Elliott Sharp News

There are few bands that have been as tenaciously creative, exploratory, eclectic and inclusive as Church of Betty. On Swirled World, their new release, produced by Two-time Independent Music Awards Winner Kenny Siegal (Langhorne Slim & The Law, Chris Whitley, Spottiswoode & His Enemies), frontman Chris Rael's ever-evolving musical palette effortlessly crosses genres (world, rock, pop, folk, classical) and is as fertile and explosive as ever. Rael is at the top of his game as vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

These companion releases of Soldier's solo piano (In Black & White) and quartet music (In Four Color) dissect and explore the two classic forms of the classical tradition. Together they encompass five hours of compositions spanning thirty years.

New York-based electric guitar quartet Dither will perform a raucous evening of John Zorn's game pieces in conjunction with their forthcoming Tzadik release Dither Plays Zorn, tonight, December 13 at The Kitchen. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Zorn's influential game piece Cobra and the earlier pieces to be presented, dating from the late 70s and early 80s, provide an exciting window into the development of this seminal work.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues the 2014-15 Composer Portraits series with two premieres from KEERIL MAKAN featuring Either/Or and Richard Carrick, conductor, tonight, December 5, 2014, 8:00 p.m at Miller Theatre at Columbia University (2960 Broadway at 116th Street).

New York-based electric guitar quartet Dither will perform a raucous evening of John Zorn's game pieces in conjunction with their forthcoming Tzadik release Dither Plays Zorn, December 13 at The Kitchen. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Zorn's influential game piece Cobra and the earlier pieces to be presented, dating from the late 70s and early 80s, provide an exciting window into the development of this seminal work.

Acclaimed traditional gidayu-bushi (specific to bunraku puppet theater) shamisen player and avant-garde musician Yumiko Tanaka provides a thrilling soundscape to the silent film Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928) tonight, November 15th in the second show of Japan Society's 2014-2015 Performing Arts Season multi-month musical program, The Shamisen Sessions.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues the 2014-15 Composer Portraits series with two premieres from KEERIL MAKAN featuring Either/Or and Richard Carrick, conductor, on Friday, December 5, 2014, 8:00 p.m at Miller Theatre at Columbia University (2960 Broadway at 116th Street). Tickets: $20-$30 • Students with valid ID: $12-$18

Roulette presents Interpretations featuring selections from John King's Free Palestine, with A Secret Quartet (Cornelius Dufallo, Jennifer Choi, violins; Lev Zhurbin, viola; Yves Dharamraj, cello). Using materials derived from the Arabic systems of pitch and rhythm, maqam'at and iqa'at, each particular composition uses indeterminacy and improvisation to organize sound and time, thereby providing energetic and visceral motifs encompassing the full range of expression possible from a string quartet.

Acclaimed traditional gidayu-bushi (specific to bunraku puppet theater) shamisen player and avant-garde musician Yumiko Tanaka provides a thrilling soundscape to the silent film Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928) on November 15th in the second show of Japan Society's 2014-2015 Performing Arts Season multi-month musical program, The Shamisen Sessions.

Roulette presents Interpretations featuring selections from John King's Free Palestine, with A Secret Quartet (Cornelius Dufallo, Jennifer Choi, violins; Lev Zhurbin, viola; Yves Dharamraj, cello). Using materials derived from the Arabic systems of pitch and rhythm, maqam'at and iqa'at, each particular composition uses indeterminacy and improvisation to organize sound and time, thereby providing energetic and visceral motifs encompassing the full range of expression possible from a string quartet.

AUGUST 24th is International sTRANGE mUSIC Day. It's a real holiday, yes it is. To celebrate, some of the NYC area's best and brightest composers and performers are getting together to have a very unserious session of music making. This as an opportunity to for them to share unusual sounds, unusual instrumentation, and unusual compositions rarely heard or new ones that will never be heard from again.

square product theatre kicks off its 9th Season with the World Premiere of SLAB, adapted by Gleason Bauer and Emily K. Harrison from the forthcoming novel by Mississippi born, Denver-based writer Selah Saterstrom. SLAB will be presented in the ATLAS Black Box theater on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, today, July 31-August 16, 2014.

square product theatre kicks off its 9th Season with the World Premiere of SLAB, adapted by Gleason Bauer and Emily K. Harrison from the forthcoming novel by Mississippi born, Denver-based writer Selah Saterstrom. SLAB will be presented in the ATLAS Black Box theater on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, July 31-August 16, 2014.

Make Music New York, ComposersCollaborative Inc, Peppergreen Media & Cornelia Street Cafe present 'IN (Key),' an extraordinary 50th anniversary celebration of Terry Riley's minimalist masterpiece 'IN C' today, June 21st featuring eleven new works by leading composer-performers. The event will begin with a special performance of 'IN C' itself, serving as a prelude to all that is to follow.

There are approximately 1,350 diverse concerts in this year's Make Music New York, which takes place (as always) on the first day of summer, today, June 21, from dawn 'til dusk. Below are a few highlights, listed chronologically.

Bang on a Can: Other Primary Structures, a concert featuring Bang on a Can All-Stars Vicky Chow (piano) and David Cossin (percussion) with Dither Quartet guitarists Taylor Levine and James Moore, will take place at the Jewish Museum on Thursday, July 10 at 7:30pm. This program is the first auditorium concert of the Jewish Museum and Bang on a Can's new partnership to produce a series of dynamic musical performances at the Museum from June 2014 to May 2015, inspired by the Jewish Museum's diverse slate of exhibitions.

There are approximately 1,350 diverse concerts in this year's Make Music New York, which takes place (as always) on the first day of summer, June 21, from dawn 'til dusk. Below are a few highlights!

Make Music New York, ComposersCollaborative Inc, Peppergreen Media & Cornelia Street Café present 'IN (Key),' an extraordinary 50th anniversary celebration of Terry Riley's minimalist masterpiece 'IN C' on Saturday, June 21st featuring eleven new works by leading composer-performers. The event will begin with a special performance of 'IN C' itself, serving as a prelude to all that is to follow.