Eighth Blackbird

The sextet Eighth Blackbird devotes itself to contemporary music and has commissioned many works from modern composers. The group is notable for the range of its collaborations with other musicians, nonmusical creative artists, and musical institutions. Comprising players of the flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello, and percussion instruments, Eighth Blackbird was formed in 1996 by students at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. The ensemble was modeled on that of Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, which Eighth Blackbird performs, and the name comes from the Wallace Stevens ...