Ever Present Orchestra

"It is rare for a living composer to have a group of performers who are devoted to his or her works. There are, of course, a few ensembles organized by composer/performers themselves. The Philip Glass and Steve Reich Ensembles are a case in point. But to have a small orchestra devoted to the performance of one composer’s repertoire of performable pieces is an astounding change. In 2016 Bernhard Rietbrock founded the Ever Present Orchestra whose sole purpose was to perform and commission new works of mine. The title was taken from a statement by Artist Robert Irwin for his garden at the Getty Center in Los Angeles: EVER PRESENT / NEVER TWICE THE SAME EVER CHANGING / NEVER LESS THAN WHOLE. The orchestra, numbering thirteen players in all, is comprised of professional musicians as well as students from the Zurich University of the Arts. Since its inception, it has performed 24 concerts in Europe, Asia, and America. I have composed five pieces especially for the orchestra, including Semicircle, Tilted Arc, Double Helix, EPO-5, and Arrigoni Bridge as well as adaptations of my Braid, Hanover, and Two Circles. Concerts typically begin with Ricochet Lady for solo glockenspiel, written especially for and performed by Trevor Saint, followed by pieces performed by the orchestra, and ending with a performance from myself of I am sitting in a room or Bird and Person Dyning. I am grateful to Bernhard Rietbrock and Jan Thoben who helped organize the orchestra, and to the devoted musicians for their steadfast commitment as well as excellent, enthusiastic playing of my work." Alvin Lucier December 9, 2019 Middletown, Conneticut, U.S.A.