MACE to Perform at The New School's Ernst C. Stiefel Concert Hall, 5/11

The New School's Mannes School of Music is pleased to announce that the Mannes American Composers Ensemble (MACE) will perform on Wednesday, May 11, at The New School's Ernst C. Stiefel Concert Hall (55 West 13th Street, New York, New York). Conducted by Alan Pierson, the program will feature selections by Steve Reich, Thomas Weaver, and Caleb Burhans. True to the mission of MACE, the program exemplifies the ensemble's commitment to the work of living American composers. The concert will begin at 7:30pm. Admission is free.

Founded in 2012 by Lowell Liebermann and directed in 2015-16 by Alan Pierson, MACE presents works by iconic American masters such as John Adams, Mason Bates and Steve Reich, as well as works by young and up-and-coming composers such as David Hertzberg and Nina C. Young. The ensemble aims to embrace a broad view of the vital landscape of contemporary American Music, and to bolster that landscape through premieres and, soon, commissions.

The May 11 concert will feature Steve Reich's "City Life. City Life is a contemporary masterpiece; a work that combines live musicians with sampled urban sounds. The piece is rarely heard live. Also on the program are Mannes Alum, Thomas Weaver's "Into Focus", and Caleb Burhans' "oh ye of little faith"

Richard Kessler, Executive Dean for the College of Performing Arts and Dean of Mannes said, "With MACE, we are aiming to put the works of living composers and of American composers at the center of the practice here at Mannes. You can see this in our programming of the ensemble, which is directed this year by Alan Pierson."

About Alan Pierson (MACE Director, 2015-16)

Alan Pierson has been praised as "a dynamic conductor and musical visionary" by The New York Times, "a young conductor of monstrous skill" by Newsday, "gifted and electrifying" by The Boston Globe, and "one of the most exciting figures in new music today" by Fanfare. He is the Artistic Director and conductor of the acclaimed ensemble Alarm Will Sound, which has been called "the future of classical music" by The New York Times and "a sensational force" with "powerful ideas about how to renovate the concert experience" by The New Yorker.

Pierson served for three years as the Artistic Director and conductor of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The New York Times called his leadership at the Philharmonic "truly inspiring," and The New Yorker's Alex Ross described it as "remarkably innovative, perhaps even revolutionary." Pierson has also appeared as a guest conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Sinfonietta, the Steve Reich Ensemble, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Carnegie Hall's Ensemble ACJW, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and The Silk Road Project, among other ensembles. He is Principal Conductor of the Dublin-based Crash Ensemble, co-director of the Northwestern University Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has been a visiting faculty conductor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Eastman School of Music. He regularly collaborates with major composers and performers, including Yo Yo Ma, Steve Reich, Dawn Upshaw, Osvaldo Golijov, John Adams, Augusta Read Thomas, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Donnacha Dennehy, La Monte Young, and choreographers Christopher Wheeldon, Akram Khan and Elliot Feld.

Pierson received bachelor degrees in physics and music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a doctorate in conducting from the Eastman School of Music. He has recorded for Nonesuch Records, Cantaloupe Music, Sony Classical and Sweetspot DVD.

About Mannes School of Music at The New School

Celebrating its centennial next year, the Mannes School of Music is an iconic music conservatory, internationally recognized for its musical and pedagogical excellence while deeply committed to developing citizen artists who make the world a better place. Today, Mannes is developing a new reputation as one of the most progressive schools of its kind, thanks to the rapid evolution of its overall curriculum to address the demands of what musicians need to know, understand, and be able to do in the 21st century.

Founded in 1916 by America's first great violin recitalist and noted educator, David Mannes, The Mannes School of Music's distinguished alumni include the 20th century song writing legend Burt Bacharach; the great pianists Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, and Bill Evans; acclaimed conductors Semyon Bychkov, Myung Whun Chung, JoAnn Falletta, and Julius Rudel; music theorist and educator Carl Schachter; path-breaking jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell; beloved mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade as well as the newest opera star of today, Yonghoon Lee, Danielle de Niese, and Nadine Sierra; and Pulitzer Prize winning arts journalist, Tim Page.

This year, The New School's Mannes, Jazz, and Drama schools merged to form the College of Performing Arts. With each school contributing its unique culture of excellence, the College of Performing Arts creates opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration, innovative education, and world-class performances. As part of this initiative, Mannes has moved into the newly renovated Arnhold Hall in Greenwich Village, a state-of-the-art facility designed especially for the performing arts. Conservatory students experience an supportive and rigorous environment with enhanced opportunities to collaborate with other students at The New School, including those at Parsons School of Design. In its new location, Mannes will uphold its long-standing tradition of providing access to free and affordable performances for the public.

About The New School's College of Performing Arts
The College of Performing Arts is a progressive artistic center housed within The New School, in one of the world's greatest performing arts cities, New York City. The college offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs for aspiring musicians, composers, actors, directors, writers, and performers of all kinds through three renowned schools: Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz, and the School of Drama. Students have the valuable opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary studies throughout a comprehensive university, The New School.

The College of Performing Arts nurtures individual artists in order to cultivate fearless risk takers who value real-world relevance, pursue excellence, and embrace collaboration. Celebrated faculty mentors guide students to take their place as artistic leasers who can make a positive difference in the world today.

About the New School

Imagine a university where scholars, artists, and designers find the support they need to challenge convention and fearlessly create positive change in the world. Imagine a community where walls between disciplines are dissolved, so journalists collaborate with designers, architects with social researchers, media specialists with activists, poets with musicians. Imagine an intellectual and creative haven that never has and never will settle for status quo. In 1919, a few great minds imagined a school that would rethink the purpose of higher learning. The New School was the result. Today, it is the only comprehensive university housing a world-famous design school, a premier liberal arts college, a renowned performing arts college, a legendary social research school, and many more schools and programs designed for students of every age and stage of life. No other university offers a more creatively inspired, rigorously relevant education. Their academic centers in New York City, Paris, Shanghai, and Mumbai offer more than 10,000 students more than 135 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.