Ashley Bathgate

For Ashley – Andrew Norman

Gavotte #2 from Suite in D Major – J.S. Bach

On Being Wrong – Christopher Cerrone

Small Wonder – Timo Andres

Gigue from Suite in C major – J.S. Bach

DaVZ23BzMH0 – Ted Hearne

Ley Line – Jacob Cooper

Sarabande from Suite in C Minor – J.S. Bach

Orison – Robert Honstein

http://www.ashleybathgate.com/projects/bach-unwound/:

Cellist Ashley Bathgate in collaboration with the Brooklyn-based composer collective Sleeping Giant (Timo Andres, Chris Cerrone, Jacob Cooper, Ted Hearne, Robert Honstein, and Andrew Norman) create an entirely new series of reflections inspired by the Unaccompanied Cello Suites of J.S. Bach.

Throughout the twentieth century, composers such as Benjamin Britten, George Crumb, and Iannis Xenakis built upon the form established by Bach, expanding the instrument’s technical and sonic capabilities while paying homage to his legacy.

Sleeping Giant represents a young, stylistically diverse, and daring composer-collective well-suited to redefine the cello as a solo instrument. Each member of Sleeping Giant will compose one movement of the new suite, basing it loosely on a corresponding movement of their choice from the original Bach suites, but free to use the music as an inspiration for expressing and expanding his personal compositional voice.

The new work will incorporate extended performance techniques, live electronics, and external media resulting in a radical deconstruction and re-imagination of the original music. Collectively forming a single, concert-length work, this multi-composer collaboration will juxtapose contemporary and historical practice to create a new recital experience.

Bach Unwound was premiered on January 12, 2016 at (le) Poisson Rouge as part of Metropolis Ensemble’s Resident Artist Series.

NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/18/arts/music/composers-collectives-offer-creativity-and-challenges.html?_r=1

http://metropolisensemble.org/concerts/2015/brownstone/abathgate.php Ashley Bathgate

A native of Saratoga Springs, NY, cellist Ashley Bathgate has gained international renown as both a soloist and chamber musician. The New York Times writes, “Ms. Bathgate’s rich tone, fluid dynamics and imaginative phrasing captured the magic.” Equally at home in both the concert hall and the rock club, Ashley focuses on presenting concerts that draw from a wide range of musical genres. Her dedication to performing traditional music is equally matched by her passion to promote new music by today’s composers. She is a member of the award winning, internationally acclaimed Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Metropolis Ensemble and three chamber groups of which she is a founding member: TwoSense, Bonjour and the newly formed collaboration, Samadhi. She has recorded for Nonesuch, Naxos, Cantaloupe Music, Albany Records and La-La Land Records.

Ashley received her bachelor’s degree from Bard College and a master’s degree from Yale University where she studied with renowned cellist and professor, Aldo Parisot. She currently resides in Manhattan, NY.