Michael Gordon News

Conductor Reinbert de Leeuw returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall to lead the LA Phil New Music Group in a concert focused on music by leading European minimalist, Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, Tuesday, February 28, at 8 pm. The concert is the third event in the LA Phil's 2011/12 Green Umbrella series.

Eight conducting fellows from across the U.S. and Canada have been selected by the Carnegie Hall Choral Institute and the Young People's Chorus of New York City to take part in the Transient Glory Symposium, led by 2011 MacArthur Fellow and symposium artistic director Francisico J. Núñez, which from February 15 to 18, will provide three days of intensive training workshops and performances of new music commissioned for young voices for the Transient Glory series.

The Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet performs with the Alim Qasimov Ensemble for the first time in Atlanta, on Feb. 17, 8 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Together they perform Azerbaijani classical music known as mugham, and the repertoire of popular bardic songs sung by ashiqs, traditional singer-songwriters whose song texts often portray with wry humor and searing irony, the power of love and the pain of separation.

Lincoln Center will celebrate the 25th birthday of New York's tirelessly inventive new music institution Bang on a Can with musical fireworks in an extraordinary three-part program that will include a U.S. and a New York premiere on Saturday, April 28, at 7 PM in Alice Tully Hall.

Eight conducting fellows from across the U.S. and Canada have been selected by the Carnegie Hall Choral Institute and the Young People's Chorus of New York City to take part in the Transient Glory Symposium, led by 2011 MacArthur Fellow and symposium artistic director Francisico J. Núñez, which from February 15 to 18, will provide three days of intensive training workshops and performances of new music commissioned for young voices for the Transient Glory series.

The Bang on a Can All-Stars have recorded their first studio album in five years, for release on Bang on a Can's Cantaloupe Music in 2012. The album, Big Beautiful Dark and Scary, is also the first to include the All-Stars' current line-up: Ashley Bathgate, cello; Robert Black, bass; Vicky Chow, piano; David Cossin, percussion; Mark Stewart, electric guitar; and Evan Ziporyn, clarinets. In celebration of its 25th birthday, Bang on a Can is giving a very special gift to the public. The complete, double album is available to download for free during the first 25 days of January (through January 25) from www.bangonacan25.org. In exchange, listeners need only share a memory, thought, or story of Bang on a Can from the last 25 years, to be displayed online. The result will be a scrapbook of memories not just from those closest to the organization, but from the many people worldwide that Bang on a Can has touched over the years. And those new to Bang on a Can can still get the free download.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for the Alley Theatre's production of the 2010 Best Play Tony Award Winner, Red.

Eight conducting fellows from across the U.S. and Canada have been selected by the Carnegie Hall Choral Institute and the Young People's Chorus of New York City to take part in the Transient Glory Symposium, led by 2011 MacArthur Fellow and symposium artistic director Francisico J. Núñez, which from February 15 to 18, will provide three days of intensive training workshops and performances of new music commissioned for young voices for the Transient Glory series.

The Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet performs with the Alim Qasimov Ensemble for the first time in Atlanta, on Feb. 17, 8 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Together they perform Azerbaijani classical music known as mugham, and the repertoire of popular bardic songs sung by ashiqs, traditional singer-songwriters whose song texts often portray with wry humor and searing irony, the power of love and the pain of separation.

The Bang on a Can All-Stars have recorded their first studio album in five years, for release on Bang on a Can's sister-label Cantaloupe Music in 2012.

In their 2011-12 Centennial Season Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) and the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will break new ground with a far-reaching month-long American Mavericks Festival of music by pioneers of the American sound at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco March 8-18; on a national tour to Ann Arbor, Chicago and Carnegie Hall through March 30; and with educational partnerships, experiential learning and a host of new media tools to engage audiences in this music.

HERE and Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) have announced the January 2013 arrival of Prototype: Opera/Theatre/Now, an annual festival of visionary music-theatre and opera-theatre works by pioneering artists from NYC and around the world.

The Bang on a Can All-Stars have recorded their first studio album in five years, for release on Bang on a Can's Cantaloupe Music in 2012. The album, Big Beautiful Dark and Scary, is also the first to include the All-Stars' current line-up: Ashley Bathgate, cello; Robert Black, bass; Vicky Chow, piano; David Cossin, percussion; Mark Stewart, electric guitar; and Evan Ziporyn, clarinets. In celebration of its 25th birthday, Bang on a Can is giving a very special gift to the public. The complete, double album is available to download for free during the first 25 days of January (through January 25) from www.bangonacan25.org. In exchange, listeners need only share a memory, thought, or story of Bang on a Can from the last 25 years, to be displayed online. The result will be a scrapbook of memories not just from those closest to the organization, but from the many people worldwide that Bang on a Can has touched over the years. And those new to Bang on a Can can still get the free download.

Lincoln Center will celebrate the 25th birthday of New York's tirelessly inventive new music institution Bang on a Can with musical fireworks in an extraordinary three-part program that will include a U.S. and a New York premiere on Saturday, April 28, at 7 PM in Alice Tully Hall.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School Of The Arts continues the 12th season of its renowned Composer Portraits with John Zorn.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in television, news, radio, promotional writing, and graphic animation during the 2011 season. The winners will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19, 2012, at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.

The Art Department of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the China Society for Musical Studies have invited three Chicago leaders in the fields of musical theater and dance to participate in the 2nd International Forum of China Musical Development and the 5th Symposium of Musical Teaching and Creation to be held December 2-6, 2011, at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy.

The Bang on a Can All-Stars have recorded their first studio album in five years, for release on Bang on a Can's sister-label Cantaloupe Music in 2012.

Dance-the quality of performance, the merits of the performers, the creativity of the choreographers-at Middle Tennessee State University has certainly improved since the last time I reviewed the fall dance concert at MTSU. Of course, it was 32 years ago and the dance program at the university has grown by leaps and bounds.

The Art Department of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the China Society for Musical Studies have invited three Chicago leaders in the fields of musical theater and dance to participate in the 2nd International Forum of China Musical Development and the 5th Symposium of Musical Teaching and Creation to be held December 2-6, 2011, at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy.