New season of Southern Exposure music series kicks off Friday

The University of South Carolina School of Music kicks off the 2015-16 season of its groundbreaking music series Southern Exposure Friday with Classical Discrimination by the Argento Chamber Ensemble.

Founded in 2000, the New York-based ensemble is renowned for its innovative collaborations with new and classic composers, as well as its technical skill.

One of the highlights of the program is a new rendition of Gustav Mahler’s never completed 10th symphony.

“The work contains Mahler’s most advanced and modern musical innovations, but more importantly to the modern ear, musically communicates complex emotions such as guilt, regret, ambivalence, and jealousy,” said Michel Galante, Argento’s artistic director. “This arrangement for chamber ensemble (woodwinds, horn, strings, and piano – 11 players in all) explores the more intimate aspects of these fragments.”

Adventurous and often daring, Southern Exposure celebrates contemporary classical music with diverse programming and interaction between music and disciplines like film, dance and theater.

“Not only are people playing music that is beautiful and innovative; as in this Mahler arrangement, artists are constantly finding creative and engaging ways to interpret and present music they play as well,” said Michael Harley, director of Southern Exposure. “This is really the approach of all of our guests this year – they are phenomenal players, to be sure, but also are looking at new and exciting ways to present great music.”

Classical Discrimination will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the USC School of Music Recital Hall. The program is free.

For more information, visit www.sc.edu.

Katie McElveen, Special to The State