C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective Presents PREMIERES

C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective will present Premieres: Two Choral Composition Workshop Concerts, as part of its 2018-19 season. The first Premieres concert will take place on October 13 at 8 PM at the Church of St. Luke in the Fields at 487 Hudson Street (south of Christopher Street), and the second Premieres concert will take place on Saturday, December 1, also at 8PM, at St. John in the Village Church, 218 West 11th Street (corner of West 11th Street and Waverly Place), both in Manhattan.

Entering 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 the first Premieres concert (October 13) features two choral movements from Perry Townsend's opera-in-progress, Christine, which is based on the final hours of the Peoples Temple, the infamous cult led by Jim Jones that committed mass suicide in the Guyanese jungle, as well as "March Creek" by Mario Gullo, "Gloria" by John Griffith, "Rejoice, O Jerusalem" by William Cooper, "Epitafio para un poeta" by Qianni Lin, "Restat Lux" from Harmonices Mundi by David Werfelmann, "Tell Me Where Is Fancy Bred" by Michael Wiener, and "Gegen Verführung" by Amir Shahzeidi. The second Premieres concert (December 1) features works by Alexander Boostrom, Cem Güven, Tamsin Jones, Jamie Klenetsky Fay, Anselm McDonnell, Artemisz Polonyi, and Harriet Steinke.

Tickets for both concerts 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. See both Premieres performances for just $25 with C4's Concert Pass. Tickets and Concert Passes can be ordered at http://www.c4ensemble.org/premieres-concerts.html. Concert program notes will also be available at that address.

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.

Follow their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/c4ensemble/.

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.