Description
Arcomusical is a unique chamber group and non-profit organization with a mission to spread the joy of the Afro-Brazilian berimbau musical bow through the development of innovative and excellent musical repertoire. Arcomusical supports this mission through six pillars of activity: performance, education, composition, publication, research, and community. Arcomusical has released three commercial albums: MeiaMeia (2016), Spinning in the Wheel (2019), and Emigre and Exile (2022), and has appeared on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday and PBS’s “Now Hear This!”
Work Sample
https://www.youtube.com/arcomusical
Arcomusical's work sample is a 2019 music video of Elliot Cole's "Roda," a four-movement, twenty-minute composition that places our sextet at the heart of a joyful kaleidoscope of rhythm, melody, harmony, and timbre. Commissioned by Chamber Music America in 2016, this work is featured on our second album, "Spinning in the Wheel" (National Sawdust, 2019). The title makes specific reference to the Afro-Brazilian body game of capoeira.
Its four movements:
Turning (0:15)
Dreaming (6:47)
Spinning (11:22)
Singing (13:17)
provide a lively introduction to the unique musical proposition that Arcomusical offers our audiences of all ages.
Program Note (excerpt):
"Roda (pronounced in Portuguese with a guttural R) means "circle" or "wheel." In the Afro-Brazilian body game of capoeira, roda refers to the circle of people who sing and clap and define the physical space in which the game is played. Just as in capoeira, circles of all kinds animate the pattern of this composition: regular turns around a clock face, corkscrews that deepen as they spin, spirals that expand and contract, and, I hope, something of the circles I am learning to make with my body from my capoeira teacher "organic, fluid, and sly." - Elliot Cole
Our work sample, "Roda," represents a second phase of compositions that seek to expand the scope and depth of the repertoire written for the Afro-Brazilian berimbau. Due to the success of our first album featuring our original composition cycle, "MeiaMeia," Arcomusical was able to successfully secure a Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant that made "Roda" possible. "Roda" became the focal point for all of our national touring since 2017 when first premiered the work at the Beach Museum on the campus of Kansas State University. The work and its accompanying music videos have proven so successful that we worked once again with Elliot Cole to create an orchestral version, "Roda Grande." That version received its premiere in 2019 with the Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra. The expansive scale of the piece has catalyzed Arcomusical's ability to showcase the work we do as a formidable and engrossing chamber ensemble to both recital and orchestral audiences. Importantly, "Roda" has become the stepping stone upon which our most recent collaboration, "Emigre & Exile," with bassist and composer Matt Ulery, has come to fruition. This newest work, nearly 30-minutes of music over six continuous movements, pushes the boundaries of our repertoire still further.
History
Between 2013-2015 Arcomusical co-founders Gregory Beyer and Alexis Lamb co-authored MeiaMeia, a twelve-work composition cycle that would become Arcomusical's first album release (Innova Recordings, 2016). To perform MeiaMeia, Beyer and Lamb formed Projeto Arcomusical with four friends at Northern Illinois University. An invitation to perform at the 2014 Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) catalyzed Projeto Arcomusical's professional identity. The ensemble toured the album throughout the US midwest and northeast in 2016-2017. A 2016 $19K Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant resulted in Elliot Cole's "Roda," a 20-minute composition Arcomusical performed extensively during the 2017-2018 season. "Roda" is featured on Arcomusical's second album, "Spinning in the Wheel," (National Sawdust Tracks, 2019).
2019 Projeto Arcomusical performance highlights included "Spinning in the Wheel" album release performances of at National Sawdust (Brooklyn, NY) and Constellation (Chicago, IL); a tour of Arizona that featured the premiere of "Roda Grande," an orchestral concerto version of "Roda" with the Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra; the premiere of "Emigre & Exile" an extended six-movement work by jazz bassist and composer Matt Ulery; a US southeast tour; and a meaningful return to PASIC to offer a showcase world music performance featuring music from "Spinning in the Wheel."
Artistic Vision
A R C O M U S I C A L is an American 501(c)(3) organization with international reach. It spreads the joy of the Afro-Brazilian berimbau musical bow through the development of innovative music. Arcomusical's mission is supported by six pillars of activity:
P E R F O R M A N C E
E D U C A T I O N
C O M P O S I T I O N
P U B L I C A T I O N
R E S E A R C H
C O M M U N I T Y
Arcomusical believes in an America where diversity is respected, celebrated, and cherished for its creative spirit. Our mission resonates with the words of civil rights pioneer Asa Philip Randolph:
"Maybe our forefathers and mothers all came to this great land in different ships, but we are all in the same boat now. We all live in the same house - the American house."
and in the hopes of pioneering American linguist, Lorenzo Dow Turner:
"If all races were made aware of the offerings of Africans and their New World descendants, a better world would result."
Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise
Between 2013-2015 Arcomusical co-founders Gregory Beyer and Alexis Lamb co-authored MeiaMeia, a twelve-work composition cycle that would become Arcomusical's first album release (Innova Recordings, 2016). To perform MeiaMeia, Beyer and Lamb formed Projeto Arcomusical with four friends at Northern Illinois University. An invitation to perform at the 2014 Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) catalyzed Projeto Arcomusical's professional identity. The ensemble toured the album throughout the US midwest and northeast in 2016-2017. A 2016 $19K Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant resulted in Elliot Cole's "Roda," a 20-minute composition Arcomusical performed extensively during the 2017-2018 season. "Roda" is featured on Arcomusical's second album, "Spinning in the Wheel," (National Sawdust Tracks, 2019).
2019 Projeto Arcomusical performance highlights included "Spinning in the Wheel"album release performances of at National Sawdust (Brooklyn, NY) and Constellation (Chicago, IL); a tour of Arizona that featured the premiere of "Roda Grande," an orchestral concerto version of "Roda" with the Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra; the premiere of "Emigre & Exile" an extended six-movement work by jazz bassist and composer Matt Ulery; a US southeast tour; and a meaningful return to PASIC to offer a showcase world music performance featuring music from "Spinning in the Wheel."
Name
Arcomusical
Type
Company/Ensemble
Address
3925 South Pointe Drive
Unit F
DeKalb, IL 60115
Artistic Director
Gregory Beyer
[email protected]
646.286.0332
Contact Person
Gregory Beyer
[email protected]
646.286.0332
Web Site
Artistic Discipline(s)
Music
- Classical
- Contemporary
- Folk/Traditional
Geographic Availability
Central Illinois
Chicago/Chicagoland
Northern Illinois
Southern Illinois
Western Illinois
Fee Ranges
$300 - $4,000
Additional Services
Demonstrations
Lectures
Master classes
Residencies
Workshops
Core Audience(s)
Adult
Bilingual
- Portuguese
Children
Seniors
Youth