C4 Presents PREMIERES II A Concert Of Choral World Premieres

The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective will present Premieres II: A Choral Composition Workshop Concerts, as part of its 2018-19 season. This is the second of two workshops, the first concert having been held on October 13. The Premieres II concert will take place on Saturday, December 1 at 8PM, at St. John in the Village Church, 218 West 11th Street (corner of West 11th Street and Waverly Place) in Manhattan.

Now in its 14th season, C4's eclectic programming continues to highlight their commitment to championing choral music written in the last 25 years and their dedication to mentoring and promoting the works of emerging composers.

C4 kicks off their new season with two different programs of world premieres. The programs include not only works by local New York City composers, but by others from around the United States as well as Turkey, England, Georgia, and Switzerland. These composers are all participants in Premieres, C4's first series of composition workshops. During the five weeks of each workshop, composers observe the ensemble rehearsing their pieces, and with the guidance of composer mentors from within C4, hone their works to perfection based on their observations and feedback from the group. These Premieres concerts are the culmination of this workshop process, and will feature a composer talk-back, where the composers can engage with the audience.

The program for this second Premieres concert features a wide range of musical styles and thematic material. Alexander Boostrom's piece, "Hashtactivism," uses various hashtags associated with social activism movements as its text, illuminating one of the ways activism has changed in the age of social media, as well as inherently positing a question: is "hashtactivism" an effective, unifying tool to inspire change, or an easy and superficial way for people to feel socially engaged for a moment before abandoning their cause when the next hashtag movement comes along? Jamie Klenetsky Fay was prompted to write her piece (and original poem), "Vanishing," after observing the gentrification and subsequent erasure of small, independent businesses from the composer's favorite NYC neighborhood. Anselm McDonnell's piece, "A Slave in the Land of Liberty," uses a letter written by Irish refugee Thomas Devin Reilly as its text, reflecting on Reilly's sense of disillusionment in America, the so-called "land of liberty," and highlighting the dangers and loss inherent in the experience of refugees and migrants. Artemisz Polonyi's piece, "Magazine Girls," uses an excerpt from JoAnn DeLuna's poem of the same name, and examines the objectification of women in art and society while longing for equal and truthful representation. Harriet Steinke's piece, "Brændte Skibe," sets a poem by Henrik Ibsen that evokes images of burning Viking ship burials. Tamsin Jones sets a well-known text to beautiful, lyric vocal lines and harmonies in her "Beatitudes," while Cem Güven's piece, "Gate of Dreamworld," is completely wordless, instead employing various sounds to create a soundscape depicting the composer's journey inside his own imagination, a private and fantastical place where anything is possible.

Tickets are $15 general admission, $20 day of performance, $4 for students with a valid ID (including children ages 11 to 17), and free admission for children 10 and under. In addition, 10 $4 "rush" admissions are available at the door 30 minutes before the concerts begin. Tickets can be ordered at http://www.c4ensemble.org/premieres-concerts.html.

For more concert information, call (646) 598-8116 or e-mail info@c4ensemble.org.

All C4 concerts are ADA accessible. For MTA transportation information, visit http://tripplanner.mta.info/MyTrip/ui_web/customplanner/TripPlanner.aspx.

C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective exists to enrich artists and audiences alike through passionate advocacy of new choral works: performing pieces written within the last 25 years; premiering and commissioning new choral work; and mentoring emerging singers, composers, and conductors of today's choral music. C4's adventurous programming ?lls an important niche in the cultural life of New York, and the ensemble has proven its commitment to presenting high-caliber music in a welcoming atmosphere.

C4 received the 2014 Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, the first time they received this honor. Their first two CD releases, Volume 1: Uncaged and Volume 2: Cornerstones, are on the 4Tay label. Visit them at http://www.c4ensemble.org/. For photos or more press information, visit http://www.c4ensemble.org/press-kit.html.

This program is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support comes from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. C4 is a member of the New York Choral Consortium.