Composers Concordance 7th Annual Festival - Art Of Sound Announced for April 20-May 6, 2018

Composers Concordance presents its 7th Annual Festival, entitled 'Art of Sound'. Inspired by contemporary art in NYC, the festival consists of five concerts, to be held at a wide array of venues. A compelling statement from Andy Warhol: "I never wanted to be a painter; I wanted to be a tap dancer" serves as the basis for 'Andy Warhol : Tap Dancer', a program featuring the acclaimed tap dancer/body percussionist Max Pollak. 'The Kostabi Effect' focuses on the art and music of our friend and board member, the ever-provocative Mark Kostabi, featuring the CompCord Ensemble. Our 9th Annual Comp-Play-Comp Marathon features no fewer than 25 art-inspired pieces performed by the composers themselves. 'The Art of the Trio' will showcase two exciting ensembles with unusual instrumentations: The Progression Ensemble and The Baseless Ensemble. 'Tuned Squared' takes sound experimentation to the middle of Times Square. As part of the inclusionary mix that audiences have come to associate with Composers Concordance, the 'Art Of Sound' festival presents the music of over forty of today's most innovative composers.

'Tuned Squared' is a co-production of Composers Concordance and l'Artiste ordinaire. Melissa Grey will direct a performance of Pauline Oliveros's Tuning Meditation (1971), a vocal improvisation beginning with a single pitch, at the site of Max Neuhaus's sound installation Times Square (1977). The installation exposes a rich, harmonic sound texture of the resonance of the Square's underground tunnel junction, which would otherwise remain unheard. By responding to this through voice, we will create an ecstatic experience for musicians and passers-by through sound. Our presence and activity will create a two-way conduit, amplifying Neuhaus's original sound while contributing to Times Square's sound.

The Progression Ensemble (accordion-guitar-cello) and The Baseless Ensemble (saxophone-cello-voice) will be featured in a program of over a dozen art-inspired premieres. Gene Pritsker's 'If Her Waters Flow Not In Perpetual Progression' will be premiered by The Progression Ensemble, and 'Nursery Rhymes And Their Sordid Histories' will be premiered by The Baseless Ensemble. Visiting from Norway, composer Bjorn Bolstad Skjelbred will be in attendance for the performance of his composition 'The Thin Line '. The program will also include music by Dan Cooper, Christopher Cook, Michael Dilthey, Mehdi Hosseini, Conrad Kehn, Peter Jarvis, Matthew Kennedy, Andrey Stolyarov, Scott Harding, and Ben Stonaker. The Progression Ensemble is: Eric Despard - guitar, Rocco Jerry - accordion, Michael Gilbert Ronstadt - cello. The Baseless Ensemble is: Lisa Williamson - vocal, Cara Cheung - cello, Joshua Thomas - saxophone.

Composers Concordance continues its 'Art Of Sound' festival with the multimedia event entitled 'Andy Warhol: Tap Dancer.' The compelling statement from Andy Warhol: "I never wanted to be a painter; I wanted to be a tap dancer," serves as the basis for the program, featuring the acclaimed tap dancer and body percussionist Max Pollak. In celebration of one of New York's greatest artists, innovative video clips combine with the unusual instrumentation of french horn, guitar, violin, congas, electric bass, keyboards, and electronic sound, for an eclectic set of premieres from composer-performers Gene Pritsker, John Clark, Mark Kostabi, Lynn Bechtold, Dan Cooper, and Samuel Torres.

'The Kostabi Effect' focuses on the art and music of our friend and Composers Concordance board member, the ever-provocative Mark Kostabi, featuring the CompCord Ensemble. His paintings and music imaginatively remixed and arranged by composers Joe Pehrson, Joseph Waters, Dan Cooper, Gene Pritsker, Peter Jarvis, Ginka Mizuki, Franz Hackl, Dick Griffin. The CompCord Ensemble will consist of Lynn Bechtold - violin, Michiyo Suzuki - clarinet, Franz Hackl - trumpet, Gene Pritsker - guitar, Arthur Sadowsky - bass, and Max Pollak - drum set. The concert will also feature jazz trombone legend Dick Griffin (Sun Ra, McCoy Tyner, Roland Kirk)

Part of Composers Concordance's mission in recent seasons has been to return attention to composers who perform their own music. Our 9th Annual Comp-Play-Comp Marathon features no fewer than 25 art-inspired pieces performed by the composers themselves. An eclectic array of styles and composition approaches will be presented on a program including: David Saperstein, Joe Pehrson, Carolyn Steinberg, Jay Rodriguez, Machiko Ozawa, Angela Babin, Howie Kenty, Andrew Violette, Peter Jarvis, Richard Sussman, Hye-Jeung Kang, Daniel Palkowski, Melissa Grey, Svjetlana Bukvich, Nicole Brancato, Dan Cooper, Gene Pritsker, Joe Fee, Jane Getter, Dick Griffiin, Laurence Goldman, Lori Bingel, Audible Abstraction Trio, Gregory Hammontree, Barry Hartlgass, David Morneau, Roger Tréfousse, Stefan Zeniuk, Emily Searles.

Composers Concordance 7th Annual Festival

- Art Of Sound -

April 20 - May 6, 2018

I. Tuned Squared

co-produced with l'Artiste ordinaire

Date: April 20 @ 7:30pm

46th and Broadway pedestrian island Times Square, NYC

II. Art Of The Trio

April 22nd @ 7pm

Spectrum - 70 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn, NYC

III. Andy Warhol : Tap Dancer

Date: April 24th at 9:30pm

DROM NYC - 85 Avenue A, NYC

IV. The Kostabi Effect

April 27th @ 8pm

Estonian House - 234 East 34th Street, NYC

V. 9th Annual Comp-Play-Comp Marathon - 'Art Theme'

May 6th @ 6pm

DROM NYC - 85 Avenue A, NYC

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