Ensemble ACJW-an inspirational collective of young professional classical musicians that was created in 2007 by Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education-makes its debut at National Sawdust on Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. with an ambitious one-hour program of contemporary music. The performance is the first in a three-concert residency at National Sawdust, an exciting new venue dedicated to contemporary music located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with upcoming dates in May and June.
For their first concert, the ACJW musicians have developed a program entitled Reflections, which is meant to create a space where both audience and performers can explore their own voices. By combining works by
John Cage, Missy Mazzoli, a New York premiere by Claude Baker, and the world premiere of a work written by ACJW cellist Andrea Casarrubios, the ensemble leads the audience through a process of observation and reflection, encouraging listeners to form their own connections to the music and to the individual performers, and ultimately to connect with the music on a deeply personal level. The program also includes music by Jay Wadley, Svante Henryson, and Dobrinka Tabakova. Full program information for the March 29 concert is listed below.
Over the course of their three concerts at National Sawdust, the musicians-who will conclude their two-year fellowship with Ensemble ACJW in June-will share how their experience being in the group has shaped the way they interact with their colleagues and audience. At the beginning of the 2016-2017 season, a new group of musicians will join Ensemble ACJW for a celebratory year as the program marks its 10-year anniversary in January 2017.
Ensemble ACJW is made up of some of the finest young professional classical musicians from the United States and around the world who take part in a two-year fellowship program created in 2007 by
Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. The program prepares fellows for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership by offering them top-quality performance opportunities, intensive professional development, and the opportunity to partner throughout the fellowship with a New York City public school.
As performers on
the concert stage and in their work in schools and communities, musicians of Ensemble ACJW have earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for the quality of their concerts, their fresh and open-minded approach to programming, and their ability to actively engage any audience. Exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and advocates for music throughout the community, the forward-looking musicians of Ensemble ACJW are redefining what it means to be a musician in the 21st century.
Opening October 1, 2015 in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the non-profit National Sawdust will be a dynamic home for artists and new music of all kinds. It will be a place for exploration and discovery-where emerging and established artists can share their music with serious music fans and casual listeners alike. In a city teeming with venues, National Sawdust is a singular space founded with an expansive vision: to provide composers and musicians across genres with a setting in which they can flourish, and a place where they are given unprecedented support and critical resources essential to create, and then share, their work.
A diversity of world-class artists, arts organizations, and institutions are collaborating with National Sawdust's Creative and Executive Director, the composer Paola Prestini, as curators.
In addition to hosting rehearsals, performances, recordings, and broadcasts in state-of-the art facilities, National Sawdust will commission new works and will arrange workshops and residencies. It aims to be a resource not only for the community of musicians, but also for audiences in search of remarkable musical experiences at accessible ticket prices. For the local community, National Sawdust will create progressive public programs and educational initiatives. Other offerings will include talks, publications and mentorship programs for composers and musicians, and for related fields.
Designed by Brooklyn's Bureau V, National Sawdust is constructed within the existing shell of a century-old sawdust factory, preserving the authenticity of Williamsburg's industrial past while providing a refined and intimate setting for the exploration of new music. At the venue's core is a flexible chamber hall, acoustically designed by renowned engineering firm Arup to provide the highest-quality experience of both unamplified and amplified music.
