GatherNYC Has Announced its Spring 2020 Season

The revolutionary Sunday morning concert series GatherNYC continues its ambitious programming featuring world-class performers, community building and spiritual nourishment. Concerts run every weekend from March 15th through May 31st.

Each week, guests will be served exquisite live classical music, artisanal coffee and pastries, storytelling by winners of the Moth StorySLAM, and a brief celebration of silence. Taking place in the modern underground theatre SubCulture, the one-hour experience provides a communal weekly respite from the noise of the city.

The series founders and co-artistic directors are cellist Laura Metcalf and her husband, guitarist Rupert Boyd. They also comprise the international touring duo Boyd Meets Girl, whose 2017 debut album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Chart.

GatherNYC kicks off its Spring 2020 season, as well as its 50th concert since its inception in 2018, with the innovative pianist Lara Downes. Other featured acts include the world-renowned Brentano String Quartet, 2019 Grammy-nominated violin soloist Tessa Lark in a duo with bassist Michael Thurber, and Juno-award winning singer-songwriter Laila Biali. GatherNYC co-artistic directors, cellist Laura Metcalf and guitarist Rupert Boyd also present exciting new ensemble projects.

GatherNYC Spring 2020 Season
March 15-May 31, 2020
Sundays
Doors: 10:30am
Concert: 11am-12pm

SubCulture
45 Bleecker Street, Downstairs
New York NY 10012
Tickets: $20 (coffee and pastries included)
Children under 12 are welcome and admission is complimentary

Tickets are available through: http://subculturenewyork.com/gathernyc/

For more information, visit: www.gathernyc.org

FULL SCHEDULE

March 15

Lara Downes, piano
For GatherNYC's 50th concert celebration, this trailblazing pianist presents her latest project "Some of These Days," a multi-genre collection of spirituals and freedom songs that celebrate the resistance and persistence at the core of American identity.

March 22

Ulysses Quartet
Praised by The Strad for "the kind of chemistry many quartets long for, but rarely achieve" the fast-rising young quartet is making a splash at major competitions worldwide, garnering top prizes at the Fischoff, Banff and Osaka competitions, among many others, and is currently in residence at the Juilliard School.

March 29

Kinan Azmeh CityBand
Although the Syrian-born clarinetist and composer is classically trained and has toured with Yo-Yo Ma, and has performed as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony and many others, Azmeh is also a musical omnivore who draws influences from all over the world. For his GatherNYC performance he presents his own style of "Arabic-jazz" with the Kinan Azmeh CityBand.

April 5

Maeve Gilchrist, Celtic harp
"If there's a soundtrack to a fine summer, this is it. If there's a musician who can bask in tradition yet immerse herself musically in the multicolored experience of life, it's Gilchrist." - The Irish Times

April 12

Rupert Boyd, guitar + Garrett Arney, marimba + Sam Suggs, double bass
GatherNYC co-artistic director, guitarist Rupert Boyd is joined by the Seattle-based Arx Duo percussionist and CAG winner, double bassist Sam Suggs in presenting the North American premiere of Alejandro Viñao's Tres Cantos Mirando al Sur, in addition to other works for the ensemble.

April 19

Frisson Ensemble
The word "frisson" is defined as "a shiver or thrill," and this collective of some of the top rising stars of classical music will present an electrifying program of music for strings and winds.

April 26

Lark and Thurber, violin + double bass
Grammy-nominated violin soloist Tessa Lark teams up with virtuosic and versatile bassist Michael Thurber to play music from Bach to bluegrass, weaving in their engaging, welcoming personalities.

May 3

Brentano String Quartet
One of the country's most accomplished and sought-after string quartets, the Brentano Quartet has been touring the world's most prestigious concert halls for nearly thirty years. Currently in residence at the Yale School of Music, the quartet was summed up perfectly by the Philadelphia Inquirer, who praised its "seemingly infallible instincts for finding the center of gravity in every phrase and musical gesture."

May 10

Christina Courtin + Alex Sopp, vocals, flute, violin
Two longtime friends and musical collaborators join forces to create a unique and beautiful morning of music. Christina Courtin is both a renowned singer-songwriter and accomplished violinist. Alex Sopp is an in-demand flutist and visual artist, touring with the likes of Paul Simon as a member of yMusic. Both are founding members of the Brooklyn chamber orchestra The Knights.

May 17

Laila Biali, singer-songwriter
Winner of a 2019 Juno award for "Vocal Jazz Album of the Year," Canadian singer, songwriter and pianist Laila Biali is an unstoppable force. She routinely tours the world with Sting, Paula Cole and Suzanne Vega, as well as with her own bands and projects. She is also the host of "Saturday Night Jazz" for CBC Music's national radio show.

May 24

Naomi O'Connell, mezzo-soprano + Jordan Bak, viola + Yinuo Wang, piano
Three winners of the prestigious Concert Artists Guild competition, all spellbinding soloists in their own right, come together as an ensemble for the first time in a project built around the songs for voice, viola and piano by Johannes Brahms.

May 31

CQ, cello quartet
The GatherNYC spring 2020 season ends with a cello extravaganza. Four of New York City's most exciting cellists (Ani Kalayjian, Laura Metcalf, Caleb van der Swaagh and Andrew Yee) present an eclectic program spanning centuries. Called "warm, luscious and exquisite" by the Shelter Island Reporter, this quartet is sure to kick off summer with a bang.