This concert will present a collection of solo pieces written by composer Joseph Klein based on character studies from Elias Canetti's book Der Ohrenzeuge (The Earwitness) and will culminate in a performance of Klein's improvisational work Canetti-menagerie, which allows the performers to develop the material from their respective pieces in a group setting. 

The concert will feature recitations of Canetti's character studies by Klein, in conjunction with performances by Elizabeth McNutt (piccolo), Kimberly Cole Luevano (basset horn), Jaymee Haefner (harp), Tony Devroye (viola), Colin Stokes (cello), Gregory Beyer (marimba), Dave Hall (percussion), and Anne Maker (bass flute). 

"Canetti-menagerie is a semi-improvisational open form work for two to eight performers, based on the composer’s collection of solo works after character studies in Elias Canetti's book Der Ohrenzeuge (The Earwitness). In this work, the performers improvise in various combinations, developing musical fragments from these solo studies, which are used as raw material for a variety of musical conversations — not unlike the interaction of distinct personalities at a social gathering. Whereas the solo works in this collection explore the psychological qualities of the characters portrayed in Canetti's Der Ohrenzeuge, Canetti-menagerie is more of a sociological study of these characters' various relationships — very much in the spirit of another work by Canetti, Masse und Macht (Crowds and Power), an idiosyncratic yet penetrating study of group dynamics and power structures within various societal contexts." - Joseph Klein