American Music Festival spotlights Capital Region as contemporary music destination
Published:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: May 9, 2012
Contact: Jim Sector
Director of Marketing & Communications
Phone (518) 465-4755
Fax (518) 465-3711
Albany Symphony
19 Clinton Ave.
Albany, NY 12207
American Music Festival spotlights Capital Region as contemporary music destination
Albany Symphony’s annual festival highlights world premieres, rare American symphonic masterpieces, and unique concert experiences
(ALBANY, NY) – On May 17, the Albany Symphony will kick-off its annual, four-day American Music Festival transforming the Capital Region into an epicenter of contemporary and new music – with five engaging and creative events designed to feature the cutting edge of music today. Joining the orchestra on the Festival include acclaimed composers like Michael Daugherty, Aaron Jay Kernis, Missy Mazzoli, and Joan Tower, renowned guest artists like violinist Cho-Liang Lin, soprano Talise Trevigne, and performances by small ensembles like Missy Mazzoli’s post-rock group Victoire, and the Albany Symphony’s own unique, genre-busting new music ensemble, Dogs of Desire. Representing the capstone of the orchestra’s 2011-12 season and one of the most ambitiously creative events of any orchestra in the country, the American Music Festival will take place between May 17-20 at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. The Festival is sponsored by the Howard and Bush Foundation, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Foundation, Turner Construction, and the Faith Takes Family Fund. Tickets start at just $15, and can be purchased by calling 518.465.4755.
On Thursday, May 17, the American Music Festival kicks-off with the Festival Reading Session at 10AM, where the orchestra will read for the first time works by young, upcoming composers, chosen through a competitive national selection process that took place during the fall of 2011. The event is free and open to the public.
At 7:30, also on Thursday, May 17, the Albany Symphony will present a performance by Victoire, founded by Albany Symphony composer-in-residence Missy Mazzoli. This group, a stirring blend of winds, strings, keyboards and lo-fi electronics, performs Mazzoli’s distinct blend of dreamy post rock, quirky minimalism and rich romanticism, and was recently dubbed “an all-star, all-female quintet“ by Time Out New York. Their debut album Cathedral City, released in 2010 on New Amsterdam Records, was named one of 2010's best classical albums by The New York Times, Time Out New York, The New Yorker and NPR. Tickets are $15.
On Friday, May 18 at 7:30PM the Albany Symphony’s unique, genre-busting new music ensemble Dogs of Desire will perform an exciting concert that combines the virtuosity of a classical chamber ensemble with the power and punch of a rock band in a “lighthearted blend of styles and eras, electronic and acoustics textures.” [Joseph Dalton, Times Union]. The group, founded in 1992 by David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony, will feature several world premieres, many of which include elements of dance and the visual arts, as well as works by Ted Hearne, Michael Daugherty, David Mallamud, and others. Tickets are $20.
On Saturday, May 19 at 7:30PM, the Albany Symphony will present its Festival Concert, the centerpiece of the American Music Festival. This concert brings some of the most creative musical voices living today together in a imaginative performance – with works by Michael Daugherty, whose Deus Ex Machina thrilled ASO audiences this season in January 2012, a world premiere by Missy Mazzoli, Joan Tower, and Aaron Jay Kernis, this year’s Andrew W. Mellon Mentor-Composer Partner. The concert will also feature acclaimed guest artists such as violinist Cho-Liang “Jimmy” Lin, and soprano Talise Trevigne. Tickets start at only $19.
On Sunday, May 20 at 7:30PM, the Albany Symphony will present a unique “Capital Heritage” project, entitled “If These Walls Could Sing: Celebrating the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.” This unique performance will feature eight new commissioned works by young composers, all celebrating the grand legacy of one of the world's great concert halls. In keeping of the theme of celebrating the Hall, the concert will feature solo, chamber and large ensemble works all played throughout the hall – antiphonally from the balconies and in the lobbies as well as on the stage – all taking their inspiration from the countless legendary artists who have performed in the hall and the composers (some famous, some forgotten) whose names adorn the doors to the boxes. The concert will include a "behind the scenes" tour of this architectural and cultural treasure. In addition, the concert will feature a world-premier performance by the Doyle Middle School Band and Chorus of a work co-composed with Missy Mazzoli. Students at the middle school have been working with Missy for seven months writing a piece inspired by the great history of Troy, NY and the opening of the magnificent Music Hall in 1875. Tickets are just $20.
To tie each event together, the Albany Symphony has launched a special mini-website to serve as the online destination for all of the unique events, composers, artists, and content associated with the American Music Festival. Developed by Spiral Design Studio and made possible through funding from the Howard and Bush Foundation, the new site connects seamlessly with the Albany Symphony’s main website and includes all types of new media and social media applications. The mini-site will allow the orchestra to showcase video interviews with composers and performers, music clips, and other performance-related material such as program notes and biographies. The site also enables the orchestra to showcase the riches of our region and to be a perfect driver for sending visitors to area attractions, restaurants and hotels. It can be found by going to the orchestra’s main webpage (www.albanysymphony.com), or directly by accessing www.albanysymphony.com/americanmusicfestival.
Pre-performance talks with David Alan Miller and other guest artists will take place on Friday, May 18, 12:00PM at the Albany Public Library (161 Washington Ave., Albany, NY), and at 6:30PM on Saturday, May 19 from the main stage of EMPAC. More information about Albany Symphony performances, subscriptions, or featured artists and composers can be found at www.AlbanySymphony.com, or by calling 518.465.4755.
The Albany Symphony presents: The American Music Festival
Reading Session - Thursday, May 17, 10AM at the EMPAC Main Hall
For tickets, call 518.465.4755 or visit www.albanysymphony.com
TICKETS ARE FREE!
Victoire – Thursday, May 17, 7:30PM at the EMPAC Theatre
For tickets, call 518.465.4755 or visit www.albanysymphony.com
TICKETS ONLY $15
Dogs of Desire – Friday, May 18, 7:30PM at the EMPAC Theatre
For tickets, call 518.465.4755 or visit www.albanysymphony.com
TICKETS ONLY $20
American Music Festival Orchestra Concert – Sat., May 19, 7:30PM at the EMPAC Main Hall
For tickets, call 518.465.4755 or visit www.albanysymphony.com
TICKETS START AT JUST $19
Capital Heritage – “If these walls could sing” – Sun., May 20, 7:30PM at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. For tickets, call 518.465.4755 or visit www.albanysymphony.com
TICKETS ONLY $20
About the ASO
The Albany Symphony is one of the Capital Region’s most revered music and cultural institutions, having won numerous national awards for its adventurous concert programming, recording projects, composer residencies, and innovative educational outreach. As the only professional symphony orchestra based within the Capital Region, the Albany Symphony enriches a broad and diverse community, engaging over 150,000 people each year across an extended geographical area. After the Albany Symphony’s Carnegie Hall debut in May 2011, National Public Radio raved that the Albany Symphony is a “world-class orchestra” and The New York Times declared the orchestra’s playing as “bold...polished and clear.”
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