Hailed as “Friendly, unpretentious, idealistic and highly skilled” by the New Yorker, eighth blackbird is widely lauded for its unusual performing style – often playing from memory with virtuosic and theatrical flair – and its efforts to make new music accessible to wide audiences. The ensemble’s 2005-06 10th anniversary season includes tours of California– taking in Los Angeles’s Disney Hall and stops in La Jolla, Stanford and Davis;