Katharina Rosenberger Earns Praise for "Texturen"

by Ted Gordon on Nov. 27, 2012, 1:55 p.m.

Katharina Rosenberger's latest album, "Texturen," performed by Wet Ink and released by Hat Hut, has just won the 2012 Deutsche Schallplattenkritik Preis (German Record Critics Prize)! We extend our warmest congratulations to Katharina, though we can't say we're surprised. Helmut Rohm, of the awarding jury, described her album thusly:

"Sinister force-fields rumble in Katharina Rosenberger's finely-worked 'Texturen'. Here blooms the poetry of magic sounds, overwhelmed by the tingling thrill of the numinous. The presence of the musical performers potentiates the tiniest spark of noise, and its echo of alien worlds: a psychedelic trip through a multimedia event space."

More Swiss press has heaped praise on the album, which features fellow PSNY composers Alex Mincek and Kate Soper as performers. For those in New York, be sure to attend the performance of "torsion", recorded on the album, on December 17th at the Austrian Cultural Forum performed by pianist Taka Kigawa. 

Katharina is hard at work on the culmination of her three-year project, "Viva Voce", an interactive sound and visual installation, which will premiere at the Human Resources gallery in Los Angeles in January. See a preview of what this project will look like here.

Texturen, for solo piano, is the central piece on Katharina's acclaimed album and will soon be available to purchase here on PSNY -- stay tuned for more information! 

Beyond Cage: Kate Soper, Alex Mincek, Morton Feldman, and More!

by Ted Gordon on Oct. 27, 2012, 1:49 p.m.

John Cage's name is plastered all over New York City right now, as it should be: this year, he would have turned 100 years old. And what better way to celebrate Cage's pioneering work than premiering new boundary-pushing compositions alongside mid-century works that inspired them? The S.E.M. Ensemble, as a part of their massive Beyond Cage Festival, is doing just that in concerts in several venues around New York, including premieres of new works by PSNY Composers Kate Soper and Alex Mincek, and performances of works by Morton Feldman, Luigi Nono, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, among many others. 

On October 28th, The S.E.M. Ensemble, joined by Ian Antonio of Yarn/Wire and Kate Soper of Wet Ink, premiere Soper's The Crito. and Mincek's V, both composed in 2012. 

For an idea of what these works could sound like, check out an earlier work by Soper for voice and flute: 

Be sure to attend the concert of major orchestral works by Morton Feldman on November 5th at Alice Tully Hall, which will include the American Premieres of Flute and Orchestra and Violin and Orchestra, as well as Piano and Orchestra and Structures for Orchestra! 

Two New Commissions for Alex Mincek

Sept. 12, 2012, 1:15 p.m.

Alex Mincek was awarded two commissions in September: a Barlow Endowment Commission for a new percussion trio for Line Upon Percussion, and the French Commission of the State for a large ensemble piece for Ensemble Linea. 

Alex's award from the Barlow Endowment will allow him to create a new work for Adam Bedell, Matthew Teodori, and Cullen Faulk, who make up Line Upon Line Percussion, hailed as "the premiere new music percussion ensemble in Texas" by The Austinist. We think they'll be a great fit for Mincek's work, as evidenced by some of their past performances: 

We're equally excited about Mincek's new work for Ensemble Linea, who have performed his music in the past; here they are playing poco a poco, available on PSNY: 

And coming up in NYC, cellist Mariel Roberts premieres Mincek's flutter for solo cello on September 26th, 2012, and the work will be available for sale immediately after the performance. Be sure to stop by the concert, presented by Issue Project Room, which takes place at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Brooklyn Heights.