Miller Theatre Announces Winter 2016 Pop-Up Concerts

Bring a friend, grab a drink, and join some of today's most interesting performers onstage at Miller Theatre on select Tuesday evenings for the winter season of POP-UP CONCERTS. On the roster are Eric Huebner, loadbang, Either/Or: Precursors and Parallels, and Either/Or: Chamber Music of Ana-Maria Avram.

Pop-Up Concerts have become a beloved mainstay at Miller, providing free, informal performances in the early evening. The unique format allows the theater to test out new ideas, giving established ensembles the chance to experiment and introducing new performers before they hit the Miller mainstage.

Free libations contribute to the laid-back ambiance. All concerts start at 6 p.m. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis, and doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Miller Theatre (2960 Broadway at 116th Street)

From Miller Theatre Executive Director Melissa Smey: "This Winter's Pop-Up Concerts explore diverse themes in composition and performance, including the perception-shattering genre of Romanian spectralism. I'm so glad all of these musicians are joining us to make Tuesday evenings something to look forward to."

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POP-UP CONCERTS LINEUP:

Tuesday, January 26

Eric Huebner

Eric Huebner, piano - The winter Pop-Up Concert series kicks off with "go-to pianist for new music" (The New Yorker), Eric Huebner. This program of playful Piano Etudes by Roger Reynolds and the New York premiere of Eric Wubbels' Psychomechanochronometer exemplify Huebner's technical precision and mastery of his instrument, while allowing his artistic brilliance to shine. Huebner sets the bar for the winter season and invites the audience on stage to experience these energetic pieces up close.

PROGRAM
Roger Reynolds: Piano Etudes, Book 1 (2010-11)
Eric Wubbels: Psychomechanochronometer (2013) New York premiere

Tuesday, February 16

loadbang

Jeffrey Gavett, baritone
Andy Kozar, trumpet
William Lang, trombone
Carlos Cordeiro, bass clarinet

loadbang's unique instrumentation leads to a repertoire distinctively their own. Written for their lung-driven lineup, this Pop-Up includes the folk-inspired soundworld of Taylor Brook's Ouaricon Songs: Volume 2, and David Lang's Waiting for the Man, a reimagining of a similarly named Velvet Underground song. The program also features the Kyrie from a 14th century mass juxtaposed with its contemporary counterpoint composed by loadbang's own Andy Kozar -- all performed in loadbang's "irreverent, rough-edged, yet oddly cultivated style" (The New Yorker).

PROGRAM
Taylor Brook: Ouaricon Songs: Volume 2 (2014)
Adam Zahller: Ledascape (2014)
Evan Johnson: my pouert and goyng ouer (2014)
Guillaume de Machaut, arr. Gavett: Messe de Nostre Dame: Kyrie (c. 1364)
Andy Kozar: Mass: Kyrie (2011/12)
David Lang: Waiting for the Man (2008)

Tuesday, March 1

Either/Or: Precursors and Parallels

Miller Theatre celebrates the groundbreaking avant-garde of Eastern Europe with a series of two Pop-Up Concerts in conjunction with a Composer Portrait featuring Iancu Dumitrescu.

This Pop-Up celebrates a number of groundbreaking composers whose work weaves together the musical traditions of Romania with international influences-especially the use of mathematics in acoustic exploration. It traces the development of spectral music from George Enescu to Stefan Niculescu to his student Horatiu Radulescu, as well as the parallel explorations of Giacinto Scelsi and Iannis Xenakis. Their groundbreaking compositions exemplify the driving power of this under-explored compositional style.

PROGRAM
Field recording by Bartók: Bucium (1915)
Ana-Maria Avram: New Electronic Work (2016) World premiere
George Enescu: Carillons nocturnes (1913-1916)
Ana-Maria Avram: Chiaroscuro (2010) US premiere
Byzantine musics, arr. Dumitrescu
Iancu Dumitrescu: Gnosis I & II (2016) World premiere
Stefan Niculescu: Sincronia (1979) US premiere

Thursday, March 3

Either/Or: Chamber Music of Ana-Maria Avram

Miller Theatre celebrates the groundbreaking avant-garde of Eastern Europe with a series of two Pop-Up Concerts in conjunction with a Composer Portrait featuring Iancu Dumitrescu.

Born in Bucharest, Romania in 1961, composer Ana-Maria Avram's propulsive music often synthesizes electroacoustic and instrumental sources. While informed by mathematical techniques, Avram is drawn to the dynamic nature of sound as independently shaped by each performer and listener. "Even if something is written, what is this, there on the score?" she asks. "A base from which to fly away."

PROGRAM
Ana-Maria Avram: Axes (2016) World premiere
Avram: solo voice and computer
Avram: 4 études d'ombre (1992)
Avram: Winds of the desert (2006) World premiere

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Columbia University's Miller Theatre is located north of the Main Campus Gate at 116th St. & Broadway on the ground floor of Dodge Hall. Directions and information is available online at www.millertheatre.com or via the Miller Theatre Box Office, at 212.854.7799. Tickets are not required for the performances included in this press release. All seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.