Five Boroughs Music Festival Presents World Premiere of FIVE BOROUGH SONGBOOK, VOLUME II

Five Boroughs Music Festival (5BMF) presents the world premiere of the Five Borough Songbook, Volume II on Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m. at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, featuring twenty brand new works from twenty different composers, commissioned by 5BMF in honor of its tenth anniversary season. The Songbook, inspired by New York City places, poetry, and themes, is performed by soprano Marnie Breckenridge, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, tenor William Ferguson, baritone Sidney Outlaw, pianists Jocelyn Dueck and Erika Switzer, and cellist Kivie Cahn-Lipman. An additional performance is held on Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 p.m. at Flushing Town Hall in Queens.

The Songbook features new solo works, duets and ensemble pieces by some of today's leading composers of new classical music including Matthew Aucoin, Lembit Beecher, Conrad Cummings, Jonathan Dawe, Evan Fein, Daniel Felsenfeld, Herschel Garfein, Whitney George, Marie Incontrera, Laura Kaminsky, Libby Larsen, Hannah Lash, Missy Mazzoli, Jessie Montgomery, Robert Paterson, Paola Prestini, Kevin Puts, Kamala Sankaram, Gregory Spears, and Bora Yoon.

The second volume builds on the success of the initial Five Borough Songbook, which was developed during 5BMF's fifth anniversary season, and also featured twenty commissions from twenty different composers that were presented in concerts in all five boroughs, and preserved as a two-disc recording that topped the Billboard classical charts.

Both concerts on February 11th and 12th are preceded by a one hour Composer Chat featuring Songbook creators. Future performances of the Five Borough Songbook, Volume II will be held in The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island throughout 2017, with concert dates and locations to be announced.

Program Information

Marnie Breckenridge, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
William Ferguson, tenor
Sidney Outlaw, baritone
Jocelyn Dueck, piano
Erika Switzer, piano
Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello

Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
DiMenna Center for Classical Music
450 West 37th St
New York, NY 10018

Tickets: $40 for VIP, $30 for general admission, $20 for students and seniors, available at www.5bmf.org.

Sunday, February 12, 2016 at 3:00 p.m.
Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Blvd.
Queens, NY 11354

Tickets: $25 for general admission, $15 for Flushing Town Hall members and seniors, and $10 for students, available at www.5bmf.org.

Concerts are preceded by a Composer Chat, beginning one hour prior to concert start time.

MATTHEW AUCOIN Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
LEMBIT BEECHER I Missed the Beginning
CONRAD CUMMINGS Lamento del Barista
JONATHAN DAWE The Isle is Full of Noises
EVAN FEIN Musings: The Temple of Dendur
DANIEL FELSENFELD Everything Must Go
Herschel Garfein The Cyclone
WHITNEY GEORGE A Night in Brooklyn
MARIE INCONTRERA Greenwood Cemetery
LAURA KAMINSKY Right to Life
LIBBY LARSEN I Have Ten Legs
HANNAH LASH Riverdale
MISSY MAZZOLI Ode to Walt Whitman
JESSIE MONTGOMERY Loisaida, my love
Robert Paterson Crossing the Hudson
PAOLA PRESTINI Aquarium, Coney Island
KEVIN PUTS The Subway
KAMALA SANKARAM The Last Blast of Anthony the Trumpeter
GREGORY SPEARS Aquehonga
BORA YOON Grand Central

About Five Boroughs Music Festival
Five Boroughs Music Festival's mission is to enrich communities and cultivate new audiences by bringing world-class, affordable chamber music to all corners of New York City. 5BMF collaborates with local cultural institutions to present up-and-coming artists alongside the genre's most distinguished performers, and challenges the standard definition of 'chamber music' by presenting a broad range of musical styles, from early music to contemporary works, world music and other non-classical forms.

Since 2007, 5BMF has presented nearly 50 traditional and contemporary chamber music programs in nine complete cycles around NYC. Described as "imaginative" by The New York Times and "vital" by WQXR's Operavore blog, 5BMF's commitment to musical outreach and diverse programming has attracted positive attention from the NYC arts community from its earliest days. 5BMF's artist roster is comprised of diverse, talented emerging artists and distinguished musicians alike. Its venues are just as eclectic, and have included historic NYC landmarks such as Federal Hall, the University Church at Fordham University, Flushing Town Hall, King Manor Museum, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, among others.

5BMF's programming is rooted in familiar classical music traditions, but is inclusive of a broad range of styles; art song recitals, early music, new music and other non-classical forms are all represented. By employing a broad definition of chamber music and sustaining a commitment to artistic outreach by bringing world class programs to neighborhoods all over the city, 5BMF offers an affordable, intimate concert experience to a wide variety of New York City audiences.

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