New Music from Christopher Cerrone

by Ted Gordon on Feb. 5, 2015, 10:32 a.m.

2015 has already been a busy year for PSNY composer Christopher Cerrone: a residency at EMPAC, a successful Kickstarter campaign with percussionist Owen Weaver, and on February 6th, the premeire of a new Violin Concerto at a new music venue in New York (new!) called Subculture. Jointly commissioned by violinist Rachel Lee Priday and pianist David Kaplan, with funding from the Fromm Foundation, this new piece will have its first performance on a program curated by Cerrone that centers around the relationship between contemporary music and 19th century Germany. Cerrone's work, a violin sonata, retains the formal sections of classical Sonata form while wildly reimagining its boundaries. Also on the program is Hannah Lash's Liebesbrief an Schumann which draws intertexts from Robert Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze [League of David Dances], instrumental works he wrote at the height of his compositional powers, which pit the fanciful league of David against the "Philistines"—Schumann's vision of (1830s) mass culture. Rounding out the program are new works by Samuel Carl Adams and PSNY's own Scott Wollschleger. 

Part of MATA's Interval series, the concert is jointly produced by Issue Project Room, and was curated by Cerrone. Check out a sneak preview of Priday and Kaplan rehearsing Cerrone's new sonata below. 

Christopher Cerrone's "Invisible Cities": The Album

by Ted Gordon on Nov. 24, 2014, 11:22 a.m.

If you haven't heard about Christopher Cerrone's opera Invisible Cities, based on the novel by Italo Calvino, let us give you a primer: workshopped in 2009 at the New York City Opera, performed in 2011 at Columbia University with Red Light New Music, fully staged and performed in Los Angeles' Union Station by The Industry in 2013, and nominated as a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2014. And if that weren't enough, a studio recording by The Industry is now available for digital download, and limited-edition CD Box Set. We'd recommend the box set: designed by Traci Larson, it includes a laser-cut wooden box with postcards, images, and texts from the "Invisible Cities" of Calvino's novel, as well as the recordings of Cerrone's opera. Each of the 500 boxes is signed by Cerrone, and serves as a powerful reminder of the live concert experience.

And in case you missed the performance in Union Station, The Industry has launched a new website with an immersive video experience to give you an idea of what it was like. As composer John Adams says, "Listen to Christopher Cerrone's Invisible Cities on headphones, preferably in the dark. Your mind's eye will will with sonic phantoms, darting shapes, tolling bells, snarling brass, plangent voices and the rhythms of alien rituals."

The opera's Invisible Overture, for ensemble or chamber orchestra, is available for purchase from PSNY. Also be sure to check out Cerrone's other vocal music on PSNY, including How to Breathe Underwater, inspired by Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, and I Will Learn To Love A Person (available as chamber ensemble and piano/vocal versions), a song cycle based on poetry by Tao Lin.

Introducing the PSNY Greenroom

by Ted Gordon on April 21, 2014, 11:24 a.m.

We're thrilled to announce the launch of the PSNY Greenroom; a new series which makes it easier than ever to discover new music and see what ensembles across the country are listening to and performing.

The Greenroom highlights the ensembles and artists who are defining the landscape of contemporary music. Each month, an ensemble or artist will select works from the PSNY catalogue that they are excited about performing, listening to, or both. The Greenroom is your backstage pass into the ears and creative minds of your favorite artists; a place of discovery for anyone interested in contemporary music, driven by artists, for artists. 

Our first visit to the Greenroom is with Present Music, and features director Kevin Stalheim's favorite selections from the PSNY catalog. Based in Milwaukee since 1982, Present Music has just been awarded an NEA Art Works grant for its 32nd season finale concert, Home Place, in collaboration with Milwaukee artist Reginald Baylor's Typeface Project. As part of Home Place, Present Music partners with Milwaukee Opera Theatre to present a major public concert event on June 21, featuring Shelter by David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Michael Gordon, which is accompanied by a film by Bill Morrison. The concert also includes a performance of Ahyem by Bryce Dessner, as well as a performance of original music and art by students and senions in Milwaukee. 

So, needless to say, Present Music is on the cutting edge of commissioning new music, along with developing innovative performance opportunities that reach out to the wider community. Have a listen to director Kevin Stalheim's favorite PSNY works below, and stop by the Greenroom to read more about his selections.