Contemporary music ensemble - the

California E.A.R. Unit to perform 


     Continuing with the Lecture Concert Series for the season, Arkansas State University will host the Los Angeles-based new music ensemble, the California E.A.R. Unit, at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, in the Theatre of the Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Dr. on the campus.

     As a contemporary music ensemble, the California E.A.R. Unit is dedicated to the performance, promotion and creation of exciting music using clarinet, flute, piano, percussion, ‘cello, and violin.

     The lecture and demonstration begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 7:30 p.m. concert. It is presented with the support of the Heartland Arts Fund and Arkansas Arts Council, Region VI of the Society of Composers Inc., the ASU College of Fine Arts and the Department of Music.

     Founded in 1981, the California E.A.R. Unit musicians have brought unparalleled versatility, virtuosity and dedication to their performances and the group is recognized today as one of America’s finest contemporary chamber ensembles. 

     A winner of the American Music Center “Letter of Distinction,” the Califonia E.A.R. Unit has performed in London, Brussels, Paris, Cologne, Reykjavik and Kiev and appeared in U.S. halls including New York’s famed Carnegie Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress.

     Attending a California E.A.R. Unit concert means experiencing a fresh, exuberant approach to music. Since 1987, the California E.A.R. Unit has been Ensemble-in-Residence at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where they presented their own four-concert critically-acclaimed series. 

     The California E.A.R. Unit’s repertoire of more than 400 compositions ranges from the most demanding works for the concert hall, to collaborations with major artists in other fields to create original multi-media works. 

     The California E.A.R. Unit combines a classic instrumentation of flute, clarinet, keyboards, percussion, violin and ‘cello to an “anything goes” including voices, panpipes, handcuffs, playing Bach on the cello with a carrot, to theatrics and the latest interactive electronic media.

      The ASU Lecture~Concert Series presents diverse programs to enrich the cultural life of the campus, community and region. All programs are free and open to the public.

      For more information, please contact the ASU Department of Music at 870-972-2094.

                                                 # # #