Relâche (musical group)
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- This article is about the American new music ensemble. For other uses, see Relâche.
Relâche is an American chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the group was formed as a composer-performer collective in 1977 and was officially founded in 1979.
The octet has released several LPs and three CDs. Their 1997 album Pick It Up was nominated for a Grammy Award. In late 2006, they will release a new album entitled Press Play.
The ensemble has toured around the world and has commissioned works from 150 composers, including John Cage, Uri Caine, Fred Frith, Kyle Gann, Philip Glass, Fred Ho, Michael Nyman, Pauline Oliveros, Bobby Previte, George Russell, Somei Satoh, and Lois V Vierk. They have historically (though not exclusively) favored experimental music and the American "downtown" repertoire, often incorporating improvisation and multimedia into their performances.
Relâche also has an open submission policy, meaning that composers are encouraged to send in unsolicited scores. The group has provided a unique challenge to composers because of its atypical instrumentation of flute/piccolo, oboe/English horn, clarinet/saxophone, bassoon, piano/synthesizer, percussion, viola, and double bass.
