Forest in Hawai‘i
Film still from the sky in our hands, our hands in the sky (2023). Courtesy Leilehua Lanzilotti
Performance, Free

for Toshiko: new works by Leilehua Lanzilotti

Sunday, March 24, 2024
6:30 pm–8 pm
Free with RSVP

In conjunction with Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within, The Noguchi Museum presents for Toshiko: new works by Leilehua Lanzilotti, including the world premiere of Lanzilotti’s piano trio for Toshiko—an exploration of the shifting resonance of Takaezu’s bronze bells—as well as other original compositions connected with Takaezu’s work.

Lanzilotti has long been captivated by Takaezu’s engagement with sound and her capacity to construct multisensory landscapes. As a part of the exhibition Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within, Lanzilotti created a sound guide to introduce visitors to the full haptic wonder of Takaezu’s work, as well as a video installation that pairs the recorded sounds of Takaezu’s closed forms with footage shot on the island of Hawaiʻi. This unique concert program is an extension of Lanzilotti’s curation and scholarship around the exhibition.

This performance will be roughly one hour and features the New York-based ensemble Longleash. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Guests are encouraged to explore the exhibition before the concert begins. The concert will be followed by a small reception.

Performers

Leilehua Lanzilotti, viola

Longleash
Pala Garcia, violin
John Popham, cello
Julia den Boer, piano

 

Concert Program

koʻu inoa (2017) by Lanzilotti
A homesick bariolage based on the anthem Hawaiʻi Aloha. koʻu inoa translates from ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to “my name is” and explores a longing for home and the meaning of identity. 


for Toshiko (2022) by Lanzilotti
I. to see—
II. to touch—
III. to sound—
IV. to you—
A work exploring the shifting resonances of Toshiko Takaezu’s bronze bells, particularly those at her former studio and home in Quakertown, New Jersey. The second movement honors Takaezu’s Rainforest Bell (1998), sounded in honor of Tessa Butler in Seattle, Washington.


Mahina from with eyes the color of time (2020) by Lanzilotti
Composition inspired by Toshiko Takaezu’s Moons, a series of ceramic sculptures she often referred to by the Hawaiian word, mahina. This is a movement from with eyes the color of time, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music 2022, inspired by the works in the collection of The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, which permanently closed its doors in 2019.


Bronze Bell Activation in the Garden
Sounding of Toshiko Takaezu’s bronze Bell (2004) on view in The Noguchi Museum Garden, a living space where the noises of the city and nature meet, and echoes of Noguchi’s dialogue with stone resound.

Leilehua Lanzilotti
Leilehua Lanzilotti

Leilehua Lanzilotti (b. 1983) is a Kanaka Maoli composer / sound artist. A “leading composer-performer” (New York Times), Lanzilotti’s work is characterized by expansive explorations of timbre. Lanzilotti’s practice explores radical indigenous contemporaneity, integrating community engagement into the heart of projects. By world-building through multimedia installation works and nontraditional concert experiences/musical interventions, Lanzilotti’s works activate imagination around new paths forward in language sovereignty, water sovereignty, land stewardship, and respect. Uplifting others by crafting projects that support both local communities and economy, the work inspires hope to continue. For a complete bio, please visit leilehualanzilotti.com.

Longleash Photo Pascal Perich
Longleash

Longleash (Pala Garcia, violin; John Popham, cello; Julia Den Boer, piano) is an ensemble with a traditional instrumentation and a progressive identity. “Fearlessly accomplished” (Arts Desk UK), Longleash has quickly earned a reputation for innovative programming, artistic excellence and new music advocacy. Recent and upcoming engagements include Five Boroughs Music Festival (NYC), Electric Earth Concerts, Princeton Sound Kitchen, (le) Poisson Rouge, Bowerbird, Ecstatic Music Festival, National Sawdust, and the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center. In the 2023–24 season, Longleash premieres new works by Katherine Balch, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Adrian Knight, and Igor Santos at venues including Miller Theatre, University of Louisville, nienteForte, and Kaufman Center. Longleash has premiered over 30 works, and received critical acclaim for their “tight playing,” “lucid interpretations,” and “inspired” premiere recordings (Tempo). In 2015, Longleash founded The Loretto Project, an annual new music series and tuition-free composition workshop that supports promising collegiate composers while presenting socially-minded programs and celebrating diverse cultural perspectives. longleash.org

Julia Den Boer is a Yamaha Artist. Yamaha CF6 premium piano provided by Yamaha Artist Services New York.

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