Isabelle O'Connell and Flutronix Perform at Music at First 11/5

Pianist Isabelle O'Connell and Flutronix (flutists Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull) will perform as part of Music at First on Friday, November 5th, 2010 at 7:30pm. This new music series is held at First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, located at 124 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights. Tickets are $10 at the door. Contact musicatfirst@gmail.com for more info. Directions are at www.fpcbrooklyn.org.

MUSIC AT FIRST (www.musicatfirstsite.com), curated by Wil Smith (composer who also serves as organist at First Presbyterian), occurs monthly, featuring two performers or ensembles per evening. A diverse mix of New York City's best ensembles and performers, accessible to a wide audience of both community members and seasoned listeners, Music at First has been described by Steve Smith in The New York Times as a "vibrant, eclectic new-music series." This season has included performances by Kyle Bobby Dunn, guitar quartet Dither, bassist Eleonore Oppenheim and sound artist Lesley Flanigan. Phthia and Slow/Fast will close the season on Dec. 3rd.

Originally from Dublin and currently based in New York, Isabelle O'Connell (www.isabelleoconnell.com) is one of Ireland's most successful pianists, with a growing international career that has taken her across four continents. Her debut CD, 'Reservoir', was recently released on the Diatribe label and features works for solo piano by nine contemporary Irish composers. Described as "the young Irish piano phenom" by the New Yorker, she has also been described by Sequenza21 as a pianist who "plays with power, clarity and commitment." She has a reputation for being a dynamic interpreter and energetic advocate of music by 20th and 21st century composers, and is a regular commissioner of new works. In 2007, Isabelle was co-Artistic Director of "New Music, New Ireland, New York", a concert that showcased contemporary Irish composers at Carnegie's Weill RecitAl Hall. Isabelle has toured Australia and the U.S. with the CRASH ensemble, and has also performed with John Adams at Zankel Hall, Meredith Monk at the Bang on a Can Festival, Alarm Will Sound, the New Zealand String Quartet and as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Isabelle's performances have been broadcast on television and radio on both sides of the Atlantic, including WNYC, WFMT Chicago, WQXR, BBC3 and RTE.

Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull are Flutronix (www.flutronix.com), a pair of fresh and eclectic flutists who are paving the way from their classical roots to the future of music. Performing the works of notable pioneers of new music along side their own creations, Flutronix displays an innovative combination of flute and mixed media elements. Their original compositions comfortably navigate daring forms of popular, experimental, and contemporary classical music while implementing electronics and digital effects. Quickly becoming a staple in the New York City indie-classical scene, Flutronix has performed their signature act at leading new music venues including Galapagos Art Space, The Tank and The Cell. Flutronix has provided live underscoring for theatrical productions and worked with artists/ensembles of various disciplines including members of the Sirius string quartet, music producer/composer Shahla Atlas, drummer Joe Blaxx and Blind Ear Music. Their performances have been broadcast on WKCR and on WNYC's webcast of "Battle of the Boroughs" where they competed as Brooklyn finalists.

First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (FPC) is committed to supporting the arts in the community, and has been noted by Lucid Culture blog as as "doing double duty as comfortable neighborhood hang and avant garde central for the budget conscious." FPC is an open and intentionally diverse congregation, by race, culture, age, theology, and sexual orientation.