In his close to two decades in New York City, Brandon Seabrook has garnered international acclaim for his sui generis approach to the electric guitar, which astounds with tremolo pyrotechnics and an entropic sensibility. Seabrook’s newest ensemble features young upright bassist Henry Fraser (Anthony Coleman, The Full Salon) and cellist Daniel Levin (Tony Malaby, Mat Maneri), two revolutionary string players who have been working in various creative ensembles in Brooklyn for years. Together, the string trio tackles Seabrook’s thorny compositions, which perpetually surprise and unseat the listener throughout Convulsionaries, the trio’s debut release. Displaying frightening rhythmic precision as they oscillate between ominous repeating ostinatos, angular and intricate counterpoint, executed with massive dynamic range that can change in a nanosecond, the trio guides listeners through a gauntlet of emotional spaces, turning impending doom into a deep cathartic release.

Cosponsored by: Center for Advanced Study, Division of Musicology, Illinois Student Association of Music Scholars (ISAMS), Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Robert E. Brown Center for World Music, School of Music