The Ensemble “Theater of New Music”: Its History, Activities and New Forms

The article traces the history of the ensemble “Theater of New Music” from 2010 and 2019 and defines the main stages of the ensemble’s development: the first stage is the period of the ensemble’s formation (2010–2012), the second stage is the period of concerts in the form of theatrical performances and the quest for new forms of presentation of academic music (2012–2015), the third is the search for new forms of interaction between music and the other arts (2015–2018), and the fourth is the period of multimedia projects (since 2018). The main forms of presentation of academic music which were developed during the development of the “Theater of New Music” are highlighted. They include concerts merged with theatrical performances, as well as multimedia projects. The ensemble’s most significant projects during the period between 2010 and 2019 are defined and described in detail: the series of concerts in the form of theatrical performances featuring protagonists of the “Travel through Time” arguing about music of various epochs, styles and directions; the cycle of two concerts in the form of theatrical performances “They Met. A wave and a stone, poetry and prose, ice and fire,” where the protagonists dispute about what is the primary element in music – intellect or emotion”; the musical performance “Early Musical Saratov” comprised of works by 19th and 20th century Saratov-based composers; the international composers’ competition “Call for Scores – 2016”, the multimedia project “A Person with Earphones.” The ensemble “Theater of New Music is the only ensemble in Saratov which specializes in performance of 20th and early 21st century music.