ENOuNTERS 5: TARA MIDDLETON / DAN BLACKSBERG / PUREPLY
Event description
West Philly trombonist Dan Blacksberg presents a Sunday evening series of experimental music to get you energized for your week! Dan brings together musicians from across Philly’s musical spectrum and beyond for new improvised Encounters in Studio 34’s comfy and intimate space. Bring your ears and settle down into a couch and experience the exciting unknown of the music, anchored by the expansive dexterity of Blacksberg’s trombone.
Tara Middleton is a 2022 Grammy Nominee and a 2019 Pew Fellowship nominated vocalist, violinist, and lyricist. She is currently the lead vocalist of the legendary, Grammy-nominated, Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen, (which also utilizes her talents as a violinist, flutist, and lyricist). For over ten years she has also relied on her music education degree when working as a teacher with the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership, the Arts in Education Northeast PA, the Northeast Conservatory of Performing Arts, and the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Tara is strongly tied to the diverse flavors and talents of the Philadelphia music community; and is equally influenced and inspired by legendary jazz vocalists, (whom she fell in love with as a teenager), Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Cassandra Wilson.
PurePly (they/them) is a black Philadelphia-based producer, sound alchemist, and composer whose music celebrates the boundless possibilities inherent in technology. Their works explore diverse soundscapes, ranging from the distorted space of harsh noise to the ethereal tranquility of ambient sounds. PurePly incorporates live improvisational techniques to infuse their music with fun and spontaneity.