PUBLIQuartet to Perform Compositions from Emerging Composers, 5/24

By: May. 07, 2014
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2014 has already been quite a year so far for NYC's innovative classical/jazz ensemble PUBLIQuartet. They made their debut recital at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton at Symphony Space in March and now they are proud to announce the inaugural year of PUBLIQuartet's Emerging Composers Program: PUBLIQ Access. Formed in Spring 2010, PUBLIQuartet, were recipients of the New Music/New Places Fellow and awarded the Sylvia Ann Hewlett Adventurous Artist Prize at the 2013 Concert Artists Guild Competition (CAG is a comprehensive management group founded in 1951 with a mission to discover, nurture and promote young musicians and 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). The quartet, which features Curtis Stewart, violin; Jannina Norpoth, violin; Nick Revel, viola; and Amanda Gookin, cello, and their creative, interactive programming, bring a fresh perspective to the classical music scene. Drawing on jazz, world, and electro-acoustic influences, PUBLIQuartet pairs music from the classical repertoire with contemporary works, original compositions, and open-form improvisations that expand the stylistic norms of the string quartet. Following their focus on newly composed works by developing as well as established composers, and their dedication for creating awareness for new talent, they established the inaugural year of PUBLIQuartet's Emerging Composers Program: PUBLIQ Access. The program, designed to promote new works for the string quartet and highlight the voices of today's emerging composers, received 125 submissions, and 7 compositions were chosen. The winning works will be performed by the quartet on May 24th at the PUBLIQ Access Showcase Concert at the Dimenna Center/Mary Flagler Cary Hall in NYC (450 West 37th Street (between 9th & 10th Avenue) at 7PM.

The free concert will feature performances of the winning compositions written by David Biedenbender, Eugene Birman, Peter Christian, Gilad Cohen, Ted Goldman, Nahyun Kim, and Luis Felipe Nieto Sachica followed by a panel discussion with notable musicians/composers; Mark Steinberg of the Brentano Quartet; David Bowlin of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE); Nadia Sirota of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) and yMusic; and composer Laura Kaminsky.

Here is some background information on the artists who were chosen by PUBLIQuartet's Emerging Composers Program and whose compositions will be performed by the quartet. For additional information of the composers, you can check out their bios at http://www.publiquartet.com/2014-pqa-composers.

Inspired by a diverse array of interests and experiences, David Biedenbender's ceative interests include working with everyone from classically trained musicians to improvisers, acoustic chamber music to large ensembles, and interactive electronic interfaces to live brain data. He has had the privilege of collaborating with many talented performers and ensembles, including Alarm Will Sound, PRISM Saxophone Quartet, Stenhammar String Quartet, among others. He recently completed a doctorate in music composition at the University of Michigan and has also studied at the Aspen Music Festival and School and carnatic music in Mysore, India.

Born in Latvia, Eugene Birman was the first prize winner of the Concorso Internazionale di Composizione "Lavagnino 2007" and recipient of the 2013 Young Composers Award from Tenso - the European network for professional chamber choirs. His music has been commissioned by the Cavaleri Quartet, Latvian Radio Choir, Eric Ericsons Kammarkör, Tallinn Chamber, Deutsches Opera members, among others. The 2013-14 season will see a premiere with the London Philharmonic, the Latvian Radio Choir in Mechelen, Belgium, and a CD release with NMC Records. His highly public career has led to appearances on BBC, CNN, Bloomberg News, NPR's "All Things Considered", and Radio France. He received a M.M. degree from the Juilliard School and is currently a candidate for the D.Phil in Music at the University of Oxford, Christ Church.

Peter Christian is a composer, performer, and master's candidate at West Chester University. His music has been performed by Network for New Music and Philadelphia Composers Ink, and he was awarded a Reading Choral Society Scholarship in 2013 in recognition of his compositions for choir. An active baritone, Peter sings regularly with choirs and opera companies throughout the Philadelphia region.

Praised by the 2010 Israeli Prime Minister Award Committee for "creating a personal language fusion that has a unique dimension" in music that is "fascinating, vibrant and drawing the ear as well as the heart", Israeli musician Gilad Cohen is an active composer/performer in different musical genres including concert music, rock, and music for theatre. His music has been performed all over the world including Merkin Hall, Morgan Library & Museum (NYC), the Beijing Modern Music Festival, Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (Vienna), and the Jerusalem Theatre (Israel). His recent awards include the Whiting Fellowship in Humanities, the Franz Josef Reinl Composition Contest, and the International Bicentennial Composition Competition of the American Liszt Society. A graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the Mannes College of Music, Gilad is currently a PhD candidate in Composition at Princeton University and will be
joining the faculty of Ramapo College of New Jersey in the Fall 2014.

Ted Goldman, a composer and music theorist, began his undergraduate studies in physics, and graduated summa cum laude with honors in music from Columbia University. He received his MM and DMA in composition from The Juilliard School and is now an Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music. His compositions have received national and international recognition, including two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. As a music theorist, he studies the way people perceive harmony and teaches the analysis of music both new and old.

Nahyun Kim earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music and Master of Arts in Music Composition from Stony Brook University, NY and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She composes works in a complex yet unique modern idiom which combines set theory with an engaging rhythmic profile and a romantic sensibility. Her woks have been performed at the 2014 Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Connecticut; the Orient/Occident 2013 Music Composers' Forum in Kiev, Ukraine; highSCORE Music Festival in Pavia, Italy; Beijing International Composition Workshop in China; and at the 6th Annual Women in New Music Festival at California State University, Fullerton, among many others. As a scholar, she participated in the Hawqii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Honolulu to present her research paper, "Development of the Original Korean Musical".

Luis Felipe Nieto Sachica was born in Bogota, Colombia and grew up in Cota, the Savanna that surrounds the city. The region's mixture of metropolitan and rural cultural life truly influenced his inclination towards an eclectic taste in music, which by his mid-teens had ranged from salsa to classic rock and classical music. In 2009, he moved to the US to pursue a career in music composition and was generously sponsored by the Wanda Bass Music School at Oklahoma City University. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Ithaca College. His music is rooted in a combination of lyricism and rhythmic complexity and his compositions touch upon themes that range from political commentary to simple sound exploration

PUBLIQuartet's strength is found in its ability to connect with listeners, bridging the performer-listener gap through audience dialogue and involvement and they look forward to continuing to spotlight today's emerging composers in the future with PUBLIQ Access.

For more information, visit http://www.PUBLIQuartet.com.

Photo Credit: PUBLIQuartet



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