TOSCA STRING QUARTET
NEWS & NOTES FROM 2010
Tosca was back in the studio with Stephen Barber in December 2010, this time to support local documentary filmmakers Flow Nonfiction with their Tide Loads of Hope film, "Espwa."
"Tide Loads of Hope has helped over 25,000 US families recover from natural disaster. Flow's film, narrated by Faith Hill, documents the Loads of Hope team's inspiring work in post-earthquake Haiti."
To watch the trailer, visit their site at flownonfiction.com/espwafull
Fusebox Festival
In April, Tosca world-premiered new commissions from Graham Reynolds and Peter Stopschinski as part of the two-week Austin arts extravaganza known as the Fusebox Festival. Tosca played two shows on April 26th, featuring compositions from a number of Austin-based composers, in addition to three pieces written by Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. Last year's edition won the award for Best Chamber Music Concert from the prestigious Austin Critic's Table.
Tosca joined Amy Cook at the Hotel San Jose on April 8th to throw a release party for her new album Let the Light In, produced by fellow Austin musician Alejandro Escovedo. You can hear some of these great tracks over at amycook.com.
In February, the Tosca String Quartet recorded for the score of Man On a Mission, a documentary about Austin game developer / entrepreneur Richard Garriott, the first son of an astronaut to go to space. It was produced by our friends at Austin's Beef and Pie Productions and premiered March 14th at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival.
For some quick notes about the session, visit composer Brian Satterwhite's blog. For a short video of the quartet's recording session, click here.
In January, the quartet recorded for the score of a new movie named Echotone.
The Echotone team describes it this way:
"Internationally known as 'The Live Music Capital of the World,' Austin's music culture has led it to become one of the world's most sought-after destinations. As nearly two dozen high-rises pop up throughout the city amidst economic downfall, how does the working musician get along? This lyrical documentary provides a telescopic view into the lives of Austin's vibrant young musicians as they grapple with questions of artistic integrity, commercialism, experimentation, and the future of their beloved city."
In early January 2010 Laura Veirs released July Flame, an album which featured the quartet performing arrangements by our close friend Stephen Barber. You can order it on vinyl by clicking here, or download the entire (MP3) album from Laura's record company.
NOTES FROM 2009 AND BEYOND
August 2009: Tosca performed with Amy Cook and Ben Kweller at The Mohawk.
Fan Flickr photos here.
April 2009: The girls were in the studio to record for Nonesuch artist Laura Veirs' upcoming album, "July Flame."
April 2009: Tosca at SXSW
Tosca performed at the Tap Room on the final night of South by Southwest
2009. The girls rocked a full house with a set of works by Golden Hornet
Project, in addition to a collaborative piece with other string players (including London's Elysian Quartet) and our pal Jessica Gilliam-Valls on double bass. We've got a few of Brian Birzer's photos from that night.
March 2009: Golden Hornet Project Presents: Tosca String Quartet
In March the quartet played to a sold-out audience at the Alamo Ritz Drafthouse celebrating the 10th anniversary of Tosca and the Golden Hornet Project's first collaboration. They performed new and old works by Graham Reynolds, Peter Stopschinski, Tina Marsh, DJ Spooky, and also premiered works by Gabriel Prokofiev and a few other local rockers. Augmenting the entire performance was a video mix by Lee Webster.
February 2009: Tosca recorded on a new album from Austin band The Weirdo Deluxe. The just-released eclectic concept album "The Silver Key" is also a real-life treasure hunt. The album is filled with clever songs that are sometimes reminiscent of show tunes – the good ones. Find your own Silver Key here: www.findthesilverkey.com.
February 2009: Tosca was excited to see DeVotchKa back in town, joining them for a sold-out show at La Zona Rosa. The girls have been fans of theirs since playing with the eclectic four-piece at their 2008 SXSW showcase.
January 2009: The quartet was in the studio with David Rhodes - longtime guitarist for Peter Gabriel - for his new solo record Bittersweet, and again worked with the amazing composer & great friend Stephen Barber.
December 2008: The group joined Bob Schneider onstage at the Paramount Theater for his Holiday DVD taping. Tosca's relationship with Bob is deep-rooted, having played on his records and at a large number of live performances.
