Press Kit About Contemporaneous
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Press Kit About Contemporaneous Contemporaneous is an ensemble of 21 musicians whose mission is to bring to life the music of now. Recently recognized for a “ferocious, focused performance” (The New York Times) and for its “passionate drive...setting a high bar for other ensembles to live up to” (I Care If You Listen), Contemporaneous performs and promotes the most exciting work of living composers through innovative concerts, commissions, recordings, and educational programs. Based in New York City and active throughout the United States, Contemporaneous has performed over 80 concerts at a wide range of venues, including Lincoln Center, (le) poisson rouge, Merkin Concert Hall, Baryshnikov Arts Center, St. Ann’s Warehouse, and the Bang on a Can Marathon. The ensemble has worked with artists as diverse as David Byrne, Jherek Bischoff, Donnacha Dennehy, Yotam Haber, Julia Wolfe, and Dawn Upshaw. Contemporaneous has premiered more than 60 works, many of them large-scale pieces by emerging composers. Through its commissions and readiness to play challenging music, the ensemble encourages composers to take risks and defy constraints. Contemporaneous’ debut album, Stream of Stars — Music of Dylan Mattingly (Innova Recordings), has been featured on radio programs around the world, including WNYC's “New Sounds” and WRTI's “Now is the Time.” The ensemble has also recorded for the New Amsterdam Records, Brassland, Roven, Mona, and Leaf labels. Contemporaneous also leads participatory programs for public school students in the communities where the ensemble performs. These workshops are designed to instill a passion for new music and to convey the power of careful listening and meaningful expression through music. The ensemble has held residencies at Simon’s Rock College, the University of New Orleans, Williams College and is currently an ensemble-in-residence at Bard College, where the group was founded in 2010. Contemporaneous is a federally tax-exempt not-for-profit organization, supported by a dedicated community of listeners. Read more at contemporaneous.org. Press Quotes “Feverishly varied, [Andrew Norman’s] Try was given a ferocious, focused performance by Contemporaneous... Contemporaneous attacked with passion.” — Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times (June 23, 2014) “[Dawn] Upshaw’s lustrous instrument was delicately framed by members of Contemporaneous, led adroitly by conductor David Bloom.” — Bruce Hodges, Seen and Heard International (September 16, 2015) "What came through loud and clear were the ensemble’s tremendous versatility, fine musicianship, focus, and incredibly rich and varied talent, as well as the powerful commitment to creating and fostering an ever-expanding community among composers, musicians, and listeners.” — Susan Scheid, Prufrock’s Dilemma (March 16, 2015) “Contemporaneous has once again displayed their passionate drive for new music... The musical ability of all of the players in the group is fantastic, and coupled with a drive to commission and perform new works by young composers, Contemporaneous is setting an extremely high bar for other ensembles to live up to.” — Sam Reising, I Care If You Listen (December 13, 2013) Educational Program Topics Contemporaneous offers tailor-made educational programs centered around the creation and performance of new music for people of all ages, from Kindergarten students to adults. The ensemble has presented these programs for such institutions as public schools in New York City, Bard College, Williams College, the University of New Orleans, the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra, Face the Music, the Poughkeepsie Day School, and many others. The Composer in You: Everybody can write music! This workshop empowers people to express themselves in a new way through original compositions. Participants will use images, words, and stories as notation for their new pieces to be performed by the musicians of Contemporaneous. By demonstrating the ability of new music to convey emotions particular to our time and place, Contemporaneous aims to instill a passion for new music. No Time Like the Present: Introducing participants to the thrill of new music, this workshop features live performances of works by today’s most exciting composers. The musicians guide in- depth discussions that reveal the design and inspirations of the compositions Composition Workshop: Contemporaneous offers performances, readings, and recordings of new works by student composers, as well as workshops on instrumental techniques, score preparation, and professional development specific to composers. The ensemble treats student works with the same kind of passion and devotion with which it approaches its own repertoire. Instrumental, vocal, and conducting masterclasses: With consummate musicians on virtually every instrument, Contemporaneous offers uniquely broad possibilities in performance masterclasses focused on contemporary repertoire and techniques. Making a Life in Music: This round-table discussion with the members of Contemporaneous offers diverse insights and advice on starting an artistically fulfilling and financially sustainable career in music. Musicians The core members of Contemporaneous are close friends who are dedicated to carrying out the group’s mission both as members of the ensemble and as individual artists. All active in the new music world outside of Contemporaneous, the members also perform with Asphalt Orchestra, Bang on a Can, Bearthoven, Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW, ensemble mise-en, Gutbucket, Manhattan Saxophone Quartet, The Millennials, TIGUE , and Warp Trio, among many others. Many are also active in indie, rock, and folk music, both as solo artists and members of bands. Most members of Contemporaneous are also active as educators outside of the organization’s own outreach programs. They teach privately and at such institutions as Bard College, Bard High School Early College, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Carnegie Hall, City University of New York, Dartmouth College, Face the Music, Keene State College, New York Youth Symphony, Special Music School, Third Street Music School, and the University of Maryland. The members of Contemporaneous hold degrees from Bard College, Eastman School of Music, the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, the New England Conservatory, New York University, Northwestern University, Oberlin Conservatory, the Ohio State University, Rice University, the University of Michigan, and the Yale School of Music, among others. Fanny Wyrick-Flax — flute Lucy Dhegrae — soprano Stuart Breczinski — oboe Colin Davin — guitar Vicente Alexim — clarinet Josh Henderson — violin Daniel Kochersberger — saxophone Finnegan Shanahan — violin David A. Nagy — bassoon Sabrina Tabby — violin Cameron West — horn Sarah Haines — viola Evan Honse — trumpet Adam Matthes — viola Daniel Linden — trombone Dylan Mattingly — cello, co-artistic director Matt Evans — percussion Pat Swoboda — contrabass Amy Garapic — percussion David Bloom — conductor, co-artistic director Milena Gligić — piano Selected Repertoire Key: * New York premiere ** East Coast premiere † United States premiere †† World premiere John Adams (b. 1947): Son of Chamber Symphony (2007) Samuel Carl Adams (b. 1985): twenty-four strings (2012) John Luther Adams (b. 1979): Sila: The Breath of the World (2014) †† Thomas Adès (b. 1971): Living Toys (1993) Vicente Alexim (b. 1987): Impulses (2015) (Contemporaneous commission) †† Albert Behar (b. 1991): The Beauty in Breathing (2009) (Contemporaneous commission) †† Jherek Bischoff (b. 1979): Selections Conor Brown (b. 1988): Scrolls (2012) (Contemporaneous commission) †† David Byrne (b. 1952): And She Was (1985), Strange Overtones (2008) Ryan Chase (b. 1987): Carroll Madrigals (Contemporaneous commission) (2013) †† Bryce Dessner (b. 1976): O Shut Your Eyes Against the Wind (2010) Donnacha Dennehy (b. 1970): Grás agus Bás (2007) Tamzin Elliott (b. 1992): Gloria Nightwatch and The Ghost (2015) (Contemporaneous commission) †† Matt Evans (b. 1988): Still Life for Ensemble (2015) (Contemporaneous commission) †† Sean Friar (b. 1985): Clunker Concerto (2011, rev. 2013) ††, revised version Philip Glass (b. 1937): String Quartet No. 5 (1991) Judd Greenstein (b. 1979): Vayomer Shlomo (2009) Yotam Haber (b. 1976): In Plaster (2015) †† Yotam Haber (b. 1976): We were all (2011, rev. 2012) Michael Harrison (b. 1959): Tessellations and Orchestral Modules (2014) (Contemporaneous commissions) †† Gabrielle Herbst (b. 1986): BODILESS (2014) †† Shawn Jaeger (b. 1985): Letters Made with Gold (2011) and The Cold Pane (2013) David Lang (b. 1957): increase (2002) Dylan Mattingly (b. 1991): Atlas of Somewhere on the Way to Howland Island (2011) Dylan Mattingly (b. 1991): Bakkhai (2011) †† Dylan Mattingly (b. 1991): Lighthouse (Refugee Music by a Pacific Expatriate) (2010) David Moore (b. 1985): ...and then it rained... (2007) Nico Muhly (b. 1981): Seeing is Believing (2007) Andrew Norman (b. 1979): Try (2011) Steve Reich (b. 1936): Tehillim (1981) Terry Riley (b. 1935): In C (1964) Frederic Rzewski (b. 1938): Coming Together (1971) Finnegan Shanahan (b. 1993): Water Cycle (2014) (Contemporaneous commission) †† George Tsontakis (b. 1951): Melville Pilot (2008) West Fourth New Music [Matt Frey (b. 1980), Tim Hansen (b. 1978), Molly Herron (b. 1982) and Ruben Naeff (b. 1981)]: Moby Dick (2014) (Contemporaneous commission) †† Julia Wolfe (b. 1958): The Vermeer Room (1989) Contact For booking and press inquiries, contact co-artistic director David Bloom. Email: [email protected]