Terry Riley.

Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts division of music present Terry Riley: In C with Jill Richards (piano), Waldo Alexander (violin), Marcus Wyatt (trumpet), Morné van Heerden (clarinet), Cameron Harris (oboe), David Gooding (percussion) staff and students of Wits Music, and enthusiastic musicians.

Composed in 1964, In C is iconic of early minimalist music and Riley, along with La Monte Young, Steve Reich and Philip Glass is hailed as one of the movement’s key pioneers.

In C is a piece about inclusion and the humanity of making music together. It is written for a flexible ensemble of musicians who shape the piece in a communal way as they travel through a journey of 53 musical patterns creating a path that is unique in each performance. The result is a piece of intertwining rhythmic beauty created by evolving polyrhythms that is perceived through clouds of a coloured, changing C major sonority.

Although widely performed globally, In C has received few performances in the Johannesburg area. The piece goes beyond what can be captured on a recording and this event is a rare chance to experience it in a joyous celebration of Riley’s 80th birthday this year.

The concert will take place in The Atrium, S W Engineering Building, Wits East Campus, Braamfontein at 3 pm on Sunday, September 20.

Tickets are R80 (R55 concessions) at the door.Free parking is available at Origins Centre (West Campus) and the Planetarium, the entrance is off Yale Road, Braamfontein.

Inquiries: 073 121 2112, 011 717 1376 or email  Catherine.pisanti@wits.ac.za