21st Century Consort: Sound Shards

FREE

All advance tickets for this program have been claimed. Don’t worry! We will save a select number of spots for walk-ups, on a first-come, first served basis. 

Questions? Email Hirshhornexperience@si.edu
Hirshhorn Insiders, email HMSGdevelopment@si.edu

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The 21st Century Consort presents a special performance inspired by artist Mark Bradford’s Pickett’s Charge, a monumental 360° installation that weaves together past and present, and illusion and abstraction, to reconsider how narratives of American history are shaped and contested. The artwork draws inspiration from the 19^th-century cyclorama at Gettysburg National Military Park, which documents the culminating charge of the Battle of Gettysburg, a critical turning point in the Civil War. This performance, much like Bradford’s artwork, will bring together music—including the debut of two world premiere pieces—that challenges us to come to terms with our history and, specifically, the conflict of the Civil War.

Come early for a pre-concert discussion with Christopher Kendall, director of the 21^st Century Consort, and composers Mark Kuss, Stephen Jaffe, and Evan Chambers. The talk will take place at 4 pm in the Lerner Room on the Museum’s Third Level.

This performance is presented by the 21^st Century Consort, in partnership with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

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SCHEDULE

4:00 pm | Pre-concert discussion in the Lerner Room, Third Level

4:30 pm | Doors open to Ring Auditorium, Lower Level

5:00 pm | Performance: Sound Shards

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ABOUT 21ST CENTURY CONSORT

Founded in 1975 as the 20th Century Consort, the group became the resident ensemble for contemporary music at the Smithsonian Institution in 1978. In this season’s concerts at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and historic St. Mark’s on Capitol Hill, the Consort continues to present finely balanced concerts frequently related to museum exhibitions, featuring music by living composers—often world premieres—along with twentieth-century classics. In 1990, the Consort was awarded the Smithsonian Institution’s Smithson Medal in honor of the group’s long, successful association. Under the direction of its founder and conductor, Christopher Kendall, the Consort’s artists include principal players from the National Symphony Orchestra, along with other prominent chamber musicians from Washington, DC, and elsewhere. For more information visit 21consort.org.

Please e-mail hirshhornexperience@si.edu if you would like to request ASL interpretation for this event.