Wanderings

Rooted in experimentation and a fondness for early music, percussionist Katalin La Favre and soprano Naomi Columna have arranged a set of Medieval and early Renaissance music for modern percussion and voice.  Looking at these works with contemporary eyes, the artists infuse this repertoire with unique timbres such as the marimba, drums, bells, and different nuances in the voice.  Weaving together different musical eras, you will also hear bursts of operatic drama, minimalist trances, among other unexpected sound worlds.  The playfulness with time is also represented by the division of the program into 4 seasons, signaled by the sounds of bells as well as 4 different versions of Guillaume de Machaut’s Puis qu’en oubli.   

About the Artists

  • Marimba

    Coming from a family of scientists, percussionist Katalin La Favre (b. 1988, she/her) is the first member of her family to pursue a musical career. Though she began her musical studies as a harpist, she decided to become a percussionist and obtained a bachelor's degree in classical percussion from the Colburn School in Los Angeles. In 2012 she was awarded a Fulbright Grant to study with contemporary percussionist Jean Geoffroy at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon, France where she received a master's degree and artist diploma. She also received a degree in instrumental pedagogy from the CEFEDEM Auvergne Rhone-Alpes in 2018.

    Katalin remained in France for 9 years, where she became interested in interdisciplinary and non-traditional projects, working in collaboration for several innovative programs which have been performed in France, Germany, Scotland and Portugal. These programs have been vastly diverse, ranging from L’ombre des vagues (a program inspired by Virginia Woolf, combining contemporary music, contemporary dance, and poetry) to Zeee Match (a humoristic street theatre and music performance).

  • Voice

    Naomi Columna is a musician and artist focusing on new/experimental works and multidisciplinary collaborations. With a BM in Vocal Performance from the Cleveland institute of Music, (2016), and MM in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, (2019) Columna uses her western, classical training as a framework to reference, as well as a medium to manipulate. Columna is frequently featured in CUSP, the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, including debut performances of her own compositions, in ensemble Halumnen, a trio for Harp, Voice and Electronic Processing, as well as a guest performer for groups like the Jelly Ear ensemble, among other events. Through projects supported by SPACES Gallery and the Andy Warhol Foundation, as well as Maelstrom Collaborative Arts, Columna has also composed and directed original works/projects for multidisciplinary ensembles, such as DANCING_BANANAS.GIF, with directorial partner Melanie Emig, for live musicians and video, and Belong To You, for Prerecorded Ensemble, Video Installation, and Live Dancer. Later this year, Columna and partner, Katalin La Favre, Percussion, will be releasing their debut album, Mud Window Mud Mirror, for their newly founded duo of the same title, MWMM.