Chiara String Quartet by Liz Linder

Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 8pm
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street
Brooklyn, New York

The Chiara Quartet has been called “truly breathtaking” by The Washington Post. Their Creator/Curator series commissions composers to write new works as well as curate the concert program. This final installment features Daniel Ott, who has recently written scores for ballet choreographer Benjamin Millepied. Ott’s new string quartet includes Odes to two composers who lost children – Liszt and Mahler – and he’s chosen to pair it with Polish composer Lutoslawski’s aleatoric string quartet.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Call (718) 222-8500 or visit www.galapagosartspace.com.

This series, curated by Wil Smith (New York composer who also serves as organist at First Presbyterian), occurs monthly, featuring one performer or ensemble per evening. Each concert will last about an hour and half each. Smith describes the new series, Music at First, as “a diverse mix of New York City’s best new music ensembles and performers, accessible to a wide audience of both community members and seasoned new music listeners.” Future performances include pianist Kathleen Supové on March 26, cellist/vocalist Jody Redhage and Fire in July on April 16 and a CD release with flute/percussionist duo Conor Nelson and Ayano Kataoka on May 28.

Threefifty Duo has been described as a “classical guitar duo with a rock edge,” as musicians Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick seamlessly weave their contemporary rock sensibilities into the rich fabric of classical guitar. After years of writing and performing together and with a second album under Threefifty’s belt, the duo’s stylistic tendencies have expanded beyond their initial categorization, with genre blurred by an intensely personal sound.

Formed in the halls of The Yale School of Music, taught by renowned classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery, and molded by the multi-faceted music scene of their hometown New York City, Threefifty has gone on to play in many respected venues and festivals, such as The 92nd Street Y, Southpaw, Pianos, The NY Guitar Festival, The Monkey, Bennington College, Connecticut Guitar Society, and a recent run of shows at California State University at Long Beach where choreography was set to their music. In December 2008 Threefifty Duo set off for Bosnia and Herzegovina where they played a nationally televised concert organized by The America-Bosnia Cultural Foundation in Sarajevo, with a member of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in attendance.

Threefifty Duo’s music features driving rhythms and harmonies that stem from rock and pop music, combined with the intricate textures that are possible on the classical guitar.

DIRECTIONS TO FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BROOKLYN:

BY SUBWAY: Take the #2 or #3 to Clark Street Station, the A or C to the High Street Station, the M, N, or R to the Court Street Station, or the 4 or 5 to Borough Hall

BY CAR: From Manhattan: Take the Brooklyn Bridge to the first exit on the Brooklyn side (Cadman Plaza West). Stay left as the exit splits. Go through one light and take a left at the next intersection onto Henry St. The Church is just past Clark St. on the right.

From the Brooklyn Queens Expressway: Take the Cadman Plaza West Exit, turn East onto Cadman Plaza West, then South onto Henry St. Continue on Henry to 124.