Counterpoint: Steve Reich at the Barclays Center
Free
- Anthony McGill, clarinet
- Lester St. Louis, cello
- Taylor Levine, electric guitar
- Joshua Lopes, electric guitar
- James Moore, electric guitar
- Brendon Randall-Myers, electric guitar
Steve Reich — Cello Counterpoint
Steve Reich — Electric Counterpoint
We invite you to the first in a series of unexpected events. Three of Steve Reich's exhilarating Counterpoint pieces will be performed by groups of clarinets, cellos, and electric guitars — 32 of the greatest musicians this city has to offer.
This will happen outdoors, directly in front of the Barclays Center. It’s free, for all ages. The program lasts 50 minutes.
This event is designed to be a "counterpoint" to what you might expect to happen in this space in the center of Brooklyn. But the music will be in perfect harmony with the sounds of the city.
The show begins at 7:30pm. All info below. Hope to see you there.
About Dither
Dither, a New York based electric guitar quartet, is dedicated to an eclectic mix of experimental repertoire which spans composed, improvised, and electronic music. Formed in 2007, the quartet has performed across the United States and abroad, presenting new commissions, original compositions, multimedia works, and large guitar ensemble pieces. Dither's members are Taylor Levine, Joshua Lopes, James Moore, and Brendon Randall-Myers.
Dither has performed and collaborated with a wide range of artists including Eve Beglarian, Nels Cline, Fred Frith, Mary Halvorson, David Lang, Ikue Mori, Phill Niblock, Lee Ranaldo, Laurie Spiegel, Lois V. Vierk, Yo La Tengo, and John Zorn. They have brought their live 13-guitar rendition of Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint to The Barbican Center, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Ellnora Guitar Festival and WNYC's New Sounds Live. The quartet has also performed at the Guggenheim Museum, the Bang on a Can Marathon, The Performa Biennial, The Amsterdam Electric Guitar Heaven Festival, Hong Kong's Fringe Theater, The Winter Jazz Festival, and the Borealis Festival.
Dither produces an annual Extravaganza, a raucous festival of creative music and art, which has been called an "official concert on the edge" by The New Yorker and "the here and now of New York's postclassical music scene" by Time Out New York. They have released four full-length albums, including Dither plays Zorn on Tzadik, featuring the premiere recordings of several of John Zorn's improvisational game pieces, which was named one of the year's "best avant albums" by Rolling Stone.
http://ditherquartet.com/About Anthony McGill, clarinet
Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (New York Times), clarinetist Anthony McGill enjoys a dynamic international solo and chamber music career and is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic – the first African-American principal player in the organization's history. He is the recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize, one of classical music’s most significant awards.
McGill appears as a soloist with top orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. He performed alongside Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece by John Williams. As a chamber musician, McGill is a collaborator of the Brentano, Daedalus, Guarneri, JACK, Miró, Pacifica, Shanghai, Takács, and Tokyo Quartets, and performs with leading artists including Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Gloria Chien, Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Mitsuko Uchida, and Lang Lang.
He serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School and is the Artistic Director for Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program. He holds the William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair at the Curtis Institute of Music.
https://www.anthonymcgill.com/About Lester St. Louis, cello
Lester St. Louis (b.1993) is a New York-born and -based composer, improviser, cellist, sound designer, and curator. His work traverses through performance, installation, curation, artistic research, and recording. His works are rooted in dynamic environments of improvisation both sonically and socially, ecstatic sound worlds. flow and interaction. He has performed internationally throughout the U.S, the E.U, Canada, China, and in South America; and collaborates with artists such as Chris Williams [under the moniker HxH], Edi Kwon Jaimie Branch, Dre A. Hočevar, Charmaine Lee, Isabel Crespo Pardo, Emeka Okereke, Tortoise, Yo La Tengo, TAK Ensemble, The International Contemporary Ensemble, Random International, Superblue, Terrence Nance, Found Sound Nation, Wet Ink Ensemble, and many more. As a composer, Lester has been commissioned by artists such as The JACK Quartet, RAGE THORMBONES, Jennifer Koh, String Noise, and Ghost Ensemble, among others. He is deeply excited to see what new ventures and collaborations the future may bring and those that will be made.
https://metropolisensemble.org/artists-collection/lester-st-louisAbout Taylor Levine, electric guitar
Guitarist Taylor Levine is a founding member of Dither, an electric guitar quartet. In addition, Taylor often performs a variety of composed and improvised music with a wide range of groups. Some of these include Signal Ensemble, Kronos Quartet, Marc Ribot, Tyondai Braxton, Erykah Badu, Bang On A Can, Eighth Blackbird, Blarvuster, Newband, Weasel Walter, Eve Beglarian, Ethel, New York City Opera, New World Symphony, London Sinfonietta, BBC Orchestra, and Wordless Music Orchestra. Taylor also pursues an active role as an educator. He studied at The Manhattan School of Music and The Amsterdam Conservatory. Taylor currently resides in Brooklyn, where he can often be found building a variety of electronic circuits.