NY PHIL BIENNIAL Lineup Announced for Spring 2016

From May 23 to June 11, 2016, the New York Philharmonic and Music Director Alan Gilbert will present the second NY PHIL BIENNIAL, a wide-ranging exploration of today's music by an array of contemporary and modern composers. A flagship project of the New York Philharmonic, the NY PHIL BIENNIAL brings together an international roster of composers, performers, and curatorial voices for concerts presented both on the Lincoln Center campus and in venues throughout the city.

The 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL will feature works by 74 composers, almost 60 of whom are American, spanning in age and experience from students to iconic legends. Reflecting the Philharmonic's growing collaborations with music education organizations from New York City to Asia, in the second NY PHIL BIENNIAL the Philharmonic will present new-music programs from some of the country's top music schools, ranging from high school to university levels, and youth choruses from the East and West Coasts. The biennial will expand to more New York City neighborhoods - including to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at National Sawdust - and will cross genres, including electroacoustic and opera. The programs will range from large-scale symphonies, chamber operas, and concertos to chamber music in intimate settings, solo works, and mixed-media events. The curators overseeing the planning of the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL are Alan Gilbert and Esa-Pekka Salonen, The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic.

Most of the works to be performed in the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL will receive their World, U.S., or New York Premieres. Composers featured will include Esa-Pekka Salonen, Per Nørgard, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Gerald Barry, Kaija Saariaho, Nico Muhly, John Harbison, John Zorn, Timo Andres, Christopher Theofanidis, Bryce Dessner, Aaron Jay Kernis, Gabriel Kahane, Missy Mazzoli, Sean Shepherd, Anthony Cheung, Jennifer Higdon, Samuel Adams, and David Lang, among many others.

Partners in the second NY PHIL BIENNIAL will include National Sawdust, which is presenting several programs; 92nd Street Y; Aspen Music Festival and School; Interlochen Center for the Arts; League of Composers/ISCM; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; LUCERNE FESTIVAL; Met Museum Presents; New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival; Whitney Museum of American Art; WQXR's Q2 Music; and Yale School of Music. As with the inaugural NY PHIL BIENNIAL, audience members will have the opportunity to mingle with composers and performers after select biennial concerts at Play Dates, including at Bar Biennial in David Geffen Hall. Additional activities encouraging interactivity with the artists and programming will be announced.

"The NY PHIL BIENNIAL was created to showcase what is going on in today's national and international music scene," said Music Director Alan Gilbert. "I've greatly enjoyed collaborating with Esa-Pekka Salonen in planning the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL; he has a unique perspective as a composer and discerning taste in what is exciting and compelling. This season's biennial will feature a lot of American music, with more of it by younger composers. To represent the widest possible range of music, we have reached out to a variety of artists and partner organizations, not only down to Brooklyn but also around the country and across the Atlantic. This project is perhaps the ultimate manifestation of our desire to support the work of today's composers, and to bring together a variety of viewpoints to achieve something even greater than any one organization can accomplish."

"One of the key takeaways from the inaugural NY PHIL BIENNIAL is that we can do so much more with the help of inspired and inspiring partners. For the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL, we are very pleased to showcase organizations and artists who embrace an amazing range of musical ideas," said New York Philharmonic President Matthew VanBesien. "I am particularly excited to expand the biennial's reach by welcoming ensembles from Yale, Aspen, and Interlochen, some of the country's most impactful music education institutions that are doing so much to encourage exploration and creation of the music of tomorrow. Their involvement underscores the Philharmonic's continuing commitment to providing a platform for the next generation."

Highlights:

- JACK Quartet To Perform World and New York Premieres by
Marc SABAT, Derek BERMEL, and Cenk ERGU?N
May 23, 2016, at 92nd Street Y

- Violinist JENNIFER KOH To Curate and Perform in SHARED MADNESS
World Premieres of Short Works for SOLO VIOLIN
By More Than 30 Contemporary Composers
May 24 and 31, 2016, at NATIONAL SAWDUST

- YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC'S NEW MUSIC NEW HAVEN
To Perform Works by YALE COMPOSERS PAST AND PRESENT:
Charles IVES, Current Yale Student Hilary PURRINGTON, and Yale Faculty Members
Martin BRESNICK, David LANG, Aaron Jay KERNIS, Hannah LASH, and Christopher THEOFANIDIS
Live Webcast on WQXR's Q2 Music
May 25, 2016, at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space

- ORCHESTRA OF THE LEAGUE OF COMPOSERS To Perform
New York Premiere by Huck HODGE, U.S. Premiere by Felipe LARA, and
Works by Charles WUORINEN and Paul MORAVEC
June 1, 2016, at Columbia University's Miller Theatre

- CONTACT! at the Biennial:
U.S. Stage Premiere of Gerald BARRY's The Importance of Being Earnest
June 2-4, 2016, at Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Part of the Lincoln Center-New York Philharmonic Opera Initiative

- LIGETI FORWARD
ALAN GILBERT To Conduct
Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI in Three Programs of
Works by Unsuk CHIN, Ge?rard GRISEY, Alexandre LUNSQUI,
Marc-Andre? DALBAVIE, Dai FUJIKURA, and John ZORN
Alongside Gyo?rgy LIGETI Concertos with Soloists Conor HANICK, Jay CAMPBELL, and Pekka KUUSISTO
June 3-5, 2016, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

- BROOKLYN RIDER To Perform Works Inspired by New York City's Downtown Music Scene
World Premiere by Colin JACOBSEN
New York Premiere by Tyondai BRAXTON
Work by John ZORN
June 3, 2016, at NATIONAL SAWDUST

- Very Young Composers of the New York Philharmonic: The Continuum
New York Philharmonic Musicians and Teaching Artists To Perform
Works by VERY YOUNG COMPOSERS from New York and Around the World
Celebrating 20 Years of the Very Young Composers Program
June 4, 2016, at NATIONAL SAWDUST

- INTERLOCHEN ARTS ACADEMY ORCHESTRA
To Perform Works by YOUNG AMERICAN COMPOSERS
World Premieres by Interlochen Alumna Ashley FURE, Gabriel KAHANE, and Hannah LASH
New York Premieres by Jennifer HIGDON and
Nico MUHLY with Interlochen Arts Academy DANCE COMPANY
June 5, 2016, at David Geffen Hall

- NEW YORK CITY ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
Several Concerts of Pure Electroacoustic Music
Submissions Currently Being Accepted
June 5-7, 2016, at NATIONAL SAWDUST

- ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SCHOOL'S ASPEN CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE
To Perform New York Premieres by
Aspen Alumni Thomas KOTCHEFF, Nina C. YOUNG, and Christopher STARK
Aspen Faculty Members Steven STUCKY and Stephen HARTKE
And Esa-Pekka SALONEN
Conducted by STEVEN STUCKY
June 8, 2016, at WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

- THE KNIGHTS To Perform with
SAN FRANCISCO GIRLS CHORUS and BROOKLYN YOUTH CHORUS
World Premieres by Aaron Jay KERNIS, Colin JACOBSEN, and Lisa BIELAWA
U.S. Premiere by Nico MUHLY Featuring Tenor NICHOLAS PHAN and Violinist COLIN JACOBSEN
New York Premiere by Timo ANDRES
Prelude Concert with CHORUSES To Include World Premieres by
GABRIEL KAHANE, CAROLINE SHAW, and THEO BLECKMANN
June 9, 2016, at Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center

- ALAN GILBERT To Conduct the NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
World Premiere of William BOLCOM's Trombone Concerto with Principal Trombone JOSEPH ALESSI
New York Premiere of John CORIGLIANO's Conjurer, with Percussionist MARTIN GRUBINGER
June 10, 2016, at David Geffen Hall

- ALAN GILBERT To Conduct the NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
U.S. Premiere of Per NØRGA?RD's Symphony No. 8
World Premiere of a New Work by Esa-Pekka SALONEN
June 11, 2016, at David Geffen Hall

For tickets and information visit nyphil.org/biennial or call the Philharmonic's Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656.