The Westerlies: Taking Shape
Free (registration required)
- Riley Mulherkar, trumpet
- Chloe Rowlands, trumpet
- Andy Clausen, trombone
- Addison Maye-Saxon, trombone
Traditional — Weeping Mary
Traditional — Parting Friends
Chloe Rowlands — Kerhonkson
Riley Mulherkar — The Evening Trumpet
Andy Clausen — The 5:10 to Ronkonkoma
Caroline Shaw — Entr'acte (arranged by The Westerlies)
Join us for The Westerlies' first concert as an ensemble-in-residence at the The New School's College of Performing Arts!
This concert will introduce the newest member of the ensemble, Addison Maye-Saxon. This will be Addison's first concert with The Westerlies in New York, and their final NYC concert of the 2023 season!
The Westerlies have long been fascinated by the rich tradition of American shape-note music, a body of work written with a notation system designed to facilitate congregational and social singing. Here the ensemble presents traditional shape-note hymns alongside original compositions inspired by the musical properties of shape-note singing. With concert hall precision and folklike approachability, The Westerlies invite the listener into their musical world, cutting new trails across the vast expanse of the American musical landscape.
About The Westerlies
The Westerlies, "an arty quartet...mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk" (The New York Times) are a New York-based brass quartet comprised of childhood friends from Seattle: Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet, and Andy Clausen and Willem de Koch on trombone. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, The Westerlies navigate a wide array of venues and projects with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along.
Formed in 2011, the self-described "accidental brass quartet" takes its name from the prevailing winds that travel from the West to the East. "Skilled interpreters who are also adept improvisers" (NPR's Fresh Air), The Westerlies explore jazz, roots, and chamber music influences to create the rarest of hybrids: music that is both "folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous" (NPR Music).
http://www.westerliesmusic.comAbout Riley Mulherkar, trumpet
Riley Mulherkar has been recognized as a “smart young trumpet player” by The New York Times, praised by The Wall Street Journal as a “youngster to keep an eye on,” and is a 2020 recipient of Lincoln Center’s Emerging Artist Award for his work as “an original bandleader, composer, arranger, educator, community activist and advocate for jazz and the arts.”
Riley works with a number of leading artists of our time, including Wynton Marsalis, Anna Deavere Smith, and Alan Cumming, and is a founding member of The Westerlies, a new music brass quartet that creates the rarest of hybrids: music that is both “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music). Riley also serves as Artistic Director of Joye in Aiken, bringing leading young talent to the historic city of Aiken, South Carolina.
Born and raised in Seattle, Riley moved to New York in 2010 to study at The Juilliard School, where he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in 2014 and his Master’s in 2015. In 2014, he was the first recipient of the Laurie Frink Career Grant at the Festival of New Trumpet Music.
Riley is actively engaged in educational outreach, directing the Summer Advanced Institute at Seattle JazzEd, and serving as an ambassador for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Jazz for Young People” program in New York and St. Louis from 2016-2018. Riley is an Edwards Artist and performs on Edwards trumpets.
https://www.rileymulherkar.com/About Chloe Rowlands, trumpet
Chloe Rowlands is a Brooklyn-based trumpet player, composer, arranger, and music educator. Born in Seattle and raised in Phoenix, she moved to NYC in 2010 to study at The New School College of Performing Arts, where she now holds a faculty position teaching private trumpet lessons, jazz ensembles, and improvisation.
Chloe enjoys playing a wide variety of musical styles and has performed, recorded, and collaborated with artists such as Fleet Foxes, the ten-time GRAMMY award-winning Manhattan Transfer, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, the GRAMMY award-winning The 8-Bit Big Band, Durand Jones and the Indications, Big Red Machine, Haley Heynderickx, and Theo Bleckmann. She is also a member of the critically acclaimed brass quartet The Westerlies, which the New York Times describes as “an arty quartet… mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk.” Recent notable performances include the Hollywood Bowl, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Forest Hills Stadium, the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Blue Note NYC, the Java International Jazz Festival, and the Jarasum International Jazz Festival.
Chloe has also worked in film and television, where she can be seen and heard featured throughout the soundtrack to Billy Crystal’s self-produced and -directed film “Here Today,” and has recorded music for and appeared in the HBO original series “Gossip Girl.” As a composer, Chloe has been commissioned to write music for chamber music, concert bands, jazz ensembles, and has composed and produced original scores for short films, TV shows, and documentaries.
About Andy Clausen, trombone
Andy Clausen is a New York-based trombonist, composer, educator, and graduate of The Juilliard School. He is Artistic Director for Jazz at New York Youth Symphony and co-founder of acclaimed new music brass quartet, The Westerlies. An active collaborator across genres, Clausen has toured and/or recorded with Fleet Foxes, Common, Theo Bleckmann, Vieux Farke Toure, John Zorn, Dave Douglas, and The American Brass Quintet.
Recent performance highlights include Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Coachella, Panorama, The Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Jazz At Lincoln Center, SF Jazz, Radio City Music Hall, and Celebrate Brooklyn. The New York Times has described his work as “sleek, dynamic large-group jazz, a whirl of dark-hued harmony and billowing rhythm... The intelligent sheen of Mr. Clausen’s writing was as striking as the composure of his peers...It was impressive, and not just by the yardstick of their age.”
His compositions have been performed by The Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony Jazz Band, The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, and Seattle Chamber Players. An active composer for film and television with numerous feature films to his credit, Clausen has been commissioned by The New York Times, Bloomberg TV, Carnegie Corporation, Dell, The Whitney Museum, and Freedom House and his scores appeared at the DocNYC Festival, Austin Film Festival, Reykjavik International Film Festival, and LA Shorts Fest.
https://www.andyclausen.com/About Addison Maye-Saxon, trombone
Addison Maye-Saxon is a trombone player and educator based in New York City. Born in Simi Valley, California, Addison embarked on a cross-country journey to immerse himself in classical music and discovered a deep passion for contemporary music along the way. He is an alumnus of The Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Yale School of Music. Currently, Addison holds the position of Principal Trombone with Symphony in C, and most recently, he has joined The Westerlies as their newest member.
Among his notable achievements, Addison's performances include his role as an Artist in Residence on Minnesota Public Radio's "Performance Today" and his collaboration with the Juilliard Trombone Choir to record their Christmas album, "Holiday Classics." Addison has also been honored as a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival. He has graced the stage in dozens of recitals, with many of them featuring his own solo performances. Addison has performed on a wide range of stages from world renowned to humble and intimate, including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, the Kimmel Center, coffee shops, retirement homes, and elementary schools.
As a strong advocate for music education, Addison firmly believes that learning music instills discipline, patience, and a robust work ethic in young minds. Addison strives to be an accomplished trombonist, dedicated educator, and passionate advocate for the profound impact of artistic expression.