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ks1New York City-based pianist Kathleen Supové will be the second featured performer in the inaugural season of Music at First on March 26th, 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.” Future performances include cellist/vocalist Jody Redhage and Fire in July on April 16 and flute/percussionist duo Conor Nelson and Ayano Kataoka on May 28 (CD release). The series began in February 19th, 2010 with a performance by Threefifty Duo.

Kathleen Supové is one of America’s most acclaimed and versatile contemporary music pianists, known for continually redefining what it means to be a pianist/keyboardist/performance artist in today’s world. After winning top prizes in the Gaudeamus International Competition for Interpretation of Contemporary Music, Ms. Supové has annually presented a series of solo concerts entitled THE EXPLODING PIANO. In this series, she has performed and premiered works by such established composers as Louis Andriessen, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Alvin Curran, and Morton Subotnick, as well as emerging composers from varied backgrounds such as David Lang, Randall Woolf, Carolyn Yarnell, Eve Beglarian, Anna Clyne, Missy Mazzoli, Michael Gatonska, the composer/performance artist Corey Dargel, and Gameboy composer Bubblyfish, just to name a few. In recent seasons, she has developed THE EXPLODING PIANO into a multimedia experience by using electronics, theatrical elements, vocal rants, performance art, staging, and collaboration with artists from other disciplines. Visit supove.com and myspace.com/supove.

The Program will feature signature works by composers with whom Supové has had close musical associations: American Alvin Curran; iconoclast East Hartford composer Michael Gatonska; Dutch master Louis Andriessen’s intensely virtuosic seldom-performed work “Trepidus”; and “The Body Of Your Dreams”, an audience favorite by current Dutch sensation Jacob TV, based on an American infomercial for the AB-TRONIC stomach-reducing machine.

THE MEMORY OF ROSES (1992) by Louis Andriessen for Piano, Toy Piano, and Rose

A SHAKING OF THE PUMPKIN (2007) by Michael Gatonska for Piano, Mallet, and Optional Bass Drum

TREPIDUS (1983) by Louis Andriessen for Piano

INNER CITIES by Alvin Curran for Piano

THE BODY OF YOUR DREAMS (2004) by Jacob TV (Ter Veldhuis) for Piano and Soundtrack

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Jazz pianist and composer Danny Fox is joined by his trio – bassist Chris van Voorst van Beest and drummer Max Goldman for a midnight show at Iridium Jazz Club as part of their Emerging Artist Series on Friday, March 5, 2010. Iridium is located at 1650 Broadway in New York. Price is $10.

The Danny Fox Trio was formed in the fall of 2008 as a vehicle for Danny’s original music.  Through regular rehearsals and performances, the band has forged a strong musical identity that continues to evolve. They have performed around the New York City area at venues such as Smalls Jazz Club and Rockwood Music Hall, and have held weekly residencies at both the 92nd Street Y Tribeca and Caffe Vivaldi. The group recently toured the Northeast and will embark on a Midwest tour in the spring of 2010.

The Danny Fox Trio is about to release their first CD which will feature original, eclectic, intricate compositions with dynamic group interplay and interaction. Almost a mix between a jazz trio, a chamber ensemble, and a rock group, this trio has developed a unique sound that departs from traditional jazz piano format and uses the roles of the instruments creatively.

Composer Danny Fox’s music draws from wide influences. His compositions and improvisation are inspired by diverse elements: the quirky rhythms of a Monk tune, the dark harmonies of a Scriabin Etude or the ethereal chords of Messiaen; the funkiness of a Motown bassline, the catchiness of a Beatles tune, or the rich harmony of Duke Ellington.