ENSEMBLE NOAMNESIA IS A GROUP OF MUSICIANS PLAYING NEW AND EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC. FOUNDED BY COMPOSER GENE COLEMAN IN CHICAGO IN 1987, THE GROUP NOW CONSISTS OF ABOUT 10 MUSICIANS WHO WORK ON A PROJECT-BY-PROJECT BASIS. ALL THE PLAYERS COME FROM A CLASSICAL MUSIC BACKGROUND, BUT ARE EQUALLY VERSED IN NEW TYPES OF INTERPRETATION AND INSTRUMENTAL SOUND PRODUCTION, AS WELL AS IMPROVISATION.

THE GROUP IS DEVOTED TO PLAYING MUSIC THAT INVITES NEW WAYS OF LISTENING.

ENSEMBLE NOAMNESIA HAS PERFORMED AT MANY VENUES IN CHICAGO, THE MIDWEST AND INTERNATIONALLY. THEY HAVE PLAYED NUMEROUS CONCERTS AT THE RENAISSANCE SOCIETY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, ARTS CLUB OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER, MUSEUM OF CONTEMPOARY ART AND HOT HOUSE. IN 1997, THE GROUP EMBARKED ON A SERIES OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS, STARTING WITH A RESIDENCY BY GERMAN COMPOSER HELMUT LACHENMANN, WHICH INCLUDED FOUR CONCERTS OF HIS MUSIC IN COLLABORATION WITH THE GOETHE INSTITUTE, THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART AND THE RENAISSANCE SOCIETY. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY PERFORMANCES AT THE MCA WITH THE BEPPIE BLANKERKT DANCE COMPANY [MUSIC OF CHARLES IVES], A CONCERT OF MUSIC BY GERHARD STAEBLER AND KUNSU SHIM IN NOVEMBER OF 1998 AND TWO CONCERTS OF MUSIC BY GEORGE CRUMB IN MARCH 2000. FEATURED COMPOSERS IN 2001 AND 2002 INCLUDED LUC FERRARI AND OTOMO YOSHIHIDE. THE GROUP PERFORMED IN LUCERNE SWITZERLAND IN MARCH 2004, PLAYING MUSIC BY CHICAGO COMPOSERS. THEY CONTINUE THEIR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS IN 2003, 2004 AND 2005 BY WORKING WITH COMPOSERS MATHIAS SPAHLINGER, BURKHARD STANGL, GENE COLEMAN, VINKO GLOBOKAR, NIC COLLINS, MALCOLM GOLDSTEIN, AMNON WOLMAN, KARLHEINZ ESSL, JENNIFER WALSHE, SALVATORE SCIARRINO, CHAO-MING TUNG, MICHAEL MAIERHOF, YUJI TAKAHASHI AND OTHERS.
"SPELLBINDING IN IT'S QUIET DELICACY" - CHICAGO TRIB.
" EXCELLENT" -- CHICAGO READER

ENSEMBLE MEMBERS:

LISA GOETHE (FLUTES), CRAIG DENNY & GENE COLEMAN (CLARINETS)
STEVE BUTTERS (PERCUSSION), AMY WILLIAMS (PIANO), NELL FLANDERS (VIOLIN)

MICHAEL HALL (VIOLA), MARINA PETERSON (CELLO), MICHAEL CAMERON (DBL. BASS)

REI HOTODA (CONDUCTOR and PIANO)

GUEST ARTISTS INCLUDE HARRY SPARNAAY (BASS CLARINET), BARBARA ANN MARTIN (SOPRANO), PAULO ALVARES (PIANO), MIKE SVOBODA (TROMBONE), ANTON LUKOSZVIEZE (CELLO), JIM O'ROURKE (GUITAR), VINCENT ROYER (VIOLA), PAUL BOWMAN (GUITAR), DIMITRIS MARINOS (MANDOLIN), KO ISHIKAWA (SHO), WU WEI (SHENG), YOKO NISHI (KOTO), TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA (ELECTRONICS), MIN XIAO-FEN (PIPA) AND JULIA BENTLEY (MEZZO-SOPRANO)

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR:

GENE COLEMAN

E-MAIL: coleman7@earthlink.net

ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR:

REI HOTODA

E-MAIL: rei@reihotoda.com