Ensemble ACJW to Perform Meredith Monk's BACKLIGHT at Weill Recital Hall, 2/16

On Monday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Weill Recital Hall, Ensemble ACJW-an inspirational collective of young professional musicians-performs the New York premiere of a new three-movement work Backlight by acclaimed composer Meredith Monk, holder of the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair at Carnegie Hall this season. Backlight, which plays sonically with the idea of shadow and light and was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for Ensemble ACJW, receives its world premiere by the group in the Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Friday, February 13 at 8:00 p.m., as part of a week-long residency at Skidmore College. Both concerts also include Roussel's Trio for Flute, Viola, and Cello, and Ravel's Piano Trio in A Minor.

Also, on Thursday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m., Ensemble ACJW performs at SubCulture, one of the East Village's newest performance spaces. The program includes ensemble works by Gabrieli, and Frederic Rzewski, plus duos by Villa-Lobos, Bartók, Arvo Pärt, Erwin Schulhoff, John Adams, and Reena Esmail. Please see below for full program details.

For eight consecutive years, Ensemble ACJW has returned to Saratoga Springs, New York for two five-day residencies at Skidmore College. These February concerts represent the culmination of the ensemble's upcoming residency at the college from February 10-14 during which the fellows will work with Meredith Monk and the music department faculty and students, offering master classes, lessons, and class demonstrations. The fellows also play side by side with the students of the Skidmore College Orchestra and read student composers' new works. In addition, the fellows offer collaborative demonstrations and informal performances beyond the music department in classes, dormitories, and libraries, as well as in schools and other community venues in Saratoga Springs.

Ms. Monk's residency as Carnegie Hall's Debs Composer's Chair continues on Friday, March 20 in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage when the St. Louis Symphony, led by David Robertson, performs the New York premiere of Monk's Weave with guest vocal soloists Katie Geissinger and Theo Bleckmann. On Sunday, March 22 in Zankel Hall, Ms. Monk performs with her Vocal Ensemble and an all-star line-up of guest artists (including Bang on a Can All-Stars, Jessye Norman, Victoire, Don Byron, DJ Spooky, John Zorn, and many more), gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monk's creating new work in New York City. The residency concludes on Saturday, May 2 in Zankel Hall with Ms. Monk and Vocal Ensemble performing classic works of the composer's from the '70s and '80s alongside selections from some of her more recent music.

About the Artists
Created in 2007 by Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director Clive Gillinson and The Juilliard School's President Joseph W. Polisi, Ensemble ACJW is a two-year fellowship program for the finest young professional classical musicians in the United States that prepares them for careers combining musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, music entrepreneurship, and leadership. It offers them top-quality performance opportunities, intensive professional development, and the opportunity to partner throughout the fellowship with a New York City public school.

Ensemble ACJW fellows-chosen for their musicianship, but also for their leadership qualities and commitment to music education-come from some of the best music schools in the country, including the Curtis Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Peabody Institute, Stony Brook University, University of Southern California, and Yale School of Music.

Ensemble ACJW has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for the quality of its performances as well as its fresh and open-minded approach, performing a wide range of music-from centuries past to works written days before an event-in a variety of performance venues. The group performs its own series at Carnegie Hall and has regularly appeared at The Juilliard School's Paul Hall and other venues throughout New York City, including (Le) Poisson Rouge nightclub in Greenwich Village, Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, and SubCulture in NoHo. As part of a partnership with Skidmore College that began in 2007, Ensemble ACJW gives master classes for university students and performs for the Saratoga Springs community in both concert halls and in informal settings around town.

Along with performance opportunities at premier venues in New York City and beyond, Ensemble ACJW fellows each partner with a New York City public school to share their artistry with-and become central resources for-music classrooms in the five boroughs. Ensemble ACJW fellows also take part in community work through the Weill Music Institute's Musical Connections program, in which they perform at multiple non-traditional music venues across New York City, including healthcare settings, correctional facilities, and senior-service organizations. Throughout the two-year program, Ensemble ACJW fellows participate in rigorous, ongoing professional development to ensure that they gain the necessary skills to be successful in all areas of the program and to become leaders in their field. Areas of emphasis include artistic excellence, engagement strategies on and off the stage, advocacy, professional skills, and preparation for their in-school work.

Moving on to the next stage of their careers, Ensemble ACJW's 83 alumni are now making an impact on the national and international musical landscape in a wide variety of artistic and educational arenas. Continuing the strong bonds formed through the program, in 2011, the alumni formed the chamber music collective Decoda, which has been named an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall.

Exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and advocates for music throughout the community, the forward-looking musicians of Ensemble ACJW are redefining what it means to be a musician in the 21st century. Visit acjw.org to learn more.

Program Information
Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.
SubCulture, 45 Bleecker Street
ENSEMBLE ACJW

GIOVANNI GABRIELI Sonata pian e forte from Sacrae symphoniae (arr. Ensemble ACJW)
TRADITIONAL Choro (Brazilian) (arr. Michael Zuber and Jean Laurenz)
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS Chôros No. 2
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS Bachianas brasileira No. 6
BÉLA BARTÓK Selections from Forty-Four Duos for Two Violins, BB 104
ARVO PÄRT Spiegel im Spiegel
ERWIN SCHULHOFF "Zingaresca: Allegro giocoso" from Duo for Violin and Cello
JOHN ADAMS Road Movies
REENA ESMAIL Jhula Jhule (arr. Reena Esmail and Jean Laurenz)
FREDERIC RZEWSKI Les moutons de Panurge
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Friday, February 13, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.
Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall
ENSEMBLE ACJW
•• Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington, Flute
•• James Riggs, Oboe
•• Stanislav Chemyshev, Clarinet
•• Michael Zuber, Bassoon
•• Michael James Smith, Piano
•• Kobi Malkin, Violin
•• Dana Kelley, Viola
•• Andrea Casarrubios, Cello
ALBERT ROUSSEL Trio for Flute, Viola, and Cello, Op. 40
MEREDITH MONK Backlight (World Premiere, commissioned by Carnegie Hall)
MAURICE RAVEL Piano Trio in A Minor
______________________________________

Monday, February 16, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.
Weill Recital Hall
ENSEMBLE ACJW
•• Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington, Flute
•• James Riggs, Oboe
•• Stanislav Chemyshev, Clarinet
•• Michael Zuber, Bassoon
•• Michael James Smith, Piano
•• Kobi Malkin, Violin
•• Dana Kelley, Viola
•• Andrea Casarrubios, Cello

ALBERT ROUSSEL Trio for Flute, Viola, and Cello, Op. 40
MEREDITH MONK Backlight (NY Premiere, commissioned by Carnegie Hall)
MAURICE RAVEL Piano Trio in A Minor

Meredith Monk is the holder of the 2014-2015 Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair at Carnegie Hall.

Lead funding for Ensemble ACJW is provided by the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund.

Major funding has been provided by The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, Susan and Edward C. Forst and Goldman Sachs Gives, the Max H. Gluck Foundation, The Irving Harris Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse Jr., Phyllis and Charles Rosenthal, and Ernst & Young LLP.

Additional support has been provided by Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Bulgari, EGL Charitable Foundation, Leslie and Tom Maheras, Andrew and Margaret Paul, Park Hyatt hotels, UJA-Federation of New York, and The Wallace Foundation.

Public support is provided, in part, by the New York City Department of Education and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Ticket Information
Tickets for the February 16 concert in Weill Recital Hall, priced at $32, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For more information discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

Tickets for the February 13 concert in Saratoga Springs are priced at $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, and are free for students and children. For more information, please visit skidmore.edu/zankel or call the college's Department of Music at 518-580-5320.

Tickets for the January 22 concert at SubCulture are priced at $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information, visit boxoffice@subculturenewyork.com or call 212-533-5470.

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