RHYS CHATHAM SS A CRIMSON GRAIL ’ (100 GUITAR ORCHESTRA) USA | PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROOM40 John Johnson Photo: RHYS CHATHAM’S A CRIMSON GRAIL ABOUT RHYS CHATHAM (100 GUITAR ORCHESTRA) USA Rhys Chatham is a composer and multi- PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROOM40 instrumentalist from Manhattan, currently CARRIAGEWORKS living in Paris. He was the founder of the 12 & 13 JANUARY music program at The Kitchen in downtown Manhattan in 1971 and was its music director between 1971–73 and 1977–80. Rhys Chatham altered the DNA of rock and created a new type of urban music by fusing Composer & Dan Cunningham Frank Macias the overtone-drenched minimalism of John Conductor Simon Dawes Robert MacManus Cale and Tony Conrad with the relentless, Rhys Chatham Jacob Dawson-Daley Nick Maher elemental fury of the Ramones – the textural intricacies of the avant-garde colliding with Concertmaster Iain Downie Joe Manton the visceral punch of electric guitar-slinging David Daniell James Dunlop Luke Martin punk rock. Section Conductors David Eastwood Gerard Mason With Rhys Chatham’s composition Guitar Lisa MacKinney Max Edgar Asher McLoughlin (1977), he became the first composer to Bonnie Mercer Trio Gary Evesson Mark Morse make use of multiple electric guitars in special Julia Reidy Sam Filmer Louis Mullins tunings to merge the extended-time music David Daniell Justin Finch Ben Murphy of the sixties and seventies with serious hard Producer, Manager Tony Flint Stuart Neale rock. Chatham continued this pursuit over & Technical Director the next decade, culminating in 1989 with Scott Fraser Daniel Nesci Regina Greene, the composition and performance of his first Front Porch Productions John Gnanasekaran Carla Oliver symphony for an orchestra of one hundred Andrew Green Liam O'Shea electric guitars, An Angel Moves Too Fast to Audio Technician Harry Hadley Stephen O'Sullivan See. June 1993, An Angel Moves Too Fast to Pascal Bence David Hall Natalie Parker See was presented at the Brisbane Biennial, ORCHESTRA Guy Harris Nathan Penzer which was the first and only time one of Chatham’s large orchestras was presented David Akerman Finn Healy Seth Rees in Australia, and he has not returned since. Chris Alexander Thomas Heymann Gene Robinson Rhys has subsequently composed three other Lukey Andersen Andrew Hiscox Mitchell Ryan works for large guitar orchestra, A Crimson Richard Anderson Daniel Holmes David Sattout Grail (indoor version) in 2005 (written for Scott Andrew Matthew Hurt Marcus Skinner 400 guitars), A Secret Rose in 2008 (written for 100 guitars), and finally,A Crimson Grail Simeon Bartholomew Nathanael Hutchison Jason Steffen (outdoor version) in 2009 (written for 200 Michael Beach Jarrah Jones Tom Sullivan electric guitars and 16 electric basses), which Andrew Bell Owen Keenan Joseph Tabua was released on Nonesuch Records in the fall Clifford Blake Aaron Kell Luke Telford of 2010. Jonathan Boulet Liberty Kerr Gregory J Thorsby Chatham continues to write for his Rhys Bourke Sam Kluge Michael Trifunovic orchestras of 100–200 electric guitars. Will Bouzas Peter Kossen Joseph Trotman Recent performances of A Secret Rose, his Gary Browne Andrew La Grouw Lachlan Vercoe latest composition for 100 guitars, were mounted in San Francisco Bay Area 2013 James Buckingham John Laidler Matt Wakeling and Birmingham (UK) 2014. Damien Cassidy Nick Leighton Chris Wilson Jaiden Clarke Sarah Lorien Danny Yau The 2018 Sydney Festival performance of A Crimson Grail for 100 electric guitars will Aaron Clarke Terry Lyndon be the Australian premiere..