“Sanctum” describes either a sacred place, or a privately secluded one, and Magloire's ballet vividly evokes both, powerfully brought to life by the music of two outstanding female composers, Kaija Saariaho of Finland, and Karin Rehnqvist of Sweden.
In this rare collaboration, New Chamber Ballet's enthralling dancers and musicians, and the stunning singers of the Ekmeles vocal ensemble - Charlotte Mundy, Elisa Sutherland, and Joy Tamayo - join forces for a 70-minute celebration of sounds, bodies, and movement created by Magloire in the company's trademark up-close, in-the-round style.

German-born Magloire, who began his career as a composer, has distinguished himself for particularly interesting and bold music choices. “Sanctum” is bookmarked by vocal music: Saariaho's Changing Lights and From The Grammar of Dreams, in which the singers also move with the dancers; and Rehnqvist's Davids Nimm, a bone-chilling shepherdesses' call that closes the performance. The center section is left to violin and piano with Saariaho's Nocturne, Calices, Prelude, Tocar, and Ballade, as well as Rehnqvist's Dans.

EKMELES is a vocal ensemble dedicated to the performance of new and rarely-heard works and gems of the historical avant garde. With a special focus on microtonal works, they have been praised by the New York Times for their “extraordinary sense of pitch.”

Earlier this month, the ensemble was announced as one of the two recipients of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation's prestigious Ensemble Prize 2023, which is awarded annually to outstanding young ensembles worldwide. Ekmeles is the first American ensemble to receive this honor.

In its announcement, the Siemens Foundation highlighted that “Ekmeles is one of the few vocal ensembles worldwide that focus on contemporary music. The New York singers convince with a grandiose sound, oustanding precision and intonation, with which they master even the most difficult microtonal works. At the same time, Ekmeles strikes a good balance between new works and the repertoire of past decades.”

Kaija Saariaho, born in Finland and currently a resident of Paris, is one of today's most popular composers and recipient of awards from Finland, Italy, Germany, and the U.S.A. Named 'Musician of the Year 2008“ by Musical America, her opera ”L'amour de loin“ was recently performed by the Metropolitan Opera.

Sweden's Karin Rehnqvist is recipient of The Nordic Council Music Prize in 2022 for her oratorio ”Silent Earth.“ As a composer, her range extends to chamber, orchestral, stage, and vocal music. In 2009 Rehnqvist was appointed the first female professor of composition at the Royal College of Music in Sweden.

Location & Time

Friday & Saturday, February 3 and 4 at 7:30 PM

Mark Morris Dance Center, 3 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn

Tickets: $38

Reservations: https://ncb-sanctum.eventbrite.com

Dancers: Anabel Alpert, Megan Foley, Nicole McGinnis, Amber Neff, Rachele Perla
Singers: Charlotte Mundy, Elisa Sutherland, Joy Tamayo
Musicians: Doori Na, violin; Melody Fader, piano