Project Trio to join IRIS with special, commissioned piece

Eric Stephenson has been coming to perform with the IRIS Orchestra for more than 10 years, but this weekend’s concerts will be different: His highoctane ensemble Project Trio will be the guest artists, premiering a concerto commissioned for them by Adam Schoenberg.

“It’s a cool project for us,” Stephenson says. “Normally, we write and arrange our own music, but this is an opportunity for a composer to interpret our style and then write for our group and a larger ensemble.”

Project Trio is far from your typical chamber combo. Along with Stephenson are Greg Pattillo on flute and Peter Seymour on double bass. The New York-based threesome were buddies at the Cleveland Institute of Music who, when they needed a break from studying, went out and made other kinds of music — rock, jazz, hiphop — and were finding novel ways of combining those genres with their classical training.

“Fast forward to when we moved to New York and started an ensemble to highlight our skills,” Stephenson says. “We put our multigenre interests into a high-energy chamber music group.”

How diverse? They do the classics, of course (“Brahms, Yo”), and take on crafty versions of, for example, Charles Mingus’ “Fables of Faubus” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (Stephenson cheerfully allows that they steal from the best). You’ll find the trio’s take on such artists as Jethro Tull and Django Reinhardt, plus oddly endearing tunes such as “Beatboxing Flute Super Mario Brothers Theme.”

Project Trio has a channel on Youtube that has been key to their exposure. They claim more than 80 million views and 96,000 subscribers.

The Schoenberg piece, titled “Scatter,” is a thrill for them. “We’ve had a fun time interpreting his vision of what Project Trio is,” Stephenson says. “It’s a unique triple concerto, not just for one player but for the entire trio.”

Sounds will be coming from reverb as well as synthesizer samples “triggered by a computer that is triggered by percussion. The whole opening is a celebration of sound, a very tonal and pleasing sound.”

The rest of the orchestra’s program this weekend will also be entirely pleasing, with Mozart’s Symphony No. 20 in D major and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7 in D minor.

8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Germantown Performing Arts Center, 1801 Exeter. Tickets: $45-$65 Saturday, $40-$60 Sunday. Info: irisorchestra.com, gpacweb.com and 901-751-7500.

QUIRKS AND FOLLIES

Playwright Peter Shaffer gave the world “Equus” and “Amadeus,” a pair of powerhouse works known to most for their deft writing and film adaptations. In 1987, after those two plays, he wrote “Lettice and Lovage,” a comedy that is thoroughly English and is mandatory viewing for anyone who enjoys PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre.”

New Moon Theatre Company’s version of “Lettice and Lovage” features two formidable local actresses — Sarah Brown and Anita ‘Jo’ Lenhart. Brown’s Lettice is a tour guide at the fairly uninteresting Fustian House, so she decides to embellish the past of the place. Her historic liberties are found out by the disapproving Lotte (Lenhart) who is from the Preservation Trust. There follows a friendship between the two strong women that will be tested and that will involve wit, architecture, history, modernity and quite a bit of theatricality.

Directing the production is John Rone. “‘Lettice and Lovage’ celebrates the quirks and follies as well as the strengths of the individual,” Rone said. “By breaking out of the ‘norm’ and being who we are, we can create lives of joy that have real purpose.”

New Moon likes to stage shows that are usually a bit out of the mainstream. “We were looking for a lighter comedy, specifically with strong female leads,” says Gene Elliott, New Moon’s executive producer. “Once we found this play, having Sarah and Jo sign on for the title roles was amazing. They have surprisingly never been on stage together, both being University of Memphis professors. It has been incredible to watch them through the process. Their approaches to performing and preparation are almost exactly opposite of each other, but they play off each other beautifully.”

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays at Theatreworks, 2085 Monroe. Tickets: $20; $15 seniors/students/military. newmoontheatre.org and 901484-3467.

KNOW YOUR ‘PLACES’

Ballet Memphis is thoroughly delightful when doing classic works such as “Nutcracker” and “Swan Lake,” but the true test of a vibrant company is when it applies its exacting standards to new works.

Its new multiyear project is called “Places” and the first installment was presented last weekend at Playhouse on the Square. Three choreographers looked to past, present and future to express some aspect of the broad notion of “place.”

The works were all intriguing, coming from some of the most talented and fiercely intelligent choreographers in the country, and riveting in their own way. Jennifer Archibald’s “Glory” and Project Trio — Greg Pattillo on flute, Peter Seymour on double bass and Eric Stephenson on cello — performs alongside the IRIS Orchestra this weekend. Joshua L. Peugh’s STAXinfused “The Sweet Boy Slide” were marvels to experience.

The one piece I wanted to experience again was Gabrielle Lamb’s futuristic “Elapse,” a contemplation about running out of time. Her three props were hourglasses (a way to suggest we can stop and even reverse time), and the music was a splendid prepared-piano recording by Hauschka titled “Yufuin.”

The dozen dancers wore loose-fitting costumes and began the piece arrayed behind the three hourglasses. There was a sense of order and connectivity. The patterns of life and movement were constantly being challenged by rippling of changes and actions causing unexpected reactions.

It was a brilliant and thoughtful work throughout. Lamb kept a record of her creative process that is fascinating. Find it at gabriellelamb.com.

COURTESY PROJECT TRIO