Collage New Music (ca. 1976) rehearses Eight Songs for a Mad King

In this archival film, Boston's new music ensemble, Collage New Music (founded in 1971) rehearses British composer Peter Maxwell Davies' Eight Songs for a Mad King (1969) in a Boston Symphony Hall rehearsal room. Ensemble: Phil Kelsey, narrator Paul Fried, flute Phil Viscuglia, clarinet Ron Knudsen, violin Ron Feldman, cello Chris Kies, piano Frank Epstein, percussion As an active ensemble, Collage continues to present 20th and 21st century music. For more information about the ensemble, visit; http://www.collagenewmusic.org Collage New Music was founded in 1971 by Frank Epstein, a percussionist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1968-2011 and a faculty member at New England Conservatory and Tanglewood Music Center. Mr. Epstein served as Collage’s Music Director until 1991, when he transferred musical leadership to David Hoose. Today, Mr. Epstein serves as President of the Board of Directors. Praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer as “among the finest artists of contemporary (or any other) music,” Collage New Music has always stood out as a leader among adventurous music makers. Its artistic personnel include respected musicians from the Boston Symphony Orchestra as well as the freelance communities in Boston, New York and beyond. Guest artists have included Seiji Ozawa, Gunther Schuller, Milton Babbitt, Clark Terry, Vanessa Redgrave, Walter van Dyck, Janna Baty, Janet Brown, William Hite, Elizabeth Keusch, and Judith Bettina.