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Ars Nova Workshop presents a special night of string quartets led by two of the most exciting downtown composers: John King with Crucible Quartet – who will be performing pieces from their 2010 collaboration, 10 Mysteries – and Jessica Pavone with members of the Toomai Quartet – who will be performing pieces from their 2009 collaboration Songs of Synastry and Solitude.

Crucible will be performing 10 Mysteries, a composition in nine movements (whatever silence appears after the last breaths of the ninth movement is the 10th mystery). It was completed in 2007 and was premiered at The Stone in NYC in March of that year. It was the first quartet in which King used what he calls “trilogic unity” in its creation: composed “determinate” music, improvised “spontaneous” musical directives, and chance-determined “random/indeterminate” musical elements. These three methods of organizing sound were, at that time and up to the present continue to be, of prime importance for his methodology of combining, mixing, coalescing, and distilling musical materials. The central movement in the piece is called “incantation,” what was heard in a dream; the “dance” movement (#7) is based on the first 100 integers of pi, non-repeating rhythmic and harmonic cycles which push into infinity; the 1st movement is an impressionistic blur that bursts forward using the rhythms of the individual players’ heartbeats; the penultimate movement represents a slipping in and out of chaos and stasis, which drives towards the conclusion – a whispering of angels. Crucible will also perform excerpts from a 3-hour work-in-progress entitled Kosmos.

Crucible is:
Jennifer Choi, violin
Cornelius Dufallo, violin
John King, viola
Alex Waterman, cello

“The ensemble brings vitality, sensitivity and, in many instances, astounding brute force to their impassioned interpretations.” –All About Jazz on John King and the Crucible Quartet

Ars Nova – Venue: Philadelphia Art Alliance
251 S. 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA Map
Price: $12 General Admission
Buy Tickets

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Pianist Isabelle O’Connell and Flutronix (flutists Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull) will perform as part of Music at First on Friday, November 5th, 2010 at 7:30pm. This new music series is held at First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, located at 124 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights. Tickets are $10 at the door. Contact [email protected] for more info. Directions are at www.fpcbrooklyn.org.

MUSIC AT FIRST (www.musicatfirstsite.com), curated by Wil Smith (composer who also serves as organist at First Presbyterian), occurs monthly, featuring two performers or ensembles per evening. A diverse mix of New York City’s best ensembles and performers, accessible to a wide audience of both community members and seasoned listeners, Music at First has been described by Steve Smith in The New York Times as a “vibrant, eclectic new-music series.” This season has included performances by Kyle Bobby Dunn, guitar quartet Dither, bassist Eleonore Oppenheim and sound artist Lesley Flanigan. Phthia and Slow/Fast will close the season on Dec. 3rd.

Originally from Dublin and currently based in New York, ISABELLE O’CONNELL (www.isabelleoconnell.com) is one of Ireland’s most successful pianists, with a growing international career that has taken her across four continents. Her debut CD, RESERVOIR, was recently released on the Diatribe label and features works for solo piano by nine contemporary Irish composers. Described as “the young Irish piano phenom” by the New Yorker, she has also been described by Sequenza21 as a pianist who “plays with power, clarity and commitment.” She has a reputation for being a dynamic interpreter and energetic advocate of music by 20th and 21st century composers, and is a regular commissioner of new works. In 2007, Isabelle was co-Artistic Director of “New Music, New Ireland, New York”, a concert that showcased contemporary Irish composers at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. Isabelle has toured Australia and the U.S. with the CRASH ensemble, and has also performed with John Adams at Zankel Hall, Meredith Monk at the Bang on a Can Festival, Alarm Will Sound, the New Zealand String Quartet and as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Isabelle’s performances have been broadcast on television and radio on both sides of the Atlantic, including WNYC, WFMT Chicago, WQXR, BBC3 and RTE.

Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull are FLUTRONIX (www.flutronix.com), a pair of fresh and eclectic flutists who are paving the way from their classical roots to the future of music. Performing the works of notable pioneers of new music along side their own creations, Flutronix displays an innovative combination of flute and mixed media elements. Their original compositions comfortably navigate daring forms of popular, experimental, and contemporary classical music while implementing electronics and digital effects. Quickly becoming a staple in the New York City indie-classical scene, Flutronix has performed their signature act at leading new music venues including Galapagos Art Space, The Tank and The Cell. Flutronix has provided live underscoring for theatrical productions and worked with artists/ensembles of various disciplines including members of the Sirius string quartet, music producer/composer Shahla Atlas, drummer Joe Blaxx and Blind Ear Music. Their performances have been broadcast on WKCR and on WNYC’s webcast of “Battle of the Boroughs” where they competed as Brooklyn finalists.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BROOKLYN (FPC) is committed to supporting the arts in the community, and has been noted by Lucid Culture blog as as “doing double duty as comfortable neighborhood hang and avant garde central for the budget conscious.”  FPC is an open and intentionally diverse congregation, by race, culture, age, theology, and sexual orientation.

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Bach-centric, about to be released by saxophonist Dave Camwell on the Teal Creek Music label, is a collection of beloved works by Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged for saxophone. Five cuts on this CD feature Camwell on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones in multiple overdubbed tracks. Other selections include performances by Camwell with saxophonists Stephen Page, James Romain, James Bunte, and Nathan Nabb. While most of these unique arrangements have been created by Camwell, other distinguished arrangers Ron Caravan, Charlie Vetter, and Ken Abeling are also featured.

In addition to Bach-centric, Camwell has released a previous classical CD, Aeterna (2008) on the Teal Creek label to critical acclaim. Aeterna includes works by John Anthony Lennon, Niccolò Paganini, J.S. Bach, Ron Albrecht, Steven Galante, Nate Brown and Robert Schumann. Both discs were funded by grants from the Iowa Arts Council.

Dr. Dave Camwell is a distinguished, versatile and dynamic performer. He is a Yamaha and Rico Performing Artist and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at Simpson College, Indianola, IA. Camwell has received degrees from the University of Calgary (B.Mus, dual degree in Jazz Studies and Education, in collaboration with Jacksonville State University), the University of Northern Colorado (M.Mus, dual degree in Performance and Education), and the University of Oregon (D.M.A in Performance with a secondary emphasis in Jazz Studies).

Camwell has over twenty publications available through Dorn Publications and the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press. His transcriptions have been performed across Canada, the United States, Great Britain and China. A notable performance of one of his transcriptions (Schumann’s Fantasiestücke) was given by James Bunte and Dr. David Riley in Carnegie Hall in 2006. He also writes a regular column for Saxophone Journal and has recorded two CD Master Classes for the publication – John Anthony Lennon’s Aeterna (March/April 2007) and Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet (January/February 2010). The Mozart Dissonance project garnered Camwell Simpson College’s Distinguished Faculty Research Award in May, 2010.

This fall, Camwell will tour with the Oasis Quartet (www.oasisquartet.com). They will be performing at the Universities of North Texas and Stephen. F. Austin, as well as well-known Milby High School in Houston, Oct 21-24. Camwell will be performing Bach repertoire featured on the Bach-centric CD at recitals throughout the Midwest starting in January, 2011 and at the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 3 Conference in March 2011.

Physical and Digital distribution for Bach-centric is available through CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon.com, and more; direct sales are available from www.TealCreekMusic.com.

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Two Performances In Honor of Judson with work by choreographers, composers and performers Toby Armour, Arthur Aviles, Remy Charlip, Malcolm Goldstein, Aileen Passloff, Yvonne Rainer, Carolee Schneemann, EmmaGrace Skove-Epes, and Elaine Summers will take place Friday and Saturday, October 29 and 30, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, in New York City.

Tickets are $20 (students/seniors $10) and can be purchased at www.judson.org or by calling 917-727-0431.

The program will include:

  • Welcome, by Toby Armour (Premiere)
  • Dance for Carola (excerpt, 1962), choreography by Elaine Summers
  • Soundings for Solo Violin, by Malcolm Goldstein
  • Trio A: Geriatric with Talking, choreography by and performed by Yvonne Rainer (Premiere)
  • Falling Dance, based on the drawings of Remy Charlip, interpreted by Aileen Passloff and Arthur Aviles
  • A Lesson in French (2007), choreography by EmmaGrace Skove-Epes
  • Nocturne for Bob (2002), choreography by Aileen Passloff
  • Lateral Splay (1963), choreography by Carolee Schneemann

The Artistic Director of the performance is Aileen Passloff, who has enjoyed a long career as a choreographer, dancer, director, actor, teacher, and who was instrumental in the founding of Judson Dance Theater. According to Passloff, “pioneering artists who had their beginnings at Judson Church will be returning to perform or speak about their memories and about their collaborations in Greenwich Village during a period of political and social ferment.” Two Performances In Honor of Judson is produced by Nicole and Michael Bloom.

These performances are held in conjunction with the exhibition “A Sanctuary for the Arts: Judson Memorial Church and the Avant-Garde, 1954-1977”, which opens at the Fales Library in the NYU Library on October 28. This groundbreaking exhibition, curated by Joanna Steinberg, will explore the synergies between the artists who performed at Judson Memorial Church in the 1960s and 70s and the church ministry and congregation. While the arts movements that took shape at Judson Church have enjoyed prominence, this exhibition re-examines the church’s involvement in the downtown arts scene, giving the church a stronger presence in the narrative.

A Roundtable Discussion, moderated by famed Village Voice critic Deborah Jowitt, launches the exhibition, focusing on the reverberations of Judson’s history, both for the church and the arts. Participants will include Essie Borden (former member of the Judson Poet’s Theater and congregant), and renowned members of Judson Dance Theater Malcolm Goldstein, Carolee Schneemann, and Yvonne Rainer. The roundtable discussion will be at Judson Church at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 28th, and the exhibition opening and reception will follow directly at 7:45 p.m. at Fales Library on the 3rd Floor of the NYU’s Bobst Library (one block east of Judson).

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The exhibition “A Sanctuary for the Arts: Judson Memorial Church and the Avant-Garde, 1954-1977” will be held at Fales Library, New York University (3rd Floor of the NYU’s Bobst Library) from October 28, 2010 – January 7, 2011. The Tracey/Barry Gallery is located at New York University, 70 Washington Square South in New York City. Hours are: Monday-Thursday: 10:00am – 5:45pm; Friday: 10:00am – 4:45pm, and closed on weekends. The exhibition will remain open until 8:00 pm on Friday evening before the performance. Visit http://www.judson.org/falesexhibition for more information.

The multi-media exhibition features original prints by photographers: Martha Holmes, Peter Moore, Al Giese, Jan Van Raay, Julie Abeles, Larry Fink, and Howard Smith among others; printed materials: programs, posters, graphic notations; and oral histories.  There are writings by Al Carmines and Howard Moody about Judson’s Arts Ministry, music recordings, and video recordings of dance performances, among other never-before-seen visuals that have been loaned from congregants’ personal collections. Featured subjects include artists Meredith Monk, Claes Oldenberg, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, and Carolee Schneeman, A complete list of artists featured in the exhibition is available upon request.

Curator Joanna Steinberg has worked in the education department at the Museum of the City of New York since she graduated from Oberlin College in 2006. Last June she completed her Master’s degree in the Public History and Archives program at New York University.

Judson Memorial Church defines itself as “a church in the Christian tradition and a sanctuary for progressive activism and artistic expression.” In the 1950s Judson reinvented many of its traditions and its liturgy, and integrated the arts into its mission, beginning with the Judson Gallery in 1957. The Judson Poets’ Theater and Judson Dance Theater followed in 1961 and 1962, transforming the church’s meeting room into a dynamic space where three communities came together: a congregation involved in the political, spiritual, and artistic activities of the church; the artists who created and performed innovative visual art, theater, and dance; and Greenwich Village neighbors and city residents, who provided the audience for Judson’s bold experiments.

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Brooklyn-based chamber pop quartet Likeness to Lily performs as part of the Tribeca Performing Arts Center’s Spotlight Series on Friday, November 12th at 8pm.

The Tribeca Performing Arts Center is located at 199 Chambers Street in New York City (betw. Greenwich St. & West Side Hwy, Subway 1,2,3,J,M,Z,A,C to Chambers; 4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge). Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.smarttix.com or by calling 212.220.1460.

For this concert, Likeness to Lily (named after lead singer Susan Oetgen’s great-grandmother) will be going back into the archives to tap some treasures from their first record, Solitude’s Dollhouse, as well as gems from their second record, Farewell, Recruit.  Meanwhile, there will be a surplus of new, as yet unrecorded songs, a generous handful of cover tunes, as well as highlights from their recent evening-length opera, Command Voice. Additionally, original drawings-in-projection by Justin Waldstein (www.justinwaldstein.com) will be featured.

Formed by singer-songwriter Susan Oetgen in 2003 after an unanticipated but fortuitous detour from her opera career, Likeness to Lily is not only named in honor of her great-grandmother, but also for an old legend which declares that these mythic flowers will bloom out of the dirt wherever a saint sheds her tears. Likeness to Lily also features pianist Tony Melone, bass player Ian M. Riggs and drummer Evan Pazner. Their 2008 record Farewell, Recruit featured guest luminaries Franz Nicolay and Peter Hess from the Hold Steady, Jeremiah Lockwood from Sway Machinery & Balkan Beat Box, Max Moston from Antony & the Johnsons, and Dave Wechsler from The Brooklyn Philharmonic.

Distinct for the classic lyricism heard in Susan’s melodies, and for the adroit harmonies and rhythms cultivated by Tony, Ian and Evan, Likeness to Lily’s songs are musical portraits of the world they inhabit, at once intimately confessional and operatically universal, modern and timeless. Susan’s writing is at the core of each composition. Much in the same way that classical composers set poetry to music, Susan translates her words into melody, which in turn becomes the raw material of the band’s collaborative arrangement process. Song arrangements vary from scored parts to conversational, dynamic improvisation, given Susan’s opera background and Tony, Evan and Ian’s shared jazz chops. The end result is a musical alchemy that reflects an ever-expanding circle of influences that range from Baroque opera and 19th C. French melodies, to Tin Pan Alley classics, to Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega, and Loreena McKennitt, all the way to Cynthia Hopkins, Jeremiah Lockwood, Howard Fishman, Pyeng Threadgill, Aprille Goodman, Chris Parrello and so many other friends and colleagues in Brooklyn’s thriving indie-music scene. Easy to recognize and hard to define, Likeness to Lily’s music is, above all, true to its own sweet soul.