Not every presenter is rushing to get in-person performances up and going prematurely. UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) is settling into a mostly digital spring season.
Fortunately, that means audiences and artists will have one of the best online setups within easy reach. The Los Angeles Times’ classical-music critic, Mark Swed, named CAP UCLA’s executive and artistic director, Kristy Edmunds, to his “best of 2020” list. In the past year, the presenter has kept its voice — challenging programs across all genres and mediums — while developing a virtual space: CAP UCLA Online. The performances there, like much of the season so far, have been free.
The music streaming this spring is in keeping with CAP UCLA’s wide-ranging approach. Online Feb. 12, guitarist Nels Cline and the Aizuri String Quartet premiere a piece by composer Douglas J. Cuomo. March 26, tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain plays a percussion program. In April, CAP UCLA streams performances from Ukrainian folk-music group DakhaBrakha and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. And in May, composer Ted Hearne delivers what would have been a West Coast premiere, his recent song cycle In Your Mouth.
Dance and film are also on the spring schedule. Israel Galván delivers flamenco in March, and Monica Bill Barnes & Company reprises a contemporary project in April. New York artist Robin Frohardt is translating her installation piece Plastic Bag Store to film, and a popular filmed theater work this season, 600 Highwaymen’s A Thousand Ways, will be available from CAP UCLA in May.
The one exception to the at-home season: composer Ellen Reid has conceived a piece for Griffith Park. SOUNDWALK will reach listeners through a free app, and the music you hear will depend on where you go in the park. Kronos Quartet contributed a recording to the project, which goes live Feb. 18 and will stay up through 2023.
Visit CAP UCLA’s website for more information on upcoming programs.
