Calendar

Two new operatic monodramas featuring two iconic mothers will receive their first public concert readings a day after Mother’s Day.  Nora, In the Great Outdoors, music by Daniel Felsenfeld and libretto by Will Eno, continues the final scene of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House moments after Nora abandons her family; and The Wanton Sublime, music by Tarik O’Regan and libretto by Anna Rabinowitz, explores the mythic and human aspects of Mary, mother of Jesus. The evening will feature performances by soprano Caroline Worra (The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Boston Lyric, Glimmerglass) and Amy Shoremount-Obra with music direction by Mila Henry. Both one-act operas have been commissioned by the Brooklyn-based opera development company AMERICAN OPERA PROJECTS (AOP) and will be presented by the organization at The Players (16 Gramercy Park South) on Monday, May 9 at 8pm in New York City, and at South Oxford Space (138 South Oxford St.) on Thursday, May 12 at 8pm in Brooklyn.  Both will feature a panel discussion with the artists.  Tickets are $20; $10 for Players NYC members or Students/Seniors.  Tickets and more info are available at www.operaprojects.org.

Music at First announces an evening of contemporary music featuring the talents of the “gorgeously subtle” (Time Out New York) janus and the “finely polished” (The New York Times) Mantra Percussion ensemble.  Flute, viola and harp trio janus presents a range of older and brand new works by Sofia Gubaidulina, Kaija Saariaho, Michael Ippolito, Caleb Burhans and Ryan Brown, while Mantra brings a special preview performance of an excerpt from Michael Gordon’s new evening-length percussion sextet, Timber.

Bringing together both the old and the new, janus will perform two “older” works by two established composers: The Garden of Joys and Sorrows by Sofia Gubaidulina (which was written in 1980) and New Gates by Kaija Saariaho (written in 1996), as well as the world premiere of a newly commissioned work, Ballade by Michael Ippolito, which includes the composer on accordion.  In support of their “beguiling new CD” (Time Out New York), the trio will perform two tracks from the release, Keymaster by Caleb Burhans and Under the Rug by Ryan Brown, both of which were written for janus.

In a special preview performance, Mantra will present an excerpt from Michael Gordon’s Timber, a new evening-length tour de force for six percussionists.  Scored for six graduated wooden two-by-fours, the work brings the physicality, endurance and technique of percussion performance to a new level. Gordon shapes the music in both polyrhythmic and dynamic textures, such that the player’s hands are often in separate rhythmic worlds, each traversing a different dynamic contour.  The piece was co-commissioned by the Dutch dance company, Club Guy and Roni, and the percussion ensembles Slagwerk den Haag and Mantra Percussion, with support from the Nief-Norf project.

Concert Details:
WHAT: Music at First Series featuring janus and Mantra Percussion
WHEN: Friday, April 8, 2011, 7:30pm
WHERE: First Presbyterian Church (Brooklyn Heights)
124 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY
2/3 to Clark St.; A/C to High St.; R/4/5 to Borough Hall
ADMISSION: $10
INFO: www.musicatfirstsite.com

About Music at First Series:
Music at First is an exciting new concert series that takes place at First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn Heights curated by Brooklyn-based composer and FPC organist Wil Smith.  It features a diverse mix of some of New York City’s top new music ensembles, performers, and composers, accessible to a wide audience of both community members and seasoned new music listeners.  Concerts take place monthly at First Presbyterian Church and begin at 7:30pm with a $10 admission. www.musicatfirstsite.com

Mellissa Hughes and Lorna Krier

Brooklyn Heights-based Music at First Series announces its second concert of 2011, featuring sets from “dazzling diva” (Time Out New York) Mellissa Hughes and synthesizer player Lorna Krier.  Mellissa Hughes, accompanied by pianist Timo Andres, will perform works that explore topics such as death, sexuality, and Craigslist, by Jacob Cooper, Corey Dargel, Ted Hearne, Gabriel Kahane, Matt Marks, and Eric Shanfield. Lorna Krier continues to “break down the boundary between new classical and indie rock” (Lukas Ligeti) with Selected Saccharine Songs Without Words featuring special guests Dream Massage (Peter Pearson, Derek Muro, Stephen Griesgraber) and bassist Eleonore Oppenheim. Videographer Jon Williams complements the new wave-meets-minimalism songs with video projections processed in real time.

DETAILS:
WHAT: Must at First Series featuring Mellissa Hughes & Lorna Krier
WHEN: Friday, March 25, 2011, 7:30pm
WHERE: First Presbyterian Church (Brooklyn Heights)
124 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY
2/3 to Clark St.; A/C to High St.; R/4/5 to Borough Hall
ADMISSION: $10
INFO: www.musicatfirstsite.com

MUSIC AT FIRST is a monthly new music series at First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn Heights. It features a diverse mix of some of New York City’s best new music ensembles, performers, and composers, accessible to a wide audience of both community members and seasoned new music listeners. All concerts begin at 7:30 with a $10 admission.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
APR 8 – Janus Trio & Mantra Percussion
MAY 20 – Margaret Lancaster & The Deprivation Choir

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.

On May 6th at 7 PM, TRANSIT will continue its popular DoubleBill series at the Nabi Gallery (137 W. 25th St. NYC) in a program co-curated by Samson Young. The program features work from a stellar roster of emerging composers including world premieres of Samson Young, Daniel Wohl, Fung Lam, and Lan-Chee Lam, as well as recent works by Ted Hearne and Matthew Welch.

The DoubleBill series focuses on bringing together new music from two different cities on the same program. The resulting snapshot of emerging composers from two diverse musical scenes ensures that the programming is always fresh, and that audiences enjoy a global cultural experience without incurring jetlag.

In the two seasons since its founding, the TRANSIT collective has already made a name for itself in the New York new music community. Aside from its own programming, it has performed at Issue Project Room, Le Poisson Rouge, and Galapagos Art Space, and has been invited to play on series including MATA Interval, Darmstadt- Classics of the Avant-Garde, and March is Music (Pregones Theater). Voice of America calls their concerts ‘…expertly played.’

Program:

(HKG)
Samson Young
Learning to Write Andante Cantabile * (2010)
Lan Chee Lam
Spiritual Rain * (2010)
Fung Lam
A Pensive Moment * (2010)
Remembering Dowland * (2004/2010)

(NYC)
Daniel Wohl
Untitled/Aorta * (2010)
Ted Hearne
One of us, One of them (2005)
Matthew Welch
Symphony of Drones #2 (2002)

*world premiere

TRANSIT DoubleBill: NYC vs. HKG
May 6, 2010
7 PM
$15/12 student, senior

Nabi Gallery
137 W. 25th St.
(btw. 5th and 6th Ave.)
1, C, E, to 23rd St.

www.transitnewmusic.com

Existential Pilot New Music Collective is presenting two concerts of contemporary chamber music by composers William Zuckerman, Ezra Donner, and Jonathan Lubin on March 2-3 in New York City and Philadelphia. The concert will feature the performing talents of clarinetist Mark Dover, soprano Claire DiVizio, and violinist Zoë Aqua, as well as the featured composers.

The program represents an eclectic range of stylistic and literary influences, from traditional Jewish and American vernacular music, to avant-garde electronic music, to works inspired by the popular South Park television series.

Existential Pilot is a new music collective started by students and alumni of the University of Michigan, dedicated to the performance of dynamic and relevant contemporary music. The group is particularly committed to showcasing the talents of young and emerging composers and performers.

Tickets are $7 pre-sale and $9 at the door.  To reserve yours, please click on the links below.