Face the Music, an ensemble of 20 classically-trained musicians ranging from sixth to twelfth grade dedicated to performing today's most compelling and creative new music, will be presented by Simone Dinnerstein's PS 321 Neighborhood Concerts in a concert called "Beating Down the Doors" on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 7pm at PS 321 (180 7th Avenue, Brooklyn) in Park Slope. The performance is open to the public and raises funds for the school's Parent Teacher Association.
The centerpiece of the concert is the world premiere of Liquid Timepieces by composer and PS 321 faculty member Joseph C. Philllips, Jr. Commissioned for Face the Music by Simone Dinnerstein and PS 321 Neighborhood Concerts, Mr. Phillips' piece is cinematic in its intensity and expansive sound. The teen members of Face the Music will also present four of their favorite works: Graham Fitkin's sax-heavy Mesh (1992); Marcelo Zarvos' foot-stomping "Memory" from Nepomuk's Dances (2002); Nico Muhly's stop-and-start How About Now (2006); and Jacob TV's Lipstick (1998), with a playback mix based on clips from American talk shows. Face the Music's young players will talk to the audience between pieces and take questions at the end of the concert, making this an excellent opportunity for families with children.
Of his new piece, Liquid Timepieces, Mr. Phillips says, "The years 2010 and 2011 are the 50th anniversaries of Gustav Mahler's birth (1850) and death (1911). I wanted to celebrate these ‘Jubilee Years' by writing a work that honors the profound influence Mahler's music has had on my musical thinking. Liquid Timepieces is my homage to Mahler, but despite some subtle references to his Symphony No. 1, No. 3, and No. 9, it is not meant to sound like his music. Rather, I hope to create a similar resonance to the protean spirit of life and the world that permeates his works."
Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 7pm
PS 321 Auditorium | 180 7th Avenue | Brooklyn, NY
Tickets: $15 available at www.ps321.org after March 14
For more information, visit: http://kaufman-center.org/special-music-school/face-the-music
About Face the Music: Face the Music is an ensemble of astonishingly talented teenagers performing works by today's most compelling and creative new music composers. In residence at Kaufman Center, Face the Music breaks the boundaries of classical music education and performance, featuring today's music presented by the emerging artistic voices of tomorrow.
Founded by Kaufman Center's Special Music School Music Director Jenny Undercofler and composer Huang Ruo, Face the Music provides an unparalleled performance and education experience for the next generation of musical leaders. The group burst onto the scene in 2005, performing works by such new-music mainstays Michael Gordon, Phil Kline, and John Adams.
Since their debut, Face the Music has played throughout New York City at venues such as Le Poisson Rouge, The Queens Museum of Art, Roulette, and El Museo del Barrio. The ensemble also performed at the opening of Apple's new West 67th Street location, on the live broadcast opening of WNYC's Greene Space, and gave the U.S. premiere performance of Gérard Grisey's Manifestations in Kaufman's Merkin Concert Hall.
Face the Music's mission is to engage talented teenage musicians from across the city to represent a diverse range of backgrounds and talents. The performers are primarily students or alumni of Kaufman Center's own Special Music School, the only public school in New York City that integrates pre-conservatory musical training with academic education.
About Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.: Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.'s music may be classified as classical to some, and jazz to others. He draws inspiration from contemporary classical, jazz, popular music, and music from other cultures and traditions as well as literature, science, and cinema. Mr. Phillips is inspired by composers Maria Schneider, Steve Reich, John Adams and many other key figures in new music, in addition to visual and film artists, scientific, philosophical and social thought.
Mr. Phillips' unusual style has attracted attention. He was awarded a Meet the Composer grant, an American Music Center MAP grant, two Live Music for Dance commission grants, was a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop where he was a finalist for the BMI Foundation Charlie Parker Composition Award, and also a finalist for a Sundance Film Composers Lab Fellowship. In addition to worldwide performances of his works, including at the 2003 Steve Reich Festival at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands, several new works have been commissioned by Dave Douglas and the Festival of New Trumpet Music, the St. Olaf Band and Jazz Band, the University of Maryland Wind Ensemble, Face the Music, Edisa Weeks and the Delirious Dance Company, Take Dance Company, Maffei Dance Company, and violinist Ana Milosavljevic.
In addition to composing, Mr. Phillips has also founded Pulse, a federation of six award-winning composers. His ensemble Numinous' second recording, Vipassana, will be released on the innova label in April 2010.
About Simone Dinnerstein: Brooklyn-based pianist Simone Dinnerstein gained an international following because of the remarkable success of her recording of the Goldberg Variations, released on Telarc in August 2007. The disc earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Classical Chart during its first week of sales and appeared on many "Best of 2007" lists including those of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker. Her second disc for Telarc, a live recording of her recital debut in Berlin, also ranked No. 1 on the Chart in its first week of sales. Her first album for Sony Classical will be released in fall 2010.
