The kids done good. I was proud. Thanks to all of you who came out–we actually had a crowd–and to all the wonderful musicians who played their hearts out. It was a great evening. David Toub has the early bird report here. See Jeff Harrington’s pictures from the concert.
Read moreTonight’s the big night. The kids have worked hard and it’s going to be a great show. I hope to see you all this evening at the first ever Sequenza21 Concert, CUNY Graduate Center, Elebash Recital Hall, 34th and Fifth Avenue. 7:30 sharp. The street address, by the way, is 365 Fifth Avenue.
Read moreA Couple of Other Things: I meant to mention this earlier this week but kept putting it off because I found it just too depressing. Dawn Upshaw has breast cancer. Anybody here speak PHP? I mean, know it really cold. If you don’t know what that means, don’t apply, but if you’re the dude (or dudette), send me an e-mail. We could use a template tweak or two.
Read moreWe’re just hours away from the first real-world Sequenza21 concert which begins promptly at 7:30 on Monday night at the Elebash Recital Hall at the CUNY Graduate Center, 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. Admission is absolutely free and there will be wine and cookies. I hope to see you there. We are enormously grateful to the following folks for their financial contributions which have made it possible to actually pay the musicians and put together a program. Concert Sponsors: Bridge Records Metropolis Ensemble Contributors: Activist Music Anonymous Carrie and Yorke Brown Mr. Galen H. Brown Mr. Eric Bruskin Mr. Jeffrey
Read moreFresh from the lede in a New York Times article this very morning (“provocative star turn”), Corey Dargel is performing tonight at The Tank, 279 Church Street btw Franklin and White in Manhattan. Corey will perform new and unreleased material including “policy-anthems” in alternative tuning systems and a set of songs about the Virgin Mary. Joining Dargel are composer/violinist Jim Altieri and expert videographer Oleg Dubson. Kamala Sankaram and Squeezebox will present bloodletting, an original horror film with live music, depicting (it says here) the tension between artmaking and the daily survival of young working artists. Borrowing from the stylistic sensibilities of
Read moreTania León, a wonderful composer and musician and one of the nicest people in this crazy business of ours, is the featured composer this week at a spectacular new classical music space called the Gatehouse, a beautifully renovated old Romanesque Revival building that once served as a pumping station for water flowing from the Croton Reservoir to the taps of New York City. The new space is operated by Aaron Davis Hall Inc., Harlem’s long time center for the performing arts, which has been re-named Harlem Stage. Of course, the actual Aaron Davis Hall, which is just across the road
Read moreThe moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived. I refer, of course, to Robert Fripp’s 4-second start-up theme for the Windows Vista operating system. Soon to be the most played musical signature of all time. On the Window Vista blog, Jim Allchin writes that the new intro is “made of dual ascending ‘glassy’ (Edit note: as in Philip Glassy) melodies played on top of a gentle fading Fripp ‘AERO’ Soundscape.” Win-dows Vis-ta…(Click on play under the photo)
Read moreHow about a nice round of applause for Jeff Harrington who blogged all three nights of the Keys to the Future Festival. Bravo, well-done and many thanks for giving me an excuse to focus on more lucrative (hopefully) projects this week and to gloat over certain current events. I refer, of course, to the beginning of the return to sanity of American government and the exciting Rutgers victory over Louisville. When West Virginia knocks off Rutgers on December 2, revenge will be complete. Ten days and counting until the Sequenza21 concert.
Read moreDon’t miss Alex Ross’ wonderful portrait of Steve Reich in the new New Yorker. Yes, the New Yorker. Robert Gable has a video link to the London Steve Reich Ensemble on YouTube playing Reich’s Eight Lines. Reich is the current featured composer in the Sequenza21 shop. Stock up for Christmas or whatever you do at your house. Anybody see the latest production of The Cave last week at John Jay? It’s one of the great ones.
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