Music At First Presents THE MUSIC OF JEROME KITZKE, 5/23

Music at First presents the music of American composer/storyteller Jerome Kitzke in a concert celebrating his upcoming album The Paha Sapa Give-Back (Innova - tbr 7/29/14) and the New York City premiere of an excerpt from Buffalo Nation (Bison bison) (2012), a theatrical musical historical survey of the bison in North America. Known for creating works inspired by American life, politics and literature, the program also includes The Character of American Sunlight (1996) featuring Kitzke's ensemble The Mad Coyote, and Winter Count (2008) performed by premier string quartet, ETHEL, and actor Jennifer Kathryn Marshall. (See below for program details.)

Given Kitzke's omnipresent concern with the American landscape and its history, his works often illuminate the union and clash of the cultures of the Europeans and Native Americans in American history. "As an American creative artist, I have always been acutely aware of the non-static quality of history, and that the way we now live on this land is directly connected to the way we historically came to live on it," explains Kitzke. "The real stories of the nitty gritty genesis of America are the stories that occupy my mind. There's an endless supply of these tales that prick my musical impulses."

Kitzke's music thrives on the spirit of Plains Indian song, driving jazz, Beat Generation poetry, and contemporary classical music, where freedom and ritual converge, resulting in a sound that is uniquely and bracingly American. According to the Village Voice, "new music offers no more joyous phenomenon than the irrepressible, earth-worshipping Kitzke." At once exuberant and carefully crafted, Kitzke's music amply demonstrates he "has the makings of an American original" (Fanfare).

The evening begins with four excerpts from the 90-minute, evening-length theatrical work Buffalo Nation (Bison bison) - the only sonic narrative that tells the tragic story of the 19th Century decimation of America's ancient bison herds as well as its integral place in many Native America cultures. With a libretto by Kathleen Masterson, it weaves together an astonishing array of references to the bison encountered in historical records, naturalists' journals, contemporary ecological writings and fiction, and centrally from the aural histories of the Great Plains Indian Nations. Performed by one singer, four actors, 10 instruments and sound effects chorus, audiences hear the roaring of the herds galloping down hills of the rich prairie country, the slaughter of the bison, and the dialogue between Americans and Indians.

Rounding out the program are: one of Kitzke's most ritualistic works - the wide-ranging and ceaselessly inventive The Character of American Sunlight that combines piano with four percussionists/vocalists; and Winter Count, an intensely theatrical work performed by the virtuosic, alternative string quartet, ETHEL, with actor Jennifer Kathryn Marshall and bass drummer Barbara Merjan.

About Jerome Kitzke

Jerome Kitzke lives in New York City but grew up along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, where he was born in 1955. Since his first work in 1970, he has thought himself to be as much a storyteller as he is a composer. His music has been performed in North and South American, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia by many different ensembles and soloists, and has been featured on WNYC's New Sounds Live with John Schaefer as well as Mr. Schaefer's ZOOM Series. Kitzke has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, the Millay Colony, the Civitella Ranieri Center, the Copland House, the Bellagio Study and Conference Center, the Ucross Foundation, the Brush Creek Foundation, Banff, VCCA, Djerassi and the Ledig House. In 2005, he was the Macgeorge Fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

His music has been recorded by today's top artists including Lisa Moore, ETHEL, Guy Klucevsek, Anthony de Mare, The Mad Coyote, percussionist Bonnie Whiting Smith, to name a few. In 2013 his 1999 album The Character of American Sunlight (Innova) was rereleased and his new CD The Paha Sapa Give-Back (Innova) will be released in July 2014. Currently he is working on a commission from the New York City group thingNY. His music is published by Peer Music.

About Music at First

Music At First is an exciting new concert series that takes place at First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn Heights. It features a diverse mix of some of New York City's best new music ensembles, performers, and composers, accessible to a wide audience of both community members and seasoned new music listeners.

When: Friday, May 23 at 7:30pm

Where: First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, 124 Henry Street, Train: 2/3 Clark, R/4/5 Borough Hall

Tickets: $10. For more information, contact Jerome Kitzke at 212.567.1520 or visit musicatfirstsite.com.

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