Radius Ensemble: Locus

For its 25th anniversary season, Radius Ensemble brings four ravishing programs that bridge cultures, span centuries, and feature the artistic diversity, explosive virtuosity, and warm approachability that have made the group a pillar of the Boston-area music scene for 25 years.

​​Geographic points characterize our second program on November 11—each Locus with its particular flavor and patois. Composer Shawn Okpebholo combines extended techniques with the breathy cadence of the bamboo shakuhachi in the virtuosic solo flute work, On a Poem by Miho Nonaka “Harvard Square,” evoking the poet’s native Japan. Chinese-American composer Chen Yi’s serene Tibetan Tunes for clarinet, cello, and piano draws inspiration from Tibetan folk melodies and dances. Missy Mazzoli (pictured) brings an affecting and deceptive simplicity to her Still Live with Avalanche for flutes, clarinets, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. Next comes a new work by local rising star Lavell Blackwell, followed by the delightful tongue-and-cheek silliness of Luciano Berio’s Opus Number Zoo, a Radius signature.

Pictured: Shawn Okpebholo; Chen Yi; Lavell Blackwell; Missy Mazzoli (Marylene Mey); Luciano Berio