I write to invite you to become actively involved this coming year in the work of Rova:Arts and the Rova Saxophone Quartet. We would be deeply grateful for an annual contribution that is generous, but also comfortable for you.
There is so much that is surprising about Rova’s work, so much that is more than meets the ear, so much that is important in the development and progression of the art of our time, that I believe you will find an engagement with our work to be of great interest and of experiential pleasure to you.
You likely know something about the music that Rova Saxophone Quartet plays. You know the extraordinary musicianship of each of the Rovas, and of the four when they knit as one. You know that their art is ardent, riveting and exhilarating, and this makes for great shows.
But shows are only the beginning: because the music is of such high caliber and because it is based in such strong intelligences, Rova has come to play a catalytic role in the community of musical innovators both nationally and internationally and in the shaping of new musical forms. Their frequent collaborations with other musicians and composers constantly cross-fertilize, encourage, stimulate, morph audiences, extend awareness, birth new compositions, further creative processes and the art form itself.
For 3 decades, the San Francisco-based Rova has opened new frontiers in music, combining sounds from jazz, contemporary classical, and other influences from around the world. Through Rova's innovative combination of written compositions and improvisation, the quartet has achieved a sound "like Thelonious Monk crossed with Bartók" (Village Voice). As The New Yorker put it: "The Rova Saxophone Quartet are obviously game for just about anything. The polish of this celebrated self-contained unit is matched only by their daring."
Working in support of Rova and their fellow musical innovators is a unique non-profit organization: Rova:Arts. Like our namesake quartet, Rova:Arts is a product of the Bay Area's fertile and ever-surprising music scene. With the invaluable participation of trail-blazing musicians and dedicated listeners, Rova:Arts has kindled artistic collaboration, presented ground-breaking performances, commissioned new compositions, and fostered education and community in the Bay Area music audience. Beyond the local scene, we work to build regional, national, and international connections among artists and their communities, helping to maintain the music as an active, vital force for all of us.
I mentioned "community," and that word underscores an important fact: Rova:Arts can't do this important work alone. Our ticket sales cover less than a third of our programming costs. To make up the sizeable difference, we rely on the generous support of committed supporters, including an invaluable group of individual donors in our community: the members of Rova:Arts.
So I'm writing to ask you to join us as a Rova:Arts member and provide invaluable support to all of our programming in service of adventurous music. Your membership contribution will help us continue programs like these:
Improv:21 Series:These "Informances" on 21st-Century musical improvisation are led by master improvisers from the Bay Area and beyond. In 2005 we hosted guitar legend Fred Frith, L.A.-based guitar pyrotechnician Nels Cline, Tin Hat Trio violinist Carla Kihlstedt, master improviser Oliver Lake, and our own world-class Rova Saxophone Quartet. Since that time the series has featured conductor-composer-percussionist, Gino Robair, guitar innovator Henry Kaiser, downtown New York harpist Zeena Parkins, and the iconoclastic and influential artist, Roscoe Mitchell. Slated for later in 2008 is bassist extraordinare Mark Dresser and the remarkable percussionist and band leader Scott Amandola. We plan on continuing the series in the fall. These programs explore the art and practice of improvisation through a shifting (i.e. "improvised") combination of onstage lecture and dialogue, musical demonstration and performance, and audience question-and-answer forum.
Rovaté 2008: "Rova and the Nels Cline Singers Celestial Septet" will perform music of John Coltrane and original pieces inspired by late Trane and the artists of his ecstatic milieu at the new Yoshi’s in San Francisco and in Santa Cruz and Davis in May. Previous ad hoc collaborations with the Singers have been really exciting and inspirational, and have given us an opportunity to stretch with a dream band. Plans are being laid for an ambitious collaboration with the British visual art/performance group Semiconductor for Rovaté 2009.
Commissioning: With the support of our members and a number of foundations and agencies, Rova:Arts has made possible more than 30 new works by some of the most daring composers in jazz, new music, rock, and other musics today-Anthony Braxton, Pauline Oliveros, Fred Frith, Wadada Leo Smith, and Miya Masaoka, just to name a few. Last year, the Rova Saxophone Quartet received the "New Music Champion Award" from the prestigious Meet the Composer program, commending the group for "over 20 years of innovative presentation of the music of our time and unwavering support to living composers."
And, we just learned that Rova is one of the recipients of the 2007 Emerging Composer Awards from the William and Flora Hewlett and Wallace Alexander Gerbode foundations. This will fund a major new commission from Carla Kihlstedt, a deeply original and committed musician with whom we feel a special kinship.
Education: Our Improv:2121 informance series, pre-concert panel discussions, musicians' workshops, and other efforts extend Rova's own artistic committment into the Bay Area community.
Programs like these have made a lasting difference in the Bay Area's musical and cultural life. Your tax-deductible membership contribution will help us continue our commitment to artistry and community throughout the coming year.
As a Rova:Arts member, you'll also enjoy a number of special benefits, like free Members Edition Rova CDs (unavailable in stores), advance notice of concerts and other events, and more. There are a number of membership levels to choose from-please see the enclosed membership form, choose the level of membership that works best for you, and join us as we begin a new year of risk-taking music, innovative education, and more.
Soprano [$40-$74] entitles you to notice of all Rova:Arts and Rova-related events, plus one CD, not available anywhere else, of previously unreleased Rova tracks.
Alto [$75-$149] all Soprano benefits, plus a Rova CD of your choice (pending availability).
Tenor[$150-$249] all Alto benefits, plus admission to one Rova:Arts event in the coming year.
Baritone [$250-$499] all Tenor benefits, plus a listing in Rova:Arts program books.
Rovatiste [$500 or more] all above-mentioned benefits, plus invitations to special events to be scheduled in conjunction with upcoming Rova:Arts shows.
If you would like to join ROVA:ARTS, click on the "Donate Now" button below to contribute through our partner, Network for Good or send a check to
ROVA:ARTSIndicate your level of support and include your address, e-mail address, and phone number, so we can let you know about upcoming events. Your personal information will not be shared with any third parties.
Thank you for taking the time to read about ROVA:ARTS, and we appreciate your support.
Sincerely,