NEW YORK, NY – On Thursday, February 26th, 2015 at 7pm, New York City-based pianist Eunbi Kim will be performing re: last night as part of the Open Stage 2015 Season at the Korean Cultural Service New York, 460 Park Avenue #601, New York, NY. The event is free, but an RSVP is required at http://www.koreanculture.org/?mid=RSVP02262015

re: last night, performed by pianist Eunbi Kim, is a program of classical and contemporary solo piano works. Inspired by the email subject line “re: last night” on a crowded NYC subway, the program is influenced by dreams and delirium. re: last night celebrates these states of “in-between-ness” through a program of left-field music inspired by night and late-night conversations.

This program includes contemporary jazz-influenced works from composers Fred Hersch, William Albright, Nikolai Kapustin, Toby Twining, and the world premiere of a commissioned work for piano and recorded voices by eminent composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), who also serves as director for this thought-provoking performance.

“Nighttime is ripe with possibilities, along with fears, regrets, and desire,” says Ms. Kim. “The surreal region betwixt our waking and our dreaming, our present and our future, between the person we present to others and the person we might actually be.”

This performance is the second public performance in a series that follows her February 14th evening at the Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage in Washington DC.

Concert Program (works to be performed include):

Scriabin, Prelude In G-sharp Minor, Op. 11, No. 12
Nikolai Kapustin, Eight Concert Etudes Op.40 : Reverie
Igor Stravinsky, 4 Etudes, Op. 7: No. 4 in F-Sharp Major
Toby Twining, Satie Blues – arr. for toy piano and piano
Toby Twining, Nightmare Rag – arr. for toy piano and piano
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), It Feels Like A Mountain, Chasing Me – written for piano and recorded voices
William Albright, The Dream Rags
Fred Hersch, Little Midnight Nocturne

About Eunbi Kim, pianist

New York City-based pianist Eunbi Kim has carved a niche as a classical and contemporary pianist who creates adventurous concert programs and interdisciplinary performances. Her most recent piece, Murakami Music, has been presented at Symphony Space (NYC), Asia Society Texas Center (TX), Georgetown University (DC), and was featured in a special documentary produced by NHK, Japan’s public broadcasting organization. Eunbi made her European orchestral debut with I Solisti di Perugia in Italy, and has also performed solo and chamber programs in venues such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. and the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Ms. Kim graduated with her Master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music where she also held a fellowship at The Center for Music Entrepreneurship.

About Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), director

DBR’s acclaimed work as a composer and performer spans more than two decades, and has been commissioned by venerable artists and institutions worldwide. “About as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), DBR is perhaps the only composer whose collaborations traverse the worlds of Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Savion Glover and Lady Gaga. Known for his signature violin sounds infused with a myriad of electronic and urban music influences, DBR takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. He has been nominated for an EMMY for Outstanding Musical Composition for his work with ESPN; featured as keynote performer at technology conferences; and written large scale, site-specific music for public parks. DBR’s made his Carnegie Hall debut (2000) with the American Composers Orchestra performing his Harlem Essay for Orchestra, a Whitaker commission. He went on to compose works for the Boston Pops Orchestra; Carnegie Hall; the Library of Congress; the Stuttgart Symphony, and myriad others. An avid arts industry leader, DBR serves on the board of directors of Creative Capital and the advisory committee of the Sphinx Organization, and is co-chair of 2015 APAP Conference.

###

 “The kind of artist I want to be is somebody that pushes themselves to do new things.”
– Eunbi Kim

On Saturday, February 14th, 2015 at 6pm, New York City-based pianist Eunbi Kim  will be performing re: last night at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC. The event is free, but more information is available by calling either 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600.

re: last night, performed by pianist Eunbi Kim, is a program of classical and contemporary solo piano works. Inspired by the email subject line “re: last night” on a crowded NYC subway, the program is influenced by dreams and delirium. re: last night celebrates these states of “in-between-ness” through a program of left-field music inspired by night and late-night conversations.

This program includes contemporary jazz-influenced works from composers Fred Hersch, William Albright, Nikolai Kapustin, Toby Twining, and the world premiere of a commissioned work for piano and recorded voices by eminent composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), who also serves as director for this thought-provoking performance.

“Nighttime is ripe with possibilities, along with fears, regrets, and desire,” says Ms. Kim. “The surreal region betwixt our waking and our dreaming, our present and our future, between the person we present to others and the person we might actually be.”

A follow-up performance will be held on February 26th at the Korean Cultural Service NY in New York City.

Concert Program (works to be performed include):

Scriabin, Prelude In G-sharp Minor, Op. 11, No. 12
Nikolai Kapustin, Eight Concert Etudes Op.40 : Reverie
Igor Stravinsky, 4 Etudes, Op. 7: No. 4 in F-Sharp Major
Toby Twining, Satie Blues – arr. for toy piano and piano
Toby Twining, Nightmare Rag – arr. for toy piano and piano
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), It Feels Like A Mountain, Chasing Me
William Albright, The Dream Rags
Fred Hersch, Little Midnight Nocturne

About Eunbi Kim, pianist

New York City-based pianist Eunbi Kim has carved a niche as a classical and contemporary pianist who creates adventurous concert programs and interdisciplinary performances. Her most recent piece, Murakami Music, has been presented at Symphony Space (NYC), Asia Society Texas Center (TX), Georgetown University (DC), and was featured in a special documentary produced by NHK, Japan’s public broadcasting organization. Eunbi made her European orchestral debut with I Solisti di Perugia in Italy, and has also performed solo and chamber programs in venues such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. and the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Ms. Kim graduated with her Master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music where she also held a fellowship at The Center for Music Entrepreneurship.

About Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), director

DBR’s acclaimed work as a composer and performer spans more than two decades, and has been commissioned by venerable artists and institutions worldwide. “About as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), DBR is perhaps the only composer whose collaborations traverse the worlds of Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Savion Glover and Lady Gaga. Known for his signature violin sounds infused with a myriad of electronic and urban music influences, DBR takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. He has been nominated for an EMMY for Outstanding Musical Composition for his work with ESPN; featured as keynote performer at technology conferences; and written large scale, site-specific music for public parks. DBR’s made his Carnegie Hall debut (2000) with the American Composers Orchestra performing his Harlem Essay for Orchestra, a Whitaker commission. He went on to compose works for the Boston Pops Orchestra; Carnegie Hall; the Library of Congress; the Stuttgart Symphony, and myriad others. An avid arts industry leader, DBR serves on the board of directors of Creative Capital and the advisory committee of the Sphinx Organization, and is co-chair of 2015 APAP Conference.

###

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Jeff Harms (www.JeffHarms.net) is set to independently release a new album of music via digital release.

Jeff Harms’ fifth release, Pretty Girls Don’t Just Talk to Me is an album of duets produced by Sam Wagster (Fruit Bats, Father Costume, Dahlgren). Various local singers lend their voices to ten simple tunes. Nora O’Connor, Rachel Ries, Dan Mohr, Gillian Lisee, Adam Vida and Ben Boye fill out the sound. In particular, O’Connor is known for her work with Andrew Bird and Chicago favorites The Flat Five.

An album release event – a low-fi presentation of tight harmonies and guest musicians – will take place on Wednesday, November 12, at 8:30 pm at The Hideout Chicago, 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago, IL, www.hideoutchicago.com. Tickets are $5.

https://soundcloud.com/jeffharms/harms-jeff-f

Recorded in the autumn of 2013 on a small screened-in porch in Michigan, the project was awarded an Illinois Arts Council Grant. Supplemental funds were raised through a successful and humorous Kickstarter campaign with a video starring Harms, LeRoy Bach (formerly of Wilco) and Marty Lennartz that went viral (30,000 views). As part of this campaign, Harms wrote songs for hire that were compiled into an album of their own called: Jeff Harms 15 Songs.

Harms describes the record Pretty Girls Don’t Just Talk to Me as a series of simple love tunes, and a ‘Part Two’ to his last album, He Said She Said That’s What She Said. Each of the tracks was written with the idea to duet with local singers. Funny and terrifying topics range from a song about Harms’ mom and dad meeting on an airforce base in Wyoming, to struggling to write a proper love letter, to a song about the end of the world originally called “Underarmagedon”. All songs are written by Jeff Harms except for “Whatever” and “The Menace”, written by Jeff Harms and the late Brian Torrey Scott.

Harms is a multi-disciplined art maker and alum of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, known for his strong work in sculpture, film, music and performance. Harms is a former member of the performance group Every house has a door, formerly Goat Island.

Mix Tape Riot says of Harms, “The last few times I’ve seen him, I’ve been riveted by his songs… an ability to understate everything—lyrics, melody and instrumentation …(P)eople revere his songs. Some of the baddest musicians in Chicago, including Leroy Bach, formerly of Wilco, are all too happy to play with him in any situation.”

# # #

New York-based composer Gerald Cohen (www.GeraldCohenMusic.com) is set to release a new CD of music – SEA OF REEDS – on the Navona Label on November 11th, 2014. The four pieces on this recording reflect Cohen’s affinity for the clarinet, featuring the instrument in various trio settings. The album will be released in both physical and digital formats and will be available for purchase at ClassicsOnline, iTunes, Amazon, and other online music distributors.

Cohen, whose music is noted for its dramatic and lyrical qualities, aims with SEA OF REEDS to explore the multifaceted clarinet through the lens of his classical, Jewish, and jazz influences. The composer writes: “I love the clarinet for its wide variety of character and dynamics, and its ability to either blend beautifully with other instruments or to stand out in a crowd.”

Variously Blue is a vibrant group of variations on a twelve-bar blues pattern, highlighting an interplay between jazz and concert music; the title collection Sea of Reeds arranges five of Cohen’s Jewish vocal works, turning them into virtuosic clarinet showpieces. Yedid Nefesh, based on a delicate Sephardic song, explores both meditative and exuberant aspects of that melody, while the wide-ranging variations of Grneta Variations take advantage of the wonderful virtuosity and unique musical personalities of the three musicians of the Grneta Ensemble.

As with the CD release concert, the recording features the Grneta Ensemble (Vasko Dukovski and Ismail Lumanovski, clarinets, and Alexandra Joan, piano) with violinist Jennifer Choi and violist Maria Lambros.

Works on this recording (all composed by Gerald Cohen) are:

Variously Blue, for clarinet, violin, and piano
Sea of Reeds, for two clarinets and piano
Yedid Nefesh, for two clarinet, viola, and piano
Grneta Variations, for two clarinets and piano

Total Running Time: 70 minutes

About Gerald Cohen

Composer Gerald Cohen (Yonkers, NY), has been praised for his “linguistic fluidity and melodic gift,” creating compositions with “a strong sense of tradition — one that embraces Brahms, Bartok and Britten on one hand and his own Jewish heritage on the other” (Gramophone Magazine). His deeply affecting compositions have been recognized with numerous awards and critical accolades. According to Gramophone, an earlier CD of his compositions, Generations, “reveals a very personal modernism that…offers great emotional rewards.”

His opera, Steal a Pencil for Me, based on a true concentration camp love story, had its semi- staged premiere in 2013. Lucid Culture’s review noted the effectiveness of Cohen’s “…mesmerizingly hypnotic, intricately contrapuntal” music, with moments of “…Bernard Herrmann-esque, shivery terror…”. Cohen’s operas Sarah and Hagar, based on the story from the book of Genesis, and Seed, a one-act opera about love and choices for a post-apocalyptic couple, have been performed in concert form.

Cohen’s best-known work, his “shimmering setting” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) of Adonai Ro’i (Psalm 23), has received thousands of performances from synagogues and churches to Carnegie Hall and the Vatican. A cantor at Shaarei Tikvah in Scarsdale, NY, Cohen’s experience as a singer informs his dramatic, lyrical compositions. He also serves on the faculties of both the Jewish Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College.

Recognition of Cohen’s body of work includes the Copland House Borromeo String Quartet Award, Aaron Copland Award, Westchester Prize for New Work, American Composers Forum Faith Partners residency, and Cantors Assembly’s Max Wohlberg Award for distinguished achievement in the field of Jewish composition. Cohen received the Yale University’s Sudler Prize for outstanding achievement in the creative arts, and has been awarded commissioning grants from Meet the Composer, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and Westchester Arts Council. Throughout his career, he has been selected for residencies including those at The MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and American Lyric Theater.

Cohen’s music has been commissioned by chamber ensembles including the Cassatt String Quartet, Verdehr Trio, Franciscan String Quartet, Chesapeake Chamber Music, Grneta Ensemble, Wave Hill Trio, Bronx Arts Ensemble, and Brooklyn Philharmonic Brass Quintet; by choruses including the New York Virtuoso Singers, Canticum Novum Singers, Syracuse Children’s Chorus, St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City, Zamir Chorale of Boston, and Usdan Center Chorus; and by the Cantors Assembly of America and Westchester Youth Symphony. Cohen’s music has been performed by the Borromeo String Quartet, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Westchester Philharmonic, Riverside Symphony, Plymouth Music Series Orchestra, New York Concert Singers, Princeton Pro Musica, and many other ensembles and soloists.

###