Miller Theatre's Fall 2015 Pop-Up Concerts Season to Kick Off Next Month

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts kicks off an ambitious fall season of free POP-UP CONCERTS -- a musical happy hour with the audience onstage at the Miller Theatre (2960 Broadway at 116th Street). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with music beginning at 6 p.m. Free admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Bring a friend, grab a drink, and join some of today's most interesting performers onstage at Miller Theatre on select Tuesday evenings. Pop-Up Concerts have become a beloved mainstay at Miller, providing free, informal hourlong 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.

From Miller Theatre Executive Director Melissa Smey: "For me, there's no better way to spend Tuesday evening than on our stage at a Pop-Up Concert. Our fall lineup features a series of performances that spotlight the solo talents of the incredible musicians who perform with Ensemble Signal. We'll also welcome Brooklyn's TILT Brass and young musicians from the Curtis Institute of Music to our stage. I look forward to gathering onstage with our audience to raise a glass to these amazing artists."

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POP-UP CONCERTS:

Tuesday, September 29

Ensemble Signal: Theatricals

Paul Coleman, sound director; Steven Parker, trombone
Lauren Radnofsky, cello; Adrián Sandí, bass clarinet

Ensemble Signal kicks off a new season of Pop-Up Concerts with a series of intimate works. Luciano Berio's Sequenza V is dedicated to Grock, "the king of clowns," an homage that is revealed in the trombonist's playful use of plungers and other extended techniques. The program also highlights Berio's pupil, Italian composer Luca Francesconi, with two inventive works for solo instruments -- trombone and bass clarinet. Several of the pieces on the program also feature electronics, showcasing the talents of a longtime Signal collaborator who -- as sound director -- is usually behind the scenes.

PROGRAM:
Luca Francesconi: Animus 1 (1996)
Kaija Saariaho: Prés (1992)
Luca Francesconi: Tracce (1986)
Luciano Berio: Sequenza V (1966)
Tuesday, October 27

Ensemble Signal: Inspirations

Olivia De Prato, violin
Jamie Jordan, soprano
Nicholas Tolle, cimbalom and piano

The artists of Ensemble Signal share their musical inspirations with this program of solo works. Powerhouse violinist Olivia De Prato gives the U.S. premiere of a piece by Clemens Gädenstatter, student of the also featured Helmut Lachenmann and a rising talent from Austria, where De Prato studied. Nicholas Tolle shares his love of the cimbalom with two pieces by György Kurtág, whose compositions first inspired Tolle to learn the complex Hungarian instrument. Tolle will also perform a piece written for him by Signal's Co-Artistic Director, Brad Lubman, alongside a work for solo soprano by one of Lubman's own mentors, Oliver Knussen.

PROGRAM:
Clemens Gädenstatter: moved by (2012/13) - U.S. premiere
Brad Lubman: Solo for cimbalom (2013)
György Kurtág: Hommage à Berényi Ferenc 70 / Szálkák (Splinters), Op. 6/c (1997)
György Kurtág: Un brin de bruyère à Witold (1994)
Oliver Knussen: Four Late Poems and an Epigram of Rainer Maria Rilke, Op. 23 (1988)
Helmut Lachenmann: Guero (1969)
Tuesday, November 10

Curtis 20/21: Pierrot Lunaire

featuring musicians from the Curtis Institute of Music

Arnold Schoenberg ushered in modernism with Pierrot Lunaire, transporting the commedia dell'arte to the twentieth century. His theatrical work brings to life the poetry of Albert Giraud with "Sprechstimme," or speech-singing, and invites the listener on a journey of love, madness, and memory. A group of emerging artists from the Curtis Institute comes together to play Schoenberg's sextet for voice, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano -- an instrumentation that has since become a standby of contemporary composers seeking a chamber orchestra-like palette in miniature.

PROGRAM:
Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire (1912)
Tuesday, November 24

Ensemble Signal: Inventions

Doug Perkins, percussion
Lauren Radnofsky, cello

This Pop-Up shines a spotlight on "percussion virtuoso" (New York Times) Doug Perkins, solo and in duet with cellist Lauren Radnofsky. Perkins showcases the percussionist's versatility with two works by America's leading composers: David Lang's Stuttered Chant, which employs a cello as its percussion instrument of choice; and Caroline Shaw's Boris Kerner, which demands flower pots. Perkins will also give the world premiere of a solo work by Ken Thomson and his interpretation of Xenakis' seminal Psappha.

PROGRAM:
Ken Thomson: new work for percussion (2015) - world premiere
Caroline Shaw: Boris Kerner (2012)
David Lang: Stuttered Chant (2011)
Iannis Xenakis: Psappha (1975)
Tuesday, December 8

TILT Brass: Wild Ones

Gareth Flowers, trumpet; Tim Leopold, trumpet; Mike Gurfield, trumpet
Will Lang, trombone; Jen Baker, trombone; Chris McIntyre, trombone

Brooklyn's "always fun and forward-looking" (The New Yorker) TILT Brass ensemble takes the stage for the final Pop-Up of the fall. TILT presents new works by contemporary composers Anthony Coleman, TILT co-founder Chris McIntyre, and Catherine Lamb, whose "vivid, evocative orchestral colours" (The Guardian) have begun to earn her international acclaim. TILT will also provide their interpretations of existing works, such as an all-brass version of James Tenney's Swell Piece and Australian composer Liza Lim's Wild Winged One-an aria for trumpet and (aptly-named) wacky whistle.

PROGRAM:
Catherine Lamb: new work (2015) - world premiere
Anthony Coleman: new work (2015)
Chris McIntyre: Dedifferentiation for Brass (new version, 2015)
Liza Lim: Wild Winged One (2007)
James Tenney: Swell Piece for Alison Knowles (1967)

Pop-Up Concerts will return in January for a winter season. Save the dates!

Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016

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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. All seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.