Today, we’re premiering Elegy II, composed by Nick Norton, performed by Jonathan Morgan, and directed by Gaby Goldberg.
Both Norton and Morgan were in the music department at UC Santa Barbara when the Isla Vista shootings happened in 2014. Norton wrote Elegy II almost immediately, and it was premiered at a memorial concert on campus.
Elegy II
About Nick Norton
Nick Norton is a composer, guitarist, and concert producer from Los Angeles. He is interested in the colorful grey areas between genres, creating new experiences for listeners, and destroying social barriers to enjoying music. The LA Times describes his music as crazy, NewMusicBox referred to his pieces as “visceral sonic haiku,” and Fool In The Forest said they were “fit to melt steel.” Nick is co-artistic director of Equal Sound, founder and editor of New Classic LA, a member of Synchromy, and plays in the bands Honest Iago, Better Looking People With Superior Ideas, and The Newports. He really enjoys craft beer, sci fi and being near or in the ocean, and holds degrees from UC San Diego and King’s College London. He is currently pursuing his PhD in composition from UC Santa Barbara.
About Jonathan Morgan
Jonathan Morgan is a concert violist and violinist specializing in music by living composers. As a founding member of the Now Hear Ensemble, Jonathan has concertized extensively in California at venues like REDCAT, Stanford’s CCRMA, UC Berkeley’s CNMAT, Art Share LA, San Francisco’s Center for New Music, Classical Revolution LA, the Piano Kitchen, USC’s Fisher Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, UCSD’s Conrad Prebys Music Center, and Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall. The Now Hear Ensemble is the Resident Ensemble at the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music, with whom Jonathan has premiered numerous commissioned works. In 2016 Jonathan gave the world premier performance of At Any Point for solo viola, chamber ensemble, and smartphone app by Anthony Paul Garcia. Jonathan has collaborated with many eminent composers, including Joel Feigin, Clarence Barlow, Oswaldo Golijov, Joshua Carro, Luke Taylor, David Werfelmann, Dan Miller, Nick Norton, Eoin Callery, Constantin Basica, Anders Lind, Marc Evans, Dan Vanhassel, Mica Levi, Anthony Paul Garcia, and Federico Llach. Jonathan has regularly performed with wildUp in a mix of venues including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hammer Museum, Santa Ana Sites, Colburn School’s Zipper Hall, and LA’s Regent Theater – all under the direction of Christopher Rountree. Jonathan holds degrees from UC Santa Barbara, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.