EtM Con Edison Composer in Residence Taylor Brook Conducts Free Workshop for Young Composers

Bloomingdale School of Music (BSM) is pleased to host 2018-19 Exploring the Metropolis Composer in Residence Taylor Brook in a free workshop for young composers on the use of electronics on March 5, 2019 at 7:00 pm. Featured as part of the event will be Taylor's composition, "Alluvium." The workshop will be held at BSM's David Greer Recital Hall located at the school's home site located at 323 West 108th Street, between Broadway and Riverside Drive in Manhattan.

Con Edison's Exploring the Metropolis Composer in Residence Program provides free, long-term studio space to composers who are in need of a dedicated workspace outside of their home.

Taylor Brook is a Canadian composer living in New York, writing and producing music for concert, film, theater and dance. Brook studied composition with Brian Cherney, Luc Brewaeys, George Lewis, Fred Lerdahl, and Georg Friedrich Haas. Described as "gripping" and "engrossing" by the New York Times, his compositions have won numerous awards and prizes. His music has been performed around the world by ensembles and soloists such as the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Quatuor Bozzini, JACK Quartet, MIVOS quartet, Talea Ensemble, Ensemble Ascolta, and others. Brook has won several SOCAN Young Composers awards, including two first place prizes and the grand prize in 2016 for his solo cello piece, Song.

In Kolkata, India, he studied Hindustani musical performance with Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya. His music is often concerned with finely tuned microtonal sonorities, combining his interest in exploring the perceptual qualities of sound with an individual sense of beauty and form. Brook holds a master's degree in music composition from McGill University. He lives in New York, where he completed a DMA in music composition at Columbia University in May 2018, with Fred Lerdahl. Brook is on faculty at Columbia University as a Core Lecturer. He also teaches beginner and advanced electronic music composition at the Manhattan School of Music. Brook is the technical director of TAK ensemble.

Now in its 54th year, BSM has served more than 80,000 children and adults through group classes, private instruction, and performance opportunities in classical, jazz, and rock music. Each week, over 650 students of all ages participate in a wide range of music making, including early childhood classes, a comprehensive pre-college program, free community concerts, and internet-based music programs. With accessibility central to its mission, more than 20% of Bloomingdale's student body receives financial aid and scholarship assistance annually. For more information on Bloomingdale School of Music's programs and concerts, visit bsmny.org,