Composers Now Celebrates Festival Opening & Announces Expanded Programming

Composers Now empowers living composers, celebrates the diversity of their voices, and honors the significance of their contributions to our society. On Thursday, January 31 @ 7:00, the 10th annual Composers Now Festival opens at The National Opera Center's Marc A. Scorca Hall in Manhattan.

Hosted by Founding Artistic Director Tania León, the evening features performances of music by Balinese musician/composer Gusti Nyoman Darta, emerging composers Yusei Hata and Yuri Lee, composer Laura Kaminsky, composer/performer Joseph Keckler, composer/pianist Major Scurlock, and percussionist/composer Samuel Torres. The fourth annual Composers Now Visionary Awards will be presented to composers Laura Kaminsky (pictured above) and T.J. Anderson. Given annually at the opening event of the festival, the award recognizes members of the arts community who, through their own creative practice and advocacy for others, have made a profound, positive and lasting impact in our culture.

The annual festival is the centerpiece of the ongoing advocacy work initiated by Composers Now placing the spotlight on living composers and their importance in communities. Through residency programs both at The Pocantico Center in the Hudson Valley and at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Italy, the Dialogues Music + Discourse series in NYC, the Composers-Interviewing-Composers events during the festival, and two new initiatives to be launched this year, Composers Now supports composers by creating opportunity and interaction with audiences.

2019 COMPOSERS NOW FESTIVAL OPENING EVENT
Thursday, January 31, 2018, 7:00PM
The National Opera Center
Marc A. Scorca Hall
330 Seventh Avenue, NYC
Tickets: $25 / $20 / $15
INFO / BUY TICKETS

PROGRAM
Yuri Lee (b. 2004)
Blustery Day
Performed by Face the Music, a program of the Kaufman Music Center
Yuri Lee is a 2019 Luna Lab Fellow

Yusei Hata (b. 2002)
Very Short
Performed by Face the Music

Laura Kaminsky (b. 1956)
Forage, a movement from Rising Tide
Cassatt Quartet

Laura Kaminsky
Final scene from the opera Today It Rains
Blythe Gaissert, mezzo soprano; Kristen Kemp, piano

Gusti Komin Darta (b. 1978)
Tipat Taluh for Balinese gendér wayang
Performed by Saiban, a contemporary Balinese chamber ensemble

Major Scurlock
Brief presentation and demonstration by Major Scurlock and Kendra J. Ross, dancer
Video excerpt of Black Moon (La Lune Noir) Act I
Music by Major Scurlock
Choreography by Monstah Black

Samuel Torres (b. 1976)
Percussion improvisation

Joseph Keckler
Performing original arias incorporating humor and video