Concert Artists Guild Announces 2014-2015 New York Season

Concert Artists Guild, whose stellar roster of artists demonstrates a high level of musicianship, virtuosity, and adventurousness, will present its ongoing Winners Series at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall as well as series at SubCulture and Barbès as part of its New Music/New Places program. The 2014-2015 Winners Series, which features recipients of prizes from the 2013 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, takes place throughout the season at Weill Hall on four Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. The series starts off with a wide-ranging program by the Donald Sinta Quartet, First Prize Winner of the 2013 CAG Competition, on Tuesday evening, November 18, 2014. The quartet will perform works by Kechley, Schubert, Barber, Pierne, Ligeti, and Browning, as well as two world premieres: a new quartet by Kristin Kuster and the prizewinning piece from the Quartet's annual composition competition.

The Winners Series continues with a recital by pianist Ko-Eun Yi, winner of the Victor Elmaleh Piano Prize, with works by Haydn, Rochberg, Ravel, and Liszt on February 24, 2015, followed by violinist and 2013 winner Alexi Kenney, with pianist Renana Gutman, on March 31, 2015 in a program of Westhoff, Schubert, Lutoslawski, Busoni and a world premiere by Sean Jaeger, commissioned by BMI and CAG. The series concludes on April 28, 2015 with the PUBLIQuartet, in a concert co- presented with ChamberMusicNY, performing Stravinsky, Jesse Montgomery, Ligeti, and an original Mind I The I Gap composition which uses improvisation to connect Debussy, Stravinsky and Ligeti with Thelonius Monk and Charlie Parker tunes.

CAG's New Music/New Places program features a four-concert series at SubCulture in 2014-15. Concerts include the Lysander Piano Trio celebrating the release of its debut album After a Dream on CAG Records (September 15, 2014, 7:30 p.m.); PUBLIQuartet with special guest Gregg Kallor, pianist/composer (November 3, 2014, 7:30 p.m.); Sybarite5 (January 18, 2015, 7:30 p.m.), featuring a world premiere by Jessica Meyer; and cellist Jay Campbell with pianist Conor Hanick (April 15, 2015, 7:30 p.m.), with a NY premiere by David Fulmer (commissioned by CAG). The Barbès Classical series, now in its ninth season, opens with violinist Alexi Kenney (November 9, 2014, 7:00 p.m., Barbès Bar, Brooklyn).

In addition to CAG's presentations, roster artists will be featured on Schneider Concerts at the New School (Amphion String Quartet on October 12), the Kaufman Music Center's Tuesday Matinee series at Merkin Hall (violinist Hye-Jin Kim on November 4), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Met Museum Presents both at the Metropolitan Museum (WindSync on December 14) and at the Cloisters (Calmus, vocal ensemble on April 19).

Founded in 1951 with a mission to discover, nurture, and promote young musicians, Concert Artists Guild has helped several hundred young musicians start careers over the past sixty years. The range of artistry has been great: from the heart of the classical music tradition to the cutting edge. Notable alumni artists include violinist Jennifer Koh, clarinetists David Krakauer and David Shifrin, flutists Carol Wincenc and Marina Piccinini, Imani Winds, the Grammy-winning ensembles eighth blackbird, Pacifica and Parker String Quartets, and MacArthur Fellow flutist and arts entrepreneur Claire Chase.

CAG provides support to a roster of talented artists during the critical and formative time between completion of formal studies and the achievement of an established career. Artists are selected through a rigorous multi-round annual competition open to traditional and non-traditional instrumentalists, ensembles and singers. CAG offers comprehensive management services including concert bookings and tour management, commissioning and recording opportunities and marketing and publicity support.

The NewMusic/New Places initiative presents CAG artists in non-traditional venues such as bars, clubs, and galleries, introducing diverse audiences to concert music. Writing for The New York Times, music critic Zachary Woolfe captured the essence of CAG's desire to broaden the performance possibilities for its winners: "Concert Artists Guild, which manages and promotes rising classical performers, is well aware of the challenges its musicians face as they embark on their careers. Stable, dependable engagements may well be a thing of the past, and it is necessary to think beyond the same traditional halls. To that end, the organization started the series New Music/New Places which presents its young charges and alumni in a wider-than- usual range of places." (October 4, 2013)

The CAG Records label enables roster musicians to get their music onto disc and into the marketplace. The CAG Commissioning Program ensures that classical music continues to be a living art form by fostering collaborations between performers and composers.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.concertartists.org.

For further information, please contact Hemsing Associates at (212) 772-1132 or e-mail jhemsing@hemsingpr.com