Curtis Rumrill (Composer)
The music of Curtis Rumrill explores the intersection of literary form and modern chamber music. His works with writer, naturalist and visual artist Zachary Webber tell darkly comic stories of animals in desperate or violent predicaments. Ensemble Dal Niente featured his piece The Parasite, and Her Sister on their tour of Latin America. Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble premiered and will take on tour his recently completed concert length work, The Passion of the Wilt-Mold Mothers, and will give it a studio recording. His music has been premiered and performed by, among others, Kamratōn, NAT 28, Tony Arnold, Thomas Rosenkranz, Aiyun Huang, Jordan Dodson, the Syracuse University Contemporary Music Ensemble, Lisa Cella and Juna Winston. Alia Musica has treated both Sex Poem for Lightbulb by Beetle and Rover to studio recordings. He has been performed in the United States and internationally, including Vienna, Austria; Basel and Baden, Switzerland; Maccagno, Italy; Panama City, Panama; Bogota, Colombia; Mexico City, Mexico; Boston, MA; Bowling Green, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; and Syracuse, NY, in venues including the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Teatro Amador and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Panama, the University of Pittsburgh; Syracuse Univerity; Bowling Green State University; and Boston University. Works of his have been included in the Pittsburgh Festival of New Music, JazzWerkstatt Wien, Vienna Roomservice Festival, Numu: Neue und Unentdeckte Musik, the soundSCAPE Festival, and Alia Musica Presents. |
Zachary Webber (Librettist)
Zachary Webber is a writer and an artist living in Philadelphia, PA. He has maintained a close collaborative relationship with composer Curtis Rumrill over the past several years, writing narrative text for several pieces focusing on imagining nonhuman animal perspectives within anthropocene environments. He also works as a visual artist, having completed sculptural installations commissioned by Hidden City Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Water Department and The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, among others. Webber also has extensive experience as an environmental educator and public art programmer, currently managing the Arts & Culture Programs department at Bartram’s Garden, a unique botanical river garden in Southwest Philadelphia. |