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8071kingString quartet Crucible (Cornelius Dufallo and Chris Otto, violins; John King, viola; and Alex Waterman, cello) will perform music from composer John King’s new CD “10 Mysteries” at NYC’s Roulette on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 8:30 pm.

Roulette is located at 20 Greene Street, NYC, between Canal and Grand. Tickets are $15/$10 and can be reserved at 212.219.8242. Admission is free to Roulette members.

Earlier this year, John King released his second CD, “10 Mysteries” on John Zorn’s Tzadik label. King has 2 previous CD releases of music for string quartet; AllSteel (Tzadik) and Ethel (Cantaloupe). Featuring passionate and inspiring performances by the remarkable quartet Crucible with King himself on viola, the music on 10 Mysteries jumps from moment to moment with lightening speed and an organic sense of form. In his second CD on Tzadik he again embraces rock, jazz, blues and other popular styles in an energetic and colorful program for string quartet.

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TILT Brass

Crucible will also be joined by the TILT Brass project’s quartet (Rachel Drehmann, horn; Joe Exley, tuba; Russ Johnson, trumpet; Chris McIntyre, trombone) and Charlotte Dobbs, soprano, for the world premiere of SAPPHO presto chango. These 12 short arias are based on the poem fragments of Sappho which are to be performed as an independent layer to the instrumental ensemble. To end the evening, pianist Jenny Lin will perform King’s petite ouverture en forme de mErCE CunninGHAm, a piece written for Merce in honor of his 90th birthday.

Crucible features New York string luminaries Cornelius Dufallo, Chris Otto and Alex Waterman, who perform with such groups as Ethel, the JACK Quartet and the Either/Or Ensemble.

Led by trombonist and composer Chris McIntyre, Brooklyn-based TILT Brass is a versatile collective of brass and percussion artists that present works ranging from the historical avant garde to commissioned works by composers such as James Tenney, Anthony Coleman, and Lois V. Vierk.

Soprano Charlotte Dobbs maintains an active opera performance and concert career. In 2008, she appeared in recital with Mitsuko Uchida at the Marlboro Music Festival, performing Schoenberg’s Book of the Hanging Gardens. Miss Dobbs made her Kimmel Center and Carnegie Hall debuts in Nielsen’s Third Symphony with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and Alan Gilbert in 2008.

jennylinJenny Lin is one of the most respected young pianists today, admired for her adventurous programming and charismatic stage presence. Her ability to combine classical and contemporary literature has brought her to the attention of international critics and audiences alike.

johnkingphotoComposer, guitarist and violist John King has received commissions from the Kronos Quartet, Red {an orchestra}, Ethel, the Albany Symphony, Bang On A Can All-Stars, Mannheim Ballet, New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, the Ballets de Monte Carlo and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, with whom he worked closely for more than 20 years. He has written three operas (his most recent opera Dice Thrown was recently performed at CalArts in Los Angeles) and has composed for orchestra, chamber ensembles, rock bands, dance, film and theater. He was Music Curator at The Kitchen from 1999-2003. King won the Alpert Award in the Arts for Music in 2009. This award, initiated and funded by the Herb Alpert Foundation, provides unrestricted, annual prizes of $75,000 to five artists.

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cd-storytime-tortoise-200x200jazzquartet-2Rob Mosher’s Storytime will appear at Tea Lounge in Park Slope, Brooklyn, on Friday, April 16 from 9-11:30p. Tea Lounge is located at 837 Union St, Brooklyn NY. $5

Storytime is a lushly scored musical odyssey that contains echoes of Wayne Shorter, Gil Evans, Kurt Weill, Darius Milhaud, Debussy and Bach, reflecting Mosher’s embrace of a wide range of influences which have coalesced to create his singularly independent compositional voice. This big band traverses many musical landscapes — all held together by Mosher’s multi-faceted orchestration and ingenious use of instrumentation (saxophones, oboe, English horn, clarinets, flute, trumpet, French horn, trombone, electric and acoustic guitar, plus bass and drums).

A melodic, lyrical composer and performer, Rob Mosher is a musician well versed in the jazz and classical worlds, committed to furthering the growth and combination of the two. Specializing on oboe, English horn and soprano sax, Mosher is a proven creator with a uniqueness of voice and an interest in exploring genre fluidity. Recipient of the 2009 ASCAP Young Composer Award, Rob recently released his critically lauded debut CD Storytime – The Tortoise which has been called “heartbreakingly beautiful, with melodies that stop the listener in [their] tracks” by the Hartford Courant (2008).

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Music for Farms (John McDowell, piano; Emmanuel Vukovich, violin, and cellist Julia MacLaine ) perform as part of the Golden Key Salon Series at Manhattan’s Bechstein Piano Centre. The series features new and distinguished performers, wine receptions and premiere performances. Concerts are on the first Thursday of the month, October through May at the Bechstein Piano Centre, 207 West 58th Street, New York. All performances begin at 7:00pm

Suggested donation: $20 general admission; $10 for students with ID

Seating is limited, reservations are required.
For more information, or for reservations, call 212-581-5550

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jody2flatterCellist/vocalist/composer Jody Redhage and her band Fire in July will be the third featured performing ensemble in the inaugural season of Music at First on April 16th, 2010 at 7:30pm. Music at First is a new music series held at First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn through May, 2010. First Presbyterian Church is located in Brooklyn Heights at 124 Henry St. Directions are at www.fpcbrooklyn.org. There is a $10 suggested donation at the door with no advance reservations or ticket sales. Contact [email protected] for more info.

This series, curated by Wil Smith (composer who also serves as organist at First Presbyterian), occurs monthly, featuring one performer or ensemble per evening. Smith describes Music at First as “a diverse mix of New York City’s best new music ensembles and performers, accessible to a wide audience of both community members and seasoned new music listeners.” Flute/percussionist duo Conor Nelson and Ayano Kataoka will close the season with a performance on May 28 (CD release). The series began in February, 2010 with a performance by Threefifty Duo and continued in March with a “critic’s choice” (Time Out NY) performance by pianist Kathleen Supové.

Called an “adventurous cello songstress” by Time Out NY, cellist, composer, and vocalist Jody Redhage is “a new music dynamo…Redhage is cultivating a repertoire of indie art song that breaches genre boundaries and makes for stirring listening” (MusicWorks Magazine).  Redhage has spent the past seven years developing the ability to simultaneously sing and play rhythmically complex and intricate lines.  Her passion is setting 20th and 21st century American poetry into art song, and she principally composes for her ensemble Fire in July.  Redhage’s compositions meld the detail and finesse of chamber music with the energy and drive of jazz improvisation and more popular genres. With tinges of Medieval chanson and hints of Kurt Weill, Redhage creates a captivating blend of genres that simply comes across as her own unique voice.

Fire in July released their debut album Ancient Star on Sept. 15, 2009.  Ancient Star has been called “a real accomplishment, refreshing and enjoyable, music that is exploring and pioneering a new style and doing so with real thought and skill” – George Grella, The Big City. The band features: Jody Redhage, voice, cello, compositions; Ken Thomson, clarinet & bass clarinet; Alan Ferber, trombones; Tom Beckham, vibraphone; and Fred Kennedy, drums & percussion. At this concert, the band will be previewing some new music that is being written for the upcoming song cycle “The Spirit of the Garden,” using poetry that explores the nexus of spirituality and nature.

Having begun composing at age 19, Jody studied composition at the University of California Berkeley and cello performance at the Manhattan School of Music. In New York, Jody continued her composition studies with Bang on a Can founder Julia Wolfe. Redhage has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, and on NBC, CBS, and ABC. Redhage’s original compositions have also been featured on several NPR stations across the country, including a recent feature of songs from “Ancient Star” on WNYC’s Spinning on Air.

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MMNY_pigeon_colorLast year, on the summer solstice, Make Music New York organized one of the biggest musical events in the city’s history: 900 free outdoor concerts in an incredible array of genres and locations. Thousands of musicians — from opera singers to underground MC’s, Tuvan throat singers to high school bands — entertained New Yorkers on sidewalks, streets, parks, and gardens throughout all five boroughs of NYC in “an eleven-hour escapade of musical creativity” (New Yorker).

Make Music New York returns on Monday, June 21, 2010. It’s going to be even bigger and better, and we want you to have first dibs on great spaces!

For the fourth annual event, Time Out New York magazine has launched a website to match musicians with locations. Now anyone can find a space for their music… or music for their space. Sign up today, and MMNY will put you in touch with other musicians and locations, coordinate your concert with others in the neighborhood, secure all necessary permits, and promote your event with free posters, a new interactive website, and media partners Time Out New York, Metro New York, and WNYC.

To get started, just go to www.timeoutnewyork.com/makemusic. There is no charge to take part — everything is completely free.

Last year’s festival drew tens of thousands of listeners and international media coverage. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with New Yorkers from all walks of life.

All concert arrangements must be finalized by April 21st. For more information, visit www.makemusicny.org.