2016-17 touring roster

Abraham Inc.

An unprecedented collaboration between three cultural visionaries: DAVID KRAKAUER, champion of klezmer music and world-class clarinetist; legendary funk trombonist and arranger FRED WESLEY, celebrated for his work with James Brown and George Clinton; and hip-hop renegade and beat architect SOCALLED - Abraham Inc. heralds a time when boundaries are eroding, mutual respect is presumed, and musical traditions can hit with full force without concession or appropriation. Backed by a three-piece horn section led by Wesley plus musicians who collaborate frequently with Krakauer and Socalled - and the result is an all-out klezmer-funk dance party! -- More info >>

ACME: the American Contemporary Music Ensemble

“One of New York’s brightest new music indie-bands”
- Time Out New York

Led by artistic director and cellist Clarice Jensen, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) is dedicated to the outstanding performance of masterworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, primarily the work of American composers. Known for their work with the Wordless Music Series as well as indie music icons such as Grizzly Bear, ACME’s dedication to cutting-edge contemporary literature extends across genres, and has earned them a reputation among both classical and rock crowds. -- More info >>

Krakauer Acoustic Klezmer Quartet

"Bringing prodigious chops and serious mirth to klezmer... like an avant-garde Jewish wedding celebration... not to be missed."
— The New Yorker

David Krakauer, one of the most important and influential musicians in new Jewish music today and of the vital new wave of klezmer, is known mostly for his amplified sound pushing the boundaries of klezmer to include elements of jazz, rock, funk and hip-hop. In a program tailored for spaces more appropriate for chamber music, Krakauer will present acoustic versions of his own original compositions mixed with his own special versions of classic tunes from the traditional klezmer repertoire.

Pablo Ziegler Tango Jazz Quintet with Claudia Acuña

In this program, the Pablo Ziegler Quintet is joined by Chilean vocalist . Ms. Acuña seamlessly fuses Latin rhythms with her instinctive jazz sensibility, performing songs composed by Pablo Ziegler and Astor Piazzolla, as well as some works of her own. "Emotional, exacting, and soulful, Acuña breathes great life and drama into each song." (Musiciansnews.com) -- More info >>

Akoka – The End of Time

Cellist Matt Haimovitz and clarinetist David Krakauer have come together to create a new project centered around Olivier Messaien's Quartet for the End of Time. Given that this piece was composed in a prisoner of war camp in the midst of tremendous world upheaval, and that the subject matter of the quartet describes cataclysmic events (the end of time itself), Haimovitz and Krakauer have created a program of music surrounding and commenting on this aspect of the Messaien. The point of departure is the fact that the clarinetist Henri Akoka who gave the premiere in the prison camp, was Jewish. Metaphorically, to focus on Akoka's story (not literally, but rather poetically through music) is to bring out the human aspect of this composition seen through the "eyes" of one individual caught up in terrifying events beyond his control. -- More info >>

Merima Ključo & Miroslav Tadić: Aritmia

"Ključo's playing—rich in atmospherics—takes many forms and constantly springs surprises... a uniquely beguiling sound."
— The Independent

With Aritmia, two celebrated instrumentalists ruminate on their common roots and shared loves of traditional Balkan, Baroque and classical musics. In a program that includes original arrangements of Erik Satie, Manuel de Falla, and the romantic, mournful music of sevdah—sometimes called 'Bosnian blues'—this virtuosic pair shares the fruits of their unique musical partnership, offering a singular mix of joy, yearning and aching beauty.

Cyro Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits

"Simply ingenious... undeniable... provocative, powerful and deeply enjoyable."
— All Music

Brazilian percussionist and composer Cyro Baptista leads a winsome world-jazz quartet in a virtuosic romp through myriad musical styles, from washed out surf rock splashes to blazing hardbop solos, all laced with exquisite Afro-Brazilian rhythms and a Carnivalesque sense of joyous irreverence. These four astonishing players come together to create utterly unique, unapologetic music that remains refreshingly fun, forward thinking and totally accessible. -- More info >>

Howard Fishman: The Basement Tapes Project

“Scintillating... gritty... brilliant”
— The Washington Post

Since his New York City debut at the Algonquin Oak Room in 1999, critically-acclaimed singer, guitarist, composer and bandleader Howard Fishman's exuberant, spontaneous, and unvarnished music has made him a favorite of audiences and critics alike. Using critic Greil Marcus’ book The Old, Weird America as a touchstone, Fishman's The Basement Tapes Project explores the mysterious underground recordings made by Bob Dylan and The Band in 1967. -- More info >>

Maya Beiser: Provenance

In a world troubled by religious strife and division, the period between the eighth and fifteenth centuries in the Iberian Peninsula offers a hopeful historical reminder: Muslims, Christians, and Jews once lived together in Spain, creating a centuries-long flowering of commerce, culture, art, and architecture. Provenance offers a contemporary interpretation of this shared harmonious source.

Provenance peaked at #6 in overall music sales and #1 in Classical music on Amazon. It also hit #1 in World Music on iTunes and #3 in Classical on Billboard. -- More info >>

Maya Beiser with Orchestra

Over the past decade, Maya Beiser has created a new repertoire for cello, commissioning and performing many works written for her by today’s leading composers. Beiser’s innovative programs and recordings have been consistently hailed by critics and audiences alike, earning her recognition among today’s most exciting creators. The cello is often described as having the most human-like voice in the symphony orchestra, and in Beiser’s hands it seems to speak for humanity, offering a voice for our time.

Maya Beiser has been soloist with the American Composer’s Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Santa Rosa Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony, the China Philharmonic and many others.

Beyond Tango: the Music of Pablo Ziegler

Beyond Tango was conceived by Ziegler for the Miami International Piano Festival and we are pleased to now offer this popular program for touring. While Pablo Ziegler is known to the jazz world through his touring to venues such as the Bimhuis in Amsterdam and his annual performances at the Jazz Standard in New York City, this program focuses on his classical music and involves different instrumentation. The evening progresses from piano duo, through trio, quartet, quintet and finally large chamber ensemble playing mostly the compositions of Pablo Ziegler, but including some of his own arrangements of the Piazzolla 2-piano pieces which Pablo had recorded with Emanuel Ax for Sony Classical, produced by Ettore Strata. -- More info >>

A Blue Hat Washed Up On Shore:
Brooklyn Rider & 2 Foot Yard

A Blue Hat Washed Up On Shore is an exciting new work co-written by two visionary contemporary music ensembles: 2 Foot Yard, known for their impeccable craft and unique synthesis of chamber music sensibilities with popular vernacular, and Brooklyn Rider, a vital and adventurous string quartet praised for their innovative repertoire as well as their immense technical virtuosity. Drawing inspiration from Alan Lightman's best-selling novel, Einstein's Dreams, A Blue Hat Washed Up On Shore is a seamless collection of instrumental works, song, narration and improvisational sequences which draws on the wide sound palette of the two groups. -- More info >>

Canyengue: the Soul of Tango

Canyengue brings together Latin Grammy-winning pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler, considered to be “the outstanding representative of the nuevo tango in his generation” (Stereo Review) and Maya Beiser, described by the The New Yorker as a “cello goddess” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “the queen of post-minimalist cello.” Ziegler was pianist for Astor Piazzolla for ten years and instrumental in creating the sound that elevated tango music from dance clubs to the concert hall. Beiser grew up on an Argentinean kibbutz in Israel and is a celebrated cellist known for taking the cello beyond its classical boundaries. In their collaboration they explore the nature of “canyengue” – provocative, raw, earthy and sensual – the true soul of Buenos Aires tango. -- More info >>

Pablo Ziegler & Lara St. John:
Astor Piazzolla's Central Park Concert

Following the wild success of a 2012 concert that drew the largest crowd to Naumburg Orchestral Concerts in the series' 107 years, composer-pianist Pablo Ziegler and violinist Lara St. John are now offering that concert as a special touring program that celebrates tango grand-maestro Astor Piazzolla's famous Central Park Concert. The program includes some of the late Argentine composer's most beloved works, as well as exquisite originals by Ziegler. The line-up features the same instrumentation as Piazzolla's iconic New Tango Quintet with which Ziegler played for a decade. -- More info >>

Checkpoint KBK: with David Krakauer, Iva Bittová & Merima Ključo

Checkpoint brings together the unique talents of master musicians Iva Bittová, David Krakauer and Merima Ključo. Influences from the cultural heritage of each of these performers (Rom, Jewish and Bosnian) come into play with improvisation and original compositions to create a provocative statement about a shared central European identity. -- More info >>

David Krakauer: Beyond Crossover

"Incandescent... astonishingly versatile"
— The New York Times

Beyond Crossover is a unique recital program that voyages between classical repertoire, Krakauer's original compositions and klezmer music. The program moves effortlessly without intermission from Janacek, Brahms, Messiaen, Steve Reich and Debussy all the way to Krakauer's mad circular breathing improvisations and klezmer. -- More info >>

Cyro Baptista: Beat The Donkey

"Wild, vivid entertainment — Brazilian carnival crossed with Lower East Side performance art!"
— The New York Times

Brazilian percussion maverick Cyro Baptista’s critically acclaimed, seven-plus-member ensemble, Beat the Donkey, or “Pau Na Mula” (Brazilian slang meaning “Let’s go!” or “Let’s do it!”), performs with the wild, joyous energy of a carnival drum line, fusing music, dance, humor and madcap theatrics into unforgettable events. Adorned in fantastical costumes and outlandish headgear, this multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-talented group of vocalists, instrumentalists and dancers invites audiences to join their festive celebration of cultural expression, collaboration and fun. -- More info >>

Cure for Love: Music and Poetry of Machaut
Lionheart with special guest John Kelly

The elegant and fresh sounding poetry and music of Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377) continues to astonish and engage contemporary audiences. Integrating an unusual combination of musical colors, forms and sensual poetic narrative, Machaut heavily influenced younger contemporaries such as Chaucer, Boccaccio, and Petrarch. Machaut's bittersweet epic poem Remede de Fortune (the Remedy of Fortune) vividly sets to music the tale of a young man's first love and his passionate struggle to become worthy of his lady. As the centerpiece of Lionheart's concert, the dramatic presentation of this melancholic story evokes a spirit of serenity. -- More info >>

David Krakauer with Orchestra

Internationally acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer occupies the unique position of being one of the world’s leading exponents of Eastern European Jewish klezmer music, and at the same time is a major voice in classical music. Many of the world’s leading composers are taking the opportunity to incorporate Krakauer’s klezmer stylings into new compositions, engaging in cross-cultural dialogue from the contemporary perspective of a post-globalized world, while using one of culture’s oldest languages: music. Krakauer now offers a bold new repertoire that speaks to today’s world while remaining utterly timeless.

Paul Dresher Ensemble: Double Duo

"A chance to hear contemporary classical music at its best."
— San Francisco Classical Voice

Classically based and inventively performed, Double Duo combines traditional chamber instruments, performed by Bang on a Can All Stars founding member Lisa Moore on piano, and long-time collaborator Karen Bentley Pollick on violin, together with a pair of newly invented instruments: a Marimba Lumina played by percussionist Joel Davel and a Quadrachord, a 14-foot long guitar-like stringed instrument invented by Paul Dresher that is plucked, bowed, hammered and strummed in a wholly unique live performance experience that is both visual and aural. -- More info >>

Paul Dresher

Paul Dresher is a composer who is internationally noted for his ability to integrate diverse musical influences into his own coherent and unique personal style. He pursues many forms of musical expression including experimental opera and music theater, chamber and orchestral composition, live instrumental electro-acoustic music performances, musical instrument invention, and scores for theater, dance, and film. -- More info >>

Maya Beiser: Elsewhere

Cellist Maya Beiser and Theater Director Robert Woodruff are collaborating on a new, evening-length multimedia work in two acts. Elsewhere is a bridge across the end of a world. It depicts the experience of two women who are caught up in a terrible catastrophe, which they do not understand, have no part of and are unable to prevent. Separated by time and distance, they call out to each other, sharing a sense of puzzlement about the brutality of their existence.

Donal Fox: Mashups in Afro-Blue

"Fox's band has the Modern Jazz Quartet's poise and John Coltrane Quartet's power"
— The Boston Globe

Combining deep grooves with sophisticated contrapuntal lines, Fox and his quartet create striking, genre-defying musical collages, at once stirring, visceral and intellectually satisfying. Like a great DJ digging in the crates for forgotten gems, Fox mines the rich resources of jazz and classical literature, crafting an expanding repertoire of original compositions seamlessly wedded to the undeniable pulse of funk, blues and jazz. -- More info >>

Donal Fox with Orchestra

"A composer, pianist and improviser who deftly draws from jazz and classical contemporary traditions."
— The New York Times

Internationally acclaimed as a composer, pianist, and improviser, Donal Fox expertly fuses jazz and classical idioms into intricate, electrifying performances. He has premiered works at such prestigious venues as Tanglewood and Lincoln Center, and has served as the first African-American composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony. Among his many accolades, Fox is a former Guggenheim fellow, and a recent recipient of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters Academy Award in Music.

Donal Fox Solo Piano: Inventions in Blue

"A composer, pianist and improviser who deftly draws from jazz and classical contemporary traditions."
— The New York Times

With an encyclopedic ear and ravishing technique, Donal Fox draws on a vast repertoire in this solo piano concert that includes works by and based on J.S. Bach, Thelonious Monk, George Frideric Handel, John Coltrane, Frédéric Chopin, Radiohead, Robert Schumann, Ornette Coleman, John Dowland, Horace Silver and more. -- More info >>

Donal Fox Inventions Trio: Scarlatti Jazz Suite Project

"One of the most successful classical/jazz unions in recent memory."
— All About Jazz

With the Scarlatti Jazz Suite Project, Donal Fox and his Inventions Trio tackle both jazz and baroque repertoire, bringing their virtuosic, visionary approach to these two improvisational vernaculars. The program includes works by and based on Scarlatti, Bach and Daquin, as well as Monk, Coltrane and Coleman. -- More info >>

Fox Wolf Duo

"Brilliant... each echoing the swift runs of the other... Ingenious artistry."
— All About Jazz

Pianist, composer and arranger Donal Fox is celebrated for his fresh compositional approach and innovative reframings of jazz, latin and classical repertoire. For this special program, Fox invites acclaimed vibraphonist and longtime Donal Fox Quartet member Warren Wolf to join him in an intimate duo setting. These two outstanding virtuosos meet over Fox originals, as well as signature arrangements of Brahms, Schumann, Monk, Coltrane and more, for a high voltage excursion teeming with depth, swagger and improvisational grace. -- More info >>

The Sarajevo Haggadah: Music of the Book

"Powerful music. An incredible story. Haunting images... Oozing from its every measure were palpable senses of the book's beauty and value and of the loss and human tragedies it has witnessed over half a millennium."
— The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Composer-performer Merima Ključo's multimedia work for accordion, piano, and video traces the dramatic story of one of Jewish culture's most treasured manuscripts. Inspired by the historical novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks and commissioned by the Foundation for Jewish Culture, The Sarajevo Haggadah: Music of the Book creatively interprets this miraculous artifact as a universal symbol of exile, return, and co-existence. -- More info >>

Phil Kline's John the Revelator

"Beautifully structured... one of the most moving and engaging mass settings in recent memory"
— All Music

Named after a song by American blues legend Blind Willie Johnson, Phil Kline's John The Revelator is a full-length choral Mass written for Lionheart and string quartet. This 21st century mass finds roots in composer Phil Kline's childhood memories of Gospel Blues and rural camp revival meetings, engaging themes from the Bible's apocalyptic Book of Revelation and the Old Testament's Lamentations of Jeremiah. -- More info >>

Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait

"Scheinman [has] a distinctive vision of American music, suffused with plainspoken beauty and fortified all at once by country, gospel, and melting-pot folk, along with jazz and the blues"
— The New York Times

With Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait, acclaimed composer, singer, and violinist, Jenny Scheinman invites us into the captivating visual world of Depression-era filmmaker, H. Lee Waters, offering her original live score of new folk songs, fiddle music to Waters' footage, masterfully compiled in a new film by director Finn Taylor. -- More info >>

David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness!

As one of the foremost musicians of the vital new wave of klezmer, David Krakauer tours the globe with his celebrated Klezmer Madness! ensemble. While firmly rooted in traditional klezmer folk tunes, the band “hurls the tradition of klezmer music into the rock era” (Jon Pareles, The New York Times). With Klezmer Madness!, Krakauer has forged alliances among his genre of world music and jazz, rock, funk and hip-hop. It simultaneously shouts out to those who remember “yesterday’s” klezmer and to the hard dance clubbers and world music enthusiasts of today. -- More info >>

Phil Kline

Phil Kline has emerged as one of the 21st Century’s most intriguing song composers. Mining texts found in speeches, interviews and graffiti for the unique poetry of the American vernacular, Kline’s quasi-theatrical songs are by turns intense, dark, dizzying, confrontational and funny, but always with an ear for musical beauty. He places his voices in the multi-level sound world of an electro-acoustic chamber ensemble, mixing classical and rock instruments with electronics played by an elite group of New York’s new music specialists. -- More info >>

David Krakauer

Internationally acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer occupies the unique position of being one of the world’s leading exponents of Eastern European Jewish klezmer music, and at the same time is a major voice in classical music. Known for his mastery of myriad styles Krakauer lies way beyond “cross-over”. His best-selling classical and klezmer recordings further define his brilliant tone, virtuosity and imagination. -- More info >>

David Krakauer with Kronos Quartet

For the 2011-12 Season, David Krakauer is available as special guest at Kronos Quartet concerts. Repertoire includes the world premiere touring season of a new quintet by Aleksandra Vrebalov. -- More info >>

Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano

"To hear composers take my work and take it seriously... it’s a thrill."
— Stephen Sondheim

Conceived by acclaimed concert pianist Anthony de Mare, Liaisons is a landmark commissioning and concert project based on the songs of legendary musical theater composer Stephen Sondheim. The project invited 36 of the world’s foremost contemporary composers to choose a song by Sondheim and re-imagine it as a solo piano piece. Both an homage and a celebration, Liaisons makes the case for Sondheim as one of the 20th century's most influential composers – as at home in the concert hall as on the Broadway stage. -- More info >>

Lionheart

"Impeccable skill and nuance"
— Milwaukee Journal Sentinal

Lionheart is one of America’s leading ensembles in vocal chamber music. Acclaimed for its "smoothly blended and impeccably balanced sound" (Allan Kozinn, The New York Times), Lionheart (Jeffrey Johnson, Lawrence Lipnik, John Olund, Richard Porterfield, Kurt-Owen Richards, and Michael Wenger) is best known for its interpretation of medieval and Renaissance a cappella music, with Gregorian chant as the keystone of its repertoire. The ensemble also collaborates with instrumental ensembles, dance companies, and contemporary composers. -- More info >>

Just Ancient Loops: Maya Beiser & Michael Harrison

Just Ancient Loops brings together virtuoso cellist Maya Beiser and the extraordinary composer and pianist Michael Harrison. The program takes its name from the center piece of this concert: Just Ancient Loops, a 25 minute musical odyssey composed for Beiser by Harrison that unveils every aspect of the cello - from its most glorious and mysterious harmonics to the earthy rhythmic pizzicatos. Complementing Harrison’s compositions is music by two composers he reveres: Arvo Part and J.S. Bach.

Pablo Ziegler Quartet with Sandra Luna

A consummate ensemble featuring piano, bandoneon, cello and double bass, the Ziegler Classical Tango Quartet breathes with nuance and refinement, at once subtle and utterly expressive. Raised in the stockyard and slaughterhouse district of Mataderos in Buenos Aires, Sandra Luna brings a passionate, sometimes pained, voice to both classic and new tango songs. Like all serious contemporary tango artists, Sandra balances the weight of the tango past with the need to redefine and renovate. In this dynamic new program, Luna joins the Pablo Ziegler Ensemble, playing acoustic chamber arrangements of their captivating repertoire. -- More info >>

Bill Morrison, Jóhann Jóhannsson & ACME:
The Miners' Hymns

"Elegant, elegiac... enthralling." — The New York Times

The former coal mining communities in North East England are the subject of this inspired documentary project by American multi-media artist Bill Morrison and Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson. The story is told entirely without words, with a remarkable original score featuring the ACME string quartet and an 18-piece brass ensemble. Using rarely-seen footage from the British Film Institute, the BBC, and other archives, The Miners' Hymns celebrates social, cultural, and political aspects of an extinct industry. -- More info >>

Carla Kihlstedt's Necessary Monsters

Every culture that has ever existed has created elaborate menageries of imaginary creatures, all with one important role: to tell us about ourselves. Based on Jorge Luis Borges' Book of Imaginary Beings, a collection of his favorite imagined creatures from around the world and throughout history, Necessary Monsters is a set of nine songs composed and directed by violinist/vocalist Carla Kihlstedt in collaboration with librettist Rafael Osés and co-director Rinde Eckert. In this new song-cycle, the audience follows the delirious journey of a writer cajoled by creatures of her own imagining as she tries in vain to corral and contain them in an orderly field guide. -- More info >>

Tanya Tagaq in concert with Nanook of the North

"Nobody, anywhere, sounds like she does."
— The Globe and Mail

Celebrated Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq, a Polaris Music Prize winner and two-time Juno Award nominee, reclaims the controversial 1922 film Nanook of the North. Working with composer Derek Charke (whose “Tundra Songs” Tagaq performed with the Kronos Quartet), Tagaq, along with percussionist Jean Martin and violinist Jesse Zubot, perform a live accompaniment to the film’s silent images of life in an early 20th-century Inuit community in Northern Quebec. -- More info >>

On In Love: Craig Wedren & ACME
Composed by Jefferson Friedman

On In Love melds the energy and immediacy of post-punk rock with the complexity and refinement of classical chamber music. Composed by Jefferson Friedman with lyrics and vocals by Craig Wedren of avant-rock band Shudder To Think, and featuring ACME, known for their work with the Wordless Music Series and indie music icons such as Grizzly Bear, the song cycle represents a contemporary redefinition of archetypal songs through a unique collaboration. Friedman’s original blend of “classical music training with rock sensibilities […] is both sophisticated and appealing” (Allan Kozinn, New York Times). -- More info >>

Phil Kline's Out Cold
with Theo Bleckmann & ACME

"a lyrical enigmatic score, vividly performed... arresting." "Best classical performances of 2012"
— Vivien Schweitzer, The New York Times

Out Cold is a song cycle that takes its cue from Schubert's great romantic song cycle Winterreise (winter journey) as seen through the filter of Frank Sinatra's great torch song album Only The Lonely. Here the winter landscape is replaced by a mythical bar at 2:45am, with a man haunted by the past and searching for something, singing sad and beautiful songs with a ten-piece lounge band from a dark corner of heaven.

The Big Picture featuring David Krakauer

The Big Picture explores the inseparable relationship between music and movies while reminding the audience of their incomparable contributions as co-stars. Clarinetist extraordinaire David Krakauer's otherworldly interpretations of the music found in a myriad of moviegoer's favorites including Sophie's Choice, Life is Beautiful, The Pianist, Radio Days, and more, will transport the audience to the shores of their memory banks while expanding their appreciation of one of life's great couples - music and movies. -- More info >>

Psalm Book: Lionheart with ACME
Composed by Ingram Marshall

For over thirty years, Ingram Marshall has been heralded for his prolific compositions ranging from Indonesian Gamelan-inspired melodies to his use of live recording tape collages that incorporate extended vocal techniques. Marshall is now composing a new work for Lionheart and ACME string quartet based on early American psalmody. The piece will include a re-working of the 23rd Psalm from the Bay Psalm Book of 1692, the earliest printed music in North America, whose austere but curiously poignant melodies will supply the source materials for this new work. -- More info >>

Brad Richter: Guitarist & Composer

"Like Franz Liszt with the piano, Brad Richter utilizes techniques of his own invention and brings them into a framework that works so beautifully."
— George Shangrow, KING FM Seattle

Brad Richter rethinks what can be accomplished with a guitar. Playing an innovative hybrid of percussive fingerstyle and classical guitar techniques, he has garnered international attention from guitar fanatics and casual listeners alike. Richter pairs candid originals with pillars of the classical guitar repertoire—including masterworks by Augustín Barrios, Francisco Tárrega and J.S. Bach—in solo guitar programs that celebrate the joys and challenges of being alive. -- More info >>

Richter Uzur Duo

"Effortless precision and musicality... One of the most exciting duos on the scene today."
— Guitar International

Guitarist Brad Richter and cellist Viktor Uzur are consummate performers and composers, each having played around the globe to critical acclaim and international awards. Together, they pair exquisite originals with blazing improvisations and iconic works by composers such as Bartok, Gershwin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Saint-Saens. A staple on Performance Today, the duo tours regularly to such venues as the Bonneville Chamber Music Festival, University of Arizona Presents and the Kirkland Performance Center. -- More info >>

Richter Uzur Duo with Orchestra

"Effortless precision and musicality... Playful yet stunning."
— Guitar International

The Duo Concerto for Cello and Guitar, by guitarist Brad Richter and cellist Viktor Uzur, pairs classical forms and instrumentation with Eastern European folk melodies and rock music idioms. The first two movements evoke the great romantic concerti in their structure and orchestration, but reflect a contemporary sensibility with their accessible tonal language and pulse. The third movement pays homage to the beloved guitarist Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin, weaving together many of his famous riffs into flashy and intelligent counterpoint. -- More info >>

Paul Dresher & Steven Schick: Schick Machine

Paul Dresher has created an evening-length solo music theater work for percussionist Steven Schick using large-scale invented musical instruments. The work was first presented at Stanford Lively Arts and the premiere of its fully realized production took place at the Mondavi Center in November 2009. Virtuoso percussionist Steven Schick has long been bringing considerable theatrical skills into his performances, and here performs on a stage whose every object and surface is sonically active. The instruments combine both traditional percussion and new large-scale instruments that have been invented and built specifically for this composition. -- More info >>

Rob Schwimmer: Beyond the Sky

"Virtuosity, magic and humor"
— The New York Times

Composer, pianist, and thereminist Rob Schwimmer offers his widely acclaimed solo program, Beyond the Sky, featuring breathtaking originals — wordless songs, miniature suites and tone poems — and popular standards like "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime," "Never Never Land," and "Stormy Weather." -- More info >>

Sirius Quartet

"Versatility and flair with lively improvisations… another highlight."
— The New York Times

Internationally acclaimed veterans of contemporary music, Sirius Quartet creates unforgettable musical events that combine exhilarating repertoire with unequalled improvisational fire. This group's forward-thinking, genre-defying approach—with collaborations in post-rock, avant jazz and electronic music—makes labels like 'New Music' sound passé. These conservatory-trained performer/composers shine with precision, soul and a raw energy rarely witnessed in the concert hall. -- More info >>

Paul Dresher Ensemble: Sound Maze

Sound Maze is an interactive experience of sound and mechanics, consisting of fifteen newly invented musical instruments and sound sculptures that audience members are invited to interact with, explore and improvise upon. This remarkable, hands-on interactive installation has been designed for audiences of all ages – regardless of musical experience &ndsh; as well people on the autism spectrum. Audience-participants are fully encouraged to engage, experiment with, and play these extraordinary inventions to discover new ways of creating sound and music. -- More info >>

Pablo Ziegler: Tango Meets Jazz

"He is cool, understated and makes everything look easy and natural... Just as a really suave tango dancer seems not to move with feet but on wheels, Ziegler skates the keyboard."
— The Los Angeles Times

With Tango Meets Jazz, Latin Grammy award winning pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler and his tango quartet invite today’s most exciting jazz luminaries to tackle classic tango repertoire and original Ziegler compositions with bold, spontaneous jazz-tinged interpretations. Previous guest artists have included Regina Carter, Stefon Harris, Branford Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, Kenny Garrett, Joe Locke, Randy Brecker, David Sanchez and Nestor Torres.

Pablo Ziegler with Orchestra: Sounds of Buenos Aires

"Sumptuously orchestrated... stirring beauty"
— DownBeat

For decades, Buenos Aires-born Latin Grammy-winning pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler has been one of the leading creators of Argentine New Tango, the vibrant musical hybrid of classic Tango and American Jazz. With "Sounds of Buenos Aires," Ziegler takes this rich music to another stage with a riveting new program for orchestra featuring orchestral arrangements by Amsterdam's Metropole Orkest based on Ziegler's original arrangements for quartet.

Pablo Ziegler Quartet for New Tango

"Ziegler... plays straight from the beating, bleeding heart of nuevo tango, with its Argentinian mix of swagger and sweetness"
— The Guardian

Latin Grammy-winner Pablo Ziegler, the Buenos Aires-born pianist and composer who helped shape the modern tango, brings the rich Argentinian musical tradition of nuevo tango into a chamber music setting with exquisite arrangements of his own compositions, as well as the music of tango legends like Ángel Villoldo, Gerardo Matos Rodríguez and Astor Piazzolla. A consummate ensemble featuring piano, bandoneon, cello and double bass, Ziegler’s quartet breathes with nuance and refinement, at once subtle and utterly expressive.

Pablo Ziegler Trio for New Tango

"It is called Nuevo Tango for its blending of jazz and the more traditional tango. But in the hands of Pablo Ziegler, it is, above all labels, transcendent music."
— Montecristo Magazine

With his Trio for New Tango, Latin Grammy-winning pianist, composer and arranger Pablo Ziegler delivers stripped-down, intimate arrangements of his essential New Tango repertoire, offering a raw, elemental concert music program. Writes NY Jazz Report: "To the devotee of Nuevo Tango, a performance by Pablo Ziegler is a deep experience, a trip to the heart of this music... He is a sort of musical brujo, a conjurer who can make all within earshot a believer in his message."

Phil Kline & Jim Jarmusch: Tesla in New York

Composer-Writer Phil Kline and Writer-Director Jim Jarmusch are collaborating on the creation of an evening length music theater piece, Tesla in New York. Tesla in New York will be a "more or less" true series of fantasies based on the incredible life of Nikola Tesla, and focusing on the years he lived in downtown Manhattan. One of the most remarkable and enigmatic men of the twentieth century, Tesla invented the modern method of electrical distribution that powered the second industrial revolution, and was acknowledged to be the true inventor of radio. And yet, despite all that, he died impoverished and alone in his room at the Hotel New Yorker. This project is currently being developed and will be available for touring in 2013.

Paul Dresher & Amy X Neuburg: They Will Have Been So Beautiful

"Wonderful... a dense weave of electric and acoustic sonorities… gritty tenderness and emotional power"
— The San Francisco Chronicle

With They Will Have Been So Beautiful, celebrated composer, performer and instrument inventor Paul Dresher collaborates with composer-vocalist Amy X Neuburg on an electroacoustic song cycle inspired by a little-known text by photographer Diane Arbus. Premiered to glowing acclaim at Cal Performances in December 2014, this evening-length program features ten newly commissioned works from a host of today's most compelling composers, alongside projections of the images that inspired them.

Two Men Talking

Johannesburg 1974: A teacher asks two rival schoolboys to tell each other a story. Decades later, they meet by chance in New York as Oscar®-nominated filmmaker and psychiatrist and set out to transform the world through their real life storytelling.

Two Men Talking is a live, unscripted performance in which two men weave their life stories into a production that captivates audiences. Their story takes place between South Africa and New York City touching on issues of personal identity, HIV/AIDS, being Jewish in South Africa, and the creation of a lifetime friendship. -- More info >>

Pablo Ziegler & Christopher O'Riley: Two To Tango

Having toured nationally the critically acclaimed Los Tangeros, Pablo Ziegler and Christopher O’Riley partner again in an adventurous new program. Two to Tango sees the pair tackling virtuosic two-piano arrangements of compositions by Astor Piazzolla, Ziegler and O’Riley. The Los Angeles Times' Marc Swed said of their earlier collaboration: “the sound of two pianos can be practically symphonic, and the arrangements brilliantly demonstrate the grandeur of this music... Just as a really suave tango dancer seems not to move with feet but on wheels, Ziegler skates the keyboard... O'Riley, a classical virtuoso, a striking Chopin and Stravinsky player... is more overtly jazzy than Ziegler, more flamboyant. But he has an appealing flair, a fabulous technique.” -- More info >>

Cyro Baptista: Villa-Lobos/Vira Loucos

"A homage and a romp, meticulously arranged and ready for anything."
— The New York Times

Beloved Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista reinterprets the music of Brazil's most celebrated composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos. For this special program, which translates to "Villa-Lobos Gone Crazy," Baptista leads a thrilling six member ensemble featuring frequent Baptista cohorts on guitar/banjo, accordion, piano/keyboard, drums and bass. 'Villa-Lobos/Vira-Loucos' has toured to Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Modlin Center at University of Richmond, the Texas Performing Arts Center and the Teatro Anchieta at SESC Consolaçào in São Paulo, Brazil. -- More info >>

Maya Beiser: World To Come

Evocative, theatrical and spiritual, World To Come is Maya Beiser's multimedia solo concert, featuring premieres by Steve Reich, Osvaldo Golijov and David Lang. This evening challenges the notion of a solo cello concert and encompasses text, vocals, dramatic lighting and interactive videos. World To Come had its world premiere at the Krannert Center on October 18th, 2003, and its New York premiere as part of the inaugural season of Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on October 30th, 2003, followed by a major national and international tour. -- More info >>

Pablo Ziegler

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Latin GRAMMY winning pianist Pablo Ziegler artfully blends classic tango rhythms with jazz improvisations, adding a new voice to the tango lexicon. Howard Reich of The Chicago Times writes, “There’s no question that Ziegler takes the tango to levels of sophistication and refinement probably undreamed of by Piazzolla”, and Eric Salzman of Stereo Review, writing of Ziegler’s CD, Tango Romance, affirmed that the CD “solidifies his (Ziegler’s) claim to be the outstanding representative of the nuevo tango in his generation.” -- More info >>

Zippo Songs: Poems From The Front
with Theo Bleckmann

Phil Kline's Zippo Songs sets texts that American GIs engraved on their Zippo lighters in Vietnam. The songs follow like a harrowing series of haiku, expressing the gamut of emotions young men feel under the threat of imminent oblivion. Alex Ross of The New Yorker calls it “One of the most brutally frank song cycles ever penned.” Recent seasons have included performances at the Detroit Institute of Art, the Kimmel Center, Connecticut College and the Flynn Theatre. -- More info >>

David Krakauer: Ancestral Groove

"A brilliant blending of new and old"
— DownBeat

For over two decades, world-renowned clarinetist David Krakauer has been reinventing and remixing the Jewish music of his ancestry with the sensibility of a contemporary musician strongly informed by experimental jazz, funk and hip-hop. Ancestral Groove sees Krakauer remixing Krakauer, hitting the road with new arrangements of his classic tunes, a new DJ and an electrifying 4-piece band. The program also includes cuts from Krakauer’s most recent recording, Pruflas, a collection of songs penned by John Zorn and arranged by Krakauer for the Masada series on Tzadik Records. -- More info >>

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