Kaufmann Music Center To Present A Trifecta Of Classical Music, June 17

On June 17, 2023, the classical music world will see the simultaneous debut of a conductor, ensemble, and a world-premiere work by a rising-star composer in a single evening.

Making his conducting debut, Conductor and Music Director Ian Carleton Schaefer will lead the newly formed Second Ending Ensemble, compromised of some of the top musicians in New York City from the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Juilliard School, and the New York Youth Symphony.

"The evening is about firsts, but it's also about this incredibly vibrant musical community in New York," explained Mr. Schaefer, also a New York Youth Symphony Alumnus and Trustee. "I'm thrilled to be presenting a rising star, living composer paired with a masterwork some 200 years old - a format and example of programming that is critical to ensuring that classical music remains not just relevant but thriving for the next 200 years."

The adventurous program will feature a world premiere work commissioned for the occasion, "Odori" by Juilliard Master's Graduate Hannah Ishizaki inspired by the Japanese festival Obon. "Odori means dance in Japanese, and the piece is about the communal experience of coming together and dancing during Obon," said Ms. Ishizaki. The work will be paired with the iconic Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major. The performance will take place at 8PM at the Kaufman Center's Merkin Concert Hall, with a 7PM Q&A with the artists moderated by WQXR's Peabody Award winning host, Elliott Forrest.

Mr. Schaefer, a professional attorney in New York, is also a life-long musician and advocate for arts education, serving on the Boards of the Grammy Award winning New York Youth Symphony and Jazz at Lincoln Center (Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director). Immediately before and during the Pandemic, he began Conducting Studies at the Juilliard School's Extension Division with Maestro Mark Shapiro. Since then, he has continued his studies both live and remotely with such master teachers as Maestros Donald Schleicher and Farkhad Khudyev.

Ms. Ishizaki (b. 2000) is a composer and sound artist based in New York City. Her music seeks to foster connections between musicians and the audience through the explorations of the physicality of music performance. Ms. Ishizaki finds inspiration in the process of composition, leading her to experiment with a wide range of instruments and sound generating methods-from acoustic instruments in an orchestra to digital sensors to rocks and zippers. In 2017, she became the youngest woman ever to have a world premiere with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO). Her work has been recognized throughout the United States and Internationally, and her compositions have been performed by renowned musicians and ensembles such as Ensemble Intercontemporain, The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Juilliard Orchestra, and the National Sawdust Ensemble. Hannah is a National Sawdust Hildegard Commission Winner '23, generously made possible by the Onassis Foundation and the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Ms. Ishizaki will commence Ph.D studies in Composition at Princeton this Fall.

Tickets prices range between $30-$40 each, with student and senior discounted tickets available, at kaufmanmusiccenter.org.