Composers Concordance: The Jazz Influence with Strings
Free
- Jason Kao Hwang, violin
- John Clark, French horn
John Clark — Selected works
Charles Coleman — Selected works
Dan Cooper — Selected works
Jason Kao Hwang — Selected works
Debra Kaye — Selected works
Carlos José Castro Mora — Selected works
Gene Pritsker — Ain't No String Chickens (world premiere)
Wayne Shorter — Water Babies
Dave Soldier — Radio Betonia (world premiere)
Marina Vesić — Selected works
"Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are echoes of the body's music." – Anaïs Nin
On Sunday, June 25th, 2023 at 8pm, Composers Concordance presents the last event of its 39th season with a program of jazz-inspired compositions for string quintet, drums, and soloists. The concert will feature composer / violinist Jason Kao Hwang ("In a class of its own, with a sound like no other" – All About Jazz, "music that is taut, delicate and highly original" – The New York Times) as well as composer / horn legend John Clark ("possibly the most fluent jazz French horn soloist since the great Julius Watkins in the 1950s" – Scott Yannow, All Music). Both soloists will perform their own compositions alongside music by Bruce Arnold, Charles Coleman, Dan Cooper, Debra Kaye, Carlos Castro Mora, Gene Pritsker, Wayne Shorter, Dave Soldier, and Marina Vesic. Featured premieres include Gene Pritsker's Ain't No String Chickens, Dave Soldier's Radio Betonia, and an arrangement of Wayne Shorter's Water Babies.
The concert also features an onstage Roundtable with a panel consisting of two couples who host very hip radio programs: Rebecca McKean and Alan Winson of Bar Crawl Radio; and Laurie Towers / John Pietaro of Beneath the Underground. These radio personalities will provide commentary of their immediate reactions to the compositions performed. The audience members (physical and virtual) will also be encouraged to comment on the music as it is being performed, via a livestreamed thread.
The concert will be presented in person at Ballet Center for the Arts, and also livestreamed on Composers Concordance's Facebook page.
About Composers Concordance
Staying in rotation for 40 years in NYC is a rare feat. In the case of a new music presenting organization, it requires not only diligence and cognizance of achievements of the past but also an ethic of keeping one's ear to the ground for emerging stylistic and technological developments, as well as talented new composers on the scene.
Composers Concordance, founded in 1984 by Joseph Pehrson and Patrick Hardish, advised by Otto Luening, strives to present contemporary music in innovative ways, with an emphasis on thematic programming. Directors Gene Pritsker and Dan Cooper co-curate the programs and lead the CompCord Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, String Orchestra, and Big Band. Associate Directors are Milica Paranosic, Peter Jarvis, Debra Kaye, and Seth Boustead.
Composers Concordance has also created a Naxos-distributed record label: Composers Concordance Records, co-directed by Peter Jarvis. Composers Concordance's overriding vision is to promote contemporary music, composers, and new works as a rightful and respected part of society. Good music performed and recorded well, pushing the boundaries of sound and composition.
http://www.composersconcordance.com