Brooklyn Philharmonic Announces Revised 2013 Season; Returns to BAM, June 8

The Brooklyn Philharmonic announced today that it is returning to the Brooklyn Academy Of Music (BAM) as part of a revised Spring season for the first time in three years.

On June 8, 2013, in a unique collaboration with four-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, and actor and emcee Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), the Brooklyn Phil will bring ideas from hip-hop music into the symphonic world at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House in the 2012-2013 season's headlining event You're Causing Quite a Disturbance.

Badu will collaborate with Brooklyn composer TEd Hearne on a new symphonic work that interconnects colorful and original arrangements of Badu's songs with original music that delves into their musical, social, and political ideas.

The June 8 concert at BAM is the centerpiece of a revised Spring season that replaces the one announced in September. The orchestra's community outreach throughout the borough will continue, however concerts at the Millennium Theater in Brighton Beach and at Roulette in Downtown Brooklyn are being cancelled.

"We are delighted to be returning to BAM, Brooklyn's signature concert hall and the Brooklyn Phil's venue of choice for this very 'Brooklyn' event," said Jack Rainey, Chairman of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Board of Directors. "The strength of our community relationships in Bedford-Stuyvesant and throughout the Borough have made this signature moment possible."

Erykah Badu is Brooklyn Phil's second Artist-in-Residence, continuing a tradition that began with Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), 2011-2012 Artist-in-Residence, during the orchestra's debut "reboot" season under newly appointed Artistic Director Alan Pierson.

Says Pierson: "It's been amazing to delve into Brooklyn's culture with the Brooklyn Phil and with all of our community partners and collaborators. Erykah and Yasiin are doing deep and meaningful work here, and the opportunity to bring them together with great local artists like TEd Hearne and Derek Bermel to create something original for the orchestra is incredibly exciting."

Each Brooklyn Phil neighborhood series-Brighton Beach, Downtown Brooklyn, and Bed-Stuy-is inspired by the cultural traditions and musical history of the communities. Preceding the June 8 show at BAM, students from Bed-Stuy will be invited to have the unique opportunity to see Pierson as he rehearses the orchestra with Erykah Badu and Yasiin Bey (Bey was born and raised in Bed-Stuy) in readiness for You're Causing Quite a Disturbance. Repertoire will include arrangements of songs from Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War and other works.

In addition, this Spring the Brooklyn Phil introduces a new initiative called Insider Tours. These are neighborhood-specific events that expose attendees to the wealth of creative, imaginative and entrepreneurial spirits within the communities of Bed-Stuy, Brighton Beach and Downtown Brooklyn.

Scroll down for more details on the Brooklyn Phil's revised 2013 season!

THE DOWNTOWN SERIES

Chamber Concert
FROM IMPORTER TO EXPORTER:
TWO CENTURIES OF MUSIC IN BROOKLYN
Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 7:00 pm
S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture
Brooklyn Public Library Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Free

One hundred years ago, the sophistication and scope of musical life in Brooklyn were great enough to place the city at the forefront of musical progress in America. The archives of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reveal the borough's importance in connection with Europe's classical music scene, with frequent visits and performances by European violin virtuosos including Ysaye, Kreisler, Elman and Kubelik.

This violin recital by Brooklyn Phil concertmaster Deborah Buck takes one back to these historic concerts through performances of violin showpieces that were all the rage in the borough at the turn of the century. Joining Ms.Buck onstage will be pianist Molly Morkoski and music historian Maurice Edwards, author of How Music Grew in Brooklyn, who will tell the story of Brooklyn's evolution from leading importer of musical expertise to the home-grown creative hotbed it is today. This performance will be followed by a post-concert Q&A with Maurice Edwards.

The Brooklyn Philharmonic is honored to partner with the Brooklyn Public Library to present this performance.

Featuring:
Deborah Buck, violin
Molly Morkoski, piano
Maurice Edwards, author

Program:
George Gershwin, Short Story for violin and piano, arr. Samuel Dushkin
Ludwig van Beethoven, Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, "Spring", I. Allegro
Fritz Kreisler, Caprice Viennois
Jules Massenet, Meditation from 'Thais'
Henryk Wieniawski, Polonaise Brillante No. 1 in D major
George Frederick Bristow, Sonata for Violin and Piano, Mvt. I (World Premiere)
John Corigliano, Violin Sonata: II. Andantino
I. Allegro

THE BRIGHTON BEACH SERIES

Chamber Concert
VERA PAVLOVA'S ALBUM FOR THE YOUNG
Sunday, February 10, 2013, 4:00 pm
S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture
Brooklyn Public Library Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Free

Tchaikovsky gets personal as acclaimed poet Vera Pavlova and the Brooklyn Phil Chamber Players take an intimate look at the life of a great Russian artist through original poetry, imagery, and music for strings and piano. Born in Moscow, Pavlova is a graduate of the Gnessin Academy of music and has published eighteen collections of poetry in her native Russian in addition to authoring five opera libretti and lyrics to three cantatas. Now living in New York, Pavlova recalls her childhood and coming of age in Russia through the lense of Tchaikovsky's Album for the Young and Piano Trio in A minor. Texts will be presented in Russian with English translations. This free performance will be followed by a post-concert Q&A.

The Brooklyn Philharmonic is honored to partner with the Brooklyn Public Library to present this performance.

Featuring:
Vera Pavlova, poet
Steven Seymour, translator

Program:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Album for the Young, Op. 39
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 - Mvt. 1. Pezzo elegiac

Family Workshop
A BAD WORKMAN BLAMES HIS TOOLS
Sunday, March 3, 2013, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst
7802 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11214
Free

Russian folk music was born in a rich peasant culture, centuries ago and 5,000 miles away, by artists who created music using whatever resources were at their disposal, from wood blocks to washboards to tablespoons. Lack of proper tools held no sway over creativity of the human spirit! The remarkable and distinctive folk music they created had an enormous impact beginning with orchestral music of the 19th century and expanding on into the music of today. The public is invited to join charismatic teaching artists and Brooklyn Phil musicians in a hands-on discovery of these creative traditions.

THE BED-STUY SERIES

Orchestra Concert
YOU'RE CAUSING QUITE A DISTURBANCE
Saturday, June 8, 2013, 7:30 pm
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
Peter Jay Sharp Building
30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
$35 - $125

Four-time Grammy Award winner and "First Lady of Neo-Soul" Erykah Badu comes home to Brooklyn for a groundbreaking concert that redefines the scope and depth of hip-hop-orchestral fusion.

Pairing Badu with Brooklyn composer TEd Hearne, the Brooklyn Philharmonic will perform an evening of seamlessly integrated new music featuring collaborative arrangements of songs from Badu's 2008 album New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War, amid perspectives from prominent contemporary African-American thinkers on New Amerykah's ideas about identity, hip-hop, and community.

This performance also features Bed-Stuy native and Brooklyn Philharmonic 2011-2012 Artist-in-Residence Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), performing a reprise of selected works from the critically acclaimed performance Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Lena Horne and the Bed-Stuy Tradition.

A portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit music education programs in Bed-Stuy public schools.

Featuring:
Erykah Badu, singer-songwriter, Brooklyn Phil 2012-2013 Artist-in-Residence
Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), actor and emcee, Brooklyn Phil 2011-2012 Artist-in-Residence

Program:
Erykah Badu, world premiere collaborative arrangements of songs from New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War and other works

Chamber Concert
STRINGS AND SLAM POETS
Sunday, April 7, 2013, 4:00 pm
S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture
Brooklyn Public Library Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Free

Charged-up rhythm and strong points of view define the attitude and art of Bed-Stuy. For decades, artists from this neighborhood have opened our eyes through the powerful combination of music and spoken word poetry. Twenty-year-old poet and Bed-Stuy native, Ishmael Islam was named the New York Youth Poet Laureate in 2012, and now he teams up with members of the Brooklyn Phil to take the spoken word tradition into the 21st Century. This multi-faceted concert intertwines selections from Islam's debut collection, Meet at Greene, with contemporary chamber music for strings by Mark Mellits, Don Byron, and Randall Woolf (Blues for Black Hoodies). The performance, a partnership with Urban Word NYC, will be preceded by a slam poetry open mic and followed by a post-concert Q&A with poets and musicians.

The Brooklyn Philharmonic is honored to partner with the Brooklyn Public Library to present this performance.

Featuring:
Wordisbon, lyricist and emcee
Ishmael Islam, 2012 New York Youth Poet Laureate
Program:
Zachary Francis Condon (Beirut): My Family's Role in the World Revolution, arr. Conrad Winslow
Marc Mellits: String Quartet No. 4: Prometheus
Don Byron: String Quartet No. 2: Four Reflections on Marvin Gaye
Randall Woolf, Blues for Black Hoodies

2012-2013 OUTSIDE-IN FELLOWSHIP

Chamber Concert
2012-2013 OUTSIDE-IN FELLOW ANNUAL CONCERT
Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 8:00 pm
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
$15, General Admission

This spring the Brooklyn Phil will premiere brand new string quartets from 2012-2013 Outside-In Fellows Jesse Krakow, Toshi Reagon and Hadi Eldebek, as well as a new work about life in Nepal created by resident Composer-Mentor, Randall Woolf with film by Mary Harron and John C. Walsh of Ruby Nation Films, Inc., for Brooklyn Phil concertmaster Deborah Buck.

Featuring:
Jesse Krakow, 2012-2013 Outside-In Fellow
Toshi Reagon, 2012-2013 Outside-In Fellow
Hadi Eldebek, 2012-2013 Outside-In Fellow
Deborah Buck, violin
Randall Woolf, composer-mentor

Program:
Jesse Krakow, new work for string quartet (world premiere)
Toshi Reagon, new work for string quartet (world premiere)
Hadi Eldebek, new work for string quartet (world premiere)
Randall Woolf, new work

The Outside-In Fellowship pairs non-orchestral musicians with Brooklyn Phil's resident Composer-Mentor, Randall Woolf, and Artistic Director, Alan Pierson, to create new orchestral works. The Fellows are guided through the process of writing new pieces for string quartet and chamber orchestra, while respecting their unique and individual musical styles. Compositions for string quartet receive a world premiere performance in an eclectic spring concert, while the chamber orchestra pieces are performed in a public orchestral reading session the following fall.

Outside-In Fellows have included Charlie Looker (2011-2012), Natalie Elizabeth Weiss (2011-2012), Tim Fite (2011-2012), Matthew Mehlan (2010-2011), Corey Dargel (2010-2011), Jeremiah Lockwood (2010-2011), Elan Vytal (2009-2010), Ryan Brown (2009-2010), Susan Oetgen (2008-2009), Darcy James Argue (2008-2009), Valerie Coleman (2007-2008), Cristian Amigo(2007-2008).

EDUCATION EVENTS

Education Event
STUDENT CHAMBER ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL
Saturday, April 13, 2013, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School
357 Clermont Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Free

Hosted by Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, this event has featured hundreds of instrumental and vocal students from all five boroughs for the past five years. Demonstrating their abilities to an audience of parents, peers and skilled judges, each ensemble competes in five different categories based on their skill level. In addition to cash prizes for winners, all participants receive a recording of their performance from the school's state of the art recording studio.

Open Rehearsal
YOU'RE CAUSING QUITE A DISTURBANCE
Friday, June 7, 2013, 1:30 - 2:20 PM
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
Peter Jay Sharp Building
30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Free*

Students from Bed-Stuy will be invited to have the unique opportunity to see guest artists Erykah Badu and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) collaborate with Alan Pierson and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The performance will include arrangements of songs from Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War and other works, as well as a Q&A session with the artists.

*This event is open to Bed-Stuy area schools only. If your school is interested in participating, please contact Will Simbol, Brooklyn Philharmonic Manager of Education, at 718-488-5700 or wsimbol@bphil.org.

ABOUT THE BROOKLYN PHIL

When the first conductor stepped to the podium in Brooklyn in 1857 to launch the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Bizet, Wagner and Berlioz were the strident young voices of new music. De Tocqueville had just departed Brooklyn to warn our European cousins about the mad democratic experiment he'd witnessed in America. Abraham Lincoln's wife hurried to attend the Philharmonic's first concert in Brooklyn's newest music hall. And the people of Brooklyn were, as always, defining what it means to really live in our country.

Now 155 years later, the Brooklyn Phil is not only one of the oldest living orchestras in the New World, but with 174 world premieres under its belt, 72 works commissioned from living composers, and the accolades of 22 ASCAP awards, it's also one of the most adventurous and widely acclaimed musical forces in America as well. The New York Times calls it "feisty and provocative." Rolling Stone raves the Brooklyn Phil is "vital" and "inspired."

The Brooklyn Phil's mission is to present outstanding programs that serve and celebrate the diverse and ever-changing cultural fabric of Brooklyn and greater New York City. As a nationally recognized symphony orchestra dedicated to innovation, artistic collaboration, arts education and engaging audiences, the Brooklyn Phil substantially contributes to Brooklyn's vibrant music scene and provides musical experiences for people of all ages.

ABOUT BROOKLYN PHIL EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Operating daily and serving over 6,000 children annually, the Brooklyn Phil's award-winning educational programs promote creativity, achievement and cultural awareness through musical activities, giving all of Brooklyn's residents, regardless of means or background, new powerful tools to reach their full potential as creators, thinkers and leaders in society.

ABOUT ALAN PIERSON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Alan Pierson has been praised as "a young conductor of monstrous skill" by Newsday, "commanding" by The New York Times, and "gifted and electrifying" by The Boston Globe. 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 has appeared as a guest conductor with the London Sinfonietta, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Steve Reich Ensemble, Carnegie Hall's Ensemble ACJW, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the New World Symphony and The Silk Road Project, among other ensembles. He is also Principal Conductor of the Dublin-based Crash Ensemble, and was a visiting faculty conductor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He has collaborated with major composers and performers, including Yo-Yo Ma, Steve Reich, Dawn Upshaw, Osvaldo Golijov, John Adams, Augusta Read Thomas, David Lang, Michael Gordon, La Monte Young, and choreographers Christopher Wheeldon, Akram Khan and Elliot Feld. He has recorded for Nonesuch Records, Cantaloupe Music, Sony Classical, and Sweetspot DVD.

ABOUT ERYKAH BADU, ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

"The First Lady of Neo-Soul," Erykah Badu is the recipient of four Grammy Awards, one American Music Award, two BET Awards, one MTV Music Video Award, two NAACP Image Awards, three Soul Train Music Awards, three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, and 57 other major music award nominations. Her recorded albums have been certified triple Platinum. She is the winner of Rolling Stone's Reader's poll for Best R&B Artist, and Entertainment Weekly named her Best New Female Singer.

Badu's film work includes critically acclaimed performances in such films as Blues Brothers 2000, Academy Award winner The Cider House Rules, Emmy nominated children's television show Yo Gabba Gabba! and feature documentaries Dave Chappelle's Block Party and Before the Music Dies. Fashion designer Tom Ford proclaimed Badu his design muse and she appears as the public face of his White Patchouli fragrance.

Badu's musical style focuses on blending and extending the contemporary styles of soul and hip hop but frequently focuses on deeper messages than more traditional R&B. Her songs explore her personal take on life and are often influenced musically and philosophically by African traditions, fusions from the Nation of Islam, the Five Percent theologies, complex views of the ancient Egyptians, and Southern African-American folk traditions. Taken together, "Neo-Soul" has been said to evoke speakeasies, incense, head wraps and boho coffee shop culture all in one easy breath. It's nothing if not original. This is her first collaboration with the Philharmonic.

Badu is founder of the non-profit group B.L.I.N.D. (Beautiful Love Incorporated Non-Profit Development) which attempts to create positive social change through economic, artistic and cultural development. Among B.L.I.N.D.'s many accomplishments, the organization provided arts, crafts and dance classes to children displaced by Hurricane Katrina and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support student scholarship funds around the United States.

Tickets for any event may be purchased by calling the Brooklyn Phil Box Office at 718-488-5700, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, by ordering online anytime at www.bphil.org, or by sending an email inquiry to info@bphil.org.