A performance by New York City-based Threefifty Duo (Brett Parnell, guitar and Geremy Schulick, guitar) will kick off the inaugural season of Music at First on February 19th, 2010 at 7:30pm. Music at First is a new music series to be held at First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn from February through May of 2010. First Presbyterian Church is located in Brooklyn Heights at 124 Henry St. There is a $10 suggested donation which will be collected at the door. There will be no advance reservations or ticket sales. For more information, please contact [email protected].

This series, curated by Wil Smith (New York composer who also serves as organist at First Presbyterian), occurs monthly, featuring one performer or ensemble per evening. Each concert will last about an hour and half each. Smith describes the new series, 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 pianist Kathleen Supové on March 26, 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).

Threefifty Duo has been described as a “classical guitar duo with a rock edge,” as musicians Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick seamlessly weave their contemporary rock sensibilities into the rich fabric of classical guitar. After years of writing and performing together and with a second album under Threefifty’s belt, the duo’s stylistic tendencies have expanded beyond their initial categorization, with genre blurred by an intensely personal sound.

Formed in the halls of The Yale School of Music, taught by renowned classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery, and molded by the multi-faceted music scene of their hometown New York City, Threefifty has gone on to play in many respected venues and festivals, such as The 92nd Street Y, Southpaw, Pianos, The NY Guitar Festival, The Monkey, Bennington College, Connecticut Guitar Society, and a recent run of shows at California State University at Long Beach where choreography was set to their music. In December 2008 Threefifty Duo set off for Bosnia and Herzegovina where they played a nationally televised concert organized by The America-Bosnia Cultural Foundation in Sarajevo, with a member of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in attendance.

Threefifty Duo’s music features driving rhythms and harmonies that stem from rock and pop music, combined with the intricate textures that are possible on the classical guitar.