As local folks with willing ears know well, Mobtown Modern, the ensemble launched a few years ago under the auspices of the Contemporary Museum, showcases a remarkable range of new music. People outside Baltimore have heard about it, too.
The Mobtown Modern concert series has received an Award for Adventurous Programming from
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Chamber Music America and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) -- one of five new music presenters in the country so honored this year. The award will be given out at the 33rd annual Chamber Music America National Conference next month in New York.
Judges for the programming award single out professional ensembles and presenters for programming music composed in the past 25 years and attracting new audiences.
In a statement released Friday morning, Brian Sacawa, curator and co-founder of Mobtown Modern, said: "Receiving this national recognition is an affirmation that we have built a truly outstanding musical voice for the Contemporary Museum. I am particularly excited for the attention this award will bring to Baltimore as a vital center for cutting-edge contemporary music."
Mobtown's next presentation, on Tuesday at the Metro Gallery, is typically adventurous. Composer/vocalist Ken Ueno will mark his 40th year with a retrospective of his career. Selections range from a 1998 piece called "Yellow 632," for three percussionists with Big Bird toys (that's got to be some of the most unusual instrumentation ever), to his 2008 work "Reverse Swastikas Mark the Place of Buddhist Temples," for vocalist and live electronics.
FILE PHOTO OF BRIAN SACAWA