New York

Classical Music, Commissions, Composers, Composers Now, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Festivals, New York

“Spring for Music” at Carnegie Hall – The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

  On Tuesday evening in New York City, Edmonton is taking Carnegie Hall by storm. The “Spring for Music” series, a yearly Carnegie event, is an opportunity for symphony orchestras around North America to come and present their work in New York City- an opportunity that would not necessarily be possible for some of these orchestras if “Spring for Music” did not exist. This Tuesday will see the Carnegie debut of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, an up-and-coming star in the symphonic world. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 60-year anniversary this year. An integral and beloved part of the

Read more
by Jonathan Lakeland
Concert review, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Downtown, New York

Inna Faliks–A Night of Words and Music at Cornelia: A Review

Music/Words presents Inna Faliks (piano) Clarice Assad (piano and vocals) Samantha Malk (soprano) and Irina Mashinski (poet) Cornelia Street Cafe, NYC April 22nd, 2012 Written by Kyle Lynch Last Sunday evening, pianist Inna Faliks closed the fourth season of her Music/Words series at the West Village institution, Cornelia Street Café, in New York City. It was an intimate affair in the Café’s cozy basement theatre, and Inna was joined by soprano Samatha Malk, Brazilian pianist and singer Clarice Assad, and poet Irina Mashinski. The potpourri of solo piano, songs, and poetry readings hearkens back to old European salons of the

Read more
by Chris McGovern
Chamber Music, Composers, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, New York

Concert Review: Shepherd Spotlight at Advent Lutheran

In the Kaleidoscope: the Music of Sean Shepherd April 23, 2012 Music Mondays at Advent Lutheran Church NEW YORK – Sean Shepherd’s music was featured in last week’s Music Monday concert at Advent Lutheran Church on New York’s Upper West Side. One of the fast rising stars of contemporary classical music’s thirty-something set, Shepherd has already been performed by the New York Philharmonic, on their Contact contemporary music series, and is currently in residence with both the orchestras Cleveland and Reno. Upcoming performances of his works are this summer at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music and in the Fall

Read more
by Christian Carey
Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Events, New York, Piano

Jenny Q. Chai: Interview/Preview of her Zankel Hall Concert

New music pianist Jenny Q. Chai is making a special appearance at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall on April 19th at 7:30 PM playing some great pieces by Ligeti, Marco Stroppa, György Kurtág, Messiaen, and even Schumann (guess they’re trying to make him sound young again) as well as two world-premiere pieces by composers Ashley Fu-Tsun Wang and Inhyun Kim. She had some time to talk with me about that upcoming show and her musical path.

Read more
by Chris McGovern
Concerts, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, New York

Monday: Too Many Concerts

It’s one of those evenings when you wish you could be at two New York concert venues at once! Mohammed Fairouz’s opera, Sumeida’s Song, will be performed at Zankel Hall on 4/2 at 7:30. The work is based on playwright Tawfiq El Hakim’s Song of Death. Presented by the Mimesis Ensemble (conducted by Scott Dunn), the cast features soprano Jo Ellen Miller, mezzo Rachel Calloway, tenor Robert Mack, and baritone Mischa Bouvier. (Ticket info here). Also on Monday at 7:30 PM, Cutting Edge Concerts Festival kicks off its fifteenth season at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater at Symphony Space. Monday nights in

Read more
by Christian Carey
Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Festivals, New York

William Zuckerman and his Symphony Z

In December 2010, as I was still adjusting to the climate change between Houston, Texas and Ann Arbor, Michigan, I heard a piece that has stuck with me ever since. I wrote about it here, along with two others, and called this particular work, which was performed with video and dance, “the most well executed student production of ANY KIND I have seen.” This piece is Music in Pluralism by William Zuckerman, a former University of Michigan composition student who is currently freelancing in New York. On April 11th at 8 PM, in the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Hall, Music and

Read more
by Garrett Schumann
Concerts, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, New York, Video

Brand New Ensemble … Newish Venue … New Music

Tonight, Hotel Elefant makes its debut concert at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music (a venue that’s just celebrated its one-year anniversary). The concert features two works by David T. Little. Sequenza 21’s own James Holt will be on hand to host the event; he’ll conduct an onstage interview with Little. Below, check out one of several preview videos from the ensemble’s YouTube channel (there’s interview footage with several of the program’s composers): composer Leah Maria Villarreal and violinist Andie Springer discuss preparing a new multimedia work entitled “The Warmth of Other Suns.” [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdbA8NI_h_s&context=C4314331ADvjVQa1PpcFNz3zMqRTkDBl6aFxh7lVlR6vZXMo72GbY=[/youtube] Event Details Thursday, March 15, 2012

Read more
by Christian Carey
CDs, Competitions, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, New York, Piano

And the Winner of the David Lang Competition is….

Congratulations to pianist Peter Poston for winning the David Lang 2011 Competition. Below is his award-winning entry, a performance of Wed, submitted via YouTube: Poston will get to perform as part of an all Lang program at le poisson rouge in New York City on May 6, 2012 at 5pm. The concert at LPR includes Andrew Zolinsky performing selections from the CD, a new 4-hand piano work premiered by Zolinsky and Poston, a new 6-hand piano piece for the 3 runners-up – Catarina Domenici, Katherine Dowling, and Denise Fillion – and performances by guitar legend Derek Johnson and other special

Read more
by Christian Carey
Choral Music, Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, New York

C4 at a Loss for Words

New York-based C4 Ensemble is a choir that specializes in new music. Most of its members are composers or conductors, or both! On Thursday March 1 and Saturday March 3, the group is performing a program entitled “A Loss for Words: An Evening of New Choral Music on Alternative Texts” (info and tickets here). Since I’m away this weekend at a conference in Dayton, C4 was kind enough to let me sit in on one of their recent rehearsals. The group’s dynamic is a lesson in exceeding expectations. The member’s take turns leading warmups and rehearsing pieces, allowing for several conductors

Read more
by Christian Carey