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On Thursday, December 5th, 2019, 8pm, the Interpretations Series continues it 31st season with composers Elizabeth Brown and Frances White with the Momenta Quartet (momentaquartet.com). Held at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY, tickets are $20 for adults / $15 for students & seniors, and available on Roulette.org and Interpretations.info.

The Momenta Quartet joins forces with composers Elizabeth Brown and Frances White in a multimedia evening fusing Western contemporary music with Japanese aesthetics, literary references, and a video/sculpture installation by artist Lothar Osterburg.

This dynamic program features Momenta alongside baritone/narrator Thomas Buckner and Elizabeth Brown in her equal capacity as a master of the shakuhachi: a traditional Japanese flute. The concert includes two new works written specifically for this concert, with commission funds provided by The Sparkplug Foundation and a New Music USA Project Grant. 

The NY premiere of Brown’s Dialect for solo shakuhachi, which uses repeating, morphing phrases to trace the evolution of a unique language. Then the world premiere of Babel continues the linguistic theme in a positive spin of the myth, celebrating NYC as a living organism, using multilingual pages and recordings of Emma Lazarus’ verse from the Statue of Liberty. Unlike the traditional story, nothing here is destroyed; instead, it is cumulative, with its architectural history visible, its constant influx of immigrants the source of its life and beauty. And White’s The book of evening for quartet and shakuhachi (also a world premiere) is drawn from the Mark Strand poem Moon, with the musical arrangement evoking “the moon between the clouds.” Strand’s moon creates a path to “those places where what you had wished for happens.” The music reflects that, evoking a longing for that place, vanishing as the book of evening closes.

Dedicated to the Momenta Quartet, Brown’s Just Visible in the Distance draws its title, inspiration, and form from W.G. Sebald’s book The Rings of Saturn. The piece, inspired by Sebald’s continuous narrative arc, consists of intuitively-assembled small movements, each flowing into the next. Then White’s And so the heavens turned, for quartet and narrator, contemplates the mystery of storytelling itself.  A collaboration with writer James Pritchett and inspired by the 11th-century Persian epic Shahnameh, the text is read before the music and during its closing, evoking at times the anguish and passion of the epic’s mythic lovers, at others a questioning stillness.

Interpretations continues its tradition of playing host to composers, interpreters, and improvisers — artists of both local and international scale, with myriads of approaches to music.

On the heels of last year’s acclaimed 30th anniversary, the Interpretations Series is dedicated to nurturing the relationship of innovative composers with the growing community of new music virtuoso performers. “When we started, this was a real need, especially for the more experimental new music,” says Founder and Artistic Director Thomas Buckner. “Now we are experiencing a blossoming of new music groups and solo performers, which makes the series necessary in a new way. There are so many exceptional composers and performers who need a great place to perform.”

Other upcoming Series lineups:

※ THURSDAY APRIL 9, 2020: THOMAS BUCKNER
Baritone Thomas Buckner presents his 31st annual concert of newly commissioned pieces with works by Earl Howard, JD Parran, Buckner himself — including Gold/Crack, a Mutable Music commissioned work by Pauline Kim-Harris, and performed with String Noise (Kim-Harris and Conrad Harris). The evening also includes performers Soo Yeon Lyuh (haegeum, a two-stringed Korean bowed instrument); Andrew Drury (percussion); Earl Howard (synthesizer and saxophone); JD Parran (reeds).

※ THURSDAY MAY 7, 2020: MÉLANIE GENIN | ENSEMBLE L’ART POUR L’ART
Mélanie Genin performs new music for harp by Christian Dachez, Michael Greba, Saad Haddad, Pauline Kim Harris, Mantovani, and Ricardo Romaneiro. / Ensemble L’Art Pour L’Art perform works by Matthias Kawl, Stephan Streich, Killian Schwoon and others.  With Matthias Kawl (percussion); Astrid Smelik (flute). Michael Shorder (guitar); plus special guest Thomas Buckner (baritone voice).

For audio and video, and background on composers Brown and White, click here.
For more general information, please visit interpretations.info

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EMMANUEL VUKOVICH, violin

On Saturday, November 2nd, 2019, at 8 pm, the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra will present a concert under the direction of guest conductor Jens Georg Bachmann with Canadian violinist Emmanuel Vukovich as soloist in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major. The program will be performed at the Staller Center for the Performing Arts Main Stage, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 for seniors and students, and available on www.stallercenter.com and in person at the box-office.

JENS GEORG BACHMANN, guest conductor

Under the baton of Jens Georg Bachmann, who is Artistic Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Cyprus, the SBSO will be performing an opulent program featuring Vukovich — critically acclaimed for his attention to “every detail of phrasing” (Calgary Herald) and for being “a true musician” (Yannick Nézet-Séguin).

Soviet-Russian-born American composer Lera Auerbach’s Post Silentium for Orchestra opens the evening. Originally commissioned in 2012 by Germany’s Staatskapelle Dresden, this one-movement work is written for strings, piccolo, English horn, contrabassoon, bass trombone, harp, piano, and various forms of percussion.

Composed in 1888, and translated into English as “Death and Transfiguration”, Richard Strauss’s tone poem Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24 depicts the death of an artist, with a four-part sonic storyline of childhood, manhood, attainment, and the shift from this plane to the afterlife.

Initially a failure at its premiere in 1806, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 is a work of “radiant beauty” (Yehudi Menuhin). This monumental work defines a turning point in the evolution of the concerto form in which the soloist emerges from the orchestra as a free and independent individual voice.  

Works included:
 Strauss Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24
Lera Auerbach Post Silentium for Orchestra
 Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

Critically acclaimed for his “attention to every detail of phrasing”, Canadian violinist Emmanuel Vukovich (www.emmanuelvukovich.ca) is emerging as an artist of musical integrity and artistic maturity. Grand-prize winner of the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition as first violinist of the former Lloyd Carr-Harris String Quartet, Emmanel has performed across North and South America, Europe, and Australia in performances with artists such Ida Haendal, Matt Haimowitz, Anton Kuerti, and Alex Klein. He is the founder and artistic director of The Parcival Project, an international chamber music collective which has toured Canada, the US, and South America, as well as artist director of Montreal’s Chapelle Historique du Bon Pasteur “Bach Odyssey” – a multi- year series centered around the solo violin Sonatas and Partitas of JS Bach. Emmanuel performs on a 1629 Nicolo Amati violin on generous loan from The Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank.

 Upcoming highlights include the creation of two new works:

  • Inspired by North Indian Classical Hindustani music, American composer Sheila Silver is writing a violin concerto expressly for Emmanuel. This concerto is intended to be premiered and recorded in 2021. 
  • An original work for solo violin, African drums, and chamber orchestra, co-composed with award-winning composer John McDowell, Parzival & Fierefiz: A New Narrative of Race will make its world premiere at the University of Toronto in November 2020 in conjunction with the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Wagner’s Parsifal.

Emmanuel is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University, working with Philip Setzer and Eugene Drucker of the Emerson String Quartet, Hagai Shaham, and Colin Carr. His final graduation recital will present selections from the solo violin Sonatas & Partitas of J S Bach and Parzival & Fierefiz: A New Narrative of Race.

Jens Georg Bachmann (www.jensgeorgbachmann.com) is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Cyprus, since 2017. With his artistic leadership the CySO has significantly increased its popularity and reputation across the country. Being equally at home in operatic and symphonic repertoire, Bachmann has conducted, the Boston, Florida and Princeton symphony orchestras, the Berlin and Hamburg symphony orchestras, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the ERT Radio and Thessaloniki Symphony Orchestras of Greece, the Radio Orchestras of Germany (NDR) as well as at The Metropolitan Opera New York, Royal Swedish Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin and the state operas of Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Düsseldorf.

Mr. Bachmann had been Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Texas Chamber Orchestra as well as Music Director of the Crested Butte Music Festival in Colorado. He has collaborated with some of the world’s finest musicians such as Pinchas Zukerman, Daniel Hope, Yefim Bronfman, Cyprien Katsaris and singers Renée Fleming, Marcello Giordani and Jonas Kaufmann. In addition, Bachmann has been teaching in the USA and Germany academically at the Manhattan School of Music, New York University, the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the Lübeck Hochschule. He also collaborates regularly with the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Being thoroughly trained through mentorships with Christoph von Dohnányi and James Levine for several years, Bachmann is an avid proponent of contemporary music and has worked with many active composers of our time including Elliott Carter, Krzysztof Penderecki, Sofia Gubaidulina as well as annually since 2017 with members of the Center of Cypriot Composers.

Jens Georg Bachmann was born in Berlin, Germany, and studied conducting and violin at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler“ Berlin and The Juilliard School New York.

Bachmann has recorded for the DaCapo and Naxos labels.

For more about Emmanuel Vukovich, please visit his website.
To purchase tickets for this event, visit the Staller Center’s order page.

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On Thursday, November 7th, 2019, 8pm, the Interpretations Series continues it 31st season with Harlem Reunion: original improvisational compositions led by JD Parran; and Elevated Moon: a ‘ritualistic happening’, presented by both Amir Bey & JD Parran. Held at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY, tickets are $20 for adults / $15 for students & seniors, and available on www.Roulette.org and www.Interpretations.info.

Composer and multi-woodwind player JD Parran’s Harlem Reunion is a music/spoken word quartet, performing original improvisational compositions. (With Alexis Marcelo, piano; Larry Roland, poet and bass; Jackson Krall, percussion.)

Amir Bey & JD Parran present Elevated Moon: a ‘ritualistic happening’ that combines sound, movement, visual vibrance, and light projections. An ‘elevation of spirits’ is presented in a multidisciplinary, mixed-media synthesis, aiming to present the room with a joyous experience.

Storyteller Amir Bey acts as a visual ambassador, using various masks, Astrologos, and swinging percussive mobiles. The audience is invited to participate at the end, synergising with the Freedom the performers have expressed. (With Soundrhythium Michael TA Thompson, drums & percussion; Bill Toles, light-magic; Chihiro Cute-Beat Kobayashi, movements and poses.)

Of this concert, JD Parran says, “In the past I have performed in Interpretations concerts that have marked high points in my work. I am excited about this concert as an opportunity to compose and perform the music  for two specific projects close where I live in my creative self.”

Interpretations continues its tradition of playing host to composers, interpreters, and improvisers — artists of both local and international scale, with myriads of approaches to music.

On the heels of last year’s acclaimed 30th anniversary, the Interpretations Series is dedicated to nurturing the relationship of innovative composers with the growing community of new music virtuoso performers. “When we started, this was a real need, especially for the more experimental new music,” says Founder and Artistic Director Thomas Buckner. “Now we are experiencing a blossoming of new music groups and solo performers, which makes the series necessary in a new way. There are so many exceptional composers and performers who need a great place to perform.”

※ THURSDAY DECEMBER 5, 2019: MOMENTA QUARTET + ELIZABETH BROWN, FRANCES WHITE
The Momenta Quartet joins forces with composers Elizabeth Brown and Frances White in a multimedia evening fusing Western contemporary music with Japanese aesthetics, literary references, and a video/sculpture installation by artist Lothar Osterburg.

※ THURSDAY APRIL 9, 2020: THOMAS BUCKNER
Baritone Thomas Buckner presents his 31st annual concert of newly commissioned pieces with works by Earl Howard, Pauline Kim, JD Parran, and Buckner himself.  With performers Soo Yeon Lyuh (haegeum, a two-stringed Korean bowed instrument); Andrew Drury (percussion); Earl Howard (synthesizer and saxophone); JD Parran (reeds).

※ THURSDAY MAY 7, 2020: MÉLANIE GENIN | ENSEMBLE L’ART POUR L’ART
Mélanie Genin performs new music for harp by Christian Dachez, Michael Greba, Saad Haddad, Pauline Kim Harris, Mantovani, and Ricardo Romaneiro. / Ensemble L’Art Pour L’Art perform works by Matthias Kawl, Stephan Streich, Killian Schwoon and others.  With Matthias Kawl (percussion); Astrid Smelik (flute). Michael Shorder (guitar); plus special guest Thomas Buckner (baritone voice).

For more information, please visit interpretations.info

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New York, NY — Composer Steve Bramson and librettist Gayle Hudson proudly present a workshop reading of their intimate new one-act opera, CLICK! This exclusive event will take place on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 4:00 PM at Blue Gallery in New York City.

CLICK! explores the life and legacy of Hungarian photographer André Kertész, a pioneer of modern photography whose innovative compositions and emotive imagery left an indelible mark on the art form. Through a dynamic interplay of music and visual storytelling, the opera delves into Kertész’s artistic struggles and triumphs, guided by the voice of his wife, Elizabeth, whose influence shaped his journey even beyond her passing.

This workshop reading serves as a preview and pivotal development step in anticipation of CLICK!’s upcoming world premiere. The performance features mezzo-soprano Devony Smith and baritone Christopher Dylan Herbert,  conducted by Tyson Deaton and accompanied by pianist Jason Wirth in an adaptation of the full orchestral score. Cori Ellison serves as dramaturg. Following the performance, the audience is invited to participate in the opera’s development by attending a talkback session which will provide invaluable feedback to help shape the opera before its fully staged premiere.

A slideshow of photographs by André Kertész set to music from the opera:

A highlight of the evening will be the on-site exhibition of prints of Kertész’s photography, offering an opportunity for attendees to engage with his visionary work in a uniquely integrated artistic experience. 

With a libretto inspired by late-life interviews with Kertész, CLICK! captures his odyssey—from his early years in turn-of-the-century Hungary to his rise in 1920s Paris and his creative resurgence in New York. CLICK!  seamlessly weaves together music, historical narrative, and images of Kertész’s work, illuminating a portrait of an artist whose lens transformed the way we see the world.

This will be an extraordinary first look at CLICK!—a timely new opera that celebrates photography, memory, and the unbreakable bond between art and artist.

Tickets are free but limited in quantity and must be reserved at: https://click-opera.com/workshop

Blue Gallery is located in Midtown Manhattan at 222 E 46th St, New York, NY. More information about the opera is available at https://click-opera.com

According to composer Bramson, “The impact of preparing CLICK! for audiences will ultimately widen the circle of people who know and appreciate André Kertesz’s photography and life story, his Hungarian background, and his role in the art of photography.”



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Photographer: Mihály Kondella

New York, NY — On Tuesday May 13, 2025, at 8 PM, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall will present “Exploring Inner Landscapes” a concert featuring Hungarian pianist Alexandra Balog in her Carnegie Hall Debut. Ms. Balog won the 2017 Béla Bartók International Piano Competition in Graz Austria, the Talentum Hungaricum award (2020), and the Junior Príma prize, the most prestigious award in Hungary for young musicians (2023).

This intimately crafted program explores the themes of introspection, self-discovery, and depth that can only be reached and expressed through music. The program includes the world premiere of British-Austrian composer Noah Max’s “Piano Sonata, Op. 54, No. 2, ‘The Curve.’”

Tickets are $45-55 and are available at carnegiehall.org, the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, or by calling Carnegie Hall at 212-247-7800. Carnegie Hall is located at 881 Seventh Avenue in New York City.

Complete Program:
KODÁLY Selections from Seven Pieces, Op. 11
MOZART Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475
CHOPIN Nocturne in C Minor, Op. 48, No. 1
NOAH MAX Piano Sonata, Op. 54, No. 2, “The Curve” (World Premiere)
SCHUBERT Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

According to Ms. Balog, “My Carnegie Hall program is a reflection of a constant journey of discovery—seeking meaning, depth, and something greater with each passing day. The pieces I’ve chosen are deeply personal, each illuminating a different facet of this journey. Kodály’s works are intrinsically tied to my Hungarian heritage, with one piece capturing the profound bond between mother and daughter. Mozart’s Fantasy feels as though it was written for the future, with its timeless quality. Chopin’s Nocturne delves into the solitude of the human experience—not merely as sorrow, but as a deeply introspective space for self-discovery. Noah Max’s composition, written especially for me, represents a unique moment of new creation. Lastly, Schubert’s final sonata encapsulates a lifetime of memories, dreams, and farewells—perhaps the piece closest to my heart.”

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New York, NY — Get ready for an unforgettable “rush hour” concert on Wednesday, March 12th at 6:30 pm, as the New York-based Modus Operandi Orchestra (MOO) takes the stage at Merkin Hall for an electrifying evening of Beethoven masterpieces. Under the baton of Maestro Justin Bischof, the orchestra will be joined by the brilliant pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine, who will perform Beethoven’s majestic Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” Op. 73.

The concert will be held at Merkin Hall, located at 129 West 67th Street, New York. Tickets are available for $39-$59, with discounted tickets at $20 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets at www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/the-3-bs-celebrating-beethoven

For more information about MOO, visit www.moonyc.org.

Complete Program (all works by Ludwig van Beethoven):
Coriolan Overture Op. 62 (1807)
Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” Op. 73 (1809)
Symphony No. 7 Op. 92 (1812)

“Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture grips you with raw intensity, while the Emperor Piano Concerto sweeps you into a majestic world of virtuosity and grandeur. And then, the Symphony No. 7—a vibrant explosion of rhythm and energy that will leave you breathless. These masterpieces showcase Beethoven’s unmatched ability to stir the soul and ignite the imagination!” — Justin Bischof, Conductor



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BOSTON – Tutti Music Collective (TMC) presents a fall concert “Resonance of Remembrance,” on Saturday, October 19, 8 pm, at St. Cecilia Church, 18 Belvidere Street, Boston. The concert features the Wood Harbor Orchestra and TMC Chorus, led by Cofounder Elijah Langille, conductor. Guest performing artists include Ciaran Nagle, tenor, Tara Novak, violin and fiddle, and Ken Field, saxophone.

“Through a diversity of compositions and musical genres, we’ll explore our remembering – who we are, who we should be, who we cherish, and who we have lost,”  shares Rachel Burckardt, composer and TMC cofounder. “Where else but at a TMC concert will you hear the mingling of a concert orchestra, chorus, jazz combo, and Irish musicians performing music mostly of local composers?  Join us for an unforgettable evening of music!”

A Tutti Music Collective concert featuring the Wood Harbor Orchestra, TMC Chorus, conducted by Cofounding Director Elijah Langille, 2022, image by McGrath PR

Tutti Music Collective’s “Resonance of Remembrance” features the second Boston performance of Composer Rachel Burckardt’s Global Music Award-winning work “Mount Auburn: A Requiem in D Minor,” featuring renowned Irish tenor Ciaran Nagle, soloist.  In addition, the program features Burckardt’s composition “Ascendance.”  The performance of this work is the first collaboration of the Wood Harbor Orchestra, Ishna violinist/fiddler Tara Novak, and the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, featuring Ken Field, saxophone, Phil Neighbors, drums and Blake Newman, bass. “For Elaine & Steve” by Burckardt, “Psalm 130” by local composer Patricia Van Ness, and “Conga del Fuego Nuevo” by Arturo Márquez round out the program.

The Tutti Music Collective and Wood Harbor Orchestra are committed to showcasing the music of local minority, LGBTQIA+, and living composers, in the belief that concert music should reflect the diversity of the world we live in.  The Collective strives to create spaces where these voices are heard and celebrated. Through the Collective’s performances, it aspires to engage audiences, while championing inclusivity and equity in the arts.  Learn more at thetuttimusiccollective.com.

Tickets to “Resonance of Remembrance” are $25 general admission, $10 seniors and students, children under 12 attend for free, available at MtAuburn-Boston.eventbrite.com and at the door.  Parking is available at the nearby Hynes Auditorium Garage on Dalton Street for $13 with a coupon available at the door. St. Cecilia Church is fully accessible

(Left to Right) Ken Fields, saxophone, Rachel Burckardt, composer, and Ciaran Nagle, tenor,
courtesy images

For more information about Wood Harbor Music, and Composer Rachel Burckardt, visit woodharbormusic.net.

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On November 8, 2024, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall will present “Impromptu,” a series of improvised performances by acclaimed Romanian singer Teodora Brody and American guitarist and pianist Stanley Jordan. 

In Impromptu, Teodora Brody and Stanley Jordan are bravely liberating themselves from all they know, leaving behind all musical patterns and embarking on a mysterious and wild Journey looking for their true essence, through their music. From the first second of the concert to the end, the music is created in the very moment of NOW, a fresh and original music that was never sung before and will never be sung again, being heard only once, on November 8, 2024.

Teodora Brody and Stanley Jordan dare to bring a new dimension of their artistic consciousness. It is not about being perfect, but being connected and rooted in their inner self, where they find their source of creativity. As in a ritual, they bring to surface hidden emotion, untold and undared, and give the sound ancestral sonorities, wings of solitude, grief and celebration, waiting for a long time to be liberated. Each moment is surprising not only for the audience but the for the artists themselves, it is a Journey where, together, they discover that all suffering from this world can be turned into wisdom through the sound of the Beauty which lies inside of all of us.

“I first met Stanley during my first US tour, and soon after we performed together at Montreux Jazz Festival. Over the years we had many performances together in my home country of Romania and around Europe. In December 2022 I created my first Impromptu coming from a deep need to be totally free, and the audience loved it. So I kept going, doing different sessions with different musicians, some of them I’ve never met before. At the 7th I invited my dear friend Stanley, an amazing musician and a huge artist. When we perform Impromptu together, we forget all we know – about our musical patterns, about jazz, about standards. I can feel Stanley’s spirituality and gratitude flowing through his fingers as he touches the guitar. There’s a special energy coming from the conection with our inner roots. Everything is created in the moment, all our hidden emotions are revealed through the sound – a mysterious and wild introspection. But there is one rule: Follow the sound and the sound will know better what to do with us.” – Theodora Brody

Tickets are $45-65 (including fees) and are available at carnegiehall.org, the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, or by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800. Carnegie Hall is located at 881 Seventh Avenue in New York City.