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“Mobius Trio’s [programming] choices were substantive and

captured the full range of their sonic potential as a guitar trio…

they proved in every way that they were capable of holding their

own, both as performers and curators of a new generation of

music.” –Danny Clay, I Care If You Listen

“Chock-full of extended techniques, the acoustic works whirred,

buzzed, and slapped their way into being. Belinda Reynolds’s

Edges kicked things off with a flowing ostinato figure accented by

off-beat interjections. A cradled scalar motive is shared, hocket-like,

among the players, who carried it with delicacy and feeling.

Brendon Randall-Myers’s Making Good Choices opens with an

intense accretion of muted strums, strums above the neck, left

hand slurs, slaps, all of which the ensemble bit into with flair.”

–Artificialist

short bio

press

Described by the eminent

Sergio Assad as “the

most inventive and

exciting young guitar ensemble today,”

Mobius Trio has made it its mission to

fully integrate the classical guitar into

the 21st century’s adventurous musical

lexicon. The Trio exclusively performs

music that they have commissioned;

they seek to expand the guitar ensem-

ble’s repertoire to encompass all of the

myriad currents passing through

contemporary art music. Mobius Trio

has commissioned over three dozen

composers in their first few years of

existence, and that pace isn’t slowing.

Recent commissions include Sergio Assad, Luciano Chessa, and Ryan Brown, with more pieces and collaborations on the way.

Mobius Trio was formed in 2010 by guitarists Robert Nance, Mason Fish, and Matthew Holmes-Linder while studying at the San Fran-

cisco Conservatory of Music. They started things off with a bang, commissioning and learning five pieces within the span of a couple of

months, and performing many of those pieces at Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center the following April. Matt, Rob, and Mason are all

accomplished, competition-winning guitarists in their own right, and they all live and work in San Francisco. When not rehearsing, the

group enjoys home brewing, BBQ, hacky sack, and nature documentaries.

“Mobius executes the dizzying array of techniques and

technical challenges written for them with ease and expres-

sivity… [T]heir unforced integration of inventive ways of using

their instruments into their solid base of traditional technique

made for a consistently excellent evening. It’s clear from the

unity of their playing that the members of Mobius genuinely

love making music together, cuing each other with just the lift

of an eyebrow or even a hint of a smile.” –Sid Chen, New

Music Box

“The Mobius Trio are getting rave reviews from guitarists around

the world for their dramatic performances and their bold

commitment to commissioning new repertoire.” –Scott Cmiel,

San Francisco Classical Voice

P H O T O B Y A N N E M I L L E R

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PRESCRIPTION DRUG NATION (CLASSICAL, ELECTRIC, STEEL)

Aaron Gervais’s Prescription Drug Nation is an evening-length

work, originally composed as music for dance in collaboration

with Here Now Dance Collective. A stunning musical work with

or without its accompanying dance, the work consists of six

musical portraits of the effects of being on some of the most

commonly overprescribed and/or abused prescription drugs

– Adderall, Ambien, Xanax, Prozac, Vicodin, and Viagra.

With each, Gervais is “trying to give an immersive perspective,

something that will be familiar and emotionally poignant to

anyone who has been on these drugs, but without any specific

interpretation or ‘judgment.’ There is no ‘moral lesson’ or

anything like that.”

Composed for a constantly rotating ensemble of classical,

steel-string, and electric guitars, all played by the three mem-

bers of Mobius Trio, Prescription Drug Nation is a musical tour

de force, juxtaposing the obsessive, maniacal energy of Adderall

with the sleepy, blissed-out lethargy of Ambien and sheer drive

of Viagra. There is absolutely nothing like this in New Music, or

any other type of music – a must hear.

Works to be performed on the “Prescription Drug Nation”

program include:

Aaron Gervais, Prescription Drug Nation (2015) Adderall Ambien Xanax Vicodin Prozac Viagra

GUITARISTIC GENRE OMNIPRESENCE (ALL-CLASSICAL)

As the most popular, ubiquitous instrument in the world, everyone

knows what a guitar sounds like, right? Right? The guitarists of

Mobius Trio believe otherwise – that we’ve only just begun to

explore full capabilities of the instrument, and this program seeks

to display the breadth of what the classical guitar can do, so far.

Beginning with two completely revolutionary arrangements of “old

music” for three guitars, the Mobians show what they’re capable

of. Ravel’s String Quartet and Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez are

two of the most beautiful, recognizable pieces of the early

20th-century repertoire, and it takes a slew of brand new guitar

techniques to make them happen on three guitars.

The second half of the program features three “Mobius Classics,”

each designed to utilize the guitar and the guitar trio in hitherto

unheard ways. Brendon Randall-Myers’s Making Good Choices

turns the ensemble into three out-of-control percussive guitar

robots, while Anthony Porter’s needle-play tells the surreal story of

a postminimalist fantasy. The program closes with Sergio Assad’s

Kindergarten, which must be seen to be believed.

Works to be performed on the “Guitaristic Genre Omnipres-

ence” program include:

Maurice Ravel, String Quartet in F Major, ii. Assez vif (1903)

Joaquin Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez (1939)

Brendon Randall-Myers, Making Good Choices (2011)

Anthony Porter, needle-play (2010)

Sergio Assad, Kindergarten (2014)

program offerings

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ARTISTSArielprogram offerings (cont.)

DARK MATTER (ALL-ELECTRIC)

Built around a set of beautiful, sprawling, cosmically meditative

pieces like Nick Vasallo’s Dark Matter and Joseph Colombo’s Initial

Darkness, the eponymous program shows that Mobius Trio can

create beautiful, mind-expanding music on whatever version of the

guitar is in their hands. In this case, each piece is composed for

electric guitars, though each has a completely unique soundworld,

created through use of interactive electronics, pedal effects, and in

one case, just a great big wall of amplifier feedback.

Don’t let those very un-classical elements fool you, though; these

are nuanced, classically-influenced pieces written by some of the

best young composers writing today, including Adrian Knight,

Ryan Brown, and Samuel Adams. From the most delicate, intimate

sounds an electric guitar can make (Bon Voyage, Study for Mobius),

to the biggest, Big Bangin’est, this music is an exploration of the

scope of the universe.

Works to be performed on the “Dark Matter”

program include:

Samuel Adams, Study for Mobius (2013)

Nick Vasallo, Dark Matter (2010/2014)

Mario Godoy, Infinite Earths (2014)

Ryan Brown, Possible Relatives (2016)

Adrian Knight, Bon Voyage (2012)

Joseph Colombo, Initial Darkness (2014)

HOME BASE (ALL-CLASSICAL)

As an ensemble that ONLY plays commissioned

music that pushes the boundaries of its players

and their instruments, the concepts of “com-

fort,” “home,” and “ease” may seem anath-

ematic to Mobius Trio. Everything is relative,

however, and the Mobians were happy to put

together this program of music that “feels like

home.” These pieces are their home base for a

variety of reasons – Kindergarten feels deeply

pleasing to play because it was composed by their mentor, Sergio

Assad, and written with their specific personalities in mind. Bren-

don Randall-Myers’s frenetic, slightly insane Making Good Choices

feels like home because it just took so much dang rehearsal time

to get right in the first place. Mobius’ first-ever concert saw them

premiere works by San Francisco Conservatory classmates Paul

Psarras and Anthony Porter. Anef Oron is the Trio’s second col-

laboration with Psarras, and Porter’s needle-play makes a return to

the Trio’s repertoire. Sadly the group was not able to attend school

with Maurice Ravel, but they did receive an outstanding arrange-

ment of the second movement of his String Quartet from compos-

er Winton White. Belinda Reynolds’s Edges evokes the rock guitar

that the trio grew up admiring. After more than six years of Mobius

Trio, the group will finally include a piece from one of its own. Rob-

ert Nance’s Plexus utilizes the Trio’s outstanding interplay. Every

piece on this program holds an extra special place in the hearts of

Mobius Trio, and they are proud to let you into their “home.”

Works to be performed on the “Home Base” program include:

Robert Nance, Plexus (2015)

Paul Psarras, Anef Oron (2015)

Belinda Reynolds, Edges (2013)

Maurice Ravel, String Quartet in F Major, ii. Assez vif (1903)

Brendon Randall-Myers, Making Good Choices (2011)

Anthony Porter, needle-play (2010)

Sergio Assad, Kindergarten (2014)

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GUITAR MASTER CLASS

The three members of Mobius Trio are an unusual breed in the

guitar world: expert contemporary music players with years of

chamber music experience. In this master class, student guitarists

will perform solos or ensemble pieces for the members of Mobius

Trio and an audience and then receive feedback and detailed

coaching on their performance. The members of Mobius will give

the performer(s) advice on all aspects of performing guitar music –

presentation, phrasing, technique, ensemble playing, etc. This pro-

cess is rewarding and entertaining for both the performing student

and the audience, and it often leads to larger discussions of topics

that benefit every guitarist and musician in the room.

LECTURE/DEMONSTRATIONS

Mobius Trio often holds lectures and workshops on a variety of

topics, including writing for guitar, composer/performer relation-

ships and the commission process, extended techniques, and

their own unique repertoire and brand of chamber music. Ideas

and thoughts that come up in discussion will be expanded

upon through musical performance, and vice versa. This event

can be tailored (in terms of format, length, etc.) to fit the

needs of the presenter.

STUDENT COMPOSER WORKSHOP

Working with composers is a favorite part of their musical pro-

cess for the Mobius Trio, so they are very happy to share their

years of commissioning, workshopping, and musical trouble-

shooting experience with student composers in front of an audi-

ence of their peers.

In the workshop, Mobius will perform pieces that have been

submitted ahead of time, and then give the composer feedback

on a variety of topics (notational, musical, and otherwise), in

order to help create the best guitar piece possible. Writing for

guitar can be unfamiliar and potentially intimidating, so Mobius

will confer closely with the composer to make sure everything

works the way s/he wants.

additional offerings

P H O T O B Y A N N E M I L L E R

MOBIUS TRIO guitar trio