Untarnished Lucidity explores the transformations of small grains of nothingness into common musical idioms, however distorted those may turn out to be. Eric Dolphy runs become a Bach toccata, becomes a decadently ornamented Brahms sonata, all the while one instrument wishes to give the other the space and the stage to be true to its nature and idiomatic sound world. Marimba wishes not to Mar the Clarity of the Clarinet. Not to Tarnish its Lucidity. Is this space too much? Have they lost interaction and connection out of respect for one another’s space? Hopefully, the ending will shed light on these questions and lucidity shall prevail.

Osnat Netzer /osˈnat ˈnɛtsɛʁ/ is a multi-faceted musician based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Born in Haifa, Israel, she developed a love of music at a very young age, and trained intensively as a composer, pianist and singer-songwriter throughout her high school years, military service and undergraduate studies at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. She came to the United States in 2003 for graduate studies in composition, music theory and piano at Mannes, and continued her studies in composition at New England Conservatory, where she earned her doctorate in 2011. Her highly theatrical and engaging compositions have been performed in Israel, France, Germany, Korea, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the United States. Performers of her music include Firebird Ensemble, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Kaprizma Ensemble (Israel), Ensemble Consart (Germany), saxophonist Geoffrey Landman and bass David Salsbery Fry.

A scene from her “riotously funny” (The New York Times) opera The Wondrous Woman Within was performed to great acclaim at New York City Opera’s VOX festival in 2012. In November 2015 the complete opera received its premiere in a sold out run at Tel Aviv’s Cameri Theatre. Other recent and upcoming performances of her compositions include Schertch (Spektral Quartet with Tim Munro), l’Histoire de quatre musiciens (Cadillac Moon) and away dream all away (ICE).

As a pianist and performer, she regularly plays and conducts new music by fellow composers, as well as her own songs and compositions. Also a committed and passionate educator, Dr. Netzer has served on the faculties of New England Conservatory and The Walden School. In 2013, she joined the faculty of Harvard University, where she teaches composition, theory and musicianship.