Lately the guilty parties have been Erik Kofoed, Nicole Randall, Bill Pritchard, Caroline Stutzman, Paul Poovey, Josh Crook, Kiyo Kojima, Rob Holman, Brendon Bushman, Catharine Sinon, Reis McCullough, Dan Wions, Jessica Wyatt, Scott Millichamp, Adam Mirza, Samantha Wittchen and others who’s families have yet to be notified.
Influences
Bernstein, Mr. Bungle, J.S. Bach, Goran Bregovic, Zero 7, Stravinsky, Jerseyband, Copland, Bjork, Sibelius, Eminem, PDQ Bach, Bobby McFerrin, Mozart, Wu Tang, Wagner, and everyone else too
Sounds Like
A cross between the local symphony musicians on a bender and punk rock kids playing a prog-rock ballad. But with lots of bassoon.
Mission Statement: To perform classical and other musics in a fun and engaging way, giving all audiences an aesthetic and communal experience and greater enjoyment of all music.
Brain child of composer/performer Erik Kofoed, Mercury Season is a collective of virtuoso Classical/Popular musicians that grew out of a desire to perform world-class music that audiences would enjoy and care about. Shaped by experiences at the Eastman School of Music and with the Prism Brass Quintet, Lake Effect Winds, Align, and Trillofon; Erik has slowly realized that transcendent musical experiences happen when people understand the language of the music. Common elements exist in nearly all musical languages and Popular elements are the lifeblood of great music. These are the keys to unlock the mysteries of Classical and unfamiliar musics. Not only that, but much of the so called ’Pop’ music of the last 50 years will live forever alongside Bach and Beethoven. The trick for classical musicians is finding how to perform music effectively when the written notes alone aren’t the entire experience.
In this vein, Mercury Season presents varied, but connected music, with non-classical performance methods and the virtuosity to deeply affect listeners.
