In their program “Winds of Change,” Aura Contemporary Ensemble performs music that explores moments and provocateurs of transformation. Michael Lanci’s song cycle, “Songs for Joe Hill,” presents texts by 19th century authors who wrote about labor, social, and political rights, while Pascal Le Boeuf’s “Media Control” is inspired by the work of author Noam Chomsky and seeks to represent mass media’s role as a primary source of propaganda.

Austin composer Donald Grantham’s colorful and inventive “Slobberin’ Goblins” takes its subject to be the grotesque, shapeshifting creatures of folklore. The 100th anniversary of György Ligeti’s birth is celebrated via performances of his “Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano”, the first work of his third style period, and his infamous and rarely performed “Poeme Symphonique” for 100 mechanical metronomes, which gradually morphs from a cacophony of pulses to the clicking of one solitary metronome in just 15 minutes

Guided by composer Rob Smith, Aura has commissioned and premiered a multitude of works, fostering partnerships with a range of contemporary composers.