Violinist, composer and educator Elektra Kurtis has an expansive multi-cultural background. Of Greek origin, she was raised in Poland and graduated from the Warsaw Conservatory at Miodowa, prior to completing her studies in Finland at the Sibelius Academy of Music in Helsinki. As a NYC resident for over twenty years, Elektra and her own group, Ensemble Elektra (featuring violinist Curtis Stewart; clarinetist Lefteris Bournias; drummer Reggie Nicholson; and bassist Kenny Davis), is dedicated to bridging cultural borders and genres of music, using the essence of Mediterranean music, spiced with Polish, Greek and Arabic flavor, based in contemporary jazz and classical music forms.
Spectrum presents composer/violinist Mari Kimura performing her own multi-lingual, interactive audio/visual mini-opera entitled ONE, joined by multi-lingual vocalist Jin-Xiang Yu and Cassatt String Quartet tonight, April 26th at 7:30pm.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced today that American Lyric Theater (ALT) is one of 886 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. ALT is recommended for a $35,000 grant to support the Composer Librettist Development Program - the only full time professional mentorship initiative for emerging operatic writers in the country.
Spectrum presents composer/violinist Mari Kimura performing her own multi-lingual, interactive audio/visual mini-opera entitled ONE, joined by multi-lingual vocalist Jin-Xiang Yu and Cassatt String Quartet on Saturday, April 26th at 7:30pm.
Known as the nation's foremost label launched by an orchestra and devoted exclusively to new music, BMOP/sound today announced the April 1st release of two new composer-centric albums: Anthony Davis: Notes from the Underground featuring as soloists composer Anthony Davis (piano), Earl Howard (Kurzweil) and J.D. Parran (clarinets); and Lewis Spratlan: Apollo and Daphne Variations featuring Eliot Gattegno (saxophones). Both albums offer a palette of orchestral colors, expertly rendered by the dauntless and spirited Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) led by conductor Gil Rose.
The five-time Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus--Lisa Bielawa, Artistic Director and Valérie Sainte-Agathe, Music Director and Principal Conductor-continues its 35th anniversary season with a fully staged production of Benjamin Britten's 1957 opera Noye's Fludde, based on the biblical deluge story, in one performance only, tonight, March 29, 2014, at 8 pm at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco.
TNT will once again be the television network home for exclusive live coverage of 2014 NBA All-Star from New Orleans, today, Feb. 13-16, featuring the league's marquee events and unprecedented access to its biggest stars.
Tonight, February 7 (7:30 pm), Symphony Space pays tribute to 'the women warriors of new music' with a concert marking a quartet of anniversaries: composer Joan Tower's 75th birthday (Sept. 6, 2013), composer Tania Leon's 70th birthday (May 14, 2013), pianist Ursula Oppens's 70th (Feb. 2, 2014), and the 30th anniversary season of the Cassatt String Quartet.
The story of Lilith, the bawdy alternate Jewish story of creation, will be presented as a magical folk opera entitled Lilith, the Night Demon in One Lewd Act by the renowned instrumentalists Veretski Pass (Stuart Brotman, Joshua Horowitz and Cookie Segelstein) in collaboration with the San Francisco Choral Artists. Performances will be given at the Osher Marin JCC on May 1, at the JCC of the East Bay in Berkeley on May 3, and at Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center on May 4. Following each performance of the opera will be a traditional 'klezmer dance party' with the music for which Veretski Pass is known. In addition, Joshua Horowitz and Veretski Pass will give a lecture demonstration on Thursday, February 20 at the Jewish Community Library in San Francisco.
On Friday, February 7 (7:30 pm), Symphony Space pays tribute to "the women warriors of new music" with a concert marking a quartet of anniversaries: composer Joan Tower's 75th birthday (Sept. 6, 2013), composer Tania Leon's 70th birthday (May 14, 2013), pianist Ursula Oppens's 70th (Feb. 2, 2014), and the 30th anniversary season of the Cassatt String Quartet.
San Francisco, CA, December 20, 2013 – The five-time Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus--Lisa Bielawa, Artistic Director and Valérie Sainte-Agathe, Music Director and Principal Conductor—continues its 35th anniversary season with a fully staged production of Benjamin Britten's 1957 opera Noye's Fludde, based on the biblical deluge story, in one performance only, Saturday, March 29, 2014, at 8 pm at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco. Conducted by Ms. Sainte-Agathe, the cast will feature guest artists Carey Perloff as The Voice of God, bass-baritone Joe Chappell as Noah, mezzo-soprano Silvie Jensen as Mrs. Noah and other soloist roles performed by members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, to be announced. The production will be staged by Ariel Craft and will feature original art, costumes and set pieces created by members of San Francisco's acclaimed Creativity Explored, supported by a grant from the Creative Work Fund. The evening features the performance and includes a cocktail party and dinner to benefit the San Francisco Girls Chorus. For information and tickets, visitwww.sfgirlschorus.org .
New York, NY – American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is pleased to announce that Kendall Williams will be the orchestra's Van Lier Emerging Composer Fellow for the 2013-2014 season. The Fellowship, established in 1999, offers a comprehensive and multi-faceted program that equips emerging composers with the full range of professional skills and tools necessary for building a successful career as a composer of orchestral music. This year's Fellow, Kendall Williams, received his B.A. in Music from Florida Memorial University and M.M. in Music Theory & Composition from NYU Steinhardt, studying with Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, and Rich Shemaria. His main instrument is the steel pan.
AOP (American Opera Projects), and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture will co-present an evening of scenes from Nkeiru Okoye's folk opera Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom that tells of how a young girl born in slavery, becomes Harriet Tubman, the legendary Underground Railroad conductor. The musical excerpts will be followed by an artist Q&A moderated by WQXR's Terrance McKnight. The concert will be presented today, December 9, 2013 at 6:30 PM at the Langston Hughes Auditorium: 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801.
Grammy Award winner, Mark S. Doss, returns to one of Chicago's favorite holiday traditions as the bass soloist for Handel's Do-It-Yourself Messiah. Celebrating its 38th annual performance, Messiah will take place on Thursday, December 19, 2013 and Friday, December 20, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.
AOP (American Opera Projects), and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture will co-present an evening of scenes from Nkeiru Okoye's folk opera Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom that tells of how a young girl born in slavery, becomes Harriet Tubman, the legendary Underground Railroad conductor. The musical excerpts will be followed by an artist Q&A moderated by WQXR's Terrance McKnight. The concert will be presented on Monday, December 9, 2013 at 6:30 PM at the Langston Hughes Auditorium: 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801.
Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues the 2013-14 Composer Portraits series with electronic music innovator RAND STEIGER, featuring: PETER EVANS, trumpet; MILLER PUCKETTE and RAND STEIGER, electronics; INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE; and STEVEN SCHICK, conductor.
Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues the 2013-14 Composer Portraits series with electronic music innovator RAND STEIGER, featuring: PETER EVANS, trumpet; MILLER PUCKETTE and RAND STEIGER, electronics; INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE; and STEVEN SCHICK, conductor.
