eighth blackbird’s “Pretty Polly” animated short

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 The Chicago-based contemporary chamber group eighth blackbird are are thrilled to share this gorgeous animated film by Nathaniel Murphy. The featured soundtrack is “Pretty Polly“, a movement of Bryce Dessner’s “Murder Ballades” from their GRAMMY nominated-album Filament, both beautiful and macabre in true murder ballade style.

The celebrated sextet eighth blackbird combines the finesse of a string quartet, the energy of a rock band, and the audacity of a storefront theater company. These “super-musicians” (LA Times) entertain and provoke audiences across the country and around the world.

filament promo

The 2015-16 season brings a lively residency at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, featuring open rehearsals, an interactive gallery installation, performances, and public talks. eighth blackbird’s members (Nathalie Joachim, flutes; Michael J. Maccaferri, clarinets; Yvonne Lam, violin & viola; Nicholas Photinos, cello; Matthew Duvall, percussion; Lisa Kaplan, piano) hail from the Great Lakes, Keystone, Golden, Empire and Bay states. The name “eighth blackbird” derives from the eighth stanza of Wallace Stevens’s evocative, aphoristic poem, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (1917). eighth blackbird is managed by David Lieberman Artists.