, or veterans plates. Ticket holders can purchase a season pass for a $10 discount at the concert only and must show their vehicle entry ticket.
Card to Culture tickets available.
Did you know? Bombyx is teaming up with ReVision Energy to power this summer’s concert series at Look Park entirely with solar energy. For each show, ReVision will be bringing their all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning, fully charged with solar power, to run the concert’s lighting and sound - quietly, cleanly, and emissions-free.
You’ll also spot their solar-powered LED lights drifting on the pond during the concert. ReVision Energy is proud to support this unique blend of music, community, and climate action. They are a Certified B Corp and 100% employee-owned, and believe the way we power our lives—and our celebrations—matters.
