Submissions for scores and applications for guest artists are open on our website! Click here if you have a score you'd like us to play for our New Music Festival on October 15th-16th, 2022, and click here if you're interested in performing a 30-minute set on one of the concerts. The Festival will feature three concerts in downtown Eugene, from the Park Blocks to the First Christian Church and the New Zone Gallery. The Light and Art show in the Park Blocks will draw on the energy of ArtCity's BEAM, with amplified music and an interactive light exhibit for audience members. Our audience participation concert draws trained and untrained musicians alike into a collective sound-making space at the First Christian Church, and our concert at New Zone will set pieces for the ensemble in an inviting visual atmosphere. The Call for Scores closes June 1st, and the Guest Artist Application closes July 1st.
LATEST NEWS
October 13-15, 2023 Second Annual New Music Festival
EDME is proud to host our second annual New Music Festival this October 13th-15th in downtown Eugene. This three-concert series features an exciting array of nearly two dozen composers and guest artists, each with unique styles of contemporary music composition. From noise works to chiptune electronics, from ambient soundscapes to classical-inspired acoustic works, the Festival leans heavily into aspects of diverse, intriguing pieces by up-and-coming and established music creators from around the world. Each concert is set in a unique downtown location.
The first concert will illuminate the Farmer's Market Pavilion Plaza with projected visuals by Robert Long and sounds by local acts Free Static and Don Haugen, as well as visiting performers Jennifer Wright, Mrs Hands, and M Denney. The event is across the street from ArtCity's annual BEAM exhibition of light-based art in the Park Blocks.
The second and third concert take place at WOW Hall and First Christian Church, respectively. They feature a variety of concert works written for EDME's core instrumentalists, joined with guest musicians Mallory Wood (flute), Max Mabry (clarinet), Tyler Kashow (bassoon), and Janice Irungu (voice). Works vary from solo to ensemble and fully acoustic to mixed electronic.
Concert 1
Friday, October 13th, 7:00pm
Farmer's Market Pavilion Plaza
85 E 8th Ave
Eugene, OR 97401
Concert 2
Concert 3
All concerts are free and open to the public. Donations are welcome through Patreon, PayPal, or in cash at the door. For more information, click here.
August 5, 2023 Fundraising Concert
EDME will host a fundraising concert at First Christian Church on August 5th. It will feature a variety of works, including open-score and text-based pieces, new styles written in traditional notation, and one of the ensemble's first commissions. We're currently raising funds for our 2023 and 2024 projects. These are the 2nd Annual New Music Festival on October 13th-15th, and Stories from the Unhoused, which is set to start in November of this year and culminate in a concert in June of next year. Two pieces will be preview works from the upcoming Festival. All audience members can donate according to their means at the door. If you can't attend the concert, but would still like to give, consider joining our Patreon or leaving a one-time donation through PayPal.
Fundraising Concert
Saturday, August 5th, 7pm
First Christian Church (Chapel)
1166 Oak St
Eugene, OR 97401
August 1, 2023 Community Arts Project Grant Award
Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble has been honored with a Community Arts Project Grant from Lane Arts Council. We were given the grant for our upcoming Stories from the Unhoused project, an endeavor to interview two dozen unhoused individuals in Eugene and put their stories in a musical framework with acoustic instruments, electronic elements, and dancers. Interviews are set to start in conjunction with First Christian Church in November 2023, with the subsequent composition of the piece and rehearsals beginning at the start of 2024, and the final performance in June of that year. EDME was one of eight organizations given an award, and it is our first from Lane Arts Council. ArtCity is our production partner for the project.
June 3, 2023 Arts Alive
Partnering with dancer Sophia MacMillan, EDME performed an act on Arts Alive during Lane Arts Council's First Friday Artwalk on June 3rd. Our collaboration, Identity Pitches / Identity Gestures, was featured as part of a diverse dance program with a myriad of styles by both young amateurs and seasoned professionals. Our act was an interpretation of the graphic score Identity Pitches by Stine Janvin and Cory Arcangel. This work translates traditional Norwegian knitting patterns onto graphs depicting the overtone and undertone series. We took these depictions and further overlaid aspects of timing, technique, structure, and instrumentation onto them. Sophia danced to the sonic environment by continually unwinding a ball of yarn throughout the duration of the work, wrapping them around the feet of the players and conductor as she moved around the stage.
May 20, 2023 CLASSICAL DRAG SHOW
EDME has been invited to perform at Fierce, Fabulous, and Fully Coiffed on May 20th at 7pm. This classical drag show features the original works of Cascadia Composers out of Portland, Oregon, and is hosted by the fabulous Saint Syndrome at Eugene's First Christian Church downtown. As part of this unique event, EDME's Thomas Calletano Gonzalez and JP Lempke will perform Jessie Marino's Rot Blau, each dressed majestically for the occasion. Buy your tickets today and come experience this amazing show!
Fierce, Fabulous, and Fully Coiffed
Saturday, May 20, 2023, 7:00pm
First Christian Church
1166 Oak St
Eugene, OR 97401
General admission: $25
Student admission: $10
May 12, 2023 BIG, SHITTY TALENT SHOW
Come to the Big, Shitty Talent show on Friday, May 12th at 7:30pm to hear and see a variety of wonderful acts by local Lane County residents! This wondrous affair is put on by The Resonance Building. The lovely Owen Atlansky and Adrian Cervantes will be performing The Third Wheel by Romane Bouffioux and Corentin Barro, a delightful noise-filled wonderland performed with contact mics, chopsticks, and other elements shoved, poked, and rubbed against the wheels of a bicycle. The venue's address is below.
Big, Shitty Talent Show
Friday, May 12, 2023, 7:00pm
The Resonance Building
840 Lawrence St
Eugene, OR 97401
April 17th, 2023 WATT FROM PEDRO SHOW
The executive director, JP Lempke, was interviewed for an episode the Watt from Pedro podcast. This show explores the musical upbringing of the composer, as well as dabbling in some of his present-day projects with EDME. The episode features a variety of music by different artists. Prominent among them are numerous recordings with original music either written by Lempke, as well as performances by EDME written by various other contemporary composers.
You can see the full playlist, as well as listen to the interview, at this link.
April 11th, 2023 MUTATION FEST
EDME is being featured on Austin Rich's Mutation Fest. This month-long affair features live performances, debut music, interviews, and sound art by a huge variety of musical artists. Our performance features
Identity Pitches - Stine Janvin and Cory Arcangel
Sonic Meditation XII: One Word - Pauline Oliveros
Storm King - Erin Blake
See our recording and the works of many other talented musicians here.
