R.E.M. bassist and songwriter Mike Mills composed his first classical work Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra. Mills collaborated with longtime friend and critically acclaimed violinist Robert McDuffie on the six movement composition, which was released earlier this month through Orange Mountain Music. The orchestral rock & roll fusion has been described by Rolling Stone as "cinematic but never schmaltzy, rock-inflected but never corny, classical but never stuffy." Purchase Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra from Amazon. Stream the third movement of the concerto "Sunny Side Up" and read more about the project here.
In support of the album, Mills and McDuffie hit the road this week with chamber orchestra Fifth House Ensemble for a tour of the U.S. and will play Music Hall in Detroit on November 6th. Tickets for the event are available here.
Watch video of Mills and McDuffie performing "Nightswimming" ("Nightswimming" is the fifth movement of the concerto) below along with the tour itinerary.
Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra tour
Oct 21 -- St. Petersburg, FL @ Mahaffey Theater
Oct 24 -- Athens, GA @ Hodgson Hall
Oct 25 -- Newberry, SC @ Newberry Opera House
Oct 27 -- Macon, GA @ Macon City Auditorium
Oct 28 -- Atlanta, GA @ Emerson Concert Hall at Emory Univ.
Oct 29 -- Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
Oct 30 -- Chapel Hill, NC @ Memorial Auditorium
Nov 01 -- Newport News, VA @ Ferguson Center for the Arts
Nov 03 -- North Bethesda, MD @ Music Center at Strathmore
Nov 04 -- Pittsburgh, PA @ Byham Theater
Nov 05 -- Carmel, IN @ Palladium Center for the Arts
Nov 06 -- Detroit, MI @ Music Hall
Nov 07 -- Chicago, IL @ Harris Theatre
Published October 21st, 2016