Holcomb and Horvitz share the bill with Twirl at the Center May 9

Clint and Grace McCune of Twirl

Orcas Center presents Orcas’ own brother-sister duo Twirl on a shared bill with influential Seattle-based musicians Robin Holcomb and Wayne Horvitz for one performance only, on Saturday May 9 at 7:30 pm.

Twirl is Grace McCune (Beauty in Beauty and the Beast) and her older brother Clint McCune. Sharing a musically vibrant childhood, they have each played music their entire lives. In 2000 they came together to form TWIRL and started with a tour of the Eastern sea ports, headlining the North Carolina Music Festival for a crowd of 4,000. They have played the prestigious South by Southwest Festival; and closer to home, they have played at the Stage on the Green and opened for Bill Frisell last season at Orcas Center. Grace and Clint have each recorded several cds together and solo.

Clint founded a Redmond based music venue, SoulFood, and serves as a Redmond Arts Commissioner. Increasingly celebrated here on Orcas Island, Grace is a multi-talented performer (singer, songwriter, pianist and actress) who has appeared several times on the Orcas stages, with roles in Steel Magnolias, Three Penny Opera, Beauty and the Beast, The Fantastiks and most recently in Cabaret in the Air. She also had the honor of being the guest soloist in Martin Lund’s “One World Music Festival” and with the Orcas A Capella.

Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb will perform with Twirl on May 9

Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb are legendary fixtures nationally in new music.

Each has a multi-faceted career independently and, as husband and wife, often collaborate on projects such as the performance they have prepared for an Orcas audience. Each is a composer and pianist, and Robin is a singer and songwriter. Each has performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America with an impressive list of artists including John Zorn, Fred Frith, Julian Priester, Bill Frisell, Peggy Lee, among many others.

The music of neither artist can easily be captured by simple description. The New York Times writes: “Ms. Holcomb has done something remarkable here: she has created a new American regionalism, spun from many threads – country, rock, minimalism, Civil War songs, Baptist hymns, Appalachian folk tunes, even the polytonal music of Charles Ives. The music that results is as elegantly simple as a Shaker Quilt, and no less beautiful. The Wire UK writes On piano, Horvitz is economical yet lyrical, never venturing far from the strong melodic hooks which characterize his compositions, but constantly working small surprises. An irresistible antidote to gray days.”

Tickets to Twirl and Robin Holcomb and Wayne Horvitz on Saturday, May 9 are $16, $12 for Orcas Center members, $8 for students. Tickets may be purchased at www.orcascenter.org or at the Orcas Center Box office Thursdays-Saturdays, noon-4 pm, 376-2281 ext. 1.