Musical America Blogs

Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors interview Elizabeth Weisser, violist and Alex Lipowski, percussionist, of Talea Ensemble.

Committed to promoting new, groundbreaking music by commissioning and programming progressive works, Talea Ensemble allows audiences to gain exposure to new composers and to explore cutting edge music. Percussionist Alex Lipowski is the Executive Director and Elizabeth Weisser, violist, is the director of development. The ensemble aims to increase awareness and understanding of new music through outreach by participating in residencies, performances and projects for broad audiences.

To read more about TALEA ENSEMBLE, go to
taleaensemble.org.

Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors interview Matthew Duvall and Lisa Kaplan of the acclaimed new music ensemble, eighth blackbird.

Combining “the finesse of a string quartet and the energy of a rock band,” this ensemble will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2015. The three-time Grammy Award-winning group commissions new works from composers and choreographers, enjoys residencies at such prestigious schools as the University of Chicago, Curtis Institute and others, and performs worldwide with great acclaim. The name “eighth blackbird” derives from the eighth stanza of Wallace Stevens’s evocative, aphoristic poem of 1917: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.

For more about eighth blackbird, go to:
www.eighthblackbird.org

Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors inverview Eliran Avni, founder of Shuffle Concert.

Pianist Eliran Avni was on the elliptical machine at the gym when his mp3 player jumped from a Pretenders song to the first movement of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, nearly causing him to lose his balance. That experience of extreme stylistic juxtaposition morphed into his idea for Shuffle Concert.The audience is handed menus at the door, as in a restaurant, and selects the musical items that it wishes to hear. A “musical deck of cards” is shuffled randomly each night and the ensemble serves what the audience requests. The result is a surprising, entertaining and unique event. In a short time Shuffle Concert has become an international success.

To read more about Shuffle Concert, visit their website:
www.shuffleconcert.com

Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors interview Eric Jacobsen.

Recently appointed Music Director of the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, cellist Eric Jacobsen is co-founder, along with his violinist brother, Colin, of Brooklyn Rider, the genre-defying string quartet. The Knights, an orchestra of friends from a broad spectrum of the New York music world, evolved from late night chamber music reading parties at the home of Colin and Eric, who now serve as co-artistic directors. Among the group’s diverse talents are composers, arrangers, singer-songwriters and improvisers who bring a range of cultural influences. Both ensembles are performing worldwide.

Read more about the Jacobsen brothers and The Knights and Brooklyn Rider.

Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors interview Paola Prestini.

Prestini is a composer, producer, entrepreneur, and teacher who balances her own artistic endeavors while running several companies – VisionIntoArt and Original Music Workshop in Brooklyn. Her cross disciplinary projects, residencies, and collaborations bring disparate points of view together and redefine boundaries. She says, “I believe strongly in creating artistic communities and fostering new art,” and she is starting a new contemporary music label, VIA Records, which will present collaborations between composers and artists in different fields.

To read more about Paola Prestini and her work go to:
http://paolaprestini.com

Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors interview David Handler and Justin Kantor, co-founders of Le Poisson Rouge.

Le Poisson Rouge is a music venue and multimedia art cabaret in New York City founded in 2008 by David Handler and Justin Kantor on the former site of The Village Gate. Handler and Kantor, both graduates of Manhattan School of Music, founded LPR to foster the fusion of popular and arts cultures in music, film, theater, dance, and fine art. Their stated mission is “to revive the symbiotic relationship between art and revelry; to establish a creative asylum for both artists and audiences.”

For more information about LPR

Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors interview Daniel Bernard Roumain.

Haitian-American artist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) is a classically trained composer, performer, violinist, and band-leader celebrated for creating innovative multi-genre works. He collaborates with artists like Philip Glass, Cassandra Wilson, Bill T. Jones, Savion Glover, and Lady Gaga, and as Crain’s NY Business put it—“most classical musicians don’t run a business the way he does.”

Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors interview Ran Dank and Soyeon Lee.

International prize-winning pianists, Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank started Music by the Glass in 2013 to create “an intimate, exhilarating and stimulating musical experience.” Taking place in art galleries in New York City, Music By The Glass is the first classical concert series in the US with a goal of having the majority of its funding and support from the younger generation. With a board of young professionals, MBTG is about great music, fine wine and good company.

We interviewed Soyeon and Ran just a few weeks before their first baby arrived on July 22, 2014. Welcome to the planet Noah Lee-Dank!

Read more about MUSIC BY THE GLASS