Inspired by John Cage’s 1967 “Musicircus,” Metropolis presents a roving, immersive concert-party featuring dozens of composers and artists it has championed over the last decade.
Grammy Award-nominated Metropolis Ensemble celebrates its 10th anniversary on September 27th with a multi-sensory party and festive concert experience throughout the Angel Orensanz Center. One night, 10 years in the making, this immersive community event is inspired by John Cage’s 1967 “Musicircus,” and features dozens of the organization’s most accomplished artists and closest collaborators from the past 10 years. The night will feature nearly 30 works, including world premieres by Brad Balliett, Anna Clyne, Ryan Francis, Paula Matthusen, Ricardo Romaneiro, and Du Yun (who is creating her premiere during the event).
METROPOLIS ENSEMBLE presents
Celebrate: Metropolis Ensemble Turns 10
September 27 @ 8PM show/7:30PM doors
Angel Orensanz Foundation
172 Norfolk Street, NYC
Tickets: $20
www.metropolisensemble.org
The experience is inspired by John Cage’s instruction “everything at once and all together.” Itinerant performers (violinist Sean Lee with roving Paganini Caprices; sopranoAriadne Greif with selections from Cage’s Song Books) will interweave with overlapping live-music installations and large-scale group performances (featuring music by Anna Clyne,Timo Andres, Vivian Fung, Paula Matthusen, Andrew Norman, and Ricardo Romaneiro). Electro-acoustic works ranging from Jakub Ciupinski’s re-programmed theremins, a new open-score work for Pocket Operator + Instruments by Ryan Francis, and a Happy Birthday “pop-song” composed by Du Yun for orchestra during the event with audience participation, will enlarge the palette of sonic colors and textures. Featured performers include singer-songwriter Emily Wells, violinist Kristin Lee, cellist Ashley Bathgate, bassoonist/composer Brad Balliett, percussionist Ian Rosenbaum, and pianistConor Hanick. [Complete List]
Founder and music director Andrew Cyr calls the evening “a celebration of our composers, artists, and entire community.” The innovative context and focus on new music are an appropriate way for Metropolis to celebrate this important milestone. In its 10 years, the organization has been involved in nearly 100 commissions, and served as an incubator for winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Avery Fisher Career Grant, and principal players and composers-in-residence of orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Metropolis has been instrumental in instilling the strong sense of community and foundational support that New York City and its musicians currently enjoy.
The event is being produced in collaboration with composers Paula Matthusen and Ricardo Romaneiro. Both artists have been key collaborators in recent editions of Metropolis’ “Brownstone” series, in both NYC and at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC.
During the event, wine sponsored by Miro Cellars, a boutique Sonoma Valley winery, will be accompanied by specially created desserts by prodigy-chef Jonah Reider from Pith. An after-party will feature a set by singer-songwriter and Metropolis Ensemble collaborator, Emily Wells. Atmospheric lighting design and projection mapping will illuminate the Orensanz Center, a candle-lit former Gothic synagogue on the Lower East Side.
