The University of Richmond’s ensemble-in-residence, eighth blackbird, is up for three Grammy nominations for its album “strange imaginary animals.”

The album — the group’s fourth for Chicago-based Cedille Records — is nominated for: Best Chamber Music Performance; Best Classical Contemporary Composition for “Zaka,” the album’s first track, written by Jennifer Higdon; and Best Producer of the Year, Classical, for Judith Sherman, the album’s producer.

Albert plays violin and viola for the sextet. The group’s other members are: Tim Munro, flute; Michael J. Maccaferri, clarinet; Nicholas Photinos, cello; Matthew Duvall, percussion; and Lisa Kaplan, piano.

In a telephone interview from Chicago, where he lives, Albert said the Grammy nominations were “a huge, huge surprise. We’re thrilled and honored.”

Kudos to The Winchester Star who not only picked up the story, but also provided links at the end of the story to the eighth blackbird website, and a link on where to get Grammy results when they are announced. Exactly what our local news should be doing when they publish an online article.

We are so lucky in the Near West End — the University of Richmond constantly bring fabulous performances here that would othewise skip Richmond. Arlo Guthrie, Ira Glass, from NPR’s This American Life, Bobby McFerrin and D.J. Spooky are all coming this spring to the Modlin Center.
Look here for upcoming reviews of these performances. In the meantime, check out the Modlin Center’s calendar. They are constantly adding additional show times as ticket sell out.
These are the kind of performances that you can pretty much pick any one, maybe even someone you’ve never heard of and go and as your are leaving them say, “that was amazing! How did I not know about that performer?”
One such performer is D.J. Spooky and his Rebirth of a Nation. [via]

“Where other DJs remix songs, adding beats and blending melodies, Miller remixes culture in his style—blending music and as a writer, producer, critic, philosopher and multimedia artist.” —Philadelphia Daily News

After a two-year world tour, conceptual artist, writer and musician DJ Spooky will bring his acclaimed multimedia performance piece Rebirth of a Nation to the Modlin Center. An audio and visual re-imagining of D.W. Griffith’s groundbreaking and polarizing 1915 classic, The Birth of a Nation, the work combines DJ Spooky’s celebrated skills as a club DJ, multimedia storyteller and social critic to transform the silent era epic into a mesmerizing commentary on political corruption and racism. Rebirth of a Nation has drawn acclaim around the world, from the Herod Atticus Theater at the base of the Acropolis in Greece to the London IMAX, Europe’s largest movie screen.

Plus, the Modlin Center has its own blog! How cool is that? Complete with a link to audience reviews and comments.

I remember way back in the early 90’s when I worked for Style Weekly, my editor, Sue Robinson-Sain, asked me to cover a short story on how UR’s Modlin Center had just hired Kathy Panoff as its new director. I covered it but never really understood what a boon to UR and Richmond it would be until now. She has really done so much to improve the quality of performances here in Richmond.