Program notes

Caroline Shaw (b. 1982) was trained primarily as a violinist but today also works as a composer, collaborating with everyone from LA Phil to Kanye West. Her work is often inspired by specific references to things like architecture, fruit, ABBA, gardening and also famous classical repertoire.

She wrote Entr’acte in 2011 after hearing a performance of Haydn's quartet Op. 77 No. 2. She references Haydn's soulful shifts in mood in her own composition, which riffs on the classical minuet and trio form. In her own words: "I love the way some music suddenly takes you to the other side of Alice’s looking glass, in a kind of absurd, subtle, technicolor transition.”

For our performance at Equinox 2022, choreographer Lorenzo Di Loreto choreographed this thoughtful and poetic work for two dancers, who try to understand and break through to the enigmatic world of the musicians.

Photos by Caroline Bittencourt