Sep

06

No Orpheus: vocal music of Mohammed Fairouz No Orpheus: vocal music of Mohammed Fairouz

with Kathleen Supove, Voxare String Quartet, Taka Kigawa: The Complete Ligeti Piano Etudes, The World of Krakauer: Three Perspectives of David Krakauer, Adrian Daurov, Daniel Roumain, Du Yun, Amelia Watkins & many more

Fri September 6th, 2013

8:00PM

Main Space

Minimum Age: 18+

Doors Open: 7:00PM

Show Time: 8:00PM

Event Ticket: $15

Day of Show: $20

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free for members
event description event description

Mohammed Fairouz, one of New York’s brightest rising stars, curates an evening of chamber and vocal music by a diverse group of his colleagues bringing together some of city’s most notable and well-loved performers with some of the most distinctive musical voices of the young generation.
 
From re-imaginings of Middle Eastern folklore and ancient Chinese fragments to remixes of Disney classics and a new anthem for a forgotten Haitian Island, THE NAMED ANGELS is a rich evening of new works spanning cultures and centuries from a vibrant collection of composers.
 
Clarinetist David Krakauer performs Mohammed Fairouz’s tender and dark Tahwidah joined by soprano Amelia Watkins. This work was Fairouz’s first reaction to the death of the eminent poet Mahmoud Darwish and sets one of Darwish’s poems that evokes a mother singing a lullaby to her son at his funeral.
 
Kathleen Supove will play a selection of Fairouz’s piano miniatures including Lullaby for a Chelsea Boy, Liberace and Bargemusic. She’ll also present Matt Marks’ wittily tongue-in-cheek Disney Remixes. These cleverly-spun pieces recall scenes from Disney Movies: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Another of New York’s most loved pianists, Taka Kigawa , will join the iconic Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) in a performance of Simone and Navassa’s National Anthem. The composer himself will perform the violin part.
 
Cellist Adrian Daurov performs Du Yun’s San, a deconstruction of haunting ancient Chinese fragments.
 
The amazing Voxare String Quartet closes the show with Mohammed Fairouz’s string quartet, The Named Angels; a work that invokes the mythology of angels in Middle Eastern Jewish, Christian and Muslim folklore.
 
PROGRAM:
 
Mohammed Fairouz
Tahwidah (2008)
(text in Arabic by Mahmoud Darwish)
David Krakauer, Amelia Watkins
 
Mohammed Fairouz
Miniatures (2008-12)
Kathleen Supove
 
Daniel Bernard Roumain
Navassa (2007)

Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Taka Kigawa
 
Daniel Bernard Roumain
Simone (2007)

Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Taka Kigawa
 
Matt Marks
Disney Remixes (2008)

Kathleen Supove
 
Du Yun
San (2009)

Adrian Daurov, Cello
 
Mohammed Fairouz
The Named Angels (2012)

Voxare String Quartet
 
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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.

the artists the artists

10

No Orpheus: vocal music of Mohammed Fairouz

Mohammed Fairouz, born in 1985, is one of the most frequently performed, commissioned, and recorded composers of his generation. Hailed by The New York Times as “an important new artistic voice” and by BBC World News as “one of the most talented composers of his generation,” Fairouz integrates Middle-Eastern modes into Western structures, to deeply expressive effect. His large-scale works, including four symphonies and an opera, engage major geopolitical and philosophical themes with persuasive craft and a marked seriousness of purpose. His most recent symphony, In the Shadow of No Towers for wind ensemble, was described by Steve Smith of The New York Times as “technically impressive, consistently imaginative and in its finest stretches deeply moving.” His solo and chamber music attains an “intoxicating intimacy,” according to New York’s WQXR.
 
Fairouz’s cosmopolitan outlook reflects his transatlantic upbringing and extensive travels. His catalog encompasses virtually every genre, including opera, symphonies, ensemble works, chamber and solo pieces, choral settings, and electronic music. Prominent advocates of his instrumental music include the Borromeo String Quartet, The Imani Winds, violinist Rachel Barton Pine, and clarinetist David Krakauer, who all appear on his Naxos portrait disc, Native Informant; The Knights Chamber Orchestra, Metropolis Ensemble, and conductor Gunther Schuller.
 
Fairouz, described by Gramophone as “a post-millennial Schubert,” has composed an opera (with a second in progress), thirteen song cycles, and hundreds of art songs. Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times called his debut opera Sumeida’s Song “intensely dramatic [with] a searing score… The Arabic elements of his style – microtonal modes, spiraling dance rhythms, plaintive melodic writing – give fresh, distinctive jolts to the Western elements.” Among the eminent singers that have promoted his wealth of vocal music are Kate Lindsey, Sasha Cooke, D’Anna Fortunato, Mellissa Hughes, David Kravitz and Randall Scarlata.
 
Commissions have come from Rachel Barton Pine, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Borromeo Quartet, Imani Winds, New York Festival of Song, Da Capo Chamber Players, New Juilliard Ensemble, Cantus Vocal Ensemble, Cygnus Ensemble, Counter)induction, Musicians for Harmony, Cantori New York, Back Bay Chorale, Reach Out Kansas, and many others. Recordings are available on the Naxos, Innova, Bridge, Dorian Sono Luminus, Cedille, Albany, GM/Living Archive, and GPR labels.
 
Mohammed Fairouz was chosen by the BBC to be a featured artist for the television series Collaboration Culture, which aired globally on BBC World Service TV (viewership approximately 70 million). He has been heard in interviews on nationally syndicated shows such as NPR’s All Things Considered, BBC/PRI’s The World, and The Bob Edwards Show. He has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, Symphony Magazine, Strings Magazine, New Music Box, and the Houston Chronicle, among others.
 
His principal teachers in composition have included György Ligeti, Gunther Schuller, and Richard Danielpour, with studies at the Curtis Institute and New England Conservatory. Fairouz’s works are published by Peermusic Classical. He lives in New York City.
 
photo credit Samantha West

Kathleen Supove

Kathleen Supové is one of America’s most acclaimed and versatile contemporary music pianists, known for continually redefining what a pianist/keyboardist/performance artist is, in today’s world. Ms. Supové presents solo concerts entitled THE EXPLODING PIANO. where she has performed and premiered works by countless established as well as emerging composers. Upcoming projects include new/complete PIANO MINIATURES by Mohammed Fairouz, DIGITAL DEBUSSY, the piano works/ghost pieces of Morton Subotnick, and performances throughout the UK of URBAN BIRDS by Arlene Sierra in connection with the Commonwealth Games. In June 2013, she and Sideband Laptop Orchestra performed and gave a GOOGLE TALK at their headquarters in Chelsea, NYC.
In May, 2012, Supové received the John Cage Award from ASCAP for “the artistry and passion with which she performs, commissions, records, and champions the music of our time.” Ms. Supové is a Yamaha Artist. Her latest solo CD is THE EXPLODING PIANO. For more info, visit www.supove.com/.
 
Kathleen Supove on Facebook
Exploding Piano on Facebook
@Supove on Twitter

Voxare String Quartet

“The gifted Voxare String Quartet” (The New York Times) formed in 2008 and has since received critical praise for its inventive programming, technical prowess, attention to detail, and passionate performances. As one of the most acclaimed and innovative young string quartets in the United States, The New York Times declared that Voxare plays “with such penetrating tone and lucid textures,” and has on numerous occasions chosen Voxare as its Classical Pick of the Week. Voxare’s performances have included appearances at Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic, the Guggenheim Museum, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. Voxare has had performing residences at Dartmouth College and Columbia University, among others; additionally, the quartet has been the prestigious quartet-in-residence at New York’s Bargemusic. Voxare has been featured live on Soundcheck WNYC and its concerts broadcast on WQXR. At its residency series, DIG IT! New Music, at Teachers College, Columbia University, Voxare performs works by living composers, bringing together a community of America’s leading composers, both emerging and established. Voxare’s unique performing activities earned the quartet Chamber Music America’s 2010 ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Voxare’s debut CD, featuring the music of Daron Hagen, will be released by Naxos in 2013.
 
In addition to performing standard repertoire, Voxare takes responsibility in presenting and encouraging interest in contemporary music, and often works with leading composers such as Pulitzer Prize winning composers Ned Rorem and David Del Tredici. Voxare was the Quartet-in-Residence at the International Computer Music Conference and continues working with composers and researchers in studying electro-acoustic music. Voxare presented a three day Mostly Riley Festival to celebrate the 75th birthday of composer Terry Riley at Bargemusic. About the Riley Festival, the New York Times wrote, “The personable and passionate Voxare players …offered a spirited, high-energy performance, vividly conveying the work’s beautiful colors. The performance was excellent, with distinctive contributions from each player.”
 
With a repertoire spanning five centuries, Voxare is not afraid to break down the boundaries of classical music; they have made and performed their own transcriptions of popular and rock music and often perform in alternative concert venues, presenting innovative concerts focused on unique and accessible presentations of contemporary chamber music while assimilating classical standards and popular music. Voxare can be found on the soundtracks of several films shown at festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca.
 
Voxare was accepted to study quartet repertoire with Robert Mann, founder of the Juilliard String Quartet, at the inaugural prestigious Mann Quartet Institute. Voxare has studied quartet literature with members of the Juilliard String Quartet through its exclusive String Quartet Seminar, and has also studied with members of the Kronos Quartet through Carnegie Hall.
 
Individually, Voxare members have performed as soloist with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and orchestrally with the Cleveland Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic. The four musicians have amassed a number of prizes at international competitions. Voxare is represented by Robert Besen, director of BesenArts.

Taka Kigawa: The Complete Ligeti Piano Etudes

The Pianist Taka Kigawa gave an electrifying traversal of all Ligeti Études, a kaleidoscopic set of works that demands the unrelenting energy and precision that are Mr. Kigawa’s specialties.” – Allan Kozinn, The Wall Street Journal
 

Critically acclaimed pianist TAKA KIGAWA has earned outstanding international recognition as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber music artist since winning First Prize in the prestigious 1990 Japan Music Foundation Piano Competition in Tokyo, and the Diploma Prize at the 1998 Concurs Internacional Maria Canals De Barcelona in Spain, with such accolades from The New York Times as “Mr. Kigawa’s feat deserves the highest praise, especially since it was combined with such alacrity and sensitivity to the musical material. Brilliantly done, a careful and serious-minded musician, quietly poetic and considerate” and from The New Yorker “Unbelievably challenging program. Kigawa is a young artist of stature.” Kigawa’s New York City recital in 2010 was chosen as one of the best concerts of the year by The New York Times. Also his New York City recital in August 2011 was picked as one of the most notableconcerts in the first half of the 2011-2012 season by Musical America.
 
He has performed extensively as a recitalist and soloist in New York, Washington DC, Boston, Cleveland, Paris, Milan and Barcelona, with appearances in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Kosciuszko Foundation, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Cité de la Musique, and Salle Gaveau in Paris, Plau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He frequently tours in his native Japan, appearing in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagano and Kyoto, both as a recitalist and a soloist with orchestra and in chamber music groups. He has performed with such distinguished institution as The Cleveland Orchestra. He has been a featured artist on many television and radio networks throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia.
 
His repertoire is extremely large and varied, ranging from the baroque to avant-garde compositions of today. He has collaborated closely with such renowned musicians as Pierre Boulez, Myung-Whun Chung and Jonathan Nott.
 
Mr. Kigawa grew up in Nagano, Japan, where he began piano studies at the age of three, winning his first competition at the age of seven. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Shinsyu University, and his Master of Arts degree from Tokyo Gakugei (Liberal Arts) University, graduating with honors in Piano Performance. During both his undergraduate and graduate years, he also studied composition and conducting, receiving high honors in both disciplines. He furthered his studies in the United States at The Juilliard School in New York, where he earned his Master of Music degree. Mr. Kigawa currently lives in New York.
 
Taka Kigawa official site

The World of Krakauer: Three Perspectives of David Krakauer

Known simply as “Krakauer” to his fervent following, the world-renowned, Grammy-nominated clarinetist David Krakauer is nothing less than an American original who has embarked on a tremendous journey transforming the music of his Eastern European Jewish heritage into something uniquely contemporary. That journey has lead Krakauer to an astounding diversity of projects and collaborations ranging from solo appearances with symphony orchestras to major festival concerts with his own improvisation based bands. A key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music, Krakauer brings together elements from these worlds with jazz, funk, and electronica in his various incarnations: from loops and ecstatic improvisation in his band Ancestral Groove to progressive classical composition in the Krakauer-Tagg duo project, Breath and Hammer.
 
David Krakauer official site
David Krakauer on Facebook
David Krakauer on Twitter

Adrian Daurov

Daniel Roumain

Daniel Roumain’s acclaimed work as a composer and a performer has spanned more than two decades, and has been commissioned by venerable artists and institutions worldwide. Proving that he’s “about as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), Roumain is perhaps the only composer whose collaborations span the worlds of Philip Glass, Cassandra Wilson, Bill T. Jones, Savion Glover and Lady Gaga.
 
Roumain made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 with the American Composers Orchestra performing his Harlem Essay for Orchestra, a Whitaker commission. He would go on to compose works for the Albany Symphony (Harvest for Baritone Voice and Orchestra); the American Composers Orchestra (Call Them All: Fantasy Projections for laptop, orchestra, and film); the Boston Pops Orchestra (Woodbox Violin Concerto); the Dogs of Desire Ensemble (Grace for Two Sopranos and Chamber Orchestra); Carnegie Hall (Five Chairs and One Table); the Library of Congress (Numerical Music); and the Stuttgart Symphony (We March!: Concerto for Guitar and String Orchestra premiered by Eliot Fisk). Additionally, DBR’s music has been performed by the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Memphis Symphony, New World Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Noord Nederlands Orkest, and the Vancouver Symphony, among many others. His most recent orchestral work, Dancers, Dreamers, and Presidents, is a 2010 Sphinx Commissioning prize and will be performed by the Detroit Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, and other member orchestras of an esteemed consortia. Roumain was the first artist to be awarded Arizona State University’s prestigious Gammage Residency, “a three-year commitment to an extraordinary performing artist that includes performance, creative time and resources, intensive training for ASU students and local artists and engagement with many of the local communities.” His outreach and residencies have garnered extravagant praise and longterm relationships with countless universities, orchestras, and performing arts centers including the Berklee School of Music (Boston), More Music @Moore (Seattle), The Academy – a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute, PACE University and the Tribeca Performing Arts Center (New York City), NC State University and Vanderbilt University (Nashville). He served as Chair of the Music Composition/Theory Department and Composer-in-Residence at The Harlem School of the Arts.
 
Recent work includes a third commission for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Symphony for the Dance Floor), and a new work for the Atlanta Ballet (Home in 7) in collaboration with the choreographer Amy Seiwert and the poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Roumain has recently performed at The Macau International Music Festival, Ten Days in Tasmania, Central Park SummerStage, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the Sydney Opera House.
 
Roumain earned his doctorate in Music Composition from the University of Michigan under the tutelage of William Bolcom and Michael Daugherty.

Du Yun

Du Yun, born and raised in Shanghai, China, is a composer, performer and performance artist, who practices her works at an artistic crossroads of orchestral, chamber music, opera, theatre, cabaret, storytelling, pop music, visual arts and noise.  Selected commissions: Seattle Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Whitney Museum, Berkeley Symphony, Fromm Foundation, Chamber Music America, Festivals für Neue Musik & aktuelle Kultur (Switzerland), ICE. Selected venues: Festival d’Avignon, Ultima Norway, Salle Playel Paris, Darmstadt, Musica Nova Helsinki, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, RedCat, Kimmel Center, Shanghai Symphony, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Philharmonie Luxembourg. In art: Guangzhou Art Triennial, National Academy Museum (US), Sharjah Biennial (UAE), Auckland Triennial (New Zealand), Ullens Art Center (Beijing). Next season highlights: Istanbul Biennial, BAM NextWave, Shanghai Opera Orchestra, Prototype, São Paolo Contemporary Museum, Seattle Symphony.

Amelia Watkins

Described as having “a rich, glowing lyric sound destined for the heights” by Opera News, soprano Amelia Watkins has appeared in leading concert halls and opera houses in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, with the New York City Opera, Estates Theatre (Prague), the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, the Verbier Festival (Switzerland), the Gewandhaus (Germany), the National Arts Center in Ottawa, and in concert in Hong Kong. Operatic roles include Norina (Don Pasquale), Despina (Così fan Tutte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Musetta (La Bohème), Mme. Herz (The Impresario), Gretel (Hansel & Gretel), Dafne (Apollo e Dafne). Embracing musical styles from Bach to Berio and beyond, Amelia specializes in the works of living composers. She recently debuted the role of Mabrouka in the staged premiere of Mohammed Fairouz’s opera Sumeida’s Song, as part of the inaugural season of the Prototype Festival. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times praised “the soprano Amelia Watkins, who brings bright sound and touching vulnerability to her performance”. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory and the Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Watkins can be heard on Albany Records in New Growth, on the 2011 Grammy nominated Bobby McFerrin album Vocabularies, in Missy Mazzoli’s Song From the Uproar, and in various film and television scores. ameliawatkins.com

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