Group Bio
Bent Frequency, ensemble in residence at Georgia State University, is a professional contemporary music ensemble based in Atlanta. Hailed as “one of the brightest new music ensembles on the scene today” by Gramophone magazine, Bent Frequency engages an eclectic mix of the most adventurous and impassioned players from the greater Atlanta area. Founded in 2003, Bent Frequency (BF) brings the avant-garde to life through adventurous and socially conscious programming, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and community engagement. One of BF’s primary goals is championing the work of historically underrepresented composers - music by women, composers of color, and LGBTQIA+. Its programming, educational outreach, and community events aim to be inclusive of the diverse and dynamic community they are a part of.
BF does not have a fixed instrumentation. Instead it is a modular group that is flexible enough to present everything from large-scale chamber concerts to smaller, more intimate performances. We have collaborated with some of the most ground-breaking composers working today and have produced large-scale events such as Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon’s chamber opera Comala at the International Cervantino Festival and Fiestas de Octubre in Mexico, Juan Trigos’ fully staged chamber opera DeCachetitoRaspado, Jennifer Walshe’s Barbie opera XXX_Live_Nude_Girls!!! and have held 3-day festivals celebrating the music of Steve Reich on the occasion of his 70th birthday and a Festival of New Music from Mexico. BF has appeared as ensemble-in-residence at the Tage Aktueller Musik in Nürnberg, Sam Houston State New Music Festival, Charlotte New Music Festival, New Music on the Point in Vermont and at the University of Georgia. In 2013, BF created the Bent Frequency Duo Project (Jan Berry Baker and Stuart Gerber). Together, they have commissioned over 30 new works for saxophone and percussion and have given countless performances across the USA, Mexico, and Europe. They have recently released their debut CD, Diamorpha, on the Centaur Label featuring a number of these new works.
BF has been awarded numerous prestigious and competitive governmental and foundational grants to fund the creation and promotion of New Music. Recent awards include the French American Cultural Exchange (FACE), Barlow Foundation, Georgia Council for the Arts, Copland Foundation, Fulton County Arts Council, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew Mellon Foundation), and Culture Ireland to name a few.
Bent Frequency has partnered with many ensembles, dance groups, and visual artists in creating unique productions. Recent collaborations include producing Zohn-Muldoon’s Comala with PUSH Physical Theater, a John Cage MUSICIRCUS in celebration of the centenary of Cage’s birth with the Goat Farm Arts Center, Atlanta Poet’s group and visual artist Craig Dongoski, and multiple performances with CORE Performance Company including two, three-night series events entitled On Love and Secret at the Callanwolde Arts Center. Always looking for new ways to present music to reach as wide an audience as possible, Bent Frequency has performed in traditional concert halls, art museums, galleries, bike trails and even on the Atlanta Streetcar!