The performance is on Saturday, May 4, 7:30 pm.
The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (The Reser) and Chamber Music Northwest (CMNW) will present lauded musician with local ties, Gabriel Kahane, alongside Finland’s creative powerhouse, Pekka Kuusisto, for their brand new collaboration, Council. At the front end of a North American and Australian tour, this exciting, energizing, and enigmatic Pacific Northwest premiere takes place one night only: Saturday, May 4, 7:30 pm at The Reser, in Beaverton.
After nearly a decade of musical friendship, it seems only fitting that the cult American singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane and iconic Finnish musician Pekka Kuusisto have formalized their collaboration under the moniker Council. Now, they present an evening of intimate and sonically varied songs and chamber music, written during several writing retreats in Northern Karelia and Portland, Oregon.
With this new body of work, Kahane and Kuusisto attempt to locate the universal in the personal and vice versa: here are stories of individual and collective grief; of nostalgia, adolescence, and memory-play; of the joy, wonder, and perplexity of fatherhood in an era of global instability. As they explore and deepen their own friendship on stage, these two relentlessly searching artists offer a musical tapestry depicting the complexities of life in the 21st century.
Gabriel Kahane—piano, voice, electric & acoustic guitars, harmonium, loops
Pekka Kuusisto—violin, voice, harmonium, four-string electric guitar, loops, electronics
This concert features the groundbreaking, new music collaborations of Portland-based Gabriel Kahane and Finnish musician Pekka Kuusisto. The program is rounded out with music by, among others, J. S. Bach and Nico Muhly.
“Council is a new collaboration by two of the most talented musical minds of our time—Gabriel Kahane and Pekka Kuusisto,” said Chris Ayzoukian, Executive Director of Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. “I am not sure what to expect but I know it will be special. Based on their debut digital single that was just released—a beautiful song called Bright Forms—I’m sure this will be an evening to remember with intimate songs in the intimate setting of The Reser. I am excited that we can support this musical collaboration in partnership with Chamber Music Northwest.”
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