Composers Concordance: Memory Palace Ensemble
$20
- Benjamin Louis Brody, French horn
- Rachel Drehmann, French horn
- David Taylor, bass trombone
- Machiko Ozawa, violin
- Kirin McElwain, cello
- Zachary Paul, violin
Benjamin Louis Brody — Anthem Gravitas (world premiere)
Dan Cooper — Selected works
Bernhard Philipp Eder — Selected works
Machiko Ozawa — Selected works
Zachary Paul — Selected works
Gene Pritsker — Selected works
David Taylor — Selected works
On February 17th at 7pm, Composers Concordance presents the Memory Palace Ensemble in a concert featuring new music for two horns, violin, cello, and electronics. Gene Pritsker's work for Di.J and ensemble, entitled Memory is Deceptive Because it is Colored by Today's Events, will be premiered as well as Benjamin Louis Brody's Anthem Gravitas. Also included on the program are compositions by Dan Cooper, Bernhard Eder, Machiko Ozawa, Zachary Paul, Gene Pritsker, and David Taylor. Joining the ensemble in their own compositions will be bass trombonist David Taylor and violinist Machiko Ozawa.
This will be Memory Palace's debut performance, with special guests Kirin McElwain on cello and Zachary Paul on violin.
The concert will be livestreamed on Composers Concordance's Facebook page.
About Memory Palace Ensemble
Memory Palace is a newly-formed ensemble by Benjamin Louis Brody and Rachel Drehmann, exploring Brody's ambient works.
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.comAbout Benjamin Louis Brody, French horn
Benjamin Louis Brody is a New York-based musician and media composer who creates sublime walls of sound through ambient textures generating a dynamic resonance for his listeners. Most recently, in 2021 he released the music from his 2017 ballet, Floating Into Infinity, on New Amsterdam Records with virtuoso drummer Ian Chang (Son Lux). AnEarful described the album as "...consistently gorgeous and full of invention and adventure." His work, Oscillations for solo trombone and synthesizer, was most recently performed (2020) by the bass trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, George Curran. Brody has also premiered numerous orchestral works with the Chelsea Symphony including the 2019 premiere of his Double Bass Concerto, Forever Melodies. In addition to live performances his work has also been featured on media outlets such as HBO, SHOWTIME, BBC Radio3, WNYC's New Sounds, and VICE News.
https://www.benbrodymusic.com/listenAbout Rachel Drehmann, French horn
Rachel Drehmann is a NYC-based French horn player. She can most often be found playing Frozen on Broadway, as a member of Banda de Los Muertos, and as founding member of infamous horn quartet Genghis Barbie. Rachel has recorded and/or shared the stage with Adele, Lorde, Arcade Fire, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Father John Misty, Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and Shakira. She also regularly performs with the American Symphony Orchestra, American Ballet Theater, International Contemporary Ensemble, Metropolis Ensemble, and Argento Chamber Ensemble.
https://www.racheldrehmann.com/About David Taylor, bass trombone
Receiving B.S. and M.S. degrees from Juilliard, David Taylor started his playing career as a member of Leopold Stokowski's American Symphony Orchestra, and by appearing with the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez. Simultaneously, he was a member of the Thad Jones Mel Lewis jazz band, and recorded with groups ranging from Duke Ellington to The Rolling Stones. He has appeared and recorded with major jazz and popular artists including Barbara Streisand, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin. Mr. Taylor has won the NARAS Most Valuable Player Award for five consecutive years, and has also been awarded the NARAS Most Valuable Player Virtuoso Award, an honor accorded no other bass trombonist. He has been a member of the bands of Gil Evans, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, George Russell, Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, Michelle Camillo, Bob Mintzer, Dave Matthews, the Words Within Music Trio, and B3+. In 1998 Taylor performed on four GRAMMY nominated CDs: The J.J. Johnson Big Band, Dave Grusin's West Side Story, the Joe Henderson Big Band, and the Randy Brecker Band. The latter two CDs were chosen for GRAMMYs. David Taylor is also on the faculties of the MSM and Mannes. He plays Edwards bass trombones exclusively.
https://www.davetaylor.net/About Machiko Ozawa, violin
About Kirin McElwain, cello
Kirin McElwain is a cellist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer working in the realms of experimental, improvised, contemporary classical, and popular music. In her own sound and compositional practice, she uses cello, modular synthesizer, and voice to explore the tension between formal structure and chaos, western classical harmony and noise, and ideas of "goodness" and "correctness." Her self-released debut EP Viriditas received praise from Foxy Digitalis and A Closer Listen, and received play on Electric Rabbit Radio Hour.
https://kirinmcelwain.com/About Zachary Paul, violin
Zachary Paul is a violinist and composer currently located in New York. His work explores the boundaries of perception, the invocation of trance states, and the wide vernacular of the vibrating string. In live performance, he builds lush soundscapes via improvisation, representing his immediate experience and surrounding space. Zachary has released music on Touch, The Tapeworm, Never Content, Preserved Sound, and Illuminated Paths.
https://thezacharypaul.com/