The Shedd welcomes two old friends, Wayne Horvitz and Sara Schoenbeck back to Eugene with their new duo project. Horvitz first appeared here in 2006 with his ensemble Sweeter Than The Day, Schoenbeck in 2008 with their ensemble Gravitas Quartet, and in 2015 both groups returned as a septet to present the stunning consortium premier of Some Places Are Forever Afternoon, a suite of settings by Horvitz of poems by Northwest poet Richard Hugo, a Chamber Music America commission of which The Shedd was a part.
Schoenbeck and Horvitz first met as musicians in the “company” style improvisation festival Time Flies (Vancouver B.C.) in 2000. In 2004 Horvitz formed the Gravitas Quartet with Schoenbeck, Ron Miles (Trumpet) and Peggy Lee (cello). This quartet recorded two CDs and performed throughout Europe and North America. In 2015 Horvitz fused his ensemble Sweeter Than The Day with the Gravitas Quartet to create Some Places Are Forever Afternoon, which resulted in a CD, touring throughout the US, and an episode of NPR’s Jazz Night In America, hosted by Christian McBride. In addition, Schoenbeck and Horvitz have performed in numerous improvised collectives, special projects, and the occasional duo concert. In 2018, the duo Schoenbeck/Horvitz was created, with subsequent concerts in NY, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago and Detroit.
Schoenbeck has collaborated with, among others, Anthony Braxton, Butch Morris, Mark Dresser, Pamela Z, and Roscoe Mitchell, and maintains her commitment to micro-tonal music and contemporary music. Recent performances include works by both Boulez, and Xenakis, and as a featured improvising soloist with the Mivos Quartet performing Horvitz’ These Hills of Glory (String Quartet and Improviser).
Horvitz, an integral member of the NY Downtown Scene in the '80s, is known for his long-standing collaborations with John Zorn, Butch Morris, Bill Frisell, Robin Holcomb et al., as well as a prolific composer for orchestra, string quartet, mixed chamber instrumentations, and electronics. Recent works include commissions for the Seattle Symphony, The North Corner Chamber Orchestra, and an installation for the Seattle Art Museum. He is the recipient of the 2015 Doris Duke Performers Award, and the 2019 America Prize.