The Hinge ensemble will be in residence at CNMAT this spring to work with CNMAT affiliated composers: Eda Er, George Papajohn, Sarah Grace Graves and Kevin Lo. The residency will culminate in a concert at CNMAT on March 25th.
Founded in 2018, Hinge is a quartet made up of Philipp Stäudlin (saxophones), Dan VanHassel (electric guitar), Matt Sharrock (percussion), and Keith Kirchoff (piano). Lying somewhere between a classical chamber ensemble and a rock band, Hinge presents programs combining cutting-edge contemporary and experimental music, seamless multimedia integration, and the innovative re-imagining of rock and pop songs.
Dedicated to expanding and diversifying the repertoire for their ensemble, Hinge has commissioned new works and arrangements from composers including Roscoe Mitchell, Kirsten Carey, Marti Epstein, Yoon-Ji Lee, Curtis Hughes, Nicole Murphy, and Ravi Kittappa. Recent seasons have also featured works by Julius Eastman, Sam Pluta, Alvin Singleton, Philippe Hurel, Hannah Lash, Meshuggah, Katherine Young, Louis Andriessen, Chaya Czernowin, Klaus Lang, Björk, and more.
Hinge’s educational initiatives have included residencies and workshops throughout the United States at institutions such as Cincinnati University College-Conservatory of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, UC Berkeley, East Carolina University, Ohio Univerity, Miami University, the University of Georgia, St. Cloud State University, the University of Montana, and Western Michigan University. In 2019-20 Hinge partnered with UMass Lowell in an innovative mentorship program in which the ensemble worked closely with an undergraduate performer throughout the season.
