2017 Composers Now Festival to Open This February at DiMenna Center

The Composers Now Festival empowers living composers, celebrates the diversity of their voices, and honors the significance of their contributions to our society. On February 1, the eighth annual festival begins with a celebratory event at the DiMenna Center.

Hosted by founder/artistic director Tania León, a diverse group of composer and performers including Muhal Richard Abrams, Edmar Castenada, Michelle David, Paris Lavidis, Jessie Montgomery, Nkeiru Okoye, Tyshawn Sorey, and Zamler-Carhart/Rauh/Greenberg will present and discuss recent works. .

Recipients of the second annual Composers Now Visionary Award, MuhAl Richard Abrams, Thomas Buckner, and Pauline Oliveros, will also be honored. Given annually at the opening event of the festival, the award recognizes members of the arts community who, through their own creative practice and advocacy for others, have made a profound, positive and lasting impact in our culture.

The opening event also features two video presentations from 2016 Composers Now Creative Residencies at the Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, in collaboration with the Asian Cultural Council, about participants Sasha Zamler-Carhart (composer/singer) with Ngô Thanh Phu'o'ng (choreographer/dancer), and Tonia Ko (composer) with Yasuno Miyauchi (composer).

On February 7 at 7PM, Composers Now collaborates with Fashion Institute of Technology in the presentation of Fashionable Muses, an evening of interdisciplinary art. The event features live performances, visual arts projections and poetry in the Great Hall on the FIT campus. Participating composers are Eve Beglarian, StEve Cohen (world premiere), Shirish Korde, Felipe Lara, Tania León, and Yosvany Terry. The projections, created in response to each of the musical works, are by undergraduate and graduate visual artists in the areas of Film and Media, Fine Art, Photography, Illustration, and Visual Presentation and Exhibition. The poets creating responses to the music are members of the faculty at FIT. Following the performances, Tania León moderates a discussion between the composers, the visual artists and the audience.

IF YOU GO:

2017 COMPOSERS NOW FESTIVAL OPENING EVENT
Wednesday, February 1, 2017, 7:30PM
DiMenna Center's Cary Hall
450 West 37 Street, NYC
Tickets: $25 / Student+Senior $15, advance purchase suggested
INFO / BUY TICKETS

FASHIONABLE MUSES
Tuesday, February 7, 7PM
The Great Hall at Fashion Institute of Technology200 West 28 Street
Free Admission (advance reservations highly suggested)
INFO

Visit WWW.COMPOSERS-NOW.ORG for an up-to-date schedule of the 2017 festival.

During the month of February, the festival brings together approximately 100 performances and innovative multi-media events presented by venues, ensembles, composers, orchestras, opera companies, dance companies, and others, throughout New York City. From jazz to indie-rock, from classical to electronic and beyond - and with composers in attendance at all events - Composers Now aims to provide an all encompassing platform for composers and audiences. The organization boasts an expanding list of Presenter Partners, including newly announced partners Baryshnikov Arts Center, Concert Artists Guild, and Face the Music.

Composers Now is a project partner of The Fund for the City of New York. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the ASCAP Foundation, the Cheswatyr Foundation, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, the Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, the Newburgh Insitute for the Arts and Ideas, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.