Green-Wood Selects Renowned Pianist Adam Tendler as its Third Annual Artist In Residence

At the start of his career, contemporary and classical pianist Adam Tendler performed in unexpected places out of necessity-as traditional venues can be costly for novice artists. Today, as one of contemporary classical music's most recognizable and celebrated artists, he embraces these unusual spaces to influence the way he makes music; and his selection as The Green-Wood Cemetery's artist in residence for 2023 will allow him to explore a most unconventional setting for musical composition and performance.

This year, Green-Wood is teaming up with long-time partners and collaborators Death of Classical to welcome its first musician to the residency program. Since 2018, the nonprofit has brought a range of bold and engaging performances to the Cemetery grounds as part of the Angel's Share series, from the intimate space of the Catacombs to roving performances and sites throughout the Cemetery. Tendler is no stranger to Green-Wood. In 2019, he performed works of great composers, such as Liszt and Gershwin, in the Catacombs. Tendler's 2023 residency will allow him to go deeper: this time not only as a performer but also a creator-focusing on his own writing, compositions, and multimedia experiments-using the grounds as a workspace and creative laboratory.

"This residency will provide the garden from which a new, powerful piece can grow and the grounds, literally, upon which I can develop, tie together, and shape ideas that have waited for the right platform. This is about stretching my boundaries as a creative artist-a composer, a writer, and yes, a concert pianist specializing in contemporary music-and building a new work for a diverse community to engage with and experience," Tendler says. "This residency will provide an opportunity to create something new and powerful that shapes and ties ideas together to reflect the natural beauty of this living cemetery."

Tendler, who has performed across the country, has won significant acclaim, earning the prestigious Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists. The Minneapolis Star Tribune dubbed him "the hottest pianist on the American contemporary classical scene." The Los Angeles Times called him a "remarkable and insightful musician." The Washington Post said he was a "relentlessly adventurous pianist" and The New York Times raved about Tendler "joyfully rocking out at his keyboard."

Tendler, who is renowned for personal, intimate performances, emphasizes his interest in exploring a work that draws from his community (his multicultural family and friends as well as the LGBTQ+ communities) and their diverse ideas about spirituality, mortality, and fate. The residency, which will run from April of this year through April 2024, will culminate with a final project to debut later that spring. Audiences will be treated to several public classes and workshops throughout the residency.

The Green-Wood Cemetery invited Death of Classical to partner on this year's residency because of the nonprofit's deep commitment to commissioning and championing contemporary classical music. Death of Classical will provide artist support in production workshops, programs, and the final performance.

"The strength of Green-Wood's programming lies in the relationships we build with both artists and like-minded cultural institutions. Starting with the first time Adam performed at Green-Wood, he has shown a great affinity for and rapport with the environment as well as an appreciation of the physical space in all its diversity, solemnity, and history. As Adam brings his visionary talent to our grounds, immersing himself in all that the Cemetery has to offer, Death of Classical will bring their expertise in navigating the nuances of production in a non-traditional performance space," said Harry Weil, Director of Public Programs and Special Projects, The Green-Wood Cemetery.

"Adam Tendler is an artist whom I have limitless respect for. He is somebody who has both the vision to do something unique and the will and talent to actually manifest it in the world. Since our momentous collaboration on the Liszt Poetic and Religious Harmonies in the Catacombs in 2019, I've watched Adam continue to develop as a musical force in our industry, and it's both an honor and a pleasure to be able to work with him in this more in-depth capacity through the residency with our amazing colleagues at Green-Wood. We're all so excited for what's to come with this great partnership," said Andrew Ousley, General & Artistic Director, Death of Classical.

Adam Tendler is the third artist in residence at The Green-Wood Cemetery. The inaugural artist in residence, Heidi Lau, is a ceramic artist whose installation, Gardens as Cosmic Terrains, featured highly textured pieces inspired by the Cemetery's monuments and traditional Chinese gardens. The 2022 artist in residence, Rowan Renee, is finalizing a project that investigates Green-Wood's public lots (which provided more modest and affordable burial options). Their exhibition is set to open in the Historic Chapel in May 2023.

Tendler was selected for the residency from a group of applicants nominated by curators, artists, and arts administrators in New York City. He will receive an $8,000 honorarium and studio space in the Fort Hamilton Gatehouse, alongside unlimited access to the Cemetery's grounds. He will be able to conduct research from more than 10,000 artifacts in Green-Wood's historical collections, including photographs, art, books, and sculptures, as well as archival records dating back to 1838. Tendler will also gain insight into Green-Wood's history and natural environment through meetings with Green-Wood's historian and directors of horticulture, restoration, and cemetery operations.

About Adam Tendler: A recipient of the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, "currently the hottest pianist on the American contemporary classical scene" (Minneapolis Star Tribune), a "remarkable and insightful musician" (LA Times), and "relentlessly adventurous pianist" (The Washington Post) "joyfully rocking out at his keyboard" (The New York Times), Adam Tendler is an internationally recognized interpreter of living, modern and classical composers. A pioneer of DIY culture in concert music who has commissioned and premiered major works by Christian Wolff and Devonté Hynes alike.

In his early twenties, Tendler performed in all fifty United States as part of a grassroots recital tour he called America 88x50, which became the subject of his memoir, 88x50, a Kirkus Indie Book of the Month and Lambda Literary Award nominee. He has gone on to become one of classical and contemporary music's most recognized artists, with recent engagements including appearing as a soloist with the LA Philharmonic and on the mainstages of Carnegie Hall and BAM. He has been presented by the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and a host of other leading series and platforms, including The Broad, Guggenheim, Liquid Music, The Kitchen, le Poisson Rouge, National Sawdust, Knockdown Center, Issue Project Room, Maverick Concerts, Roulette, Death of Classical, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and NYC Pride. For more information, visit www.adamtendler.com.

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