GABRIEL KAHANE + PEKKA KUUSISTO: COUNCIL

After nearly a decade of musical friendship, it seems only fitting that the cult American singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane and iconic Finnish musician Pekka Kuusisto have formalized their collaboration under the moniker Council. Now, they present an evening of intimate and sonically varied songs and chamber music, written during several writing retreats in Northern Karelia and Portland, Oregon.

With this new body of work, Kahane and Kuusisto attempt to locate the universal in the personal and vice versa: here are stories of individual and collective grief; of nostalgia, adolescence, and memory-play; of the joy, wonder, and perplexity of fatherhood in an era of global instability. As they explore and deepen their own friendship on stage, these two relentlessly searching artists offer a musical tapestry depicting the complexities of life in the 21st century.

The program is rounded out with music by, among others, J. S. Bach and Nico Muhly.

Gabriel Kahane—piano, voice, electric & acoustic guitars, harmonium, loops
Pekka Kuusisto—violin, voice, harmonium, four-string electric violin, loops, electronics

Initially named “In the Garden of the Gift,” this collaboration is now called “Council.”

Commissioned by San Francisco Performances, Chamber Music Northwest, Schubert Club / Liquid Music, and 92Y.