WOW duo: Tricia Dawn Williams and Beibei Wang

WOW duo
Tricia Dawn Williams, piano
Beibei Wang, percussion

Wednesday 29 June | 7pm-8pm
Jacqueline du Pré Music Building,
St Hilda’s College

WOW duo  makes its international debut at the 2022 edition of the Oxford Festival of the Arts.

The music selected for this debut concert presents an exciting range of musical styles. Both Spiegel im Spiegel, by Arvo Pärt and C by Hannah Lash portray a minimalist aesthetic. This project has an interdisciplinary dimension featuring two new video-art MACM commissions projected as a visual backdrop to the live performance. Arvo Pärt’s suspended melodic notes and three-note piano figure will be accompanied by a blend of colour by video artist Patrick Fenech, while Hannah Lash’s fast-paced C will be accompanied by the pulsating abstract animations of video artist Nicole Pace. Boiling Clouds by Ruben Zahra, Atlanta by John Psathas and Duo by Giannis Papkrasas, expose the upbeat character of the duo with syncopated rhythmic interactions between the two instruments. In contrast, Avalanche (mov II) for vibraphone and piano by Emmanuel Sejourne, presents tonal melodic themes supported by lush jazz harmony remniscent of a cinematic leitmotif.

In a year where a bit of magic has left the world, Oxford Festival of the Arts has commissioned Paul Max Edlin to compose an In Memoriam, to the most extraordinary poet of sound, George Crumb, which will be premiered tonight. This project is supported by Arts Council Malta. WOW duo is endorsed by the Malta Association for Contemporary Music to be part of the Modern Music Days concert series.