John Zorn News

Kaufman Music Center's Ecstatic Music Festival (EMF) returns for a fifth season of one-night-only performances bringing together artists from across the sonic spectrum. This winter, nearly 100 composers and performers will premiere collaborative works that give audiences an unparalleled opportunity to experience music that is fresh, unexpected and utterly unique.

'Dark Night Bright Stars' by Yara Arts Group, directed by Virlana Tkacz, recreates the meeting of Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861), the great Ukrainian poet and painter, and Ira Aldridge (1807-1867), the African-American actor who was much honored in Europe. La MaMa E.T.C. will present the American premiere of the work February 20 to March 8 in its First Floor Theater 74A East Fourth Street, Manhattan.

LA Phil Creative Chair John Adams leads the LA Phil New Music Group in an evening of edgy works by some of today's most avant-garde composers - HK Gruber, John Zorn and Olga Neuwirth - at Walt Disney Concert Hall, tonight, January 13, at 8 pm. The concert features performances by chansonnier Pieter Embrechts and countertenor Nathan Medley in a staged production by Chromatic, a Los Angeles-based production company led by director James Darrah.

On Monday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Weill Recital Hall, Ensemble ACJW-an inspirational collective of young professional musicians-performs the New York premiere of a new three-movement work Backlight by acclaimed composer Meredith Monk, holder of the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair at Carnegie Hall this season. Backlight, which plays sonically with the idea of shadow and light and was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for Ensemble ACJW, receives its world premiere by the group in the Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Friday, February 13 at 8:00 p.m., as part of a week-long residency at Skidmore College. Both concerts also include Roussel's Trio for Flute, Viola, and Cello, and Ravel's Piano Trio in A Minor.

Columbia University School of the Arts is pleased to announce that John Luther Adams is the newest recipient of the William Schuman Award, a major recognition given periodically over the past three decades. Named for its first recipient, the award, in the form of a direct, unrestricted grant of $50,000, is one of the largest given to an American composer.

LA Phil Creative Chair John Adams leads the LA Phil New Music Group in an evening of edgy works by some of today's most avant-garde composers - HK Gruber, John Zorn and Olga Neuwirth - at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Tuesday, January 13, at 8 pm. The concert features performances by chansonnier Pieter Embrechts and countertenor Nathan Medley in a staged production by Chromatic, a Los Angeles-based production company led by director James Darrah.

The mini-mag features the latest updates on Adelaide Festival's eclectic contemporary music program including artist interviews, cast announcements and a jam-packed DJ line-up for Soundpond.net Late Sessions. All revealed in the Adelaide Festival of Arts mini-magazine, which hits the streets today.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues its Composer Portraits series with MISSY MAZZOLI featuring ETHEL, Mivos Quartet, Marnie Breckenridge, soprano, Jody Redhage, cello & voice, Nathan Schram, viola, and Robert Simonds, violin. On Thursday, February 5, 2015, 8:00 p.m. at the Miller Theatre at Columbia University (2960 Broadway at 116th Street). Tickets: $20-$30 • Students with valid ID: $12-$18

Los Angeles Philharmonic presents Anthony Newman, John Adams, Kremer & Trifonov in Recital, and more January-March 2015 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

In 'Winter Light' Yara Arts Group will perform a World Music Theater piece that includes the Koliadnyky, an ensemble of winter song singers from Kryvorivnia (Ukraine); scenes from the crisis in Ukraine today, and an 18th century Baroque Nativity folk opera staged by Yara artists. La MaMa E.T.C. will present the piece this weekend, December 27-28 in its Ellen Stewart Theater, 66 East Fourth Street (in Manhattan's East Village).

Music for the holidays by composer Robert Sirota will be featured in a special holiday concert, Songs of the Season, presented by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue) in The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium tonight, December 19, 2014 at 7pm. The Met Museum Presents concert will include performances by The Choristers of The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine led by conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather, soprano Mellissa Hughes, violist Nadia Sirota, and harpist Victoria Drake.

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.

Music Director ?Marin Alsop will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring on Thursday, January 8, 2015 at 8 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 3 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore. Also on the Classical Concert Series program are Barber's Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance and Osvaldo Golijov's Rose of the Winds (BSO premiere). The Rite of Spring is the subject of Maestra Alsop's third Off the Cuff program of the 2014-2015 season, held Friday, January 9 at 8:15 p.m. at Strathmore and Saturday, January 10 at 7 p.m. at the Meyerhoff. Capitalizing on Marin Alsop's charismatic way of illuminating classical music, the Off the Cuff programs focus on one masterwork, allowing the Maestra to discuss the back story of the piece and the composer's life. Please see below for complete program details.

Roulette presents the Tyshawn Sorey Trio featuring Cory Smythe, piano, Christopher Tordini, bass and Tyshawn Sorey, drums, trombone, compositions tonight, December 10 at 8pm.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts brightens this winter with POP-UP CONCERTS.

ETHEL, America's Groundbreaking Indie-Classical String Quartet, Announces Winter/Spring 2015 Season.

The ever-adventurous Del Sol String Quartet will perform a work from their latest lauded album Peter Sculthorpe: The Complete String Quartets with Didjeridu along with other favorites from their formidable repertoire on Monday, January 12 at 9pm and 10pm

JACK Quartet, Del Sol String Quartet, PUBLIQuartet and conductor Delta David Gier join the American Modern Ensemble for an unforgettable evening of world premieres from Jacob Bancks, Sidney Boquiren and Robert Paterson and modern masterpieces by Chinary Ung, Jessie Montgomery, John Zorn and John Luther Adams.

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.

Roulette presents the Tyshawn Sorey Trio featuring Cory Smythe, piano, Christopher Tordini, bass and Tyshawn Sorey, drums, trombone, compositions on Wednesday, December 10 at 8pm.