Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic Launch the Inaugural

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FOR RELEASE: April 10, 2014 Contact: Katherine E. Johnson (212) 875-5718; [email protected] National Press Representative: Julia Kirchhausen (917) 453-8386; [email protected]

ALAN GILBERT AND THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC LAUNCH THE INAUGURAL

May 28–June 7, 2014

A Wide-Ranging Exploration of the Music of Today, Bringing Together More Than 50 Composers, 100s of Musicians, and 10 of New York City’s Cultural Institutions for Performances of New Works

NY PHIL BIENNIAL To Showcase Works by Composers Ranging from Students to Luminaries, Including Christopher ROUSE, Peter EÖTVÖS, Steven MACKEY, Julia WOLFE, Matthias PINTSCHER, Elliott CARTER, Pierre BOULEZ, and George BENJAMIN

Six New Works by Emerging Composers To Receive Philharmonic Readings Three Will Be Chosen To Receive World Premieres at NY PHIL BIENNIAL

NEWLY ADDED: Insights Series Panel Discussions with Alan Gilbert and Composers, NY PHIL BIENNIAL Play Dates: Post-Concert Meet-Ups with Composers and Artists, National Radio Broadcasts, Electronic Media/Photography Installation, and Biennial Pass Now Available

From May 28 to June 7, 2014, the New York Philharmonic will present the inaugural NY PHIL BIENNIAL, a kaleidoscopic exploration of today’s music by a wide range of composers through

2 concerts presented with cultural partners in venues across New York City. As envisioned and curated by Music Director Alan Gilbert, the NY PHIL BIENNIAL will immerse the city in contemporary and modern music for 11 days, and will feature a range of concerts and events representing an international roster of more than 50 composers, ranging from students to legends. Mr. Gilbert’s curatorial collaborators in planning the NY PHIL BIENNIAL include The Marie- Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence Christopher Rouse, composer/conductor Matthias Pintscher, and conductor Pablo Heras-Casado. Many of the works to be performed will receive their World, U.S., or New York Premieres.

A flagship project of the New York Philharmonic that will recur every two years, the NY PHIL BIENNIAL is modeled on visual art biennial events, and, as such, has brought together the forces of several New York City cultural institutions to create events in varied venues that will engender a citywide festival atmosphere. Partners include 92nd Street Y, The Museum of Modern Art, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Juilliard School, Gotham Chamber Opera, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Bang on a Can, American Composers Orchestra, and Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School High School.

The NY PHIL BIENNIAL is designed to create a cumulative experience for the audience. A Biennial Pass will facilitate entry into multiple events throughout the 11-day experience. Meet- up events, lectures and panel discussions, stage chats, and online interactivity are planned to encourage audience members to directly engage with composers, scholars, and artists.

“We want the NY PHIL BIENNIAL to galvanize the whole city around an immersive contemporary music experience — to take a snapshot of where music is today,” said Music Director Alan Gilbert. “We have followed the lead of the great visual art biennial events in making this project extremely collaborative, and have reached out to a variety of curatorial voices, as well as the many other imaginative and forward-looking New York cultural organizations who have accepted our invitation to ‘come play with us’ as partners. We see each of the 13 programs as a distinct ‘pavilion,’ with partners bringing to them their individual aesthetics. Our approach is deliberately non-dogmatic, with the only criterion being that these concerts comprise music that we and our colleagues believe in and are excited to experience.”

“The New York Philharmonic is proud to spearhead the NY PHIL BIENNIAL,” said New York Philharmonic Executive Director Matthew VanBesien. “A manifestation of Alan Gilbert’s aspirations and vision, with the combined resources of our colleague institutions, the NY PHIL BIENNIAL will provide an unprecedented opportunity for everyone in our community to immerse themselves in contemporary music. As an orchestra embracing the 21st century, the Philharmonic has the privilege as well as responsibility to inspire the public with fresh and innovative ways to look at the world we live in through the lens of great art — and to do so in the most engaging way possible, which is why we have said to audiences from New York and beyond, ‘Let’s play!’”

NEWLY ADDED: Insights Series Panel Discussions with Alan Gilbert and Composers, and NY PHIL BIENNIAL Play Dates: Post-Concert Meet-Ups with Composers and Artists

An integral part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL experience will be interaction among artists, composers, and audience, and the New York Philharmonic has announced a range of events and activities to engender an ongoing dialogue.

Insights Series

The New York Philharmonic and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts will co-present two free discussions related to the NY PHIL BIENNIAL as part of the Philharmonic’s Insights Series. Music Director Alan Gilbert will join curators from the Whitney Biennial and the Venice Biennale — including Massimiliano Gioni, artistic director of the 2013 Venice Biennale — and other curators and cultural leaders from the visual and performing arts to explore the nature, essence, and impact of biennials in the Insights Series event “What Is a Biennial?” on June 2, 2014, at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.

A panel of composers from across the musical spectrum, some of whose music will be featured during the NY PHIL BIENNIAL — The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence Christopher Rouse; composer/conductor Matthias Pintscher; Kravis Emerging Composer Sean Shepherd; composer Julia Wolfe; and composer and senior editor of NewMusicBox Frank J. Oteri — will discuss what they consider to be this century’s emerging masterworks. Carol J. Oja, The Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic, will moderate the discussion, “21st-Century Landmarks,” June 4, 2014, at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.

NY PHIL BIENNIAL Play Dates and Bar Biennial

All audience members attending select NY PHIL BIENNIAL concerts will be invited to NY PHIL BIENNIAL Play Dates, post-concert meet-ups where they can mingle with composers and performers. Play Dates following Avery Fisher Hall concerts will take place at Bar Biennial, open for the duration of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL in the lobby of Avery Fisher Hall. Play Dates will take place after the following concerts:  May 30 at Avery Fisher Hall, Bar Biennial  June 3 at SubCulture  June 6 at Avery Fisher Hall, Bar Biennial  June 7 at Avery Fisher Hall, Bar Biennial

Biennial Pass holders will receive a total of two free drink vouchers redeemable at Play Dates. Additional details about Play Dates will be announced.

Broadcasts

Highlights from select NY PHIL BIENNIAL concerts will be broadcast on WFMT’s nationally syndicated new-music program Relevant Tones, available at blogs.wfmt.com/relevanttones, and posted for on-demand streaming by Q2 Music, WQXR’s online stream dedicated to contemporary music, available at wqxr.org/q2music. The first Relevant Tones broadcast will feature selections from the Beyond Recall program and will air on Saturday, May 31 at 7:00 p.m. Relevant Tones will air two other broadcasts featuring highlights from the NY PHIL BIENNIAL on Wednesday, July 2 at 7:00 p.m. and Wednesday, July 9 at 7:00 p.m. Q2 broadcast dates and times will be announced at a later date.

Kameramusik

The New York Philharmonic Archives will present Kameramusik, an electronic media/photography installation by visual artist Anneliese Varaldiev, which features portraits of living composers whose work is being presented at the NY PHIL BIENNIAL. The installation will be on display May 28–June 7 in the Bruno Walter Gallery on Avery Fisher Hall’s Grand Promenade and will be open to ticket holders.

Anneliese Varaldiev’s work has been shown widely in the United States and Europe, including recent exhibits in the 55th Venice Biennale and at the Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany. Her photographs are in the permanent collections of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and the Cinémathèque française, among others.

Biennial Pass

Concertgoers can purchase a Biennial Pass for admission to all NY PHIL BIENNIAL programs as well as two free beverages redeemable at Play Dates. Biennial Passes are $95 each and are available by calling 212-875-5656.

NY PHIL BIENNIAL To Open with Gotham Chamber Opera’s Presentation of U.S. Premiere of Toshio HOSOKAWA’s The Raven and André CAPLET’s Conte fantastique May 28 and 30–31, 2014, at John Jay College, Gerald W. Lynch Theater

In the opening program of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, Gotham Chamber Opera will present the U.S. Premiere of Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting tale of love, loss, and madness come to life: The Raven by Toshio Hosokawa (Japan, b. 1955). Conducted by Gotham Chamber Opera’s artistic director Neal Goren; directed, choreographed, and with scenic design by Luca Veggetti; and featuring mezzo-soprano Fredrika Brillembourg and dancer Alessandra Ferri, the monodrama is the centerpiece of a program that includes a second work inspired by a Poe story, André Caplet’s (France, 1878–1925) Conte fantastique, featuring harpist Sivan Magen and a string quartet, after “The Masque of the Red Death.” One of the city’s most vital arts organizations, Gotham Chamber Opera is dedicated to the performance of rarely staged chamber operas. Clifton Taylor is the production’s lighting designer and co-scenic designer and Peter Speliopoulos is the costume designer. This program, May 28 and 30–31, 2014, at John Jay College’s Gerald W.

Lynch Theater, is a presentation of Gotham Chamber Opera, which for these performances is collaborating with the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL.

Mr. Hosokawa has said of his works: “I am searching for a new form of Japanese spiritual culture and music, one through which I can remain true to myself as well as to my origins.” The composer draws inspiration from ancient traditions like Zen Buddhism (with its connection to nature and its balanced appreciation of life and death) and gagaku (centuries-old music performed at Japan’s imperial court), as well as from avant-garde works by 20th-century Western composers.

The Raven offers a twist on the Japanese Noh play, a theatrical genre dating to the 14th century. In a program note, Mr. Hosokawa wrote that The Raven reminded him of a Noh play, which often features animals and spirits as main characters, and that he was intrigued by how Poe depicted “the collapse of the modern rational world as a consequence of an invasion of the world by a weird animal ‘raven,’ which lives in the other world.” Although Noh usually is performed by masked men portraying both male and female roles, Mr. Hosokawa wrote the protagonist’s part for a woman, sung in these performances by mezzo-soprano Fredrika Brillembourg. Known for her versatility in music ranging from Wagner to Ligeti, Ms. Brillembourg also performed in the World Premiere of Mr. Hosokawa’s opera Hanjo in 2004.

Alessandra Ferri (a former prima ballerina assoluta with the Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and La Scala Theatre Ballet) dances the role of the Raven, portraying what stage director, choreographer, and scenic designer Luca Veggetti describes as “the inner world of the main character.” The Raven is scored for 12 instrumentalists, in addition to the mezzo-soprano.

Neal Goren said: “Upon hearing Toshio Hosokawa’s music for the first time, I was shocked that I had not known of this modern master previously. His music is wildly sensual and atmospheric, with luminous colors and exhibiting a huge emotional range. When I heard The Raven performed in Amsterdam in 2012, Poe’s text again struck me as a brilliant depiction of free-floating anxiety, a surgically precise deconstruction of a neurosis, obsessively observed from all angles. The unsettling text interacted with Hosokawa’s diaphanous, iridescent colors to create an unforgettable evening of haunting, intense beauty. It will be my joy and honor to conduct the U.S. Premiere of The Raven for the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, contributing to this innovative exploration of new music today.”

Staged Production of HK GRUBER’s Gloria – A Pig Tale Juilliard’s AXIOM Ensemble To Be Conducted by ALAN GILBERT Created by DOUG FITCH and GIANTS ARE SMALL May 29–30 and June 1, 2014, at THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Alan Gilbert will lead a staged performance of Gloria – A Pig Tale, a two-act comic opera by HK Gruber (Austria, b. 1943), featuring vocalists affiliated with The Juilliard School — soprano Lauren Snouffer, mezzo-soprano Brenda Patterson, tenor Alexander Lewis, baritone

Carlton Ford, and bass Kevin Burdette — as well as Juilliard’s AXIOM ensemble. The performance will be directed and designed by Doug Fitch, produced by Edouard Getaz, and staged by Giants Are Small; James Smith is production manager, Kate Noll is set designer, and Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew is lighting designer. This program, May 29–30 and June 1, 2014, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, is a co-presentation of the New York Philharmonic, The Juilliard School, and Met Museum Presents, the performance and talk series at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Gloria – A Pig Tale (1992–94) has been noted for its fast-paced action, syncopated rhythms, and challenging vocals. Described as “neo-tonal” and “neo-Viennese,” Gruber’s work stands out for its variety of influences (from jazz and cabaret to pop and modern music) as well as its skillful invocation of irony and dark humor. Alan Gilbert led Philharmonic musicians and Mr. Gruber, as chansonnier, in a performance of the composer’s “pan-demonium” Frankenstein!! as part of CONTACT!, the new-music series, in December 2011. Gloria – A Pig Tale tells the story of a pig named Gloria, whose beauty and curly, golden hair leave her ostracized among the other pigs in her sty who are envious of her looks and disdainful of their unconventionality. Gloria’s desire for love and acceptance causes her to fall for a butcher she mistakenly believes to be a prince, but she is rescued in time from her would-be assassin by another outcast, a wild boar named Rodrigo. This unprecedented production will transform the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium with an imaginative landscape that brings farm to stage with costumes, sets, and projections. “I enjoy blurring the lines that delineate categories and this production will be no different,” says director/designer Doug Fitch. “Rather than seeing my signature sketchy drawings come to life via live-animation though, I am building soft, full-body, masks that look sort of like large Dubuffet drawings, allowing singers to quickly shift from being a cow to a frog to a pig — like New Yorker cartoons brought to life by a bunch of operatic rednecks!”

Alan Gilbert said: “HK Gruber is an iconoclastic, crazy, fabulous composer. When the Philharmonic performed his Frankenstein!!, the performance coupled perfection with a magnificent irreverence, and I know this same excitement will happen again when the forces from Juilliard perform this wonderful opera. Doug Fitch’s signature visual touch combined with his incredibly developed dramatic sense, along with his total, faithful, and sensitive commitment to music, will be the perfect way to present Gloria – A Pig Tale in the ideal setting of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

The New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert last collaborated with Doug Fitch, Edouard Getaz, and their production company Giants Are Small in June 2013 for A Dancer’s Dream: Two Works by Stravinsky. In June 2011 the New York Philharmonic and Giants Are Small collaborated on the acclaimed staged production of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. In June 2010 they staged Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, a critical success that was named the number one cultural event of the year by several media outlets.

Limor Tomer, general manager of Concerts & Lectures at the Metropolitan Museum, said: “The NY PHIL BIENNIAL and Met Museum Presents are a perfect match, exuberantly embracing the newest works to enter the classical

canon. I can’t imagine a more thrilling prospect than working with the dynamic and irrepressible team of Doug Fitch and Alan Gilbert!”

Ara Guzelimian, provost and dean of The Juilliard School, said: “Juilliard salutes the New York Philharmonic’s first NY PHIL BIENNIAL, and is delighted to be a partner. It is a privilege for our musicians in the AXIOM ensemble to have the opportunity to participate in this collaborative venture with Alan Gilbert (who is also Juilliard’s Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies) in the wonderful setting of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

CONTACT! at the Biennial: MATTHIAS PINTSCHER To Conduct Beyond Recall, U.S. Premieres of Music Inspired by Sculptures Selected for the Salzburg Art Project With Soprano Jennifer Zetlan and Bass-Baritone Evan Hughes May 29 and 31, 2014, at THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Conductor-composer Matthias Pintscher conducts and curates Beyond Recall, a collection of nine works, each inspired by a work of art residing in Salzburg and created through the Kunstprojekt Salzburg (Salzburg Art Project), which brings contemporary art to the Austrian city’s public spaces. This program of all U.S. Premieres will be performed by New York Philharmonic musicians, soprano Jennifer Zetlan, and bass-baritone Evan Hughes in his Philharmonic debut as part of CONTACT!, the Philharmonic’s new-music series that takes place in venues across the city. Taking place on May 29 and 31, 2014, in The Museum of Modern Art’s Agnes Gund Garden Lobby, these performances of Beyond Recall are a co-presentation of the New York Philharmonic and The Museum of Modern Art.

Matthias Pintscher — appointed music director of Paris’s Ensemble Intercontemporain beginning with the 2013–14 season — selected the composers and determined which composer should respond to which Salzburg Art Project art work. The program will include Dai Fujikura’s (Japan, b. 1977) silence seeking solace on Stephan Balkenhol’s Sphaera / Frau im Fels; Vito Zuraj’s (Slovenia, b. 1979) Insideout on Manfred Wakolbinger’s Connection; Bruno Mantovani’s (France, b. 1974) Spirit of Alberti on Marina Abramovic’s Spirit of Mozart; Olga Neuwirth’s (Austria, b. 1968) Piazza dei Numeri on Mario Merz’s Ziffern im Wald; Michael Jarrell’s (Switzerland, b. 1958) Adtende, ubi albescit veritas on Christian Boltanski’s Vanitas; Johannes Maria Staud’s (Austria, b. 1974) Caldera on Anthony Cragg’s Caldera; Mark Andre’s (France, b. 1964) E2 on James Turrell’s Sky-Space; Nina Šenk’s (Slovenia, b. 1982) In the Absence on Erwin Wurm’s Gurken; and Jay Schwartz’s (United States, b. 1965) M on Markus Lupertz’s Mozart – Eine Hommage.

Beyond Recall is a project by the Salzburg Foundation, based on the concept formulated by Bernd Heinrich Dinter and under the musical and curatorial direction of Matthias Pintscher. The program received its World Premiere at the Salzburg Festival in August 2013 with Mr. Pintscher conducting the Scharoun Ensemble, comprised of members of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Matthias Pintscher said: “I am very excited to bring Beyond Recall to the NY PHIL BIENNIAL for its U.S. premiere. I have had the honor of selecting young composers who I think represent today’s musical composition in all its diversity to write pieces that directly relate to nine of the Salzburg Art Project’s installations. The artistic outcome of this collaboration between visual and sonic artists is fascinating. As a passionate contemporary art lover, I feel very enthusiastic about curating this outstanding project. It is an honor to now be bringing it to the world’s epicenter of contemporary art: New York City.”

Bernd Heinrich Dinter said: “Salzburg’s rich musical history inspired me to create a series of compositions, each of which spoke to a particular commissioned artwork of the Salzburg Art Project. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with Matthias Pintscher as the curator of this project, and particularly gratifying to see it come to New York as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL so soon after its premiere this past summer.”

Now in its fifth season in 2013–14, CONTACT!, the New York Philharmonic’s new-music series, is extending its reach to diverse audiences by presenting in new locations across New York City. Dedicated to the works of emerging and iconic contemporary composers, CONTACT! during the current season has evolved to feature works for larger ensembles, such as this program, as well as more intimate programs performed by New York Philharmonic musicians and distinguished soloists.

Bang on a Can All-Stars and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street New York Premiere of Julia WOLFE’s Anthracite Fields JULIAN WACHNER To Conduct

New York Philharmonic To Perform New York Premiere of Steven MACKEY’s Oratorio DREAMHOUSE With Vocalist/Co-Librettist Rinde Eckert, Synergy Vocals, and Catch Electric Guitar Quartet JAYCE OGREN To Conduct May 30–31, 2014, at Avery Fisher Hall

Works by two American composers — Julia Wolfe (United States, b. 1958) and Steven Mackey (United States, b. 1956) — reacting to American culture and highlighting unusual instrumentation will form a double bill featuring the Bang on a Can All-Stars, in its Philharmonic debut, on the first half of the program, and the New York Philharmonic on the second half. The Bang on a Can All-Stars and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, also in its Philharmonic debut, will perform the New York Premiere of Julia Wolfe’s unique and compelling oratorio Anthracite Fields, conducted by Julian Wachner, in his Philharmonic debut. Jayce Ogren will conduct the New York Philharmonic in the New York Premiere of the powerful, Grammy-nominated oratorio Dreamhouse by Steven Mackey, featuring Mr. Mackey’s co-librettist, vocalist Rinde Eckert, making his Philharmonic debut, as well as Synergy Vocals and Catch Electric Guitar Quartet (the latter also in its Philharmonic debut). This program, May 30–31, 2014, at Avery Fisher Hall, is a presentation of the New York Philharmonic.

Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields (2013), commissioned through New Music USA (previously Meet the Composer) and the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, explores coal-mining life and the fields of central Pennsylvania near her hometown. The composer draws from oral histories, interviews, speeches, geographic descriptions, local rhymes, and coal advertisements in creating this intimate look at a particular slice of American life. Ms. Wolfe has described her compositional influences as “funk, hip-hop, Appalachian folk music, Led Zeppelin, and Beethoven.” Julia Wolfe, along with composers David Lang and Michael Gordon, co-founded Bang on a Can in 1987 and its renowned ensemble the Bang on a Can All-Stars in 1992, and remains one of its artistic directors. The Bang on a Can All-Stars is a six-member ensemble dedicated to performing a unique and innovative blend of classical, rock, and other music traditions and is renowned worldwide for its high-intensity, amplified live concerts. This program will follow a month after the work’s World Premiere in Philadelphia with the All-Stars and the Mendelssohn Club chorus. This season sees the release of Julia Wolfe’s Steel Hammer, a musical exploration of the myriad of legends surrounding the figure of John Henry, and which Ms. Wolfe describes as a companion work to Anthracite Fields. Recorded by the Norwegian vocal ensemble Trio Mediaeval and the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Steel Hammer will be released on Cantaloupe Music on April 29, 2014.

Julia Wolfe said: “I am thrilled that in its inaugural year the NY PHIL BIENNIAL welcomes Bang on a Can in Anthracite Fields to the stage. The NY PHIL BIENNIAL is all about new work, and this piece is hot off the press — the ink still wet.”

When Mr. Mackey received the commission for Dreamhouse (2003) from NPS (Dutch Radio) in 2001, his immediate desire was “simply to hear a band of diverse elements playing and singing together with abandon — a traditional symphony orchestra, twanging electric guitars, [a] pure- toned vocal quartet, and a somewhat theatrical ‘front man’ inhabiting a place between operatic tenor and Jim Morrison.” Mr. Mackey identifies the work’s influences as “allegorical texts in ’60s psychedelic rock, the symphonic vocalise of 16th-century masses and motets, and the unstaged theatricality of baroque oratorio.” Mr. Mackey’s background as an electric guitarist has strongly influenced his writing; in addition to composing two concertos for the instrument, his score for Dreamhouse calls for the use of three such guitars. Mr. Mackey co-wrote the libretto with longtime collaborator Rinde Eckert during a time of post-9/11 introspection as a meditation on the American Dream, “not as political commentary per se but rather a journal of self- reflection.”

Steven Mackey said: “Dreamhouse uses the design and construction of a house as a metaphor for the inevitable fragility of human endeavor. As the libretto says, ‘No matter how precisely strings are laid, there will be foundation flaws.’ One could say that the piece was instigated by a need to return to creativity following the challenges, personal and otherwise, in the wake of 9/11. It is a dream come true that the first-ever presentation of my music by the New York Philharmonic will be Dreamhouse, not only because it is my most ambitious work but also because, from its inception, it was tied to this great city.”

Mr. Eckert, Synergy Vocals, and Catch Electric Guitar Quartet performed on the 2010 recording of Dreamhouse, which was nominated for three Grammy Awards. Mr. Eckert and Mr. Mackey are members of Big Farm, the “prog-rock” super group with drummer Jason Treuting of So Percussion and bassist Mark Haanstra. Synergy Vocals has worked extensively with composer Steve Reich, and has performed music by composers including Louis Andriessen, Christian Henson, and the composers of Bang on a Can. Synergy Vocals last appeared with the Philharmonic in January–February 2008 performing Berio’s Sinfonia, led by then-Music Director Lorin Maazel. Catch Electric Guitar Quartet officially formed when it performed Dreamhouse’s World Premiere in 2003. Since then, the ensemble has performed premieres by Christopher Fox and Peter Adriaansz.

New York Philharmonic Musicians To Perform Works by VERY YOUNG COMPOSERS of the New York Philharmonic in Very Young Composers of the New York Philharmonic: The Continuum May 31, 2014, at Merkin Concert Hall

The NY PHIL BIENNIAL will also highlight the youngest composers of tomorrow through Very Young Composers of the New York Philharmonic: The Continuum, a performance of chamber works written by participants in the Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers and Composer’s Bridge programs performed by the Orchestra’s musicians. Conducted by Michael Adelson, featuring soprano Lucy Shelton, and co-hosted by Young Composers Advocate Jon Deak and New York Philharmonic Vice President, Education, Theodore Wiprud, the concert will showcase the breadth and depth of music created by these New York City–area elementary and middle school students. This program, May 31, 2014, at Merkin Concert Hall, is a presentation of the New York Philharmonic.

The concert presents music by elementary, middle school, high school, and Teaching Artist composers participating in the Philharmonic’s extensive education programs. The program will include works by middle-school student Milo Poniewozik (United States, b. 2001), who was featured on NPR for his composition The Globetrotter, which the New York Philharmonic performed at a School Day Concert in May 2012; Daniel Acosta (Venezuela, b. 2003), a member of the Jóvenes Compositores de Venezuela, a VYC-inspired program associated with Venezuela’s El Sistema youth orchestra network; Farah Taslima (Bangladesh, b. 1995), matriculating at Columbia University in September, whose piece Serenity was played by Philharmonic and North Korean musicians on the Philharmonic’s historic visit to Pyongyang, DPRK, in 2008; and Very Young Composers Teaching Artist Richard Carrick (France, b. 1971, now a U.S. resident), whose work Duo Flow was performed by Philharmonic violinist Kuan Cheng Lu and cellist Eric Bartlett at a New York Philharmonic Ensembles concert in October 2008.

Theodore Wiprud, New York Philharmonic Vice President, Education, said: “An extraordinary community of composers is evolving through the Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program, and being part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL is bound to have a big impact on these emerging voices. Since the NY PHIL BIENNIAL is an exhibition of what is happening today in music, it is only right that we also include a concert that points to what will be happening tomorrow.”

The New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program — created by Young Composers Advocate Jon Deak, a noted composer and former Associate Principal Bass — enables public school students with or without a musical background to compose music that will be performed by Philharmonic musicians. Graduates of the Very Young Composers program may join the Composer’s Bridge program in middle school. High school–age composers often return to assist Teaching Artists, who work with the younger students. In Very Young Composers, students make every compositional decision, including orchestration. Each season, more than 100 new works by Very Young Composers are premiered by ensembles of Philharmonic musicians, or by the full Orchestra at the Philharmonic’s School Day Concerts. At least eight foreign countries have established their own VYC-inspired programs.

Jon Deak said: “It will be so exciting to be able to hear a cross-section of the entire continuum of the Very Young Composers program on the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, from grade schoolers through adults. Young people empowered to express themselves musically are giving us a glimpse of the future.”

PABLO HERAS-CASADO To Lead ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE’S in Two NY PHIL BIENNIAL PROGRAMS: Circles of Influence: Boulez and Benjamin

Circles of Influence: Pierre Boulez, Featuring Works by Pierre Boulez, Heinz Holliger, Bruno Mantovani, Marc-André Dalbavie, and Philippe Manoury May 31, 2014, at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center

Pablo Heras-Casado, who, at New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert’s invitation is a co-curator of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, will lead Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Circles of Influence: Pierre Boulez, a program that celebrates the legacy of Pierre Boulez (France, b. 1925), an important and influential composer of unique, complex, and controversial music as well as a groundbreaking conductor of 20th-century music. Pierre Boulez’s own works will be set alongside those by four composers whose careers intersected with his: Bruno Mantovani (France, b. 1974), Heinz Holliger (Switzerland, b. 1939), Philippe Manoury (France, b. 1952), and Marc-André Dalbavie (France, b. 1961). Ara Guzelimian, provost and dean of The Juilliard School, and Pablo Heras-Casado will co-host the program, introducing each work from the stage and discussing themes within the program. This program, May 31, 2014, at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, is a co-presentation by the New York Philharmonic and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. It is one of the ensemble’s two contributions to the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, which together are titled Circles of Influence: Boulez and Benjamin.

Pierre Boulez was greatly inspired by the composers of the Second Viennese School, and his interest in the 12-tone system led to his own innovative and radical explorations of serialism, pitch multiplication, and other techniques. As founding director of the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique Musique (IRCAM) and founder of the French chamber orchestra Ensemble Intercontemporain (EIC), he became a seminal influence on a generation of composers. Among his many important conducting posts, he was Music Director of the New

York Philharmonic from 1971 to 1977. During his Philharmonic tenure, Boulez was a fierce advocate of contemporary music and, among other initiatives, introduced the now legendary Rug Concerts.

Orchestra of St. Luke’s will perform Mr. Boulez’s Mémoriale ( … explosante-fixe … Originel) (1985), featuring flutist Elizabeth Mann, and Une page d’éphéméride (2005), featuring pianist Margaret Kampmeier. The first, for flute and eight instruments, is drawn from Mr. Boulez’s … explosante-fixe …, conceived in 1971 as a tribute to Stravinsky. The Philharmonic performed the final version of … explosante-fixe … in December 2012 on CONTACT!, the new-music series. Mr. Boulez wrote Une page d’éphéméride as part of Universal Edition’s Piano Project, designed to introduce contemporary music to young piano students; noted for its charm and arguably lush sonority, the piece features toccata-like bursts and allows for a studied exploration of pitch.

The works by Pierre Boulez will be juxtaposed with works by composers he influenced: the U.S. Premiere of Turbulences by Bruno Mantovani, who from 1998 to 1999 studied computer music at IRCAM and whose work Streets was led by Mr. Boulez, the work’s dedicatee, in the World Premiere in 2006 by the EIC; the U.S. Premiere of Ostinato funèbre (1991) by Heinz Holliger, who studied composition with Mr. Boulez; the U.S. Premiere of Strange Ritual (2005) by Philippe Manoury, who joined IRCAM in 1980 as a composer and as a researcher of electronic music — in 1997 Mr. Boulez recorded Mr. Manoury’s La Partition du ciel et de l’enfer (1989) and Jupiter (1987) with the EIC; and the U.S. Premiere of Concertino by Marc-André Dalbavie, who studied conducting with Mr. Boulez in 1987, and whose works Mr. Boulez conducted in the following years: Diadèmes (1986), Seuils (1991–93), and Flute Concerto (2006), among other works.

Orchestra of St. Luke’s has commissioned more than 50 works; given more than 150 world, U.S., and New York City premieres; and made more than 90 recordings — four of which have won Grammy awards. Pablo Heras-Casado was named Orchestra of St. Luke’s principal conductor in 2011 and was recently honored as Conductor of the Year by Musical America.

Pablo Heras-Casado said: “An exciting thing about new music is hearing the influence of the past, while witnessing music’s continuous evolution. Our first program at the NY PHIL BIENNIAL will celebrate my mentor and friend Pierre Boulez. I look forward to presenting Boulez’s own music alongside pieces he curated specifically for this concert, by composers whom he deeply respects.”

PABLO HERAS-CASADO To Lead ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE’S in Circles of Influence: George Benjamin, Featuring Works by George Benjamin, Ryan Wigglesworth, Colin Matthews, and Helen Grime June 1, 2014, at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center

Pablo Heras-Casado will lead Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Circles of Influence: George Benjamin, a program celebrating the influential 20th-century English composer and scholar George Benjamin (United Kingdom, b. 1960). Mr. Benjamin’s works will be set alongside the works of four colleagues and compatriots: British composers Ryan Wigglesworth (United Kingdom,

13 b. 1979), Colin Matthews (United Kingdom, b. 1946), and Helen Grime (United Kingdom, b. 1981). This program, June 1, 2014, at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, is a co-presentation by the New York Philharmonic and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. It is the second of the ensemble’s two contributions to the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, which together are titled Circles of Influence: Boulez and Benjamin.

George Benjamin’s sparse oeuvre is consistently praised for its unique sonorities, superior counterpoint, and transcendent beauty. The composer has said: “I am obsessed with harmony and the perception of harmony. I don’t write music in which I can’t hear the harmonies and can’t tell whether the notes are in the right place or not.” He studied with Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatoire during the second half of the 1970s; his orchestral piece Ringed by the Flat Horizon, performed at the BBC Proms in August 1980 while he was still a student, made him the youngest composer ever to have had music performed at the Proms. His recent opera Written on Skin was a major event of the 2012–13 season, with triumphant premieres at the Aix-en- Provence Festival and Covent Garden; further performances took place in 2013 at the Munich Opera Festival, Wiener Festwochen, and, in a student concert performance, at Tanglewood Music Center’s Festival of Contemporary Music.

The program will include the New York Premieres of Mr. Benjamin’s Upon Silence (1990), featuring mezzo-soprano Abigail Fischer, and Octet (1978). The intimate Upon Silence, set to Yeats’s poem “Long-Legged Fly” and originally scored for mezzo-soprano and five viols, was subsequently transcribed by the composer for modern instruments. Mr. Benjamin wrote that his Octet, composed when he was only 18, “was very much my first attempt to integrate all that I had learnt in Paris on an instrumental canvas.”

The program will juxtapose the above works with those by other prominent contemporary British composers: the U.S. Premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth’s A First Book of Inventions (2010); Colin Matthews’s Suns Dance (1985) and the U.S. Premiere of Night Rides; and the U.S. Premiere of Helen Grime’s Luna (2011).

Orchestra of St. Luke’s has commissioned more than 50 works; given more than 150 world, U.S., and New York City premieres; and appeared on more than 90 recordings — four of which have won Grammy awards. Pablo Heras-Casado was named Orchestra of St. Luke’s principal conductor in 2011.

Pablo Heras-Casado said: “Orchestra of St. Luke’s second concert as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL features four fantastic contemporary British composers who, for me, represent a compositional tradition of great musical transparency and technical skill. I am eager to introduce these composers and their works — many of which will be New York premieres — to a wider American audience.”

Musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s SPECIAL MUSIC SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL To Perform Their Own Compositions; FACE THE MUSIC To Perform World Premiere of HUANG Ruo’s Chamber Concerto No. 2, The Lost Garden, and Vijay IYER’s Three Fragments June 1, 2014, at David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center

The New York Philharmonic has invited Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School High School (SMSHS), committed to fostering the composers of tomorrow, to showcase the work of young student composers as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL. Students from SMSHS and the Center’s Face the Music ensemble — conducted by SMSHS music director Dr. Jenny Undercofler, Vasudevan Panicker, and Sandra Noreen — will perform works composed by a combination of student and established composers that reflect the theme “East Meets West.” This free program, June 1, 2014, at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, is a presentation of Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School High School and its Face the Music ensemble as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL.

Dr. Undercofler will conduct SMSHS students in the World Premiere of Beyond Outer by SMSHS student Zachary Detrick; Sandra Noreen will conduct SMSHS students in the World Premiere of Vote for Sheriff by SMSHS student Julian Galesi. The Face the Music ensemble, led by Dr. Undercofler, will give the World Premiere of the chamber orchestra version of Chamber Concerto No. 2, The Lost Garden (2001), by Huang Ruo (China, b. 1976, now a U.S. resident) — a work that requires its eight players to sing, chant, act, speak, and move about the stage. Vasudevan Panicker will conduct Face the Music in Grammy-nominated, New York City– based jazz pianist Vijay Iyer’s (United States, b. 1971) Three Fragments (2011), which composer Darcy James Argue called “a rhythm-shifting tour de force.”

The SMSHS is an extension of the Special Music School (P.S. 859), which the Kaufman Music Center and New York City Department of Education co-founded in 1996 with the goal of combining pre-conservatory level music studies with a rigorous academic program. With the opening of the Special Music School High School in the fall of 2013, the Special Music School (of which the High School is a component) became the only K–12 school in the city that offers music as a core subject. Kaufman Music Center’s Face the Music ensemble, which Dr. Undercofler founded in 2005, comprises more than 170 musicians between the ages of 11 and 18 from more than 40 schools across the New York metropolitan area. One of the few youth orchestras in the country dedicated to performing works by living classical composers, Face the Music has performed pieces by Steve Reich, Nico Muhly, and others.

Dr. Jenny Undercofler said: “The Special Music School High School, which is dedicated to the music of now, is honored to participate in the first-ever NY PHIL BIENNIAL. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to present some of what is most current in the burgeoning ‘young new-music’ scene in New York City.”

CONTACT! at the Biennial: World Premiere–New York Philharmonic Commissions of Solo Works by YOUNG AMERICAN COMPOSERS, Co-Presented with 92Y June 3, 2014, at SUBCULTURE

Musicians from the New York Philharmonic will perform solo works by young American composers, including five World Premiere–New York Philharmonic Commissions and one New York Premiere, on CONTACT!, the Philharmonic’s new-music series. Marc Kaplan, co- founder/director of SubCulture, will host the concert, briefly interviewing each composer and soloist duo before each work is performed. This program, June 3, 2014, at SubCulture, is a co- presentation of the New York Philharmonic and 92nd Street Y.

The New York Philharmonic’s Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence Christopher Rouse said: “The six composers featured in this program are writing music of real substance and worth. I’m really delighted with the makeup of the group, which represents quite a wide range of styles and offers a fine snapshot of the variety of approaches American composers are pursuing. The NY PHIL BIENNIAL is an exciting new idea for New York, and I’m delighted that the Philharmonic has taken the lead in its conception and ultimate realization.”

Hanna Arie-Gaifman, director of 92nd Street Y’s Tisch Center for the Arts, said: “CONTACT! is more than a symbolic title for this series. It points to the relationship between today’s music, composers, musicians, audience, and all of us who make music happen. It also hints at the creative partnership between 92nd Street Y and the New York Philharmonic: innovative, energetic, and, like the music we jointly present, quite intimate. I am thrilled that CONTACT!, with 92Y’s participation in its chamber facet, is part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL and its celebration of the life and creation of music today, here and now.”

Philharmonic cellist Sumire Kudo will perform the World Premiere–New York Philharmonic Commission of Eight Takes by Paola Prestini (Italy, b. 1975, now a U.S. resident). Named one of the top 100 composers in the world under 40 by NPR, Ms. Prestini has said her influences range “from [John] Zorn (his music, his life) and [Philip] Glass to Beethoven, Palestrina, and folk music.” She has composed numerous solo works, including Limpopo Songs for solo piano, Sympathique for solo viola, and Phoenix for solo violin. In 1999 Ms. Prestini co-founded VisionIntoArt, which has created more than 50 multimedia productions around the world; she recently became creative director of the Brooklyn-based Original Music Workshop.

Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi will perform the World Premiere–New York Philharmonic Commission of As Above, So Below by Eric Nathan (United States, b. 1983). Mr. Nathan — who has composed solo works for trumpet, piano, clarinet, and soprano — has said: “My biggest influences are from other art forms: painting, sculpture, dance, poetry. I analyze how each artwork is constructed, and this usually informs the processes and structures I use in my work. I’m also inspired by the physicality of performing music; when I compose I try to imagine someone performing the piece visually in my mind. As a result I think gesture plays a large role in my pieces, both musically and also with the physical reaction it produces.”

Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young will perform the World Premiere–New York Philharmonic Commission of Threaded Madrigals by Oscar Bettison (United Kingdom, b. 1976, now a U.S. resident). Known for his innovative approach to presenting concert music, Mr. Bettison reimagines the instruments he composes for, finding new and unusual ways to employ them and incorporating electro-acoustic elements and instruments commonly used in rock music.

Philharmonic pianist Eric Huebner will perform the New York Premiere of Four Pieces for Solo Piano (2010) by Ryan Brown (United States, b. 1979). Comprising Cellar Door, Buckle, Stage Whisper, and Shoestring, the work uses the highest registers of the instrument to create percussive, playful, and strangely beautiful and engrossing mini-works. Ryan Brown’s music reflects his diverse musical tastes and background as an electric guitarist and bassist, and has been performed by pianist Lisa Moore, guitarist Mark Stewart, Robin Cox Ensemble, BluePrint Project, Great Noise Ensemble, and MATA Festival. His teachers have included Dan Becker, Martin Herman, Steven Mackey, Julia Wolfe, and David Lang. As a celebrated electric guitarist and electric bassist, Mr. Brown has been featured in works by John Adams, Steve Reich, and Steven Mackey.

Philharmonic violinist Yulia Ziskel will perform the World Premiere–New York Philharmonic Commission of Of Sorrow Born: Seven Elegies by Michael Hersch (United States, b. 1971). Mr. Hersch has previously composed works for solo violin, including a commission from violinist Midori (who will be featured in the June 5 and 7 NY PHIL BIENNIAL performances). Celebrated composer George Rochberg said of Mr. Hersch’s works: “His music sounds the dark places of the human heart and soul. The inherent drama of his work is remarkable for being completely un-self-conscious, unstudied and powerful in its projection, convinced and convincing.”

Philharmonic clarinetist Pascual Martínez Forteza will perform the World Premiere–New York Philharmonic Commission of Fandanglish by Chris Kapica (United States, b. 1986). An in- demand bass clarinetist, electric guitarist, and electric bassist as well as composer, Mr. Kapica draws on a wide range of influences in his compositions, including R&B, rock, flamenco, jazz, and world music. He is a former student of the New York Philharmonic’s Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence Christopher Rouse.

Pianist MARINO FORMENTI To Perform Solo Recital Liszt Inspections Music by Franz LISZT Juxtaposed with Works by Modern and Contemporary Masters June 4, 2014, at LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic have invited Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to participate in the NY PHIL BIENNIAL with an intimate concert featuring Italian pianist Marino Formenti. The solo recital, Liszt Inspections, will provide a fresh look at the work of Franz Liszt (Hungary, 1811–86) and his sonic legacy by juxtaposing performances of his compositions with those of modern and contemporary masters. Complimentary wine will be

17 served. This program, June 4, 2014, at Lincoln Center’s Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, is a presentation of Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL.

Marino Formenti said: “This program explores the astonishing and prophetic aspects in the music of Liszt, who foresaw not only atonality, but also dodecaphony, spatial music, music without development, concept music, and minimalist music. By joining works of the 19th-century Hungarian Liszt with 20th-century mavericks, I have attempted to inspect, examine, and reveal multifarious and enlightening relationships and show how beautiful and timeless modern music can be. I am honored to contribute to the first-ever NY PHIL BIENNIAL.”

The program will feature Liszt’s Hungarian Folksong No. 5, Piano Piece No. 2 in A-flat major, Bagatelle without tonality, Michael Mosonyi, Funérailles, Au lac de Wallenstadt, Lullaby, and Resignation. These works will be woven into a program that also includes Knabenschwermut by Friedrich Cerha (Austria, b. 1926); … Waiting for Susan … by György Kurtág (Romania, b. 1926); Étude No. 3, Touches bloquées, by György Ligeti (Romania, 1923–2006); Speech of clouds by Gérard Pesson (France, b. 1958); Piano Piece No. 6, Bagatelles, and Piano Piece No. 7 by Wolfgang Rihm (Germany, b. 1952); Piano Sonata No. 6 by Galina Ustvolskaya (Russia, 1919–2006); Wasserklavier by Luciano Berio (Italy, 1925–2003); China Gates by John Adams (United States, b. 1947); and Piano Piece (1964) by Morton Feldman (United States, 1926–87).

Known for his compelling and innovative interpretations of the piano repertoire, Mr. Formenti explores relationships between past and present composers, underscoring how modern masterpieces are as timeless as the classics; according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Formenti does for the piano recital what James Joyce did for the novel. He made his New York debut in April 2004 at Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series and his New York Philharmonic debut in March 2011 performing Ligeti’s Piano Concerto.

Jane Moss, Ehrenkranz Artistic Director of Lincoln Center, said: “We feel our program with pianist and new-music specialist Marino Formenti in the special ambience of the Kaplan Penthouse perfectly complements the significant orchestral programming of the biennial. We are delighted to have Lincoln Center participate in the NY PHIL BIENNIAL and applaud this important new addition to New York’s contemporary music scene. I have no doubt that the biennial in its reach and ambition is certain to make a major contribution to the advancement of the music of our time.”

ALAN GILBERT To Conduct WORLD PREMIERE of Christopher ROUSE’s Symphony No. 4, New York Premiere of Peter EÖTVÖS’s DoReMi with MIDORI, and World Premieres of Two Works To Be Selected from National Open Call for Scores Facilitated by American Composers Orchestra’s EARSHOT Program June 5 and 7, 2014, at Avery Fisher Hall

The culmination of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL will feature Alan Gilbert leading the New York Philharmonic in a program that emphasizes the commitment to supporting the creation of new works and long-term relationships with composers that has become a hallmark of the Philharmonic under his leadership. The concerts will include the World Premiere of a large-scale symphony by Christopher Rouse (United States, b. 1949), now in his second season as The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence; violinist Midori performing the New York Premiere of DoReMi by Peter Eötvös (Hungary, b. 1944); and two works by young composers discovered through the assistance of the EarShot National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network. The program, June 5 and 7, 2014, at Avery Fisher Hall, is a presentation of the New York Philharmonic.

Christopher Rouse’s Symphony No. 4, commissioned for the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, is a 20- minute orchestral piece in two connected movements. In his composer note, Mr. Rouse writes: “For those of my scores in which I have had a reasonably specific expressive intent, I have usually tried to be open about the nature of that intent. However, there have been a few occasions when I have felt the need to say very little in this regard. While I did have a particular meaning in mind when composing my Symphony No. 4, I prefer to keep it to myself. Some listeners may find the piece baffling but will nonetheless have to guess.” He added that “there’s got to be some kind of expressive message in a piece of music. My caveat is that the message may not necessarily be a happy one, and you have to be open to that.” With this program, Alan Gilbert will become the first conductor to lead all four of Christopher Rouse’s symphonies. The 2013–14 season marks Mr. Rouse’s second year as the Orchestra’s Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in- Residence, and additionally serves as an advisor for CONTACT!, the Philharmonic’s new-music series, and for the NY PHIL BIENNIAL.

Peter Eötvös composed DoReMi (2011–12, rev. 2013), his second violin concerto, for Midori, a champion of new music, who gave the World Premiere of this work in 2013 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on the occasion of her 30th anniversary as a performer. About the work, the composer wrote: “After 60 years of experience … I liked the idea of returning to where I began as a youngster: putting voices above or next to each other like building blocks and finding pleasure in the variations of the successions.” Highly regarded as an opera as well as film-score composer, Mr. Eötvös’s wide-ranging influences include Carlo Gesualdo, Miles Davis, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of his early mentors. His scores, whether opera or instrumental, typically display dramatic or theatrical qualities and evoke their own unique tonal universe. Mr. Eötvös is one of the three composers with whom Henri Dutilleux shared the 2011 Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music at the New York Philharmonic.

The program will also include a work “hot off the press.” As part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, Alan Gilbert and EarShot, the National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network, put out an

open call for scores from emerging composers nationwide. On June 3, Mr. Gilbert will lead the Philharmonic in a reading session of six works selected from more than 400 submissions, at which the participants and their mentors will be present. Three of the works will then be selected to be performed as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL: one work on June 5 and the second on June 7 will be conducted by Alan Gilbert, and the third work will be featured on the June 6 program conducted by Matthias Pintscher. Alan Gilbert will meet with the participating composers before the reading, take part in feedback meetings along with Philharmonic musicians and mentor composers, and meet individually with the two composers whose works are selected.

A program of the American Composers Orchestra in collaboration with the American Composers Forum, League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA, EarShot helps orchestras around the country to identify and support promising composers in the early stages of their careers. EarShot advises organizations on the programs that would best suit their new-composer needs — from new-music readings to composer residencies and competitions — and assists with planning, identifying composers through its extensive nationwide calls, and program design and execution.

Alan Gilbert said: “This program is about artistic relationships and the Philharmonic’s commitment to contemporary music. Christopher Rouse’s music is highly individualistic but absolutely rooted in the tradition from which it springs, and we are deeply honored to give the premiere of his Fourth Symphony. Peter Eötvös also creates innovative music that stems from a rich tradition, and it will be a thrill for audiences to hear an electric performance from Midori, for whom he wrote the concerto and who is a long-standing friend of the Philharmonic as well as an amazing artist. I am particularly excited about the works that open these concerts, selected from our reading of works chosen through the ACO’s EarShot composition discovery program. We had no idea what we would receive in response to our call for scores, but were eager to share with our audience the freshest music from new voices today. Orchestras have the pleasure as well as responsibility to support today’s composers, so I am gratified that we are able to give these emerging composers a platform for discovery.”

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) To Hold 23rd Annual Underwood New Music Readings One Young Composer To Receive a $15,000 Commission for a Work To Be Performed by ACO in a Future Season June 6–7, 2014, at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music

Recognizing the American Composers Orchestra’s leadership in supporting and performing works by today’s emerging composers, Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic have invited the ACO to fill a critical role in engaging young composers as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL. The ACO’s 23rd annual Underwood New Music Readings, led by ACO music director George Manahan, will feature works by up to eight young composers, one of whom will receive a $15,000 commission to write a work that will be performed by ACO in a future season. This free program (reservations required), June 6–7, 2014, at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, is a presentation of American Composers Orchestra as part of the NY PHIL BIENNIAL.

The hands-on readings provide young composers at the beginning of their careers with the opportunity to meet with ACO musicians, ACO’s newly appointed artistic director Derek Bermel, music director George Manahan, artistic advisor laureate Robert Beaser, and members of the ACO artistic staff, as well as the chance to attend workshops on topics such as score preparation and copyright agreements. The readings are professionally recorded, and all of the featured composers receive feedback on their work from an advisory panel. ACO’s working rehearsal of the pieces, on June 6, 2014, will be open to the public, and will feature the young composers’ works. ACO will feature the same works in a run-through performance on June 7, 2014. Following the performance, ACO will select one of these composers to receive a $15,000 commission to write a work that will be performed by ACO in a future season.

Founded in 1977, ACO is dedicated to performing and supporting the creation of works by American composers. ACO has championed many composers in the early stages of their careers, including Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and Joseph Schwantner, both of whom received Pulitzer Prizes for ACO commissions, as well as Robert Beaser, Ingram Marshall, Joan Tower, Aaron Jay Kernis, Christopher Rouse, Sebastian Currier, and Tobias Picker, all of whom have created works that the New York Philharmonic has performed.

Michael Geller, executive director of ACO, said: “American Composers Orchestra looks forward to extending our role as a catalyst for emerging American composers by collaborating with the New York Philharmonic, whose NY PHIL BIENNIAL has a mission kindred to our own. For 23 years, through our Underwood New Music Readings, we have given emerging composers a hands-on opportunity to work directly with a professional orchestra, many of them for the first time. We are also delighted to partner with the Philharmonic in its own readings program under the auspices of EarShot, our national orchestra composition discovery network.”

MATTHIAS PINTSCHER To Lead New York Philharmonic in New York Premieres of His Cello Concerto, Reflections on Narcissus, with Cellist ALISA WEILERSTEIN, and CARTER’s Instances World Premiere of Work To Be Selected from National Open Call for Scores Facilitated by American Composers Orchestra’s EARSHOT Program June 6, 2014, at Avery Fisher Hall

Conductor-composer Matthias Pintscher (Germany, b. 1971) leads the New York Philharmonic in a program that couples the New York Premiere of one of his own compositions with the New York Premiere of a work by a composer he profoundly admires. Mr. Pintscher will lead the Philharmonic in his own Reflections on Narcissus, a cello concerto spotlighting cellist Alisa Weilerstein, followed by the last completed work by American icon Elliott Carter (United States, 1908–2012). Mr. Pintscher will open the concert with the World Premiere of one of three works by composers discovered through the assistance of The EarShot National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network. This program, June 6, 2014, at Avery Fisher Hall, is a presentation of the New York Philharmonic.

Reflections on Narcissus (2004–05) is Mr. Pintscher’s second exploration of the Classical myth, following his 1992 work La metamorfosi di Narciso, also for cello and orchestra. Described by the composer as having “a lot of antiphonal dialogue” and sonic representations of key elements of the story — such as “the reflection of the water, Narcissus’s restless condition, and his wicked desire” — Reflections on Narcissus provides a fresh take on a timeless tale, which it uses to create a modern-day musical and visual conversation. Defying categorization, Mr. Pintscher’s works (which nevertheless have been described as German neo-expressionist) seemingly straddle both traditional and radical schools of compositional thought. Matthias Pintscher’s works have been featured on Philharmonic performances, and he was one of the three conductors who led Stockhausen’s Gruppen as part of the Orchestra’s acclaimed spatial music program Philharmonic 360, a co-production with Park Avenue Armory, in June 2012.

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein, a new-music champion and winner of a MacArthur Fellowship and an Avery Fisher Career Grant, previously performed Reflections on Narcissus with Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra in 2010, led by the composer.

Instances (2012) is the last completed work by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Elliott Carter, who described the approximately eight-minute piece for chamber orchestra as “a series of short interrelated episodes of varying character.” Elliott Carter’s association with the Philharmonic dates back to 1957, and includes Laureate Conductor Leonard Bernstein’s leading the World Premiere of Carter’s Concerto for Orchestra — which the Philharmonic commissioned for its 125th anniversary, and which Carter described as his favorite of his works — in February 1970. Most recently, Philharmonic musicians performed the World Premiere of Carter’s Two Controversies and a Conversation on the June 2012 CONTACT! concerts, which the composer attended.

Matthias Pintscher said: “It is very moving for me to be given the honor of performing Carter’s last finished orchestral composition, Instances, in New York, since he and the Philharmonic have a long history together. When I was looking at the score for Instances, I was reminded of Giuseppe Verdi, as both he and Carter brought a lightness and freshness to the musical compositions of their old age. Carter’s music is beautifully transparent, highly expressive, and at ease with itself without ever losing its directness of expression. My own work on this program, Reflections on Narcissus, is less a cello concerto than a symphonic and virtuosic dialogue between a solo cello and a huge orchestra. Listeners have described the work as a sonic painting, and indeed the music not only tells the story of Narcissus, who morphs into a flower, and of the mute nymph Echo, who is insanely in love with him, but it also represents the scenery and aura of the myth’s various settings and situations.”

The program will also include one of the works that will be selected from the New Music Reading Session facilitated by the EarShot National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network. Alan Gilbert, who conducts the reading, will meet with the participating composers before the reading, take part in feedback meetings along with Philharmonic musicians and mentor composers, meet individually with the composers whose works are selected, and conduct the two other works on the June 5 and 7 NY PHIL BIENNIAL program, respectively.

* * * Credit Suisse is the Global Sponsor of the New York Philharmonic.

* * * Major support for the NY PHIL BIENNIAL is provided by The Francis Goelet Fund, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation, and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.

* * * The May 29–30 and June 1 performances of HK Gruber’s Gloria – A Pig Tale are made possible with generous support from an anonymous donor.

* * * The May 29 and 31 performances of Beyond Recall are made possible with support from The Francis Goelet Fund and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP.

* * * The May 29 performance of Beyond Recall is made possible with generous underwriting support from Julia Lanigan.

* * * Very Young Composers is sponsored, in part, by The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund. Additional support provided by the Ethel K. & Sanford L. Solender Memorial Music Fund of UJA-Federation. The New York Philharmonic gratefully acknowledges the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation and the League of American Orchestras for their generous support of the May 31 performance of works by Very Young Composers of the New York Philharmonic.

* * * The June 3 NY PHIL BIENNIAL CONTACT! concert is made possible with generous support from Linda and Stuart Nelson.

* * * The New York Philharmonic EarShot New Music Readings are made possible with the support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Support for the Underwood New Music Readings comes from Paul Underwood, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Fromm Music Foundation, and the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University. The project also receives public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Additional funding for the EarShot and Underwood New Music Readings provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

* * * The June 7 New York Premiere of Peter Eötvös’s DoReMi is made possible in part with underwriting support from Julia Lanigan.

* * * Christopher Rouse is The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence.

* * * Classical 105.9 FM WQXR is the Radio Home of the New York Philharmonic.

* * * Programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Tickets Tickets for NY PHIL BIENNIAL concerts sold by the New York Philharmonic start at $20. Free concerts include American Composers Orchestra’s Underwood New Music Readings, June 6–7, and Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School High School program on June 1. Biennial Passes are $95 each and are available by calling 212-875-5656. All tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic’s Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656. Ticket prices subject to change. For more information about all NY PHIL BIENNIAL events, visit nyphil.org/biennial.

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ALL PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Photography is available for the NY PHIL BIENNIAL at nyphil.org/newsroom/1314/Biennial, or by contacting the Communications Department at (212) 875-5700; [email protected].