American Modern Ensemble to Welcome Top-Notch Lineup for STRING THEORY at SubCulture

JACK Quartet, Del Sol String Quartet, PUBLIQuartet and conductor Delta David Gier join the American Modern Ensemble for an unforgettable evening of world premieres from Jacob Bancks, Sidney Boquiren and Robert Paterson and modern masterpieces by Chinary Ung, Jessie Montgomery, John Zorn and John Luther Adams.

This all-star string summit will culminate with all groups performing together with Maestro Gier at the helm.

Now in its 10th season, American Modern Ensemble hosts a top-notch line-up of performers for STRING THEORY at SubCulture (45 Bleeker Street) on Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm). The concert marks AME's first event at SubCulture, its hip new home on Bleecker Street. To mark the occasion, three trailblazing string quartets-NYC indie outfits JACK Quartet and PUBLIQuartet and the worldly San Francisco-based Del Sol String Quartet-plus the intrepid American conductor Delta David Gier join forces with AME's stellar players for three world premieres and a fresh live take on the listening party format, with each guest ensemble selecting and performing one of its signature contemporary pieces. Tickets are $20 advance/$30 at the door and are available here.

For the premieres, which will all be performed by AME players: Jacob Bancks's rollicking new work for string quartet String Theory, is equal parts Danse sacrée et profane and Tom & Jerry. Heavenly meditations bubble to the surface in Sidney Boquiren's in a mirror dimly for string quintet and harp. The persistent bleeps and bells that overlay the existential silence of the ICU are the building blocks of Robert Paterson's I See You for string orchestra and "tape", with Delta David Gier leading a stellar orchestra comprised of members from AME, Del Sol, PUBLIQuartet and JACK.

For the signature pieces: Del Sol revisits Chinary Ung's tribute to the victims of the Cambodian genocide Spiral X "In Memoriam," which Del Sol violinist Charlton Lee calls "a powerful cry for the common people suffering continuing atrocities throughout the world." With its Carnegie Hall debut on the horizon, PUBLIQuartet will perform Breakaway, a vibrant work by one of its founding violinists, Jessie Montgomery. JACK Quartet, gearing up for a marathon performance of John Zorn string quartets in the spring, will perform the avant-garde composer's wild 13-movement string quartet The Dead Man, inspired by surrealist Georges Bataille and his dark variety of eroticism.

The program closes with all players on stage for Dream in White on White, a hushed, pure-toned evocation of the vast, wind-swept expanses of Western Alaska by Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams, deemed "one of the most original musical thinkers of the new century" by Alex Ross in The New Yorker.

AME founder Robert Paterson explains the logic behind STRING THEORY, saying, "By letting our guests choose their own pieces for the program, the results can't help but be wildly diverse. It will be impossible to leave this concert thinking that all classical music sounds the same or that the string quartet is dead."

Founded in New York City in 2005 by Robert Paterson and Victoria Paterson, American Modern Ensemble is a dynamic, creative force in the modern music scene. Robert serves as artistic director as well as house composer, and Victoria is Executive Director as well as one of the violinists on the roster. With a world-class ensemble made up of NYC's finest, AME is "simply 'first-rate" (The New York Times). AME has performed over 150 living composers in venues ranging from Lincoln Center to The Roulette, and has "consistently demonstrated a flair for inventive programming" (Steve Smith, Time Out New York).

AME programs both cutting edge and traditional works, presenting unique, engaging events that encourage dialogue between artists and audiences. Sold out crowds at Merkin Hall, Dimenna Center, the Rubin Museum, SubCulture and many other venues are a winning testament to AME's tremendous fan base and ever expanding popularity. AME has done and continues to do educational and outreach concerts and residencies at universities such as the CUNY Graduate Center, Princeton, Yale, Adelphi, James Madison, Lafayette, and many more. Recent collaborations include the Prototype Opera Festival, American Opera Projects, the Dance Theater of Harlem, and the Talujon percussion ensemble. AME presents thematic programs using a robust combination of instrumentalists, vocalists, and conductors.

The San Francisco-based Del Sol String Quartet, two-time winner of the top Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, commissions and performs outstanding new works from around the world, provides innovative educational programs, and has released six prior, critically acclaimed CDs since 2002. The group also collaborates with other artists in multi-media, dance, video and opera productions. Del Sol began in 1992 at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. Its current members are violinists Kate Stenberg and Rick Shinozaki, violist Charlton Lee and cellist Kathryn Bates.

Formed in Spring 2010, PUBLIQuartet aims to present the contemporary voices of New York City with a focus on newly composed works by New York City's emerging as well as established composers. Hailing from the Mannes College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and Eastman School of Music, the members of PUBLIQuartet contribute to a collective background in classical, jazz, world and electro acoustic performance. Dubbed "the independent-minded PUBLIQuartet" by the New Yorker, they present standard and rare music from the classical repertoire, as well as contemporary compositions and open-form improvisations that explore and expand the stylistic norms of the traditional string quartet.

The JACK Quartet electrifies audiences worldwide with "explosive virtuosity" (Boston Globe) and "viscerally exciting performances" (New York Times). David Patrick Stearns (Philadelphia Inquirer) proclaimed their performance as being "among the most stimulating new-music concerts of my experience." Comprising violinists Christopher Otto and Ari Streisfeld, violist John Pickford Richards, and cellist Kevin McFarland, JACK is focused on the commissioning and performance of new works. JACK's honors include Lincoln Center's Martin E. Segal Award, New Music USA's Trailblazer Award, and the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.