Cascadia Composers is celebrating the centennial of the birth of Gyὂrgy Ligeti, the composer whose music captured the ear of the public when film directors, including Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese, used his stunning sounds in films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Shutter Island, and Eyes Wide Shut. The concert will feature works from throughout Ligeti’s career, including Six Bagatelles for wind quintet, selections from his Etudes for Piano (which inspired the biggest epidemic of etude-writing since the days of Chopin), and his surrealistic fantasy for soprano and piano, Mysteries of the Macabre.

The concert will also feature premieres by members of Cascadia Composers whose music reflects Ligeti’s continuing, inspiring influence today: Portland composer and Lewis & Clark professor Michael Johanson; Portland composer, pianist, and educator Gary Noland; Eugene-based composer and pianist Paul Safar; Bay Area composers John Bilotta and Antonio Celaya; European-trained composer Alex Shapira, and Italian composer, pianist and sound designer Daria Baiocchi.

Performers will include wind ensemble Arcturus Quintet, coloratura soprano Madeline Ross, violinist Emily Cole, and pianists Myrna Setiawan, Rebecca Stager, Colleen Adent, Ben Gimm and Alexander Schwarzkopf. The Arcturus Quintet features Joe Berger, horn; Zachariah Galatis, flute; James Shields, clarinet; Steve Vacchi, bassoon; and Karen Wagner, oboe.