Parallax Concerts — New Histories and Old Futures

“New Histories & Old Futures” challenges expectations around Western historical music and modern music. New compositions by young composers—written in 17th- and 18th-century historical idioms—are paired with 17th- and 18th-century works that employ seemingly modern devices like tone clusters and extended playing techniques. This symmetrical pairing aims to express the circular flows of inspiration within music history and the timelessness of experimentalism.

The program presents historically-styled contemporary works by Ryan Cheng, Nathan Mondry, and José Daniel Vargas alongside Heinrich Biber’s Battalia à 10 (1673), William Herschel’s Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1761), and Jean-Féry Rebel’s Le Cahos & selections from Les Élemens (1737–1738).

Parallax Concerts strives to foster connectivity within the early music and new music scenes of the Bay Area, unifying common missions of diversifying the performance repertory, uplifting local artists, and encouraging a rich, culturally-conscious, holistic atmosphere for musical exploration.