See What's Happening in February at National Sawdust

See what's coming up in February at National Sawdust!

Rafiq Bhatia and special guests celebrate the release of forthcoming EP Standards Vol. 1 (ANTI) on February 5; Against the Grain Theatre Company presents a preview of
Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup on February 15, a new chamber opera written by composer Michelle DiBucci and librettist Royce Vavrek; Artists-in-Residence Mwenso and the Shakes present the first installment of their new music-theater piece on February 20, and more!

See the full schedule below:

Jazz for Kids: Timbalooloo

Oran Etkin
February 1, 2020 11:00 AM
In Timbalooloo, instruments come to life and speak through their music, encouraging children to conceive of playing music as performing the magical act of making their instrument talk! The Timbalooloo Monthly Duo Series at National Sawdust features Oran Etkin with his sidekick Clara Net (Etkin's clarinet) meeting a new instrument friend from around the world each month. Recent guests have included a kora player from Mali, a percussionist from Brazil, and a pianist from New Orleans. The concerts are highly interactive - children will be singing along, drumming, and learning new dances as they become friends with Clara Net and her instrument friends from around the world, excited and empowered to create music themselves.

DISRUPT: Cuddle Magic + Frank Locrasto

Cuddle Magic and Frank Locrasto
February 1, 2020 7:30 PM
Cuddle Magic craft "high concept chamber-pop" (New Yorker) using 12-tone rows, odd meters, extended techniques, and unusual electro-acoustic timbres - a bass clarinet with a cheap microphone nested in the bell, junk-shop percussion run through a vocoder. They join forces with Texas-born, Brooklyn-based musician Frank LoCrasto, whose lush, open-air tropicalia permeates his new record Lost Dispatch, for an evening featuring individual sets from each act, with a collaboration in between.

National Sawdust Projects at A Night of Philosophy and Ideas

Brooklyn Public Library (10 Grand Army Plaza)
February 1, 2020 11:00 PM
National Sawdust Artists-in-Residence Sonic & Womxyn Amplify, and Mwenso & The Shakes, perform at Brooklyn Public Library's Night of Philosophy and Ideas. Tickets on sale soon.

Chris Grymes Open G Series: Jakob Kullberg

Jacob Kullberg with Chris Grymes and Jeremy Gill
February 2, 2020 7:00 PM
Open G Records, founded by clarinetist Chris Grymes, is committed to producing music that is rooted in the classical tradition, but brings artists and their fans together in new and innovative ways. Chris and Open G present Danish cellist Jakob Kullberg in an evening of recent music by Nordic composers. Kullberg has worked extensively with many of the leading lights of contemporary Scandinavia, premiering and recording major works by Per Nørgård, Kaija Saariaho, and Bent Sørensen, among others. A two-time winner of the Danish Grammy and an internationally-renowned performer and advocate of contemporary composers, Kullberg has chosen a program that features his favorite recent works by Nordic composers for cello, clarinet, and piano. He's joined by Open G regulars Chris Grymes and Jeremy Gill.

Rafiq Bhatia: Standards Vol. 1 (EP Release)

Rafiq Bhatia with Vuyo Sotashe and Chris Pattishall
February 5, 2020 8:00 PM
Composer and guitarist Rafiq Bhatia, "one of the most intriguing figures in music today" (New York Times), is an omnivorous experimentalist who moves fluidly between jazz and rock, acoustic and electronic, and Indian and American musical influences. In his latest project, Standards Vol. 1, he collaborates with some of jazz's most distinguished musicians on a surprising and oblique take on the canonical jazz repertoire. The results retain some of the texture and feeling of jazz, but sit firmly outside of the music's conventions. You may have heard these songs before, but you've never heard them like this.

Samora Pinderhuges: Sounds of Saving's Feedback Sessions

Samora Pinderhuges, Kate Mattison, and Rob Galligan
February 7, 2020 8:00 PM
The debut event from Sounds of Saving's Feedback Sessions, a live performance series confronting issues in mental wellness that affect creative people and audiences alike, features performances by composer, pianist, and vocalist Samora Pinderhuges and Kate Mattison of 79.5; strikingly honest conversations about personal struggles with depression; and expert insights from the worlds of psychology and mental health. Moderated by psychologist Robert Galligan.

Switch N' Play: Vamp

Switch n' Play (Divina GranSparkle, K.James, Miss Malice, Nyx Nocturne, Pearl Harbor, Vigor Mortis, and Zoe Ziegfeld) with guest artists Louisianna Purchase, MiscAllaneous DomTop, Sweet Lorraine, and Untitled Queen
February 8, 2020 9:00 PM
Beware the blood lust of these unnatural beauties! Renowned Brooklyn drag collective Switch n' Play brings you their fourth annual VAMP show: a celebration of all things queer, bloodthirsty, and decadent. An award-winning cast of queer and trans artists explores the radical power and pleasures of vampire mythology through innovative drag and burlesque performances that will send chills down your spine and shivers through your soul. Join Switch n' Play for an evening of macabre delights and high-glam monstrosity, and they'll show you a queer revolution that definitely has teeth.

Face the Music with Nathalie Joachim

Face the Music and Nathalie Joachim
February 10, 2020 7:00 PM
Kaufman Music Center's teen new music ensemble, Face the Music, joins forces with composer/flutist/vocalist Nathalie Joachim, a member of eighth blackbird and Flutronix and 2019-20 Kaufman Music Center Artist-in-Residence, to perform new arrangements from her critically-acclaimed debut album Fanm d'Ayiti (Women of Haiti), a joyful and life-affirming evening-length work for voice, flute, string quartet, and electronics. A celebration of some of Haiti's most iconic yet underrecognized female artists and an exploration of Joachim's Haitian heritage, Fanm d'Ayiti features original songs incorporating the recorded voices of Joachim's grandmother and the girls' choir of her family's home village of Dantan; new arrangements of songs by some of Haiti's greatest female singers; and recorded interviews with these artists about their lives fighting for social justice and uplifting the people of Haiti.

Against the Grain Theatre: Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup

Against the Grain Theatre Company
February 15, 2020 7:30 PM
Against the Grain Theatre, a National Sawdust Season 5 Artist-in-Residence, presents a work-in-progress performance of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup, a new chamber opera written by celebrated composer Michelle DiBucci and award-winning Canadian librettist Royce Vavrek about the opioid crisis in North America. A journey into a young woman's world torn apart by abuse, neglect, addiction, and apathy, this opera is an unflinching and compassionate look at the crisis and a brutal testament to a plague that is emblematic of this decade. Witness the results of a four-day workshop at National Sawdust with a first look at the development of this new contemporary work addressing one of the most urgent issues of our time. This work-in-progress presentation will feature about 30 minutes of new music, as well as a discussion with the creative team alongside researchers and addiction specialists, giving insight into the collaborative process of creating timely, socially-engaged work.

Sxip Shirey's Hour of Charm

Sxip Shirey and Special Guests
February 16, 2020 7:00 PM
Sxip's Hour of Charm is Sxip Shirey's ongoing art variety show. More details to come. Tickets on sale soon.

The Lot Radio Presents: Eli Keszler (Solo)

Eli Keszler
February 18, 2020 8:30 PM
Eli Keszler is a New York based artist, composer and percussionist, and frequent Laurel Halo/Oneohtrix collaborator. Keszler recently completed a very successful tour in Europe and China including stops at Unsound with his new project PEDAGOGY with Nate Boyce, LEV Festival, WOS Festival, FLUX Festival. He also contributed percussion and drums to Daniel Lopatin's original score for the Safdie Brother's highly acclaimed film "Uncut Gems". On February 18th, National Sawdust will partner with The Lot Radio to present an evening of new works that will tap into the unique capabilities of the Meyer Constellation and SpaceMap spatialized sound system for an immersive experience.

Irish Arts Center Presents: Shrines

Shrines (Carrie Erving)
February 19, 2020 8:00 PM
Brooklyn-based singer Shrines (Carrie Erving) has drawn comparisons to Sylvan Esso, Björk, and Sinead O'Connor. In this co-presentation of the Irish Arts Center and National Sawdust, she performs music from her debut EP, Release, which draws on her roots in the Irish Sean-nós song tradition and her eclectic background in opera, rock, folk, and electronic music.

Mwenso and The Shakes

Mwenso and The Shakes
February 20, 2020 8:00 PM
Following an intimate music workshop with their community of fans, Artists-in-Residence Mwenso and the Shakes, a multicultural troupe of musicians and dancers led by Sierra Leone-born, London-raised, and NYC-based singer Michael Mwenso, present the first phase of an in-progress music-theater piece exploring forms of African spirituality and celebrating strength and resilience.

NationalSawdust+ Series Princeton Showcase

Laurie Anderson & Arto Lindsay
February 22, 2020 7:30 PM
This edition of NationalSawdust+ will feature the works of Princeton students following a year-long investigation of spatial sound exploration. The evening will be hosted by artists and sound art pioneers Laurie Anderson and Arto Lindsay. NationalSawdust+ is a lively performance and conversation series in which luminaries from across disciplines share their passion for music and explore ideas, making surprising connections. The series taps artists and thinkers from theater, film and visual art, literature, science and beyond, to create insightful programs that reflect their own interests. Whether through live performances, conversations, or readings, each program has its own alchemy, engaging the audience in new and unexpected ways. Tickets on sale soon.

Zoë Keating

Zoë Keating
February 23, 2020 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Self-described "one-woman cello orchestra" Zoë Keating brings her powerful solo show to National Sawdust. A cellist, composer, and artist advocate known both for her use of technology - which she uses to sample her cello onstage - and for her DIY approach, self-releasing her solo music online, Keating has composed scores for TV, film, and radio programs on CBS, NPR, A&E, and more, and collaborated with artists as disparate as Imogen Heap, Tears for Fears, DJ Shadow, and Sean Lennon.

John Zorn Presents: The Stone Commissioning Series

Miles Okazini and Dan Weiss
February 26, 2020 7:00 PM
John Zorn's Stone Commissioning Series celebrates The Stone, Zorn's revolutionary venue "dedicated to the experimental and avant-garde," which served as a vital spot for new music in the East Village for over a decade. Held on the last Wednesday of every month, National Sawdust honors the spirit of The Stone, hosting artists selected by John Zorn presenting world premieres of new works. This month's installment of the Stone Commissioning Series features guitarist Miles Okazaki and jazz percussionist Dan Weiss.

The Revolution, VOL. 47

Aya Jack, THE EITHER, and Nik Alexander
February 27, 2020 8:00 PM
The Revolution is a performance series highlighting Brooklyn- and Harlem-based artists and musicians that not only represent the core of independent pop culture but also stand in the breeding ground of evolution within their genre. This local musical movement empowers community, change, and activism through performance and unity amongst the arts. Once a month, three different artists showcasing three different genres have a chance to spread love, light, and awareness through their music and their stories. This series supports revolutionary artistry and how important music is to healing, in all aspects of life.

A/V 360 Series

Ricardo Romaneiro x Sandbox Percussion
February 28, 2020 8:00 PM
A new audiovisual series by composer Ricardo Romaneiro, A/V 360 presents immersive performances exploring relationships between sound, light, film, and live visuals. Using the Meyer Sound Constellation® acoustic system, newly installed at National Sawdust, A/V 360 will envelop audiences in an ethereal, pulsating audiovisual experience intertwined with electronic and acoustic sounds. For this concert, Romaneiro will team up with contemporary percussion chamber ensemble Sandbox Percussion. Tickets on sale soon.

Cristina Spinei

Cristina Spinei, Alicia Enstrom, Emily Brausa, Paul Defiglia, Colleen Phelps
February 29, 2020 7:00PM
Composer and pianist Cristina Spinei, best known for her ballet scores infused with "lyricism and rhythmic vitality" (Nashville Scene), presents a concert of lively, lilting chamber music exploring mysticism and superstition, from her new album Ex Voto. Spinei is joined by violinist Alicia Enstrom, cellist Emily Brausa, bassist Paul Defiglia, and percussionist Colleen Phelps.

For more information, please visit https://nationalsawdust.org/calendar/.

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