Brightwork newmusic, noted for boundary-breaking chamber music that blurs the line between pop and the avant-garde, continues its Sierra Madre Playhouse residency with “Ring of Fire,” a compelling musical voyage across the Pacific Rim spanning contemporary chamber works from Peru to Cambodia, on Friday, April 3, 2026, at the historic venue.
California sits on the eastern edge of the Pacific’s Ring of Fire, a vast circle of volcanoes and seismic energy encompassing nearly 75% of the planet’s active volcanoes. Brightwork’s program reveals the interconnected voices and rhythms of cultures that share this dynamic boundary.
Featured works include Gabriela Lena Frank’s Hilos, a colorful quartet for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano inspired by the beauty of Peruvian textiles that draws on a myriad of sounds evocative of indigenous music. Frank, a Latin Grammy Award-winner and nominated for Grammys as both a composer and pianist, was recently named Musical America’s 2026 Composer of the Year.
Brightwork also performs Melting by Akshaya Avril Tucker, a noted alumna of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music whose work incorporates dance and music traditions of South Asia, and celebrated Cambodian American composer Chinary Ung’s Spiral VI, a captivating blend of Asian and Western musical elements.
The program concludes with Andy Akiho’s Lost on Chiaroscuro Street, which the composer notes was inspired by chiaroscuro, a visual art technique “most commonly associated with the oil painting technique pioneered by Renaissance painters such as Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci that utilizes the stark contrast between light and dark to suggest depth and volume.”
The featured artists are Brightwork newmusic Artistic Director/pianist Aron Kallay, who is joined by ensemble members Brian Walsh, clarinet; Shalini Vijayan, violin; and Maggie Parkins, cello.
Brightwork newmusic has been hailed as “dazzling” (Los Angeles Times) and celebrated for delivering “music that slips between multiple traditions, honoring each but beholden to none” (San Francisco Classical Voice). The Los Angeles-based chamber ensemble was formed in 2013 by pianist Aron Kallay. Built around a sextet instrumentation (piano, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, percussion), it focuses on presenting contemporary classical music and landmark works from the past hundred years. The ensemble’s mission is to revitalize the art of new music by commissioning living composers, premiering their works, and inviting listeners into the creative process.
For tickets ($12-$35) and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org. Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.