Pianist Brendan Nguyen and multimedia artist Jason Ponce will turn the sanctuary at St. James by the Sea into shimmering light sculpture backed by the music of pioneering American composer Morton Feldman at a series of concerts this weekend.
Nguyen will play Feldman’s 90-minute “Triadic Memories,” a series of musical images for solo piano that are extended in time by repetition, while Ponce projects an accompanying light sculpture of colors and images.
“In this installation, I represent the mysteries and complexities of the score using light projected onto two upward sloping corridors of fabric,” said Ponce. “I invite you to leave your eyes and ears open as you explore these inter-modal spaces.”
Feldman, who lived from 1926 to 1987, was a major figure in 20th-century music and a pioneer of indeterminate music, a genre associated with the experimental New York School of composers that also includes John Cage, Christian Wolff and Earle Brown.
This weekend’s performances are the first in a series planned by Project [BLANK], which was founded by Nguyen and mezzo-soprano Leslie Leytham, who have performed together for nearly 10 years while both were earning Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees at UC San Diego.
“Our concert series focuses on the integration between visual art, theatre, and chamber music,” said Leytham. “Each concert event will be presented in collaboration with a visual artist to reconfigure the concert space.”
The “Triadic Memories” concerts are Friday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, May 25, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the church in La Jolla. Tickets are $20 to $40 with discounts for students and seniors.
