New music celebrates middle age: Relâche turns 40 at the Penn Museum

Groundbreaking new music ensemble Relâche (“ruh-LASH”) is throwing a 40th birthday party at Penn Museum June 23 and 24, and we’re all invited.

Two afternoon concerts will feature melodies that cross genres and generations. On Saturday, Relâche surveys its first 20 years in Older Works Still New, and on Sunday, revisits its second 20 years in More Recent Works Still New.

On Saturday morning, the past, present, and future of new music will be discussed by a panel including critic and composer Kyle Gann, Philadelphia composer and BSR contributor Kile Smith, and Relâche founders Joseph Franklin and Joe Showalter. The program, moderated by Relâche co-artistic director Lloyd Shorter, will include performances of works in progress by Relâche composers-in-residence Erica Ball (“Riding the El”), Joshua Hey (“Recreation”), and Mike Stambaugh (“The Gerontocrat”). Admission to the discussion is free, but does not include museum entry.

Bringing Philip Glass to Philly

Relâche changed the course of new music in 1978 by commissioning and performing compositions that incorporated elements of jazz, rock, and world music. Previously, the music was closely aligned with classical and considered primarily academic territory. “Relâche helped create new music that was more spontaneous and approachable,” explains Shorter, who joined the group in 1988. “We were the first in Philadelphia to perform John Cage, Philip Glass, and Pauline Oliveros.”

The ensemble’s expansive approach also applies to audiences. Moving into its fifth decade, Relâche seeks to engage more young listeners as it continues to excite longtime followers. According to Shorter, Relâche wants to add younger composers and players who combine musical talent and an innate familiarity with the technology that has revolutionized how music is made, performed, and marketed.

Music, mummies, and movies

The weekend concludes Relâche’s fifth year of residency at Penn. In that time, some of the most memorable performances have involved marrying new music to classic silent films. For Shorter, two experiences stand out.

In 2015, the group performed music by Stambaugh to a screening of The Eyes of the Mummy (1918), a subject ideal for the Penn Museum. The enjoyable performance also became one of the best attended, thanks to the composer’s use of social media to alert fans: Stambaugh filled the house.

Shorter’s other memorable moment involved a glitch in synchronizing a click track, which enables musicians to match the score to onscreen action. “We were ready to play and the film wouldn’t start,” he recalls. “It was only five minutes, and the audience barely noticed and was very patient, but it was a moment of panic for us.”

What makes a temple to ancient civilizations so welcoming to brand-new music? Maybe it’s the shared search for cultural connections that inform and delight contemporary audiences.

Relâche presents its 40th anniversary celebration at the Penn Museum (3260 South Street, Philadelphia) June 23 and 24, with panel discussion Looking Back and Ahead on Saturday, June 23, at 10:30am; and Concert I: Older Works Still New at 2pm. Concert II: More Recent Works Still New happens on Sunday, June 24, at 2pm. Tickets are $20 ($15 for seniors; $10 for Penn Museum members; and $5 buy-one-get-one-free for students with ID). These include entrance to museum galleries anytime after 1pm on the day of the concert.

Above: Relâche members Chris Hanning, Ron Stabinsky, Michele Kelly, Bob Butryn, Chuck Holdeman, and Lloyd Shorter. (Photo by Eamon Kelly.)