October 11, 2015 (6pm | doors 5pm)
(le) Poisson Rouge   |   158 Bleecker Street NYC

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Students: $10
Standing: $15
Table Seating: $20
VIP Opera Box: $35


Multiphonics

Metropolis Ensemble's latest Resident Artist Series project at (le) Poisson Rouge

Join bassoonist/composer Brad Balliett and Metropolis Ensemble for five premieres of new works featuring the bassoon, the soulful tenor of the woodwind section. Four composers were commissioned for Balliett to revitalize the solo repertoire for this often-forgetten instrument, placing the bassoon in a multiplicity of sonic situations, ranging from chamber concerto to song cycle.

The centerpiece of the evening is a re-imagination of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto K. 191, in a new version for bassoon with live electronics by composer Bora Yoon. Doug Balliett pits the bassoon against Majel Connery's unearthly mezzo-soprano voice in a solo song cycle on texts about Cleopatra.

Also on the program, a work featuring the bassoon in a chamber music setting by this year’s Rome-Prize winner, Nina C. Young, and a new bassoon concerto written by the performer, Brad Balliett.

Finally, a Vivaldi-inspired work for bassoon and strings by the young composers of ComposerCraft*, a program for middle-school composers at the Kaufman Music Center, in collaboration with Metropolis Ensemble’s Youth Works program.



About the Series

The Resident Artist Series offers a platform for Metropolis Ensemble performing artists and composers to initiate and realize commissioning projects and produce concerts and musical events, giving our core members unique opportunities collaborate with those who inspire them.

Multiphonics, developed by bassoonist Brad Balliett in collaboration with Metropolis Ensemble, is the fifth project in this series. To date, 30 new works have been commissioned and premiered with pianist David Kaplan, harpist Bridget Kibbey, violinist Kristin Lee, and composer Ricardo Romaneiro, with more to come this season with cellist Ashley Bathgate (commissioning The Sleeping Giants) and pianist Conor Hanick (commissioning Elliot Cole).

The June Wu Artist Fund

In 2011,The June Wu Artists Fund was established to honor the vision of Metropolis Ensemble board member June Wu and her passionate dedication to our community of composers and artists. The Artists Fund helped Metropolis launch our Resident Artist Series, among other artist-led creative and career-building endeavors, to more fully engage our mission to emerge the next generation of outstanding composers and musicians.

*A group composition by Austin Celestin, Graydon Hanson, Yusei Hata, Daniel Ma, Sara Stebbins, Misha Swersey.

Special thanks to Amy Kessler and Daniel Bertram for their major support of this season’s Resident Artist Series.

The Composers


Brad Balliett

Composer

Doug Balliett

Composer

ComposerCraft*

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Composer

Bora Yoon

Composer

Nina Young

Composer

The Soloists


Brad Balliett

Solo Bassoon

Majel Connery

Mezzo-Soprano

The Performers

Siwoo Kim, violin, leader
Caitlin-Mary Lynch, viola
Madeline Fayette, cello
Doug Balliett, double bass
Sejoon Park, piano
Ashley Jackson, harp
Britton Matthews, percussion
Lance Suzuki, flute
Carlos Cordeiro, clarinet
Nathan Mills, oboe
Andrew Cyr, conductor