Keeril Makan's "Persona" Premieres at National Sawdust

by Ted Gordon on Oct. 15, 2015, 12:57 p.m.

Keeril Makan's ambitious opera project, Persona—based on the Ingmar Bergman film of the same name—will see its world premiere at National Sawdust, New York's newest venue for new music. Produced by Beth Morrison Projects, Persona is directed by Jay Scheib, and features musical direction by Evan Ziporyn conducting members of the Either/Or ensemble. 

Cited by Broadway World as "a provocative, highly cerebral, and artistically complex depiction of human frailty, cruelty and identity", Persona is described by Makan and Scheib as "at its core, a duet — but for one. A kind of monodrama with the briefest of interruptions, performed by a sole soprano who sings the role of Alma. Alma is a young nurse who has been assigned to care for actress, Elisabet Vogler, who in the middle of a performance, suddenly ceased to speak and remained sunken utterly in an apparently self-imposed silence.”

This world-premiere production will run for two nights, on October 23rd and 24th, 2015. Makan will also present a workshop performance of Persona on October 17th at MIT, where he is an Associate Professor of Music. After the October 23rd performance, National Sawdust will also present a concert of Makan's works performed by the AEOLUS Qartet, featuring The Noise Between Thoughts, Washed by Fire, and Return—all available from PSNY.  

New Works from Evan Ziporyn, Lei Liang, René Leibowitz, Christopher Cerrone, and Hannah Lash

April 15, 2014, 8:54 a.m.

We're excited to announce that an amazing new batch of works are now available on PSNY!

From Evan Ziporyn, we have Tsmindao Ghmerto for solo bass clarinet and the Suite from ShadowBang. ShadowBang, a theater piece that combines aspects of traditional Balinese shadow puppetry with Western staging and music, has been recorded by the Bang on a Can.

From Lei Liang, just in time for spring, we have Listening for Blossoms. Check out a recording here: 

Newly available from René Leibowitz: Chanson Dada, the serialist's answer to anti-art. These short monodramas, for child's voice and small ensemble, are somewhere between Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire and Stockhausen's Gesang der Jünglinge, with a decidedly French touch. 

Continuing with dramatic works, Christopher Cerrone's I Will Learn To Love A Person, in a new version for soprano voice and piano. Containing settings of five poems by Tao Lin, this piece is a rumination on time, love, and communication.  

And finally, Hannah Lash's This Ease, for Chamber Orchestra, commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and slated to be premiered on April 26, 2014. Grab a copy of the score before the piece is premiered! 

Evan Ziporyn Joins PSNY!

by Ted Gordon on Dec. 15, 2013, 11:21 p.m.

On the cusp of our two-year anniversary, we're pleased to announce that select works by Evan Ziporyn are now available on PSNY! Ziporyn has been at the forefront of new music for over twenty years. His resume is an impressive list of awards, achievements, and ground-breaking firsts: he co-founded Bang on a Can All-Stars, with whom he has performed around the world and premiered over 100 works; founded Gamelan Galak-Tika at MIT, where he has taught since 1990 (alongside fellow PSNY composer Keeril Makan); and perhaps most importantly for us, has composed works unparalleled in their mastery and singularity of voice. 

Ziporyn's work for clarinet quartet, Hive, is now available for instant download or as a print-on-demand hard copy. Inspired by his experience as a beekeeper, this work is a meditation on collectivity, vibration, and organization. Check out a sample below:  

Look out for more of Ziporyn's works here in the future!