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Renga

Renga is an ensemble of friends and colleagues from University of California, San Diego; the San Diego Symphony, and beyond. Led by Artistic Directors Kate Hatmaker and Steven Schick, Renga unites the most recent and provocative contemporary music with established classical repertoire in settings ranging from solos and small ensembles to full chamber orchestra. The 2014–15 season includes several premieres and collaborations with ICE and Wu Man, as well as performances at the Carlsbad Music Festival, TEDx San Diego, UC San Diego, and the Ojai Music Festival. Taking its name from a thousand-year-old Japanese tradition of “shared writing,” Renga seeks to create a progressive forum of shared artistic vision, community outreach, and reflection on the impact of art on our lives. Renga is art for people.

 

"Every instrumentalist in this ensemble earned the hearty applause from the Prebys Concert Hall audience, but allow me to highlight some of the more notable contributions: oboist Andrea Overturf and violinist Kate Hatmaker’s melting, sumptuous duo at the opening of the second movement; Benjamin Jaber’s noble horn calls in the opening movement; Rose Lombardo’s eloquent flute counterpoint in the sixth movement “Der Abschied,” and Shaoai Zhang’s sparkling, precise piano articulations throughout the work." -Ken Herman of San Diego Story (Read full review).