Well known accordionist and composer Guy Klucevsek has a busy summer planned on both coasts. His unique compositions and style of playing should not be missed.
Guy Klucevsek is one of the world’s most versatile and highly-respected accordionists. He has performed and/or recorded with Laurie Anderson, Bang On a Can, Brave Combo, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Coleman, Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell, Rahim al Haj, Robin Holcomb, Kepa Junkera, the Kronos Quartet, Natalie Merchant, Present Music, Relâche, Zeitgeist, and John Zorn.
Guy is the recipient of a 2010 United States Artists Collins Fellowship, an unrestricted $50,000 award given annually to “America’s finest artists.”
He has premiered over 50 solo accordion pieces, including his own, as well as those he has commissioned from Mary Ellen Childs, William Duckworth, Fred Frith, Aaron Jay Kernis, Jerome Kitzke, Stephen Montague, Somei Satoh, Lois V Vierk, and John Zorn.
Performances include the Ten Days on the Island Festival (Tasmania), the Adelaide Festival (Australia), the Berlin Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center, Spoleto Festival/USA, BAM Next Wave Festival, Cotati Accordion Festival, San Antonio International Accordion Festival, Vienna International Accordion Festival, and the children’s television show “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
His 1987 project, Polka From the Fringe, a collection of commissioned polkas by Fred Frith, Elliott Sharp, Bobby Previte, Carl Finch, et. al., toured around the world and was released on 2 CDs on the eva label, and were named “best recordings 1992” on WNYC-FM’s “New Sounds” program.
In 1996, he founded Accordion Tribe, an international ensemble of composer/accordionists Otto Lechner (Austria), Maria Kalanemi (Finland), Lars Hollmer (Sweden), Bratko Bibic (Slovenia) and himself. They toured internationally from 1996-2009, are the subjects of Stefan Schwietert’s award-winning documentary film, Accordion Tribe: Music Travels, and released 3 cds on the Intuition (Germany) label.
His music theatre scores include “Chinoiserie” and “Obon” with Ping Chong and Company, “Hard Coal,” with the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, “Industrious Angels” for Laurie McCants, “Cirque Lili” for French circus artist Jérôme Thomas, which has been performed over 250 times world wide, always with live music, and his own piece, “Squeeze Play,” an evening of collaborations with Dan Hurlin, David Dorfman and Dan Froot, Claire Porter, and Mary Ellen Childs. He and Dan Hurlin were awarded, jointly, a BESSIE for, “The Heart of the Andes,” which has played the Henson International Puppetry Festival, The Barbican Center in London, and the Ten Days on the Island Festival, Tasmania.
Klucevsek has released over 20 recordings as soloist/leader on Tzadik, Winter & Winter, innova, Starkland, Review, Intuition, CRI, and XI. Stereo Review cited his Starkland recording, Transylvanian Software, as a recording of special merit” (1995).
He can also be heard on John Williams’s orchestral scores for the Steven Spielberg films, “The Terminal,” “Munich,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” and “The Adventures of Tin-Tin,” and on A. R. Rahman’s score for “People Like Us.”
HIs performances include:
1. May 18, Sunday, 7 PM, Barbes, Brooklyn, NY. This solo concert, features Klucevsek’s compositions Altered Landscapes, Three Microids, Samba D Hiccup, The Return of Lasse, Larsong, And Then There Were None, Return of the Microids, Shimmer (for William Duckworth)
2. May 30, Friday, 7:30 PM, San Francisco, CA, Walking Distance Dance Festival. This program includes excerpts from “Ruth Doesn’t Live Here,” with Lionel Popkin Dance Company (LA), featuring Klucevsek’s score for accordion and violin, performed live with Guy on accordion and Mary Rowell, violin.
3. May 31, Saturday, 7:30 PM, Berkeley, CA, Fifth Street Farms.
In his solo house concert. Klucevsek performs selections from his vast catalogue of solo accordion works, 1982-2012.
Reservations are necessary (to assure a seat) and made by calling (510) 525-9248 or via email at fifthstfarms@gmail.com.
4. June 8, Sunday, 7:30 and 9 PM (separate admission). Los Angeles, CA, Museum of Jurassic Technology. Solo concerts at Guy’s favorite museum in the world. This is an intimate space, with limited seating, so advance reservations are strongly recommended, as concerts at this venue generally sell out within days of being listed, which should be by mid-May.
5. June 12-15, Los Angeles, CA, Red Cat Theatre.
“Ruth Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” with Lionel Popkin Dance Company, performed live with Sara Parkins, violin, and Guy on accordion.
6. Aug. 2,3, 2014, Chatham, NY:
Ruth Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, inspired by the life and work of modern dance pioneer, Ruth St. Denis. Choreography by Lionel Popkin, music by Guy Klucevsek, performed live. PS 21 Performances
For further information: gklucevsek@mac.com
