Cutting Edge Concerts to Present REFLECTIONS AND ILLUSIONS, 4/18

Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival concludes 2016 season with world premieres by James Nyoraku Schlefer and Karen LeFrak April 18 program at Peter Norton Symphony Space features shakuhachi player/ composer Schlefer's 2Blue, Rashomon by Victoria Bond, and other works

Cutting Edge Concerts' third and final program of its 19th season, Reflections and Illusions, features works by five American composers - James Nyoraku Schlefer, Karen LeFrak, Jeffrey Mumford, Steve Antosca and CEC's artistic director, Victoria Bond - all of whom will be at the concert, and will speak briefly about their works. The performance is on Monday, April 18 at 7:30 pm atLeonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space.

James Nyoraku Schlefer is a Grand Master of the shakuhachi, one of only a handful of non-Japanese artists to have achieved this rank. He is joined by violist David Yang for the world premiere of his composition 2Blue. The composer writes, "2Blue is inspired by both the silences of traditional shakuhachi music and the empty beats of the traditional blues. It evokes the dignity and universal oneness inherent in a sense of solitude."

Victoria Bond's Rashomon, for violin, viola, cello and shakuhachi, is based on an old Japanese folk tale about a murder near the dilapidated Rashomon gate. (The story was also the basis of a memorable film by the director Akira Kurosawa.)Emilie-Anne Gendron, David Yang, Edward Arron and James Nyoraku Schlefer perform a work in which the first movement describes the gate, and three subsequent movements describe three very different recountings of the murder.

Urban Tango by Karen LeFrak receives itsworld premiere at this concert, performed by the violinist Na Sun and the pianist Helene Jeanney. LeFrak says, "Having lived in New York City my whole life, international influences abound, but inevitably always take on a New York City vibe. In my Urban Tango, I tried to fuse the personalities of the Tango and the City, with its fast pace, edginess and beauty of architecture and people alike."

The concert also includes the New York premiere of Jeffrey Mumford's eight aspects of appreciation II, a set of miniature variations for violin and cello; and Steve Acosta's One becomes Two for solo violin, inspired by psychiatrist Carl Jung's description of a bud transforming into a flower.

In addition to the Reflections and Illusions program on April 18, Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival's 19th season also includes concerts on April 4 (¡Cuba Today!) and April 11 (Memories, Myths and Dreams). Tickets for Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival are $20 in advance (available online, in person at the Symphony Space box office, or by calling 212-864-5400), and $30 day of show. Subscriptions are available: purchase three concerts for the price of two.

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