Compass

• • 3ARTS MATCH SUPPORTED BY THE JOYCE FOUNDATION
  • 102% contributed

My project, Compass, will be a music album of vibrant new works for piano, harpsichord, and clavichord, written by young composers from Chicago and abroad. As a pianist specializing in contemporary music, I am drawn to the work of emerging composers and intrigued by the expressive sound and history of keyboard instruments from across the centuries. This falls on the heels of a series of concerts given around the U.S. featuring the world premieres of these works, which were so well-received that I am encouraged to make this album to share the music with an even wider audience.

About This Project

The music on this album highlights the diverse range of performance possibilities in 21st century keyboard music and explores the unique mechanical attributes of each instrument. I am particularly excited to begin introducing new repertoire for the clavichord, an instrument that is rarely seen or heard by audiences today. This delicate instrument was favored by Bach for its highly expressive and nuanced sound, but has hardly been played or written for since the 1700s. Compass brings to light this largely forgotten but important instrument and gives listeners a fresh perspective in which to hear music of the past and present.

This project, which includes works by Eliza Brown, Pablo Chin, Santiago Diez-Fischer, Ray Evanoff, Fredrick Gifford, and Ramteen Sazegari, gathers together the result of close collaborations with each of these brilliant composers and with several of my wonderful colleagues from Ensemble Dal Niente. With your support, I will be able to cover the costs of artist fees for my collaborators, studio recording, editing, mixing, mastering, and CD printing. The recording is scheduled for May and July 2015, and I plan to release the CD in December 2015. Thank you in advance for helping me realize this exciting project that will contribute to the field of new music and further enliven Chicago’s rich music scene.

Thank yous

Contribute any amount or choose from the levels below.

• $10
  Digital download of the album ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $20
  1 autographed CD ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $50
  2 tickets to the album release party in Chicago in December 2015, and 1 autographed CD ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $150
  1 autographed copy of a score for a piece from the album, and 1 autographed CD ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $250
  Invitation to a private house recital in Chicago in August 2015, and 1 autographed CD ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $500
  A new miniature (5-10 seconds) composed and dedicated to you or someone you know. I will record an mp3 of the miniature which you'll receive along with an autographed score, and 1 autographed CD ($0.00 is tax deductible.)

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Mabel Kwan

RH, Restoration Hardware Awardee

Pianist Mabel Kwan is a performer of classical, improvised, and experimental music. She is fascinated by sound, contradictions, and our perceptions of what is familiar or strange.

Mabel regularly tours the U.S. with improvised music group Restroy, synthesizer duo Mega …

View Mabel Kwan's profile

• 1 update
• 23 supporters

• Update 1: Album release concert

  Posted on October 01, 2015

   

  Dear friends,

  Happy October! I hope this finds you well, and enjoying the autumn weather. Just wanted to send a note about the album release concert, which will be January 3, 2016 at Constellation in Chicago. Here is a link with more info. The recording process has been a good experience overall, and next up will be figuring out album artwork. Thanks for your support of this project!

  Mabel

• Thank you to the following for contributing to 3Arts with the recommendation that we support this project.

  • Anonymous Supporter

  • Mimi Kwan

  • Sarah Ho

  • renee hemmasi

  • Vivian Chum

  • Peter Chan

  • Law Zhiteng

  • shirley chan

  • maxine & nick

  • Daisy Basto

  • Lai-Sau Cheng Yuen

  • Irene Tin

  • Isabella Chung

  • Deborah Anaya

  • John Hastie

  • Yeeseon Kwon

  • Bruce Oltman

  • David Hemmasi

  • Jon Satrom

  • Lydia Chung

  • Amy Lin

  • Allison Foster

  • Brendon Chung

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