Empty Bottle Features Classical Music

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 5, 2010 7:00PM

Known for local indie rock and experimental jazz acts, the Empty Bottle will mix things up next Tuesday with a night of chamber music by Accessible Contemporary Music’s Palomar Quartet. The two may seem to contradict each other, but the Bottle is actually a fitting venue for Palomar, whose goal is to broaden and diversify the contemporary music audience. And besides, Chamber music is meant for intimate spaces like this modest-sized, dungeon-like venue; as the term suggests, chamber music was traditionally performed in cozy quarters such as palace chambers.

Palomar in whole is a ten-person ensemble, of which Doyle Armbrust (viola), Alyson Berger (cello), Elizabeth Choi (violin) and Blagomira Lipari (violin) will perform as a quartet for the show. The ensemble plays mostly compositions by living composers and even occasionally presents rock-inspired performances. Next Tuesday’s program will include a quartet by Seth Boustead, whose long list of accomplishments in music include co-founding and serving as Executive Director of ACM. You can look forward to hearing Alex Shapiro's Five Squared, an energetic, impassioned piece composed in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Shapiro’s half-sister and her husband. They’ll also perform "Quartet No. 4" by Yuri Falik, as well as one of our favorite pieces by Philip Glass, "String Quartet No. 4," which was written as a memorial piece for the artist Brian Buczak.

Palomar Quartet plays Tuesday, Feb 16 at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western, 8pm, $5, 21+