John Grimmett Joins CMASH as Managing Director
By: BWW News Desk Sep. 16, 2013
CMASH, the new music repertory group dedicated to establishing long-term collaborative relationships between composers and performers and welcoming new audiences to the genre of contemporary chamber music, is proud to announce and welcome John Grimmett in the newly created position of Managing Director. Mr. Grimmett's responsibilities include overseeing marketing and fundraising campaigns, designing and implementing educational initiatives in the communities the company serves, and developing a national audience that further promotes CMASH's mission statement.
Mr. Grimmett is a composer-lyricist and librettist based in New York City. He is the author of Sleeping Beauty: The Dream (music and lyrics), Odette (music), Part of the Act (libretto), Rain Down The Ruin (music), and And Jill Came Tumbling After (libretto). His work has been produced and performed by the Red Door Theatre Company, Variations Theatre Group, CMASH, the Washington National Opera, and the Baltic Chamber Opera Theater in Lithuania. A protégé of Edward Albee and David Ashley White, Grimmett is part of the next generation of theatre artists and composers, making his hiring a timely decision on behalf of CMASH's Artistic Director Ann Moss.
"I am thrilled to be working with Ann and [Liam Wade, Director of Collaborative Programming], whom I consider great friends and collaborators," said Grimmett. "I plan to continue the tradition of excellence that CMASH has established over the years, and, with the enormous talent this organization possesses, I am excited to see the direction we take together."
The addition of Mr. Grimmett to CMASH's roster of impressive artists is a milestone in the life of the company, which unveiled its seventh season this week with plans to expand programming into six major U.S. cities in the next three years. Currently, CMASH is preparing for an East Coast tour (Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City are listed as tentative locations) in January 2014 in addition to the much anticipated release of CURRENTS, a dynamic new recording project featuring American vocal and chamber music that Ms. Moss has championed over the past decade.
Recorded in Spring 2013 at Skywalker Sound with legendary music Producer/Engineer and Grammy Award winner Leslie Ann Jones, CURRENTS features the work of CMASH collaborators Liam Wade, Vartan Aghababian, Weslie Brown, Lisa DeSiro and the Hausmann String Quartet. The album, which will be digitally released on CD Baby, iTunes and BandCamp later this week and available for purchase in hard copy at the end of the month, includes an endorsement from CMASH collaborator and opera composer Jake Heggie.
"I remember hearing Ann sing... and being knocked out," said Heggie. "She has this magic quality that somehow makes composers want to write for her, because not only does she perform [their songs], she invests in them, physically, emotionally, personally."
"Nothing scares her," he adds.
Needless to say, with the incorporation of a key staff member and ambitious plans to develop a national presence, audiences can be certain that CMASH is headed into uncharted territory. "With the release of CURRENTS and bringing [John Grimmett] on board in this new position," Moss said, "I'd say we're living in a truly exciting time."
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