Bay Area Bridges Presents An Evening of Music & Words Inspired by Early 20th Century Russian Culture

Carley will be reading from her new work of fiction, “Siberian Iris,” while accompanied by Alcock, Robertson, and members of RDL+. New original compositions and classical and folkloric pieces from Russian music repertoire will also be presented throughout the evening, all inspired by Carley’s new work of fiction.

Lauren Carley

Lauren Carley, born in Michigan, residing in Oakland, CA writes one-person shows for the stage which have toured from San Francisco’s Solo Mio Festival and Herbst Hall to New York City’s Symphony Space, from Italy’s Spoleto Festival to Radio France. She has taught writing for the stage at Colorado College.

A lover of Plainsong and sacred polyphony in its original setting, she leads international retreats to sing in ancient churches, abbeys and monasteries.

She is about to publish a novella, “Siberian Iris.”

“Siberian Iris” is a story of a young woman’s life in Russia from 1912 – 1917. The voice of a foreign female servant in the court of Tsar Nicholas II takes us from her small village to St. Petersburg, from the palace basement laundry to the rooms of Rasputin and the Dowager Empress, from a Siberian monastery to the forest insurgents who call themselves the “People’s Army”, from monarchy to world and civil wars. Her relationships with some of the most controversial figures in Russian history tell a personal story within the world-changing events of the first two decades of the 20th Century.

RDL+

With their 2014 debut album, Más P’alla Va, RDL+ is building an original sound that embodies the members’ collective ideas, inspirations, and histories. RDL+ is Ruthie Dineen on keys, Doug Lee on bass, Steve Weems on drums, Luis Salcedo on guitar, plus(+) the Bay Area's best up-and-coming musicians. The group focuses on writing and playing original compositions, while taking both lyrical and open improvisations on the pieces. While maintaining an aesthetic stemming from traditional jazz, the group experiments with odd meters, timbre, form, and melodic ideas. Nonetheless, the exploratory nature of the group is always rooted in the essence of the composed or arranged pieces.

Doug Lee, bass
Ruthie Dineen, piano
Steve Weems, drums
Luis Salcedo, guitar