Kaufman Music Center Announces 2020/21 Artists-in-Residence

Kaufman Music Center's Artist-in-Residence initiative invites versatile artists into its wide range of programs, from concert presentations in Merkin to community music classes, as participants connect, create, and explore.

Artists-in-Residence perform in Merkin Hall and work with students from KMC's Special Music School (SMS), the only K-12 public school in the U.S. that teaches music as a core subject; Face the Music, a teen new music program dedicated to performing cutting-edge music by living composers, including its own members; and Lucy Moses School (LMS), NYC's largest community music school.

The 2021-22 Kaufman Music Center Artists-in-Residence are: the Grammy-nominated wind quintet Imani Winds; composer/soprano/bandleader Kamala Sankaram; and the eclectic violin/piano duo of Charles Yang & Peter Dugan. In addition to their educational activities, each Artist-in-Residence will perform at Merkin Hall as part of Kaufman Music Center's 2021/22 season.

Kaufman Music Center Executive Director Kate Sheeran says, "We're so excited to welcome our outstanding 2021-22 Artists-in-Residence who will bring joy and inspiration to students and audiences through their creative programs and projects. They are the perfect artistic ambassadors to reconnect us all and illuminate the synergies between our programs."

2021-22 Artist-in-Residence Kamala Sankaram says, "Especially after more than a year away from in-person musical collaboration, I'm so excited to join the community at Kaufman Music Center. The range of programs, diversity of music making, and talent of the young musicians are truly inspiring as I develop a new body of work focused on communal singing and prepare for a performance at Merkin Hall."

The Grammy-nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds. They are devoutly committed to expanding the wind quintet repertoire by commissioning music from new voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live.

This season, Imani Winds will give the world premiere of Andy Akiho's Be-longing Project, a new commission addressing immigration issues, in Merkin Hall as part of the Ecstatic Music series. Written for wind quintet and optional steel pan and found sound instruments, the piece is adaptable for many different environments and includes audience participation through vocalizing, clapping and other interactions. Additional performances of the work are planned outside Merkin Hall following the premiere. Imani Winds will also perform a series of free chamber music concerts that will build deeper connections with our community.

Throughout the season, Imani Winds will offer one-on-one instrumental coaching to young musicians in elementary and middle school grades. They'll lead a masterclass with student chamber ensembles performing works by teen composers, and will perform with Face the Music.

The category-defying composer, soprano and bandleader Kamala Sankaram will immerse herself in Lucy Moses School's Dalcroze Program as a starting point for her residency, which will culminate in the development of a 21st-century Sacred Harp - a new, broadly accessible body of communal choral music that can be sung by people at all levels of musical skill. Kaufman Music Center students will perform the new songbook and write pieces in this newly-created style.

Sankaram will give a series of masterclasses on the common threads between different musical systems including Indian raga as well as a career overview to our high school students, and will perform with Face the Music. Part of the new Bridges series, her Merkin Hall debut will feature her work with the genre-defying, pan-global band Bombay Rickey plus music for solo voice and electronics. She'll also host communal sings in Merkin Hall that are free, participatory and open to the public.

The charismatic "classical meets rock star duo" (Wall Street Journal) of pianist Peter Dugan and violinist/vocalist Charles Yang will host "Kids Play the Darndest Things," a dynamic variety show in Merkin Hall featuring a cross-section of Kaufman Music Center education programs. They'll also take the Merkin Hall stage as part of Kaufman Music Center's new Bridges series.

Yang and Dugan will coach student chamber ensembles and give individual violin and piano masterclasses with our middle school and high school students. They'll discuss career trajectories in the music field, judge a concerto competition and cover song competition, and work with students on arranging and integrating pop and classical music.

Updates will be posted at KaufmanMusicCenter.org/2021-22-artists-in-residence as they become available.