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Robert Ashley composer/musician (USA, b. 1930) Lawrence Brickman, photo— scene from Robert Ashley’s opera, Atalanta (Acts of God), 1986 Robert Ashley retrospective seven screenings of seven operas Fri Sep 6-Fri Dec 20 savio joanne photo: NAP Space, Kutztown All screenings at 7:00 pm Doors open at 6:30 Ashley’s operas-for-television, (hand-picked by Ashley for this event) screened on 47" flat screen No adm. charge, limited seating; “Ashley is not only an opera composer light refreshments but the greatest composer of the last century and the most innovative Friday, September 6 opera composer since at least Harry Music with Roots in the Aether Partch, if not Monteverdi. episode: Landscape with Alvin napconnection.com 2013-2014 season Lucier (1976*), 2 hours “He is the postmodern opera composer. There really is no one Welcome to our nappreview and (also exhibition reception, see below) our 2013-2014 season. Friday September 20 else.”—Kyle Gann from Robert Enjoy the read and see Perfect Lives (1983*), 3.5 hours Ashley, American Composers you at the events. Friday, October 4 Atalanta (Acts of God) —Atalanta Strategy (1986*), 30 min. live concert Friday, October 18 Thomas Buckner Now Eleanor’s Idea (1994*), 90 min. baritone Exhibitions and One-to-Ones are Friday, November 15 with free. For select presentations there Celestial Excursions (2003*), 90 min. since 1974 Robert Ashley is a small admission charge. Venue composer/musician Friday, December 6 phone numbers, addresses, and Concrete (2007*), 90 min. general info begin next page. For Fri Nov 1 St John’s UCC sanctuary inquiries and for up-to-the-minute Friday, December 20 Whiteoak and Walnut Sts, Kutztown One-to-one consultations schedule information call the NAP That Morning Thing (1968/2011), 7:00 pm doors open Presentations/Forums office: 610 683-6440. 60 min. 7:30 pm concert Performances Did you know that our consulting *video performance dates No adm. charge Exhibitions residency artists are available for Immediately afterward, join us for a Television programs private one-to-one dialogues? Find exhibition reception with Ashley and Buckner at out more about our One-to-Ones seven prints from the New Arts Program Main Gallery. Reference library/Archives on page 3. Signups for One-to- seven operas Publications Ones are by phone (610 683-6440) - public forum with or at the NAP Exhibition Space Fri Sep 06 Sun Dec 22 Robert Ashley Office| Galleries | Archives office in Kutztown. Slots are limited NAP Space Main Gallery, Kutztown to 12 per residency so sign up early. gallery hours: f/s/s 11:00-3:00 Sat Nov 2 William Zimmer Reference Library NAP Space, Kutztown Season signups begin September 1. and one-half hour before opera 173 W. Main Street screenings 10:00 am P.O. Box 0082 Next time you write or call, give us Friday, September 6 No adm. charge, limited seating Kutztown, PA 19530-0082 your email address. Occasionally, 6-9:00 pm opening reception with 610 683-6440 we may have some urgent news or a opera screening at 7:00 more about Ashley [email protected] special event that will be announced and Buckner via email. Our address is: Seven 30" x 40" archival prints of hours: f/s/s 11:00-3:00 page 2 and 3 [email protected] stage scenes from Robert Ashley’s or by appointment operas for television photographed by Mimi Johnson, Philip Makanna, © 2013 New Arts Program Inc. Excerpts for reviews or announcements of NAP events are permitted. Photos and artwork are copyrighted by the artists and used here by permission; Lawrence Brickman, Dan Rest, reproduction prohibited without prior permission. 1 and Stephanie Berger James F.L. Carroll director board of directors since 1974 James F. L. Carroll Joanne P. Carroll Robert Ashley Lincoln Fajardo operas for television: century because it was a fusion Robert P. Metzger of different media: music text, Ted Ormai a retrospective, live scenery, and action. Like Wagner, Deb Schlouch Distances to Kutztown from: concert, public forum Harry L. Serio Reading 20 m (0.5 hr) Ashley writes his own texts. As Alan Shirk Allentown 22 m (0.5 hr) Fri Sep 6-Fri Dec 20 with Wagner’s texts, Ashley’s Ellen Slupe Easton 50 m (1.0 hr) Event schedule on page 1 are poetic; they are in fact epic Bruce Wall Lancaster 55 m (1.0 hr) Harrisburg 65 m (1.5 hr) poems. Like the ancient epics of Ann-Sargent Wooster Robert Ashley Philadelphia 70 m (1.5 hr) , a distinguished Homer and Hesid, they are Emeriti: Scranton 90 m (2.0 hr) figure in American contemporary made of episodes and are meant Bart Wasserman NYC 110 m (2.5 hr) music, holds an international to be heard while being read William Zimmer Baltimore 125 m (2.5 hr) reputation for his work in new aloud —which is how we D.C. 175 m (3.5 hr) forms of opera and multi-disci- board of advisors experience them in operas. ... plinary projects. His recorded Ashley’s operas represent an Clytie Alexander works are acknowledged classics Robert Dick update revival of an ancient Douglas Dunn NAP Exhibition Space is of language in a musical setting. tradition, Ashley remade opera approximately 6 miles Jon Gibson from Exit 40. He pioneered opera-for-televi- from the ground up as an Philip Glass sion. The operatic works of American form, not oratorical Mary Griffin Robert Ashley are distinctly but vernacular, not for the stage Patricia Johanson St. John’s UCC original in style, and distinctly but television, not originating in Mimi Johnson American in their subject matter musical notation but in speech Klaus Kertess and in their use of American Michael Kessler and electronic technology. ... James Melchert language. Fanfare magazine His scores don’t look like what Andrew Miller calls Ashley’s Perfect Lives people think of as music. His Meredith Monk “nothing less than the first documentation consists of long Ursula von Rydingsvard American opera...” and the texts divided into lines, chord Nancy Wolff, Esq Village Voice comments, charts, and MIDI files, and often Emeriti: “When the 21st century glances the final documentation is the George S. Barrell back to see where the future of recording itself. He doesn’t have John Cage NAP opera came from, Ashley, like any known pattern in common Kent Floeter DOWntOWN Monteverdi before him, is going with any other composer. Keith Haring to look like a radical new Robert Stanley KutZTOWN He has blazed an independent beginning.” A prolific composer path, devoid of models. The recognition and writer, Ashley’s operas are classical music world has no Ralph Bailits “so vast in their vision that they idea what to do with him. Eileen Baxter Venue information: are comparable only to Wagner’s Experts on conventional opera Steve Berardelli Ring cycle or Stockhausen’s Janice Carapellucci frequently don’t even recognize NAP Space Galleries & Office 610 683-6440 seven-evening Licht cycle. his name. The pop world is Vicki DaSilva 173 W. Main St. In form and content, in musical, equality oblivious. ... David D’Imperio P.O. Box 0082, Kutztown, PA 19530-0082 Judy Geib vocal, literary and media Robert Ashley’s innovations Mark Innerst St. John’s United Church of Christ technique, they are, however, began in the 1960s when he, Kermit Oswald N. Whiteoak and W. Walnut Sts., comparable to nothing else.” along with Alvin Lucier, Gordon Lisa Oswald Kutztown, PA 19530 (The Los Angeles Times). Mumma, and David Behrman, Tom Sterner For NAP events at St. John’s please call 610 683-6440 More at www.robertashley.org formed the Sonic Arts Union, nappreview editorial & a group that turned conceptual- design by John Lotte Northampton Community College 610 861-5062 3835 Green Pond Rd., Bethlehem, PA 18017 remaking opera ism toward electronics. ... For NAP events and one-to-one appointments at from the ground up In 1979, Perfect Lives appeared NCC please call: 610 683-6440 with a whole new conception of The following excerpts were taken New Arts Program Inc. technology-driven music theater. is a public tax-exempt, Berks Community Television 610 374-3065 from the book, Robert Ashley, not-for-profit corporation 645 Penn St., Reading, PA 19601 American Composers by Kyle Gann, organized under the laws Experience Robert Ashley’s of the Commonwealth of DUTV 54 (Drexel University) 215 895-2927 University of Illinois Press, Urbana, revolutionary seven-part opera Pennsylvania and section 3141 Chesnut St., Bdg 9B, Rm 4026 Chicago and Springfield, 2012. for television, Perfect Lives, in its 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Philadelphia, PA 19104 Revenue Code. All The word opera literally means entirety on Friday, September 20 donations to the Program are tax-deductible to the Manhattan Neighborhood Network 212 757-2670 works and the genre originally at the NAP Space. More, page 1. extent allowed by law. 537 W. 59th St., New York, NY 10019 2 took this name in the 17th One-to-one consultations one-to-ones new music baritone (USA, b. 1930) Presentations/Forums Throughout most of our Performances two-day residencies, up to twelve individuals have the Exhibitions opportunity not only to reserve Television programs a one-hour time slot but also to Thomas Reference library/Archives set the subject and direction for a private conversation with the Publications visiting artist—a walk, a chat photography michael winslow photo: over coffee, a presentation of Buckner their work (actual works, live concert laptop, slides, video or, time Thomas Buckner permitting, even a studio visit). baritone major roles with Ashley’s A Cross-disciplinary interaction is ab ut with company throughout the world encouraged, for example, a Robert Ashley in many of Ashley’s other works painter with a dancer.
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