Wet Ink is pleased to present a program of two extended works by composer-performers Sam Pluta and
Eric Wubbels, with violinist Josh Modney. Sam Pluta’s hydra and Eric Wubbels’s “the children of fire come
looking for fire” are shining examples of Wet Ink’s philosophy – two works written in close collaboration with
the performers, rooted in years of shared experience with a tight-knit group of musicians, and played in
concert with ferocity, commitment, and expressivity seldom found in performances of contemporary music.

The Wet Ink Ensemble has been at the forefront of chamber music and composition in New York City for
over 15 years, and has earned an international reputation as one of America's most committed and virtuosic
contemporary music ensembles, lauded for performances which “combine striking stylistic and aesthetic
assurance with technical perfection” (Torsten Möller, Dissonanz). This trio formation of Wet Ink debuted in
January 2015 for a tour of the UK, including performances in Clapham, Manchester, Birmingham, and at the
renowned experimental venue Café OTO in London.

Eric Wubbels's "the children of fire come looking for fire" for violin and prepared piano is a work of extremes,
juxtaposing intense ensemble virtuosity, grinding noise, and extended repetition with moments of bare, direct
simplicity and just intonation. A work of exceeding musical and technical demands, “the children of fire…” is
performed from memory.

Best known for his improvisation work with Peter Evans and Rocket Science (with Evan Parker, Craig
Taborn, and Peter Evans), Sam Pluta's "hydra" combines his interests in live processing, acousmatic "tape
music", acoustic composition, and improvisation. Pluta's incredibly virtuosic live electronics performance
practice will be showcased, joined by Eric Wubbels (piano) and Josh Modney (violin).
Wet Ink Trio performing in Birmingham, UK (2015)

PROGRAM
ERIC WUBBELS: "the children of fire come looking for fire" (2012) [25']
for violin and prepared piano
SAM PLUTA: "hydra" (2014) [25']
for violin, piano, and live electronics

PERFORMERS
Josh Modney, violin
Eric Wubbels, piano
Sam Pluta, live electronics

MEDIA
Video from the premiere of “the children of fire…” (Chelsea, New York City)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOhxBYrmO1M
Audio from live performance of hydra (Manchester, UK)
http://www.sampluta.com/compositionHydra.html

COMPOSER-PERFORMER BIOGRAPHIES

ERIC WUBBELS is a composer and pianist with the Wet Ink Ensemble. His music has been performed
throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S., by groups such as the Wet Ink Ensemble, KNM-Berlin, Yarn|Wire,
Ensemble Linea, and the Mivos Quartet, and featured on festivals including the Zurich Tage für Neue Musik
(2013), Metz Festival (2014), and MATA Festival (2012). As a performer, he has given U.S. and world
premieres of works by major figures such as Peter Ablinger, Richard Barrett, Michael Finnissy, Beat Furrer,
George Lewis, and recorded for hat[now)ART, Carrier Records, Spektral, and Quiet Design.
Known internationally for his laptop performances with groups like Wet Ink, The Peter Evans Quintet, and
Rocket Science, New York City-based composer/improviser SAM PLUTA is Technical Director and
electronics performer for the Wet Ink Ensemble. As a composer, he has been commissioned and premiered
by Mivos Quartet, Yarn/Wire, ICE, Timetable Percussion, RIOT Trio, So Percussion, Dave Eggar, and Prism
Saxophone Quartet and has performed internationally as a laptop soloist and chamber musician - with
appearances at the Donaueschingen Festival, the Moers Festival, Bimhaus, Porgy and Bess, and the Vortex,
amongst other international venues and festivals. A devoted pedagogue, he directs the Electronic Music
Studio at Manhattan School of Music and holds the John Plude Faculty Chair in Computer Musicianship at
the Walden School, where is also Academic Dean. Sam's music is released on quiet design and Carrier
Records, a label he runs with Jeff Snyder and David Franzson, and his performances can also be found on
More Is More, Tzadik, and hat[now]ART. Sam holds a Doctorate in Music Composition from Columbia
University.

JOSH MODNEY is a NYC-based violinist dedicated to performing contemporary music, collaborating
closely with composers on new work over extended time periods, and exploring innovative interpretations of
classical music. Joshua is violinist and Executive Director of the Wet Ink Ensemble and a founding member
of Mivos Quartet. Hailed as “superb” and “flamboyant”, “a new-music luminary” (New York Times), Joshua
has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at festivals and concert series across four continents, and
was a featured solo performer at the 2013 Zürich Tage für Neue Musik. He has presented hundreds of
premieres, and worked closely with major figures including Helmut Lachenmann, George Lewis, Christian
Wolff, and Peter Ablinger. Collaboration has long been a focus, and he has developed new large-scale work
with Kate Soper, Alex Mincek, Eric Wubbels, Sam Pluta, and Rick Burkhardt, among others. Joshua has
recorded for Carrier Records, Deutsche Grammophon, hat[now]ART, and Tzadik Records.

ABOUT WET INK ENSEMBLE
"Wet Ink doesn't so much cross boundaries as disregard them."
-Time Out New York
“Wet Ink combined technical finesse with a palpable commitment...”
-The New York Times
"No group was more bracingly thought-provoking and expansive than the Wet Ink Ensemble.
These seven New York musicians/composers are fearless…"
-The San Francisco Classical Voice

For over 15 years, the New York-based Wet Ink Ensemble has presented concerts featuring consistently
diverse, fresh and exciting repertoire. The group has commissioned, premiered and recorded works by many
of today's most promising emerging composers, while also collaborating with a broad range of renowned
artists, from Evan Parker and George Lewis to Christian Wolff, Peter Ablinger, Weasel Walter, and Zs.

Wet Ink most commonly performs as a septet comprised of a core group of composer- performers that
collaborate in a band-like fashion, writing, improvising, preparing, and touring pieces together over long
stretches of time. The approach has allowed the ensemble to develop a uniquely exciting performance
practice, and Wet Ink has won praise for its “staggering" performances (Sound Projector, UK), “combining
striking stylistic and aesthetic assurance with technical perfection (Dissonanz, Switzerland).”

The group also regularly functions as a large ensemble comprised of an extended network of soloists,
dedicated to pushing musical boundaries. The Wet Ink Large Ensemble has given the U.S. premieres of
works by major figures such as Peter Ablinger, Beat Furrer, Phil Niblock, and Matthias Spahlinger, as well as
younger artists such as Bryn Harrison, James Saunders, and Simon Steen-Andersen.

Presented by the CNMAT Users Group

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Sunday, May 31, 2015, 4:00am to 6:00am
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