By Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s pioneering Liquid Music series announces today the full schedule of events for its 2014-15 season. Liquid Music, which begins its third season this fall, expands the world of classical music through innovative new projects, boundary-defying artists, and unique presentation formats. Each program features new works, world or regional premieres, and new collaborations including many artists working together for the first time. For the past two seasons, Liquid Music has seen sold-out shows filled with adventurous audiences of all ages. Mpls.St.Paul Magazineextols: “This is as cool as classical music gets.”

Highlights of the 2014-15 season include a collaboration between electro-acoustic ensemble BRIGHT WAVE and indie rockers Wye Oak, performing composer William Brittelle’s Spiritual America at Amsterdam Bar & Hall on June 11; Third Coast Percussion performing Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche’s Wild Sound (co-commissioned by the SPCO’s Liquid Music series and University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center) at the Music Room at the SPCO Center on October 5 and 6, featuring the construction and destruction of instruments on stage; and an evening with electric guitarist Noveller,singer/composer Glasser,and contemporary chamber group Victoire,featuring sets from each artist and new arrangements by Missy Mazzoli utilizing all performers on May 9 at the Walker Art Center’s William and Nadine McGuire Theater, co-presented with the Walker Art Center.

A notable highlight of the season is Helado Negro’s Island Universe Story, which will be heard at the newly completed Concert Hall at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts on March 21 as a part of the hall’s opening celebrations. In this exclusive Liquid Music engagement, Roberto Carlos Lange (Helado Negro) will present new, evocative music that fuses Latin, rock, electronic and classical influences. He will be joined by an all-star group of guest artists that includes Atlanta-based vocalist Adron, electronics guru Jan St. Werner (Mouse on Mars), keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen (Wilco), and percussionist Jason Trammell (David Byrne, William Onyeabor) with the Minneapolis Music Company and premieres new arrangements by composers Trey Pollard and Jason Ajemian. National Public Radio hails Helado Negro as “currently redefining Latino culture worldwide, with music that crosses borders as easily as a diplomatic passport.”

In its third season, Liquid Music continues to expand its relationships with presenting partners across the Twin Cities. Liquid Music joins the Walker Art Center for three co-presentations, including a special two-night event April 3 and 4 exploring the musical landscape of composer/guitarist Bryce Dessner featuring Sō Percussion, musicians of the SPCO, Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry and Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw (with more to be announced). Amsterdam Bar & Hall, a Saint Paul club that Liquid Music has invested in since 2012 (recently awarded “Best New Venue for Classical Music” by the Star Tribune) will host three performances in the 2014-15 season. McNally Smith College of Music, American Composers Forum and Minnesota Public Radio will continue to play important roles in education and public engagement surrounding Liquid Music initiatives.

Liquid Music curator Kate Nordstrum looks forward to the breadth of talent next season holds. “To say that I’m excited for the 2014-15 season would be a great understatement. Nearly every project we’re announcing is being developed uniquely for Liquid Music, swinging (wide, in some cases) from a classical center to encompass an expansive set of styles and sounds. I chose them for their creativity, forward focus, commitment to new work and collaborations, and fearlessness in exploration. Each musician is also a powerhouse of talent. I am inspired by their distinctiveness, knowing the gift they will be to ears of Liquid Music patrons over the course of a season.”

Nordstrum has been widely praised for her programmatic vision and catholic tastes, with media outlets describing her as “the most adventurous music curator in town” (MinnPost), “a presenter of rare initiative” (Star Tribune), and “Twin Cities’ curatorial powerhouse with international pull” (Minnesota Public Radio). Composer Nico Muhly, interviewed by MPR, expounded, “She’s got hear ear to the ground, really, and she’s looking for things that are not already happening but she could make happen.”

The previous two Liquid Music seasons saw full houses take in world and regional premieres by artists such as Laurie Anderson, Ben Frost, Hilary Hahn, Hauschka, Jace Clayton, Olga Bell, Timo Andres, and Sisyphus (Serengeti, Son Lux and Sufjan Stevens).

For a full schedule of events, please visit www.thespco.org/liquidmusic