Commissioned by Present Music, composer/violinist/vocalist/educator Carla Kihlstedt will present 26 Little Deaths, a remarkable song cycle inspired by Edward Gorey’s internationally beloved and morbidly humorous alphabet book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, or After the Outing. This concert is especially exciting, as it celebrates Edward Gorey's centennial birthday (February 22, 1925) and the release of the studio recording of 26 Little Deaths.

Present Music is one of the nation’s leading ensembles specializing in the commissioning and performance of new music. Founded in 1982 and based in Milwaukee, Present Music has worked closely with many of the nation’s most exciting and important composers, and has firmly established one of the largest audiences for new music in the country. Also on this program are two fresh-out-of-the-skillet works by Andy Akiho and Kamran Ince, commissioned by PM, and a saucy reworking of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” by the inimitable David Lang.