MUSE/IQUE Uncorked Series: HUMAN/INSTRUMENT Explores Musicality Of The Human Body

MUSE/IQUE, Pasadena's pioneering live music organization, continues its signature Uncorked series with HUMAN/INSTRUMENT, a multi-faceted musical journey into health and wellness, that will showcase the artistic and creative reaches within the human body, and explore sound in its purest form. Featuring L.A.-Based indie pop/electronic a capella group Arora and extreme body percussion ensemble Molodi, each artist will create music using simple, human "instruments" such as breath, voice, heartbeat and the body itself. This event takes place at Huntington Hospital on Sunday, April 8.

This concert will also feature the artwork of David Kremers, a conceptual artist who transforms MRI data into Impressionist-like paintings, and dancers performing choreography by Jackie Kopcsak, Assistant Professor of Practice at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

In keeping with MUSE/IQUE's tradition of creating collaborative experiences that connect the venue environment to the performance, HUMAN/INSTRUMENT will take place at Huntington Hospital, which provides the perfect backdrop for an evening that explores the elaborate and expressive musicality of the human body.

Prior to the performances, beginning at 5pm, guests can enjoy the MUSE/IQUE Health Fair, a carnival of interactive activities and surprises, that will include fun and informative experiences such as the opportunity to explore the relationship between music and heart rate, and match your heartbeat with song; an optical and auditory illusion designed to challenge the senses; CPR instruction; and a music therapy jam session. Huntington Hospital faculty and advanced practitioners will guide each of these activities and more throughout the fair.

MUSE/IQUE's Uncorked series is designed to break conventions by eliminating barriers, deconstructing music and carefully curating experiences within improvised urban venues for extraordinary performances. Venues include warehouses, factories, schools, and iconic cultural locales in Pasadena. MUSE/IQUE partners with inspiring artists who share their passion for collaborative exploration of non-traditional performance. Each Uncorked performance is preceded by a wine reception, and opportunities to mingle and explore the iconic locales that serve as the impromptu venues for the series.

Upcoming MUSE/IQUE events include:

FREE/SKATE, May 6, Pasadena Ice Skating Center

Rekindling the pure magic and joy of last year's visit to the Pasadena Ice Skating Center, MUSE/IQUE invites you to an up-close experience of the ultimate pair - sublime live music and dazzling figure skating. Away from the worlds of sport and competition, Rachael Worby leads a symphony of artists in this intimate and exhilarating event of discovery.

STATES/UNITED: Mapping Musical America, June 30, July 28, August 25, The Huntington

MUSE/IQUE's summer music series will continue under a new collaboration with The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens on June 30, July 28 and August 25, 2018. Performances will take place at the Brown Garden Lawn, adjacent to the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art. STATES/UNITED: Mapping Musical America is a three-part series of live music events at the Huntington that will celebrate and explore our unique American sound. Please visit http://muse-ique.com/events.php for more information.

About ARORA

ARORA has created a genre all their own, combining organic vocal harmony and beatboxing with striking electronic production. ARORA takes the stage with nothing but five voices and their rig of effects pedals and loop stations to bring their cinematic, all-vocal dream pop to life. The group formed in 2008, first performing unique cover arrangements of some of their favorite artists (Bon Iver, Imogen Heap, Bjork, Radiohead, Sara Bareilles, Fleet Foxes, and more). Years of touring, recording, performing and growing individually and collectively as artists led the way to their stunning, all-original 2013 release Bioluminescence. They are currently finishing up a new EP of original songs, which will be released later this year.

About Molodi

MOLODI is a performance ensemble that takes body percussion to the extreme. MOLODI blends collegiate stepping, tap, gumboots, beatbox, poetry and hip hop dance with guerilla theatre and robust personalities that bring to life a high-energy, rhythmic experience. Co-founded by performing artists Jason Nious, Khalid Freeman and Antwan Davis, they share a passion to experiment and push the boundaries of STEPPING. Individually they have created, choreographed and performed worldwide with several Cirque du Soleil shows, STOMP, Step Afrika! and the #1 hit movie Stomp The Yard (1&2). MOLODI brings a fresh perspective to the performing arts world using a unique blend of traditional and contemporary percussive dance styles...smothered in a big dollop of funk.

About Jackie Kopcsak

Jackie Kopcsak is thrilled to be collaborating with MUSE/IQUE once again. She previously created choreography for the Summer 2016 production of PERFECT/UNION. Jackie is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in Los Angeles, California, where she teaches ballet, repertoire, dance history and a performing arts Maymester in Paris, France. She received her dance training through Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington, where she frequently performed with the company in such works as Kent

Stowell's The Nutcracker and The Firebird, George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Paul Taylor's Company B. She has danced for several regional ballet companies and has performed principal roles in the classical ballet repertoire as well as in original contemporary works and various musical theatre productions. As a choreographer, Jackie has created work for ballet and opera companies, musical theatre ensembles, symphony orchestras and museums throughout the West Coast. In 2015, she co-founded the interdisciplinary ArtistsPlus Productions [www.artistsplus.org], and has since collaborated with many of the leading arts organizations in Los Angeles. Jackie holds a B.A. in History from the University of Washington, Seattle, and an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of California, Irvine. For more information please visit www.jackiekopcsakdance.com.

About Huntington Hospital
Huntington Hospital, www.huntingtonhospital.org, is a 619-bed not-for-profit hospital in Pasadena, California. We are named among the top hospitals in California and nationally ranked in two specialties by U.S. News and World Report. Learn more about us on Facebook www.facebook.com/huntingtonmemorialhospital and on Twitter @huntingtonnews.

About MUSE/IQUE

MUSE/IQUE is a nonprofit, professional counter-conventional orchestra and music presenter that redefines how people actively engage with live music. Under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director Rachael Worby, MUSE/IQUE has become a major cultural presence and pioneering platform that provides diverse and educational experiences accessible to all. Through ongoing, collaborative explorations of non-traditional performance contexts and formats, MUSE/IQUE employs the city itself as an improvised venue for events. The music and performances are curated with the physical space and surrounding community as informing the art-making process, rather than serving as a backdrop, illuminating those unexpected connections which bring a sense of joy and empowerment to audiences. In its brief six-year history, MUSE/IQUE has served nearly 34,000 people and is dedicated to building a passionate and diverse audience through its programs, which include:

UNCORKED - MUSE/IQUE's signature series Uncorked consists of five live music events set in iconic locations throughout the city. Each event is curated around a theme that ties directly or subliminally to the physical environment. With mixed eclectic seating for 400-600, Uncorked emphasizes intimate, shared experiences that enliven audience thinking.

MUSE/IQUE's SUMMER - The centerpiece orchestral festival of the programming year, MUSE/IQUE's Summer is a three-part series featuring a full orchestra and enriched repertoire. The 2018 summer series continues under a new collaboration with The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens on June 30, July 28 and August 25, 2018. Aptly titled STATES/UNITED: Mapping Musical America, the 2018 series celebrates and explores our unique American sound. Please visit http://muse-ique.com/events.php for more information.

FREE/FOR ALL - MUSE/IQUE produces one free live music event annually in conjunction with Pasadena's city-wide ArtNight festival. This family-friendly series is a participatory dance party that serves 5,000-6,000 in the plaza of Paseo Colorado's Garfield Promenade.

MUSE/IQUE COMMUNITY - MUSE/IQUE creates curriculum-based, small group music interactions that engage participants in a deeper experience of the repertoire and ideas behind each event. Formerly known as KIDS/IQUE, these community programs began serving foster and at-risk youth and have expanded to serve senior citizens at our partnering organizations.

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