Oct
01
Sun October 1st, 2017
8:00PM
Main Space
Minimum Age: All Ages
Doors Open: 7:00PM
Show Time: 8:00PM
Event Ticket: $15 / $20
Day of Show: $20 / $25
Table Seating: $20 advance, $25 day of show
Standing Room: $15 advance, $20 day of show
Join cellist Nick Photinos (Eighth Blackbird) for a special night of music as he celebrates the release of his debut solo recording, Petits Artéfacts, on New Amsterdam Records. Composer and bassist Florent Ghys, whose music has been described as”thrilling breed of post-minimal chamber music” (Time Out New York), will open the evening with a set of original compositions.
Photinos will perform selections from Petits Artéfacts, which brings together never-before-recorded works from some of the most acclaimed names in new music — David Lang, Andrew Norman, Bryce Dessner, David T. Little — but also a newer generation of groundbreaking composers like Angélica Negrón, Florent Ghys, Molly Joyce, and Pascal Le Boeuf, who are quickly gaining notoriety. The music ranges from quirky and hilarious to profound and ethereal, and the pieces create worlds and context far outweighing their length.
The idea for the album began to take shape when Photinos premiered a work by bassist Florent Ghys at the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival called Petits Artéfacts for cello, electronics and video. Ghys’s piece explored a breadth of musical styles in a single multi-movement piece, with a mixture of play (in the movement “Game”), spoken word (in “Information”), electronic manipulation of sound (“Cuisine”), purely acoustic sound and emotional depth (“Factory”), playing against highly processed sound (“Family”), and layering of sound (“Flowers”). The work brought to mind all the other short yet powerful pieces Photinos had performed over the years, written by some of the most compelling creators in new music but never before recorded. The idea to create a collection of these special small, man-made objects — these “petits artéfacts”— was born.
Photinos hand-picked the pieces on Petits Artéfacts for the personal connection he has felt with them, and their creators, musically and emotionally.
Read more about the album here.
Instrumentation
Nick Photinos, cello
Florent Ghys, bass
Yasuko Oura, piano
Ticketing Policy
TABLE SEATING POLICY
Table seating for all seated shows is reserved exclusively for ticket holders who purchase “Table Seating” tickets. By purchasing a “Table Seating” ticket you agree to also purchase a minimum of two food and/or beverage items per person. Table seating is first come, first seated. Please arrive early for the best choice of available seats. Seating begins when doors open. Tables are communal so you may be seated with other patrons. We do not take table reservations.
A standing room area is available by the bar for all guests who purchase “Standing Room” tickets. Food and beverage can be purchased at the bar but there is no minimum purchase required in this area.
All tickets sales are final. No refund or credits.
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Nick Photinos
Nick Photinos on Twitter | Eighth Blackbird official site
Cellist NICK PHOTINOS is a founding member and co-Artistic Director of the four-time Grammy Award-winning chamber music ensemble Eighth Blackbird. Formed in 1996, the group performs 50-60 concerts annually throughout the world and has been featured at the 2013 Grammy Awards, on CBS’s SundayMorning, Bloomberg TV, and frequently in the New York Times. Recent accolades include being named Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year for 2017 and the inaugural Chamber Music America Visionary Award in 2016. Highlights of the 2017-2018 include their debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Jennifer Higdon’s concerto for sextet and orchestra, On a Wire; debuts in Milan and Turin, Italy and Budapest, Hungary; performances with Cincinnati Ballet; and performances across 11 US States. The 2016-17 season included debuts in Paris, at Justin Vernon’s (Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner’s (The National) Eaux Claires Festival, with the San Francisco Symphony, a three-week return to Australia, as well as shows with indie-folk artist Bonnie Prince Billy (Will Oldham) and world premieres by Holly Harrison, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lang, and Ned McGowan. In June 2017 Eighth Blackbird launched their annual summer festival, the Blackbird Creative Lab, a tuition-, room- and board- free chamber music festival. The ensemble has held multi-year residency positions at the Curtis Institute of Music, the University of Chicago, and currently holds an ongoing Ensemble-in-Residence position at the University of Richmond.
As a solo artist, Nick has toured with Björk, recorded with Wilco on their Grammy-nominated album The Whole Love, and recorded with Autumn Defense on their album Once Around. He has performed and recorded with numerous jazz artists including vocalists Sheila Jordan, pianist Laurence Hobgood, violinist Zach Brock, and bassist Matt Ulery, with whom he has been featured on three albums. He has also served as section cellist with the Canton and Columbus Symphony Orchestras and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. He teaches at the Bang on a Can Summer Festival every July in North Adams, MA. Nick is a graduate of Northwestern University, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He has recorded for numerous labels including the Cedille, Nonesuch, New Amsterdam, Greenleaf, and Naxos labels.
Florent Ghys
French double bassist and composer FLORENT GHYS’S music has been described as ”highly contrapuntal, intelligent…and inventive…” (WQXR), and a ”thrilling breed of post-minimal chamber music” (Time Out NY). His “…pieces…blend elements of minimalism, pop music and a dose of extravagant wit” (John Schaefer, WNYC).
Ghys performs both solo and with his group Bonjour, a low string and percussion quartet. Ghys’ music for solo double bass utilizes multitracking of his instrument and his voice, sampling, and vocal percussion to create lush soundscapes, bubbling textures, and changeable but danceable beats, often with surprisingly poppy overtones, and always with his signature blend of humor, modally-tinged harmonies, rhythmic complexity, and fragile beauty. His latest album, Télévision, also includes videos for each song made by Ghys himself.