Tuesday, June 23 at 8:30pm at Pier 15 ABOUT KRAI Co-presented by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and New Amsterdam Presents as part of the River To River Festival 2015. Krai (край) is the Russian word for edge, limit, frontier or hinterland. Present-day Russia is divided into a myriad of ‘federal subjects’, including nine krais. In this capacity the term is a political designation, like ‘territory’, but for the earliest Russians these places represented both the promise and terror of the vast unknown. While much has been written about Russia’s major cities, Olga Bell’s Krai is a composition dedicated to the rest of the map: the wilderness, the towns, the inhabitants and their stories. From the Cossack melodies of Krasnodar Krai in the West to the Chukchi drumming of Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East, Krai is a forty-minute journey across the Eurasian landmass. The live incarnation of Krai features Olga plus five vocalists singing entirely in Russian, supported by a electro-acoustic chamber ensemble of cello, electric guitar, bass, pitched drums, mallet percussion and electronics. The setting for this performance of Krai is Pier 15, where a video installation showing real and imagined landscapes from each territory completes a unique and immersive experience of Olga Bell’s groundbreaking, cross-cultural work. ABOUT OLGA BELL Born in Moscow and raised in Alaska, Olga Bell is a New York-based composer, producer and performer of intrepid, aurally omnivorous music. While much has been written about Russia’s major cities, she’s concerned with the rest of the map: the wilderness, the towns, the inhabitants and their stories. Bell’s performances include the Meltdown Festival at Southbank Centre, London (2014) and Krai (World Premiere) Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2014). She has also performed with the Dirty Projectors ,Carnegie Hall, New York (2013). She is a recipient of a Jerome Foundation JFund Grant (2011). Her residencies include the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Liquid Music series, McGuire Theater, Walker Art Center (2014) and the Butler University/ National Science Foundation, Indianapolis, IN (2014-2015). She received a B.M. from the New England Conservatory. PROJECT SUPPORT Support for Krai is provided in part by Rooftop Films. PERFORMERS KRAI’S (Край) MOVEMENTS Olga Bell 1. Krasnodar Krai (Краснодарский Край) Voice: Melissa Attebury 2. Altai Krai (Алтайский Край) Voice: Eliza Bagg 3. Perm Krai (Пермский Край) Voice: Cameron Beauchamp 4. Stavropol Krai (Ставропольский Край) Voice: Wesley Chinn 5. Krasnoyarsk Krai (Красноярский Край) Voice: Mellissa Hughes 6. Primorsky Krai (Приморский Край) Keyboards: Aaron Arntz, 7. Zabaikalsky Krai (Забайкальский Край) Bass: Benjamin Campbell 8. Khabarovsk Krai (Хабаровский Край) Visuals: Alejandro Crawford 9. Kamchatka Krai (Камчатский Край) Cello: Andrea Lee Guitar: Grey McMurray Percussion: Jason Nazary Percussion: Gunnar Olsen During River To River, you can enjoy a 25% discount from the following Merchants Hospitality establishments by mentioning “River To River” between June 18–28, 2015: The Black Hound, Clinton Hall, Industry Kitchen, Merchants River House, Pound & Pence, SouthWestNY, Watermark CONNECT TO LMCC Learn more about River To River at RiverToRiverNYC.com Join the conversation on Twitter @LMCC, like us on Facebook.com/LMCCNYC and share with us on Instagram @LMCC_NYC Make sure you use the hashtag #R2R15 so that we can follow along! about new amsterdAM about RIVER to RIVER The annual River To River Festival is June 18–28 in Lower Founded on principles of community, artistic diversity, and Manhattan and on Governors Island! stylistic freedom – New Amsterdam Presents is an artist’s service organization dedicated to supporting the public’s engagement with Over 11 days, River To River offers more than 60 live events new music by composers and performers whose work does not and happenings, all of which are free to the public. As a festival adhere to traditional and outdated genre distinctions. By acting as a goer, you can attend dance and music performances, socialize direct conduit between artists and the audience for their work, New with festival artists and art lovers during our R2R Living Room Amsterdam allows musicians to make projects that grow directly events, and learn more about the creative processes of artists from their creative impulses, free from the pressures of the musical during our Open Studios events. marketplaces. To learn more about River To River, visit RiverToRiverNYC.com. New Amsterdam holds firmly to its vision of presenting new works and supporting artists through partnerships, loosely categorized into 3 platforms: Presentation & Booking, Curation, and Project Development services involving production, fundraising & development, and support in other advisory capacities. 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