Shepherds of Apocrypha
Semi-established Eastern European experimental music ensemble specializing in the realization of obscure and/or impractical scores by 20th Century composers. Despite the group's subpar musicianship and lack of notoriety, it managed to stage and document seminal works by Karlhienz Stockhausen (Helikopter-Streichquartett and Gold Dust), Iannis Xenakis (various polytopes), the reclusive NYC-based mailer-daemon (Neon Babylon), and various members of the Second Viennese School. The Shepherds of Apocrypha (SOA) had a penchant for the daring and melodramatic, often dawning masks and employing lasers and smoke machines. The semi-professional Illuminati Quartet was often featured in SOA performances and was, by some accounts, a de facto member.