Lisa Lipton recently interviewed Greg Ewer, founder of 45^th Parallel and member of the Pyxis Quartet, about the Friends of Greg concert series and its continuing evolution. Our upcoming F.O.G. concert on May 23rd features cellist Leo Eguchi.

Lisa: How did this upcoming F.O.G. concert with Leo Eguchi come about?

Greg: Leo and I have been playing together for years at the Willamette Valley Chamber Music Festival. Leo and his wife Sasha have always come up with compelling programs. They like to mix old and new music, which is something I always like to do as well. I feel very kindred with them and how they program. About two years ago, Leo told me about this program he was developing, one that showcases the reckoning we are having in classical music with the social and political situation in America. As the child of immigrants, Leo sought out immigrant and first generation American composers, ones with similar backgrounds and stories to tell through this art form. Many of these pieces were commissioned especially for Leo for this solo cello program. Leo’s wife Sasha grew up in Portland, so there’s a special tie to the Pacific Northwest for this Boston-based cellist.

Lisa: What’s the history of the F.O.G. concerts?

Greg: The F.O.G. concerts represent a continuation of the first nine years of the 45^th Parallel programming philosophy, before the group morphed into a member-based collective. I’ve always been interested in the combination of unusual and standard chamber or classical repertoire together in one show. A concert I’m recalling, one that featured my old teacher’s favorite classical works and jazz compositions on the same program, was inspired by Sergiu Luca and Joe Venuti, and it was one of the first examples of this sort of collaboration, back in 2011-2012. These kinds of shows, ones that sort of mix up what chamber music can be, have always been really exciting to me.

I more recently did a Scandinavian concert with Greig, Nielsen, and some of the folk tunes that the Danish String Quartet had arranged. The show also featured guests on the hardanger fiddle and the Swedish nyckelharpa. The nyckelharpa is a sort of threaded fiddle with sympathetic strings and a sweet sound, while the hardanger fiddle has a heartier, rustic sound. With both of these instruments on the program, it added some depth of folk and different rhythmic ideas that have inspired chamber music. We also had a world premiere from local composer Kenji Bunch, which set the audience up to hear some origin music in the folk instruments, some standard chamber repertoire that showed how the music evolved over time, and a brand new piece that continues the tradition of writing in the classical style while being inspired by newer ideas, the surroundings of where you are, and the musicians you’re working with.

Lisa: When deciding to program a F.O.G. concert, what goes into it?

Greg: F.O.G. concerts are so different every time. The Tristan Bliss concert was inspired by a dialogue happening all over town. Sometimes I’m inspired by a single piece. It’s always difficult to say where the alchemy really starts, but once the thought process starts going, it’s off to the races, and a concert presents itself.

In thinking about this, two of my favorite concerts in the F.O.G. series come to mind. The first is Many Voices of the Violin, which included Irish fiddler Kevin Burke and French Violinist Gilles Apap. This concert showcased a ton of unique fiddle and violin music from around the world, so that was pretty special for me as a violinist to see origin stories through music.

The other concert that was really special was I Spat in the Eye of Hate and Lived, a concert that featured Micah Fletcher in the aftermath of the 2017 MAX stabbing tragedy. We commissioned four poems from him, and then four pieces of music to match the poetry. This was really unique and moving.

Lisa: How does the future of F.O.G. look?

Greg Ewer: I’m excited to bring programming inspired by current trends in music, politics, and my community, and to create programs that work with those elements and different kinds of instrumentation. Mixing standard classical instruments and folk instruments together is of great interest to me. I want to make collages with the big messy world that is classical music, as well as folk and other styles of music. For me and the F.O.G. series, that’s where the future of chamber music experiences are going. I’m inspired by the evolution we are in, and hope to continue to provide more that expands the canon and listening experiences for our audiences.

A good analogy for how I think of 45^th Parallel through F.O.G. and myself as a playing member is that it’s almost like a musical food cart pod: a buffet of different things are all living and cohabitating in the same area. You can try a little bit of everything during our seasons!

Lisa Lipton
Executive Director, 45^th Parallel Universe