Three Opportunities to See Amy Denio This Week in Lincoln

By Hanna Day-Woodruff

This is Women's Week, and among the many women honored by UNL for their roles in politics, filmmaking, agriculture and other forms of culture creation is musician, composer and producer Amy Denio, of Seattle, Washington and Italy.  Brought here by Clawfoot House and the Berman Music Foundation, Denio will share her multi-instrumentalist world-indie sound and her extensive life experiences in three different venues. 

Tonight is the first of three opportunities, when Denio will join the Clawfoot Salon for Female Musicians in a special, free, on-campus session at the UNL Union at 7 p.m.

Denio densely packs a diverse array of musical accomplishments, styles and experiences.  A lifelong, self-taught musician who performs solo and in collaborations, Denio composes sound scores and commissioned pieces and performs extensively all over the world.  Her instruments include accordion, saxophone, guitar, bass, her voice and “other resonating objects.” 

Denio writes, "I'm fascinated by rhythm first, then comes my interest in melody and how it fits with rhythm, and ultimately how harmony sews music together.  At the same time, I love the exploration of sounds (or what some people call noise!), that side of music which makes me dream, rather than analyze."

Her collaborations are many, and include the jazz group the Tiptons Saxophone Quartet, and the European collective “we are not a band, we are an organism” Kulture Shock, which produces music that has been described as a “seamless fusion of rock, punk and Balkan folk.”

Denio writes, "I'm inspired by all the things that I experience as I travel around the world (whether pleasant or not!), and especially by my collaborations with other artists and musicians.  It is one thing to compose in my own comfortable sphere, but quite another to have that egg cracked open by other perspectives, and cultures - and by unexpected surprises. "
 
Denio is a quintessential musical globe-trotter who has accumulated over 1,000 performances globally, including Argentina, China, Brazil, Europe, and India.  Last year, she accompanied Kulture Shock in its European tour; in 2006 she collaborated with an Italian group that accompanied a Cirque du Soleil performance in Naples, Italy.  She has won fellowships to Ireland, India and elsewhere, and was commissioned by Taiwan to compose a piece that fused Taiwanese folk music to Brazilian rhythms.  She is a musical explorer and an amazing example of someone whose devotion to music has created bonds across cultures.   

Denio's presence in Lincoln is due, in part, to having had an album produced by Lincolnite Bryan Day's record label for experimental and unusual music, Public Eyesore.  Day is on the board of the Clawfoot House and when the Women's Center approached Ember Schrag at Clawfoot House about presenting a female musician, Denio “was at the top of our list.” Schrag writes,

“She has done amazing work in so many different styles of music. Amy's work has an unquenchable energy, creativity and humor. She was on tour in eastern Europe when we were emailing a lot to set up this trip to Nebraska, and I was really inspired by the way she talked about her experiences there.  Amy is an incredible talent with a global vision; she has totally devoted her life to making music.”

Denio's three appearances in Lincoln are as follows (courtesy of Clawfoot House):

1. Salon: Wed at 7 pm. UNL Union, 14th & R. Free.

Tonight, Wednesday, March 10, Denio will join the Clawfoot Salon for female musicians for a special edition at UNL.  The salon is a chance for female musicians to connect with and learn from other female musicians in a unique environment.  The salon (which meets monthly) is separated into three parts: a jam session, a time to share new work, and a time for knowledge sharing, whether from one of the salon-goers or an expert from out of town.  This time that expert is Denio and she'll be sharing as well participating in the jam and round robin. There will also be a short poetry reading by filmmaker Sandra Hochman.  

2. Lecture: Thursday at 11:30 a.m. UNL Union, 14th & R. Free and includes a free lunch.

In addition to her main performance, you will have the opportunity to meet and hang out with Amy at her lecture on music and social change. Call the Women's Center at 472-2597 to reserve a FREE lunch from Maggie's Vegetarian Wraps at this event.  

3. Performance: Thursday at 9 p.m. Clawfoot House. 1042 F St. $7 cover charge.

Amy Denio will be performing with accordion and electronics. The concert will also feature Seeded Plain (Bryan Day and Jay Kreimer, experimental improv on homemade instruments) and the New Music Agency (a classical collective that performs contemporary avant-garde compositions).

The full schedule of events for Women's Week can be found here.