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Series 1: Unlocking Your Inner Composer with the PRISM Quartet and Susie Ibarra at The Free Library of Philadelphia

Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Philadelphia Regional Library
Philadelphia, PA

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Series 1: Unlocking Your Inner Composer with the PRISM Quartet and Susie Ibarra at The Free Library of Philadelphia

Unlocking Your Inner Composer is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with virtuoso musicians to bring your own musical story to life.

The PRISM Quartet, a world-renowned all-sax ensemble, is joining forces with groundbreaking composer/percussionist Susie Ibarra in a series of free workshops at the Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Philadelphia Regional Library located at 68 W Chelten Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19144.

Participants are invited to compose their own works for PRISM
and Ibarra exploring musical color by combining saxophones and percussion.

Workshops will take place in "The Pit" of the Coleman Library, as follows:
Workshop 1. Saturday, April 28, 2018: noon - 1 PM
Workshop 2. Saturday, May 5, 2018: Noon - 1 PM
Workshop 3. Sunday, May 13, 2018: 1:00 - 2:15 PM

The workshops precede Color Theory 2.0, free concerts by PRISM, Ibarra, and Tyshawn Sorey at the Free Library on June 2nd and 4th featuring world premieres of new works by both guest artists (read about the concerts at https://www.prismquartet.com/concerts/color-theory-2-0/).

Workshops are open to teens and adults, from those without prior musical training or compositional experience to advanced level musicians/composers in search of new techniques and challenges.

Space is limited. In order to accommodate as many aspiring composers as possible, participants may sign up for a single series of three workshops. Participants are required to attend all three workshops within their series.

Each series of workshops will culminate in a performance of participants' compositions by PRISM and Ibarra. Participants may join performances of their works, using their own instruments or instruments on loan from the Parkway Central Library music department. (To learn about borrowing an instrument go to https://libwww.freelibrary.org/blog/post/2640.) Public concerts on June 2nd and 4th will also include select compositions by workshop participants.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS
Unlocking Your Inner Composer consists of:
1) Demonstrations: PRISM Quartet and Susie Ibarra will perform a wide range of works, explain stylistic features of each, and discuss the unique properties of their instruments.
2) Fundamentals of Music: discussion and demonstrations of specific elements of composition: melody, harmony, rhythm, articulation, dynamics, extended techniques, improvisation, form, and how to organize and develop musical ideas;
3) Notation: discussion and hand-outs of graphic notation, a system for communicating musical ideas without standard notation, to enable participants compositions (participants who know how to read music may use standard notation);
4) Big Picture: Susie Ibarra and PRISM Quartet members will discuss elements of successful collaborations and how to develop your own distinctive voice as a composer.
5) Performance: PRISM, Ibarra, and Sorey will play participants compositions on the final workshop of each series.