The Bowed Piano Ensemble, founded by composer Stephen Scott at Colorado College in 1977, has evolved into a small experimental-music orchestra whose ten players conjure, from one open grand piano, long, singing lines, sustained drones, chugging accordion-like figures, crisp staccato tones reminiscent of clarinets, deep drum tones and more, often simultaneously, to create a rich, contrapuntal new-chamber-music tapestry. Since its inception, the Ensemble has toured extensively throughout Europe, the Atlantic Islands, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Their unorthodox musical tools and techniques have surprised and enchanted audiences at world-renowned venues including Sydney Opera House, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Town Hall New York, Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, the medieval Town Hall in Tallinn, Estonia, the Slovak National Radio Studio, Hamilton, Bermuda, and Jameos del Agua, a volcanic lava-tube-become-concert-hall in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. During their travels, the group has performed on many live radio and television broadcasts.

This remarkable undergraduate student troupe has played by invitation at many professional music festivals, such as the Berliner Festspiele, Canberra International Music Festival, Visual Music Festival (Lanzarote), Musica Nova Festival (Brisbane), ppIANISSIMO Festival (Sofia, Bulgaria), Stavanger Jazz Festival (Norway) N��d Festival (Tallinn), and Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston, SC). Their five previous recordings (two with soprano Victoria Hansen) are on the New Albion and Albany labels.

Albums

What Are They Doing To That Piano?

Release Date: May 12, 2017
Catalog Number: NV6100
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Piano
From Navona Records comes an exciting new CD bundle of five previous releases featuring the piano at its most prepared and extended. WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO THAT PIANO? features composers and artists dedicated to finding the most adventurous and compelling sounds that the piano has to offer. Opening with SONATAS AND INTERLUDES IN A LANDSCAPE, composed by John Cage, the virtual godfather of prepared piano, and performed by the virtuosic Kate Boyd, this CD bundle contains one of the most eclectic collections of solo piano music a listener will ever encounter.

Fine Music, Vol. 5

Release Date: April 1, 2014
Catalog Number: NV5949
21st Century
Chamber
Orchestral
Clarinet
Orchestra
Piano
Navona Records' new installment of the FINE MUSIC series presents a deep cross-sectionof the label's wide-ranging and provocative 2013/2014 release slate, featuring performances by the Grammy-nominated New York Polyphony, Ensemble Dal Niente, cellist Chris Wild, Grammy-winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, the Apollo Chamber Players, and many more in works by Hindemith, DeGaetano, Hodkinson, Ramette, Stevens, Williams, Bakker, Rotolo, Vines, Sternfeld-Dunn, Brown, Tarlow, and others.

Ice & Fire

Release Date: November 1, 2013
Catalog Number: NV5937
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Piano
ICE & FIRE, the debut Navona Records album by Stephen Scott, showcases a variety of works for bowed piano. The album features The Bowed Piano Ensemble, an experimental piano group based at Colorado College in Colorado Springs that was founded by Scott.