Lunatics at Large, ACA guest artists for 2010 Festival

Lunatics at Large was formed in 2007 to explore the timbral possibilities of the 20th- and 21st-century chamber repertoire. In thematic concerts, the group's programs juxtapose standard repertoire and works from established composers of the 20th century with more recent works. Lunatics at Large thus encourages listeners to appreciate the sound-worlds of very recent compositions in the perspective of the evolution of classical music over the last 110 years. Lunatics at Large is committed to working closely with living composers and commissioning new pieces for its expanded Pierrot instrumentation.

The group also embraces collaborative projects with artists from other art forms and is planning to organize several interdisciplinary performances involving poets, living composers and visual artists in upcoming seasons. Initially a group of Mannes students eager to learn Schönberg's modernist masterpiece Pierrot lunaire, Lunatics at Large was recently called "young, energetic and highly polished" by Allan Kozinn of the New York Times.

Lunatics at Large:
Jonathan Engle, flute
Ben Ringer, clarinet
Keats Dieffenbach, violin
Andrea Lee, cello
Evi Jundt, piano