New Music New College’s 2016-17 concert series — its 18th season — is about growing and breaking new ground: Not only will this season feature the largest group of visiting artists the series has ever had, there will also be a world premiere, and a classic work’s first performance in Sarasota.The five-concert series opens Saturday, Oct. 1, and again will include Artist Conversations and Pre-Concert Talks. Subscriptions for the entire series are $60 and tickets for individual shows are $15. Performances are in auditoriums and theaters on the New College campus. There are also two free special event concerts featuring the work of New College of Florida students.
New Music New College is a program of New College of Florida, the state’s honors college and a national leader in the liberal arts and sciences. It is funded in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development tax revenues.
For reservations, visit https://donate.ncf.edu/newmusictix or call 941-487-4888.
New Music New College Season Schedule
Kathleen Supové, Jennifer Choi, and James Moore: New Music Cabaret
Kathleen Supové, an unconventional, explosive pianist who Boston Globe called “a living multimedia work of art,” will perform at New College for the fifth time. Joining her will be Jennifer Choi, a violinist who performs with “intense, spectacularly virtuosic play” (The Seattle Weekly), as well as guitarist James Moore, a founding member of electric guitar quartet Dither, who Time Out New York calls “an electric guitar hero.” The three will perform for a New Music Cabaret in Club Sudakoff.
They will be playing a selection of works from contemporary composers such as John Zorn, Randall Woolf, Lainie Fefferman, Vijay Iyer and more. The performances will consist of solos, duets and trios.
To learn more about the three performers, visit
http://newmusicnewcollege.org/supove-choi-moore.html
Kathleen Supové, Jennifer Choi, and James Moore: New Music Cabaret
Saturday, Oct. 1, at 8:00 p.m.
Club Sudakoff, New College of Florida, 5845 General Dougher Place
Pre-concert talk at 7:30 p.m.
Artist Conversation, Thursday, Sept. 29, 5:00 p.m., Club Sudakoff (free)
Tickets: $15. Call 941-487-4888 or visit https://donate.ncf.edu/newmusictix
Da Capo Chamber Players: Pierrot Lunaire
The Da Capo Chamber Players will perform Arnold Schoenberg’s legendary and radical Pierrot Lunaire, the first time the work has been performed in Sarasota. Once referred to as “blasphemous” and “degenerate,” the work has come to be appreciated for its thrilling and unsettling music, and is now regarded as one of the twentieth-century’s most influential works.
The Da Capo Chamber Players have attracted attention with Pierrot Lunaire in the past. The New York Times calls their performance of it “a hair-raising, theatrical account.” They will be joined by soprano Lucy Shelton. Rooted in the playful worlds of commedia dell’arte and cabaret, the concert will take place in New College’s best space for informal performances, Club Sudakoff.
Founded in 1970, the Da Capo Chamber Players are one of the foremost new music groups in the United States. They have commissioned and premiered nearly 100 works by composers such as Philip Glass, Milton Babbitt, David Lang, Judith Shatin and Joan Tower.
To learn more about The Da Capo Chamber Players, visit http://www.newmusicnewcollege.org/da-capo.html
Da Capo Chamber Players: Pierrot Lunaire
Saturday, Nov. 5, 8:00 p.m.
Club Sudakoff, New College of Florida, 5845 General Dougher Place
Pre-concert talk at 7:30 p.m.
Artist Conversation, Thursday, Nov. 3, 5:00 p.m., Club Sudakoff (free)
Tickets: $15. Call 941-487-4888 or visit https://donate.ncf.edu/newmusictix
Ensemble Mise-En: Ligeti Piano Concerto
The Ensemble Mise-En is “among the best ensembles of its generation,” says The New York Times. They will perform influential composer György Ligeti’s Piano Concerto, a work known for its powerful polyrhythms and its ability to be complicated and playful at the same time.
The program will also include Hans Abrahamsen’s Märchenbilder and New College Alum Jason Rosenberg’s Crimson Dawn.
The Ensemble Mise-En is known for ambitious, stimulating performances of works by both well-known and up-and-coming composers. They have presented a total of 208 pieces, including 86 works written for them and 54 U.S./N.Y. premieres. They also hold an annual music festival devoted to new works, where they are known for “examining the unusual corners of the composition world.” (The New York Times)
To learn more about the Ensemble Mise-En, please visit http://www.newmusicnewcollege.org/mise-en.html
Ensemble Mise-En: Ligeti Piano Concerto
Saturday, Jan. 21, at 8:00 p.m.
Sainer Pavilion, New College of Florida, 5313 Bay Shore Road
Pre-concert talk at 7:30 p.m.
Artist Conversation, Thursday, Jan. 19, 5:00 p.m., Sainer Pavilion (free)
Tickets: $15. Call 941-487-4888 or visit https://donate.ncf.edu/newmusictix
Cornelius Cardew’s The Great Learning, Paragraph 2
New Music New College will perform Paragraph 2 from Cornelius Cardew’s innovative The Great Learning, a series of seven works composed for each of the seven paragraphs of Confucius’ The Great Learning.
Paragraph 2, the main concert, will be performed by groups of musicians consisting of one drummer and a number of singers in our outdoor arcade. The drummers play through twenty-six rhythms in any order which they choose, while the singers time their entrance to their drummer’s downbeat and sing Confucius’ text. Every group performs uniquely, and the audience will be able to move freely around the arcade so that they can create their own listening experience.
There will also be a special performance of Paragraph 7 from The Great Learning in the Jane Bancroft Cook Library on Friday, March 3. This work is arranged only for voices. It will be free and audience members who feel comfortable singing and matching pitches are invited to participate.
Performances of Cardew’s music are rare, and he has often been neglected by critics. New Music New College is interested in exploring the relationship between music and the audience who hears it, and Cardew’s works are perfect for examining that dynamic.
Cornelius Cardew’s The Great Learning: Paragraph 2
Saturday, March 4, at 8:00 p.m.
PepsiCo Arcade, New College of Florida, 5313 Bay Shore Road
Pre-concert talk at 7:30 p.m.
Artist Conversation: Thursday, March 2, 5:00 p.m., Sainer Pavilion (Free)
Tickets: $15. Call 941-487-4888 or visit https://donate.ncf.edu/newmusictix
Special Event: The Great Learning Paragraph 7
Friday, March 3, 4:00 p.m.
Jane Bancroft Cook Library, New College of Florida, 5800 Bay Shore Road (Free)
Bobby Previte: Terminals Part II: In Transit
Bobby Previte will be premiering his work, Terminals Part II: In Transit at New College. Previte won the 2015 Greenfield Prize and this work is the commissioned piece that is a result of winning that Prize from the Hermitage Artist Retreat and the Greenfield Foundation. New Music New College is thrilled to partner with the Hermitage in presenting the world premiere of this work, created by and for masters of their instruments.
Bobby Previte is “an impossible-to-confine musician whose work span[s] jazz, scorching rock-like bands, all-improvisation collectives, large-ensemble pieces, a long-running duo with guitarist Charlie Hunter, and more.” (The Boston Globe) He is well-known for his mastery of diverse genres and instruments.
Previte calls Terminals Part II a Rhapsody for Acoustic Sextette and he will be joined by Nels Cline on acoustic guitar, John Medeski on piano, Greg Osby on alto sax, Zeena Parkins on harp, and Jen Shyu on voice and erhu. New Music New College is thrilled to present the world premieres of this work, created by and for masters of their instruments.
To learn more about Bobby Previte, please visit http://www.newmusicnewcollege.org/previte.html
Bobby Previte: Terminals Part II: In Transit
Two Performances: Friday, April 21, 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 22, 3:00 p.m.
Sainer Pavilion, New College of Florida, 5313 Bay Shore Road
Pre-concert talks at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday
Artist Conversation: Thursday, April 20, 5:00 p.m., Sainer Pavilion (free)
Tickets: $15. Call 941-487-4888 or visit https://donate.ncf.edu/newmusictix
New Music New College Special Events
The New Music New College series also offers two special events, free concerts that draw on the musical talents of New College of Florida’s students, faculty and the community.
The Sarasota Wind Quintet: Music by New College Student Composers
Sunday, April 9, at 4:00 p.m.
College Hall Music Room. New College of Florida, 351 College Drive
In collaboration with the Sarasota Wind Quintet, one of the chamber groups of the Sarasota Orchestra, a number of New College students will take compositions from workshop stage through completion. Come hear the newest of the new—young composers offering fresh compositions, performed by a first-rate ensemble!
Electronic Music Class Concert: The Final Projects
Wednesday, May, 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Sainer Pavilion, New College of Florida, 5313 Bay Shore Road
Mark Dancigers is a composer and guitarist of the nationally acclaimed NOW Ensemble. Students in his Electronic Music class at New College will present their final projects, which will emphasize pairings of music and visuals, including short film scores, and more.
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New Music New College, entering its 18th season, is funded in part by grants from the Florida Department of State/Division of Cultural Affairs and the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. To learn more about the history and concept of the New Music New College series, visit newmusicnewcollege.org.