Merz Trio

October 25-November 2
Past event (2021)

Merz Trio (piano trio) and mover / mime / director Emma Jaster embark on a collaborative exploration of music and movement: how the differing art forms inform and speak to one another. Drawing from an eclectic repertoire (Korngold, Price, Matteis, Vasks, Bolcom, Schubert, Poulenc, Britten, Enescu, Thelonius Monk), the Trio will work towards create a dynamic program of musical miniatures interwoven with Emma's own storytelling through movement and gesture.

In particular, the artists are interested in how their practices can escape the framing devices of either simple pairings of music and dance or straightforward alternations between the two, instead asking in what ways music can blend seamlessly into gesture and when does gesture become music? A large part of their work (and play) will also lie in group improvisation, composing out transitional passages between musical works where appropriate and expanding this space in the program for exploration. Guiding their process at all times will be questions of how we can find feeling, humor, and story in all that we do.