International Contemporary Ensemble Announces Appointment Of New Co-Artistic Director Rebekah Heller

The pioneering International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) announces the appointment of its newest co-Artistic Director, bassoonist Rebekah Heller. Heller replaces clarinetist Joshua Rubin, who has served as artistic director since 2014, and joins percussionist Ross Karre who has served in this capacity since 2016. This change is part of ICE's innovative leadership model, in which artistic directors rotate every few years to ensure the opportunity for artistic variety and exceptional functionality within the collective. Similar to an artistic residency, this fluid model allows the members of ICE the opportunity to accept curatorial responsibilities while simultaneously engaging in the multifaceted performance opportunities for which ICE is known.

Executive Director William McDaniel says, "It's thrilling to play a part in the leadership of an organization that holds the idea of being 'artist-led' as a central tenet of our own working methods-from how programming decisions are made to how artists are incorporated into the staff itself. "

One example of the success of this model is ICE founder, flutist Claire Chase, who stepped down from her artistic director position in 2016 and immediately resumed her role as a core musician in ICE, joining the board a year later. The rotational artistic leadership model has allowed Chase to now hold a position as a senior faculty member at Harvard University, as well as perform as part of many exciting artistic projects. Chase states, "The company could not be in better hands with Rebekah, who is one of the leading lights of our generation of artists, and who is so ready to take the world by ICE-storm! It's thrilling to see our little-engine-that-could come full circle as a true artist collective, one that does not emulate existing organizational structures but instead continually invents progressive, authentic, and adaptive new ones. It's also a source of great pride for me as the founder, and now as a devoted board member, that ICE continues to embrace rotating leadership as a tenet of our collectivity and artistic evolution, as this was one of the founding principles of the ensemble when we embarked on this journey as starry-eyed undergrads at Oberlin. Here's to the future!"

Artistic director emeritus Joshua Rubin agrees, "I have been honored to represent ICE's creative leadership as the first member of our performing collective to become a member of our staff. Rebekah is the embodiment of the co-Artistic Director role as Claire Chase and I envisioned it. But more importantly, she is forging the future of ICE. She is one of the most experienced and longest-serving members of our organization as both an artist and administrator, and her voice is always present in our creative vision. I'm excited to continue my work with Rebekah and Ross by returning to my roots as a band member and as an advocate for ICE's work."

After experiencing a deep longing to expand her artistic and musical sensibilities, Rebekah Heller left her post as Principal Bassoonist of the Jacksonville Symphony and moved to New York City to join ICE in 2008. In 2010, she joined the ICE staff as Director of Events and, in 2013, was appointed Director of Individual Giving. Heller epitomizes a new hybrid career path not emphasized by conservatories encouraging orchestra jobs and academic positions, one that has historically been presented as an outlier. What continues to fascinate and compel Heller about ICE is that in addition to the Artistic Director role, all ICE members are welcome to serve artistic and curatorial roles on a project by project basis, allowing them to become more well-rounded artists. Through these initiatives, the needs of the artists and the needs of the organization become one, manifesting into the true definition of artist collective.

"Forging my own creatively fulfilling path in music, once seen as dangerous, scary, and definitely much less sparkly, is, to me, the safest thing I could've done," explains Heller. "I was so fortunate to find in ICE a group of astoundingly virtuosic and like-minded artists, with whom I could see myself building a unique musical life. What has always made ICE different is our commitment to community, both internally and externally. I've been lucky to have helped grow that community both musically and in my development role. I'm thrilled to double-down on these efforts by joining the leadership of this incredible organization and look forward to continuing to grow and strengthen our new music ecosystem by giving a platform to new and underrepresented voices."

About Rebekah Heller
Praised for her "flair" and "deftly illuminated" performances by The New York Times, bassoonist Rebekah Heller is a uniquely dynamic solo and collaborative chamber artist, and is fiercely committed to expanding the modern repertoire for the bassoon. Her debut solo album of world premiere recordings (featuring five new pieces written with and for her), 100 names, was called "pensive and potent" by The New York Times and her newly released second album, METAFAGOTE, is receiveing wide acclaim.

A member of the renowned International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) since 2008, Rebekah has been a devoted advocate for underrepresented voices and outrageous experimentation. Not only is she dedicated to advancing the music of our time, she also is deeply committed to working with younger musicians to continue the "ICE-ey" legacy of fearless exploration and deep collaboration. She is greatly looking forward to her second summer teaching, performing, and coaching at the Banff Centre's ICE-led summer program, Ensemble Evolution. Rebekah is thrilled to be transitioning from her role in development as ICE's Director of Individual Giving (since 2013), to the role of co-Artistic Director.

The International Contemporary Ensemble is an artist collective that is transforming the way music is created and experienced. As performer, curator, and educator, ICE explores how new music intersects with communities across the world. The ensemble's 35 members are featured as soloists, chamber musicians, commissioners, and collaborators with the foremost musical artists of our time. Works by emerging composers have anchored ICE's programming since its founding in 2001, and the group's recordings and digital platforms highlight the many voices that weave music's present.

A recipient of the American Music Center's Trailblazer Award and the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, ICE was also named the 2014 Musical America Ensemble of the Year. The group currently serves as artists-in-residence at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' Mostly Mozart Festival, and previously led a five-year residency at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. ICE was featured at the Ojai Music Festival from 2015 to 2017, and at recent festivals abroad such as gmem-CNCM-marseille and Vértice at Cultura UNAM, Mexico City. Other performance stages have included the Park Avenue Armory, The Stone, ice floes at Greenland's Diskotek Sessions, and boats on the Amazon River.

New initiatives include OpenICE, made possible with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which offers free concerts and related programming wherever ICE performs, and enables a working process with composers to unfold in public settings. DigitICE, a free online library of over 350 streaming videos, catalogues the ensemble's performances. ICE's First Page program is a commissioning consortium that fosters close collaborations between performers, composers, and listeners as new music is developed. EntICE, a side-by-side education program, places ICE musicians within youth orchestras as they premiere new commissioned works together; inaugural EntICE partners include Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and The People's Music School in Chicago. Summer activities include Ensemble Evolution at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, in which young professionals perform with ICE and attend workshops on topics from interpretation to concert production. Yamaha Artist Services New York is the exclusive piano provider for ICE. Read more at www.iceorg.org.

Photo Credit: Carrie Schneider