GOLD MOUNTAIN is a three part immersive musical exploration of cultural exchange and the American Dream in both recorded format and concert experience, that crosses musical boundaries of the baroque, contemporary, and folk worlds. It involves existing music, newly created music, and culminates in a showcase centering marginalized music integral to the musical identity of the United States.

Part I, GOLDBERG, delves into J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, re-arranged from it’s original solo keyboard for the colorful sound world of a band of unusual baroque instruments. Commissioned to soothe the sleepless nights of a Baroque count, Bach responded with a twinkling and timeless aria and a set of 30 variations.

Guided by the theme of sleepless nights and hope filled dreaming, Part II, GOLDEN SLUMBERS, is 70 minutes of structured improvisation that invites audiences into real-time composition, introspection, and exploration, using a combination of the baroque instruments and modern counterparts in shared musical dialogue. 

Many dreamers have looked up to the stars, and in Part III, GOLD RUSH / AMERICAN DREAM, we find ourselves making music around the campfires of the American West during the 19th century gold rush. Here, amidst the convergence of cultures and dreams of fortune, music becomes a unifying force, echoing the hopes, struggles, and triumphs of those seeking the American Dream on “gold mountain”.