Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.66882 N, 73.96276 W
This work is inspired by the story of the birth of Pegasus, the winged-horse from Greek mythology. The work opens up in canonic form, depicting biophonic sounds that might be heard near the Gorgon cave, home to Medusa, mother of Pegasus. This biophony eventually gives way to the sounds of the approaching hero, Perseus, who arrives with might to slay Medusa. Pegasus is born from the blood of Medusa and as its wings spread for its first flight the piece opens in-kind. As Pegasus flies away, the work returns to the biophonic sounds near the cave, now witness to one of the great events of Greek Mythology.
This work was inspired by the calls and sounds of six different birds - Western Meadowlark, House Wren, Hermit Thrush, Black Rail, Eurasian Nightjar, and Night Heron. Each of the four movements of this piece combines elements from several of the sounds or patterns that one or more of these birds produce and has them work together.
Marisa Tornello is a composer, vocalist, performance artist, poet, mover, and maker. Tornello cultivates an artistic practice that explores the art of living scores and thematic development through dual lens of trauma and healing. Their works have been shown at Roulette, the Tank, Jack, La MaMa ETC, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Vital Joint, Invisible Dog Arts Center, and Judson Church…
Ledah Finck is a violinist, violist, improviser, and composer who resides in NYC. A passionate creator, performer, and curator of contemporary classical music, she is a member of the contemporary-music string quartet Bergamot Quartet, currently the Graduate String Quartet in Residence at the New School…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.6680109 N, 73.9631672 W
yes you are this much I wrote this while listening to the spring birds. In the village where I live, there are thousands of them, and they are my favorite meditation music. I wish to be like a bird, expressing myself without inhibition and with great purpose.
Inspired by the Flightless Cormorants. These birds are an endemic species to the Galapagos Island, and just like their name implies, they cannot fly. Because of this they are confined to the shoreline they inhabit. Although these birds have lost their ability to fly, they are impressive swimmers, and important underwater predators. Flightless is a musical ‘slice of Flightless Cormorant life’ piece. Each performer represents ad individual bird. How much time do these birds spend on land vs. water? How many dives do these birds take? How will these birds interact when their paths cross?
Kate Gentile is a Brooklyn-based drummer and composer. As a leader, Kate released Mannequins (Skirl Records) in 2017 with Jeremy Viner, Matt Mitchell and Adam Hopkins. Her current band, Find Letter X, features Mitchell, Viner, and Kim Cass on bass…
Guggenheim Fellow, USA Fellow, Doris Duke Artist, multilingual vocalist-composer-multi-instrumentalist-dancer Jen Shyu is “one of the most creative vocalists in contemporary improvised music” (The Nation). Born in Peoria, Illinois, to Taiwanese and East Timorese immigrants, she’s produced eight albums, performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Theater of Korea, Rubin Museum, was named Downbeat’s 2017 Rising Star Female Vocalist, and is a Fulbright scholar speaking 10 languages…
Miles Okazaki is a NYC-based guitarist originally from Port Townsend, a small seaside town in Washington State. His approach to the guitar is described by the New York Times as “utterly contemporary, free from the expectations of what it means to play a guitar in a group setting — not just in jazz, but any kind.”…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.6674801 N, 73.9636654 W
Inspired by the Flightless Cormorants. These birds are an endemic species to the Galapagos Island, and just like their name implies, they cannot fly. Because of this they are confined to the shoreline they inhabit. Although these birds have lost their ability to fly, they are impressive swimmers, and important underwater predators. Flightless is a musical ‘slice of Flightless Cormorant life’ piece. Each performer represents ad individual bird. How much time do these birds spend on land vs. water? How many dives do these birds take? How will these birds interact when their paths cross?
Susan D. Mandel's diverse interests have led to a career focused in new music and collaboration. As a cellist, Susan has been active in the studio with performance credits on numerous albums and film scores including Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) directed by Shaka King, scored by Mark Isham and Craig Harris, Here Today (2021) directed by Billy Crystal, scored by Charlie Rosen, and Nian (2021) directed by Lulu Wang, scored by Alex Weston…
Clarinetist Mark Dover is a man of many horns, always striving to have his feet in as many different genres as he can. As the clarinetist of Imani Winds, he maintains a busy touring schedule throughout the United States and abroad. In addition to his work with Imani Winds, Mark is the clarinetist of Manhattan Chamber Players, and has performed with The Detroit Symphony under Leonard Slatkin, The Cleveland Orchestra under David Zinman at Kent Blossom Music Festival, The Knights, The New World Symphony, and many other ensembles throughout the country…
Lavinia Pavlish is a New York City-based violinist. She has performed as a soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra in an morning education concert series entitled Time Travel with the Cleveland Orchestra and recently performed alongside cellist Rose Bart with the Lake Tahoe Festival Orchestra at the Lake Tahoe Music Festival…
Laura Sacks is a New York-based violist who enjoys a multifaceted career. She has performed on stages from Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden, and is highly in demand as a studio session player. This season Laura performs with NOVUS, the Chamber Orchestra of New York, the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra, and the North/South Consonance Ensemble, as well as numerous performances with the High Line String Quartet…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.6700252 N, 73.9653354 W
wingbeat uses the flight formations of migratory birds as a model for listening and collectively maintaining energy. To conserve energy for long distance flights, birds fly in V formations, stagger their wingbeats, and react quickly to each other. Musicians are prompted to create sonic representations of this organically rhythmic phenomenon. The buildup of wingbeats earns moments of soaring, and sometimes flight is interrupted. The series of text cues aims to challenge and facilitate the project of sonic togetherness.
“Theodore Swanson began studying trombone at the age of 11. In 10th grade, he began private study with Dr. Anthony Williams from the University of Northern Iowa. Following this, he placed second in the final round of the 2019 Northern Festival of Bands Solo Competition…
Trombonist Levi Boylan began his musical journey studying the piano at the age of four. He turned to the trombone at age ten, studying with Ann Arbor low brass teacher Jonathan Holtfreter. During middle and high school, he performed in many recitals and school band and orchestra programs under the direction of David Leach at Pioneer High School…
Deandre Desir is a fourth year undergraduate at the Juilliard School and recipient of the Jerome L. Greene full tuition scholarship. Mr. Desir is the principal tubist of the Montclair Orchestra and serves as tuba faculty for the Metropolitan Concert Artists and ECTA Organization. He also serves as an Ear Training and Music Theory faculty for the Juilliard Pre-College as well as Teaching Fellow for the Juilliard Graduate Ear Training program…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.6689401 N, 73.9659604 W
This work is inspired by the story of the birth of Pegasus, the winged-horse from Greek mythology. The work opens up in canonic form, depicting biophonic sounds that might be heard near the Gorgon cave, home to Medusa, mother of Pegasus. This biophony eventually gives way to the sounds of the approaching hero, Perseus, who arrives with might to slay Medusa. Pegasus is born from the blood of Medusa and as its wings spread for its first flight the piece opens in-kind. As Pegasus flies away, the work returns to the biophonic sounds near the cave, now witness to one of the great events of Greek Mythology.
This piece revolves around mimicking the motions of birds in a flock – individual variations moving together towards the same direction. While there’s a beginning and end to the piece, everything cycles back on itself much like birds migrating and returning home. The paths of the flock as a whole remain largely the same, but the movement of each individual varies slightly each time
Julián Muro's music is the result of the encounter between at least two personalities, the one of a singer-songwriter-poet and the one of a composer-producer-researcher. He has released two albums of songs and instrumental music and has been featured as a composer, musician, and spoken word artist in albums in the US, Canada, and Argentina…
Ezra Gans is a performer currently residing in Ridgewood, New York. His work is grounded in tenets of experimental improvisation, placing an emphasis on spontaneity and real-time communication between performers and audiences…
Asher Herzog (b. 1995) is a Baltimore based drummer, composer and improviser whose primary interest lies at the intersection of composition and improvisation. An active leader and sideman, Herzog approaches every performance with the intent of creating powerful moments within the ensemble…
Shara Lunon is a multidisciplinary vocalist based in New York City. Her artistic career leads with a Black American focus, using the full range of the voice in sound, wordplay, and visual art. Shara combines both improvised and scored vocals with intention of lyric (text and melody) over beat-heavy rhythms and ethereal ambiance. She has toured with several bands and as a soloist in South America and Europe. Shara received her undergraduate degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of Florida and a Vocal Certificate from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Shara is currently working towards her Masters in Music in Performance and Composition at the New School.
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.6664156 N, 73.9622512 W
This piece revolves around mimicking the motions of birds in a flock – individual variations moving together towards the same direction. While there’s a beginning and end to the piece, everything cycles back on itself much like birds migrating and returning home. The paths of the flock as a whole remain largely the same, but the movement of each individual varies slightly each time
Inspired by the Flightless Cormorants. These birds are an endemic species to the Galapagos Island, and just like their name implies, they cannot fly. Because of this they are confined to the shoreline they inhabit. Although these birds have lost their ability to fly, they are impressive swimmers, and important underwater predators. Flightless is a musical ‘slice of Flightless Cormorant life’ piece. Each performer represents ad individual bird. How much time do these birds spend on land vs. water? How many dives do these birds take? How will these birds interact when their paths cross?
Sivan Cohen Elias is an electroacoustic experimental composer and intermedia artist, originally from Israel, who aims to expand the field of sound art into new mixed-media experiences and to sharpen the connection between our senses. She received numerous international awards, residencies, and commissions including Impuls competition, Akademie Schloss Solitude fellowship, Ernst von Siemens commissions, Music Theatre Composition Competition Staatstheater, Darmstadt, and most recently she has received the Fromm Commission Award…
Cole Blouin is a Queens-based sound-maker whose practice incorporates improvisation; score-based composition; and song. They are interested in the isolation and juxtaposition of temporal streams; the interactions of memory, imagination, desire, and presence; the historicities carried within material, and how those historicities may be fragmented or recontextualized; and the fragile threshold between the narrative and the poetic…
Lauren Siess is an NYC-based composer, violist, and improviser. Mass, chaos, and irrationality are integral to her work. By combining and manipulating found objects, she enjoys discovering the nuance and life inside of physical materials. 2021 projects included works for National Sawdust Ensemble, SICPP Festival, and and Line Upon Line Percussion…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.6641758 N, 73.9620262 W
yes you are this much I wrote this while listening to the spring birds. In the village where I live, there are thousands of them, and they are my favorite meditation music. I wish to be like a bird, expressing myself without inhibition and with great purpose.
Peter Wikle is a tenor/bass trombonist and tuba player from Santa Ana, California. In high school, he participated in some of the most prestigious honor jazz ensembles including the Grammy Camp Jazz Session and Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. He has studied with musicians including Dave Taylor, Barry Harris, Lee Konitz, and Jim McNeely…
Matt Chilton is a New York City native active in a various media as a composer, technician, and multi-instrumentalist. Previous collaborations with Metropolis Ensemble include METABUSKING! for Biophony 2021. Recent credits include post-production mixing for short film plural (love) (WP Theater Pipeline Festival, 2022), sound design, tenor sax, and composition for myname’sound with..
jc is an NJ/NYC-based experimental musician, improviser, A/V engineer, and abolitionist activist/organizer. Originally trained in piano, drumset, classical percussion, and Balinese gamelan, they now thrive in the queered outer edges of instrumental, vocal, electroacoustic, and theatrical performance…
Elijah Shiffer is a New York-based saxophonist and composer. He is the leader of the Robber Crabs, a quartet combining the influences of early jazz and avant-garde jazz. The Robber Crabs' debut album, "Unhinged", was released in 2018. Elijah has performed in a wide variety of venues around New York City as both a leader and a sideman...
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.6650237 N, 73.9626096 W
This piece is inspired by the feeling of watching videos of starlings flocks on the internet when I was 12. I spent a while researching the patterns and very complex communication behind their beautiful flocking patterns while writing this music. I was pretty staggered at the complexity of their communication amongst up to 750,000 birds. Apart from protecting itself from predators, these shapes also happen as an act of joy, a natural want to move and dance. A lot of the material in this piece comes directly and indirectly from these shapes. I’ve always been and still am very scared of birds but I really love watching them from afar.
Birds is inspired by bird sounds and their rhythmic sense. This concept reimagines the life of a bird from its morning rise to its last call. The bird seems to have a natural progression in which that happens, and allowing each section of this piece to flow into the next is the key to bringing this piece to life. All sections are meant to be repeated until the material is fully internationalized by listeners. This may mean repeating 4-5 times per section, the only section played 1 time is the last call. There must be at every performance a natural leader cueing each section and fermatas. The idea is to be musical interpreting those held notes to create a building effect leading up to the last call.
Raf Vertessen is a Belgian drummer, percussion player and composer based in Brooklyn. He is involved in New York’s avant-garde and improvised music scene. Vertessen has performed and/or recorded with artists such as Ingrid Laubrock, Joe Morris, Joe McPhee, Ches Smith, Anna Webber, Nick Dunston, Will Greene, Elias Stemeseder, Dan Pencer, Jesse Heasly…
Violinist and improviser Lauren Cauley has quickly risen in New York’s avant-garde as an artist known for genre-breaking performances that expand the sonic possibilities of her instrument. Now a “mainstay of the local new-music scene” (New York Times), she’s built a reputation as an interpreter of “fierce precision” and “excellence uncompromised” (Cleveland Classical)…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.6650497 N, 73.9633566 W
Commissioned by the Metropolis Ensemble for the premiere in Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Twelve Miniature Etudes is inspired by the different techniques, music elements and timbre that can be produced by various instruments. Colors I is a movement of long holding notes that build chords. Bullet Notes are melodic lines produced by fast running notes connected from one instrument to the other. Ostinato Rocks are ostinatos with polyrhythms. Imitation You and I is created by musicians imitate each other’s sound, melody, and rhythms. Funky Chords is a movement with three sets of harmonic progressions that musicians use to improvise. In Scale Plays, players use octatonic scale(s) to build a three-part structure. The sound in Duets is produced by paring of instruments. In Unison Tuning, everyone starts by playing a single melodic line and then alternates after that. Composite Hockets is created by rhythmic hockets with different groups. In Chain II, short melodic lines are created and passed around musicians using eye contacts. Rhythm Blocks builds on single note chosen by each player and rhythmic patterns created by them. Colors II is an echo of Colors I.
As a kid, I dreamed of being a bird. To me, they were truly free: soaring across the sky, singing, looking down at us from the treetops, nesting anywhere they liked. As I got older, I was fascinated by the stories of their epic migrations. I imagine that though the departure and arrival points of these migrations are probably similar, each journey must be unique; when one rests, how close to the flock one flies, and the weather must make each trip unique. My hope is that flightpath provides a similar experience, where one knows the points of departure and arrival, but is free to shape their individual journey.
Ms. Wang has established herself as an internationally active soloist and chamber musician. Following her solo debut at age eleven in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Ms. Wang has performed in renowned venues across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and East Asia…
Clarinetist Kristina Teuschler has been a member of the West Point Band since 2018. She is a versatile musician that performs with a variety of ensembles; from symphony orchestras, to indie bands, to contemporary ensembles in the New York area…
Oboist Hsuan-Fong Chen (pronounced “SHUan-fong”) has garnered a reputation as one of New York City’s most versatile musicians, with a career in orchestra, Broadway, new music, and occasional administrative roles. Having performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia, she is sought after for a wide range of performances, ranging from a guest principal appearance with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, sharing the stage with Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala, and performing in the hit Broadway production of Rocktopia as its lead oboist, with an additional appearance in Wicked…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.67121 N, 73.96530 W
Commissioned by the Metropolis Ensemble for the premiere in Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Twelve Miniature Etudes is inspired by the different techniques, music elements and timbre that can be produced by various instruments. Colors I is a movement of long holding notes that build chords. Bullet Notes are melodic lines produced by fast running notes connected from one instrument to the other. Ostinato Rocks are ostinatos with polyrhythms. Imitation You and I is created by musicians imitate each other’s sound, melody, and rhythms. Funky Chords is a movement with three sets of harmonic progressions that musicians use to improvise. In Scale Plays, players use octatonic scale(s) to build a three-part structure. The sound in Duets is produced by paring of instruments. In Unison Tuning, everyone starts by playing a single melodic line and then alternates after that. Composite Hockets is created by rhythmic hockets with different groups. In Chain II, short melodic lines are created and passed around musicians using eye contacts. Rhythm Blocks builds on single note chosen by each player and rhythmic patterns created by them. Colors II is an echo of Colors I.
As a kid, I dreamed of being a bird. To me, they were truly free: soaring across the sky, singing, looking down at us from the treetops, nesting anywhere they liked. As I got older, I was fascinated by the stories of their epic migrations. I imagine that though the departure and arrival points of these migrations are probably similar, each journey must be unique; when one rests, how close to the flock one flies, and the weather must make each trip unique. My hope is that flightpath provides a similar experience, where one knows the points of departure and arrival, but is free to shape their individual journey.
Noah is a cellist and chamber musician born and raised in Queens, New York City. He has just completed a Master’s Degree at the Juilliard School studying under Natasha Brofsky, and is continuing his education at the Manhattan School of Music with Julia Lichten, earning a Professional Studies certificate…
Korean-Australian violinist Harriet Langley is an accomplished soloist and chamber musician who has performed with the London Chamber Orchestra, the Verbier Festival Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Reno Philharmonic, the Gyeonggi Philharmonic of Korea, and the Orchestre National de Belgique, to name a few…
Cellist Drake Driscoll has established herself as a versatile performer and advocate for social change through music. Drake is the Executive Director and Co-founder of The VISION Collective, an ensemble dedicated to building meaningful relationships with and among refugees and new Americans by sharing music between diverse communities…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.67094 N, 73.96547 W
Birds is inspired by bird sounds and their rhythmic sense. This concept reimagines the life of a bird from its morning rise to its last call. The bird seems to have a natural progression in which that happens, and allowing each section of this piece to flow into the next is the key to bringing this piece to life. All sections are meant to be repeated until the material is fully internationalized by listeners. This may mean repeating 4-5 times per section, the only section played 1 time is the last call. There must be at every performance a natural leader cueing each section and fermatas. The idea is to be musical interpreting those held notes to create a building effect leading up to the last call.
American violist Matthew Cohen is a dynamic and versatile artist whose captivating performances have made him one of the most sought-after violists of his generation. A recipient of numerous accolades and prizes, he has been awarded the 2018 Center for Musical Excellence International Performing Arts Grant..
Korean American violist Halam Kim is a passionate performer and educator who enjoys a versatile career in solo and chamber music as well as in education. Her major solo accomplishments include performances of Walton’s Viola Concerto with the Eastman Philharmonia and Philharmonie Baden-Baden…
Cellist Jared Blajian has performed as soloist as well as a chamber and orchestral musician on some of the most prominent stages in the world including Carnegie Hall and Severance Hall in Cleveland. He is committed to engaging audiences, communicating passion and joy, and changing lives through music…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.67061 N, 73.96558 W
This piece is inspired by the feeling of watching videos of starlings flocks on the internet when I was 12. I spent a while researching the patterns and very complex communication behind their beautiful flocking patterns while writing this music. I was pretty staggered at the complexity of their communication amongst up to 750,000 birds. Apart from protecting itself from predators, these shapes also happen as an act of joy, a natural want to move and dance. A lot of the material in this piece comes directly and indirectly from these shapes. I’ve always been and still am very scared of birds but I really love watching them from afar.
Born in Osaka, Japan, Kelly Talim began studying the violin at the age of seven, making her solo debut with the Oregon Symphony five years later. Kelly has since performed with the Sendai Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Montgomery Symphony, and the Kobe City Chamber Orchestra, among others…
Hae Sol (Amy) Hur was born on August 29, 1995 in Seoul, South Korea. She found her passion for the clarinet at the age of 11 and had her first performances in the U.S. as part of the Tacoma Youth Symphony. Amy had her solo debut at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall on December 19, 2016 as an American Protege International Concerto Competition winner…
Iranian and Pakistani American flutist Amir Farsi was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has performed under prolific conductors such as Marin Alsop, David Robertson, Peter Oundjian, Jean-Marie Zeitouni, Leon Fleisher, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn. Amir is currently a fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, and is on the artist roster of Music@Menlo for Summer 2022…
Living in New York City, Emily Brandenburg is an educator, chamber musician and freelancer in the New England area. She has performed with ensembles such as The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Portland Symphony, Metropolis Ensemble and the Frisson Chamber Ensemble…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.66899 N, 73.96465 W
the rhythm in the birds came about from two moments: while on tour and after discussing the parameters of this commission, a band member suggested that I look for the ‘silence in the birds’
following that conversation, I went and sat outside to observe and listen to birds every so often. what struck me in the midst of that silence were the rhythms being communicated and the way that they were being expressed.
each individual bird had its own personal rhythm, personal melody, and personal flight path. yet there were always constantly at least two or three birds, generally in the same vicinity, seemingly working together for the same goal.
their flights, rhythms, and songs weren’t always accurately expressed altogether or in unison; but when brought together, they created beautifully layered textures that moved and flowed together.
The piece Migration Before the Storm is inspired by two common and fascinating bird behaviors: Migration and the group dynamic right before a drastic weather change, such as a storm. Both of these specific behaviors can happen in large groups and in this piece are represented by 4 tonal centers that appear in different shapes, dynamics and tempos
Neta Raanan is a tenor saxophonist and composer raised in New Jersey. As a teenager, Neta was drawn to the mysterious black and white photos of Bird and Dizzy, Thelonious Monk and Lester Young perched on the walls of the record stores in New York City. She began attending creative music workshops all over the east coast, participating in youth orchestras and ensembles…
Kayvon Gordon was born and raised in Detroit. At a young age, he was taken under the mentorship of legendary trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. Later, he went on to the University of Michigan where he studied with Robert Hurst and Benny Green. Gordon has performed In Europe, Africa, South Asia, The United Arab Emirates, and North America…
Dave Adewumi is an award-winning trumpet player, composer, and educator captivated by the intangible nature of music. His work is derivative of the great black improvisers and composers of the past yet pushes forward to capture the totality of the human experience…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.66868 N, 73.96454 W
the rhythm in the birds came about from two moments: while on tour and after discussing the parameters of this commission, a band member suggested that I look for the ‘silence in the birds’
following that conversation, I went and sat outside to observe and listen to birds every so often. what struck me in the midst of that silence were the rhythms being communicated and the way that they were being expressed.
each individual bird had its own personal rhythm, personal melody, and personal flight path. yet there were always constantly at least two or three birds, generally in the same vicinity, seemingly working together for the same goal.
their flights, rhythms, and songs weren’t always accurately expressed altogether or in unison; but when brought together, they created beautifully layered textures that moved and flowed together.
Inspired by the Flightless Cormorants. These birds are an endemic species to the Galapagos Island, and just like their name implies, they cannot fly. Because of this they are confined to the shoreline they inhabit. Although these birds have lost their ability to fly, they are impressive swimmers, and important underwater predators. Flightless is a musical ‘slice of Flightless Cormorant life’ piece. Each performer represents ad individual bird. How much time do these birds spend on land vs. water? How many dives do these birds take? How will these birds interact when their paths cross?
Multi-instrumentalist and composer, Oscar lives in Brooklyn since 1992.
He has worked with Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Gerry Hemingway, Dewey Redman and Paul Motion.
He is currently performing with Tim Berne’s Snakeoil, Endangered Blood (Chris Speed, Jim Black, Trevor Dunn) and colead with Jacob Garchik, the Mexico-inspired Banda De Los Muertos. He plays alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet and drums.
Nathaniel Morgan is an alto saxophonist and composer living in Brooklyn. Nathaniel collaborates in and/or leads many projects including Buckminster/DARKMINSTER, Shy Bully, Ancient Enemies, Skellettes, Motel, Vessel, Folklords, Chopper, and The Hero of Warchester. Many of these recordings appear on PromNightRecords.
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.66849 N, 73.96486 W
wingbeat uses the flight formations of migratory birds as a model for listening and collectively maintaining energy. To conserve energy for long distance flights, birds fly in V formations, stagger their wingbeats, and react quickly to each other. Musicians are prompted to create sonic representations of this organically rhythmic phenomenon. The buildup of wingbeats earns moments of soaring, and sometimes flight is interrupted. The series of text cues aims to challenge and facilitate the project of sonic togetherness.
As a kid, I dreamed of being a bird. To me, they were truly free: soaring across the sky, singing, looking down at us from the treetops, nesting anywhere they liked. As I got older, I was fascinated by the stories of their epic migrations. I imagine that though the departure and arrival points of these migrations are probably similar, each journey must be unique; when one rests, how close to the flock one flies, and the weather must make each trip unique. My hope is that flightpath provides a similar experience, where one knows the points of departure and arrival, but is free to shape their individual journey.
Adriel Shane Vincent-Brown is a Trinidadian musician in living in New York. Brown has managed to establish himself as a worthy contender and is already beginning to make a name for himself and his country. Growing up in Trinidad, his love for music began as a child watching his father Kenneth Vincent-Brown play the drums in church, the instrument that would eventually claim him…
Joshua received a bachelor’s degree at The Juilliard School studying with Alan Baer, Michael Moore, and Joseph Alessi. The 2017 National Young Arts Finalist recently performed the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, and was a featured artist with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Joshua performs for the Soulful Symphony and is an Ear Training Teaching Fellow.
Grounded in the traditions of the Djembe Orchestra, Kweku Sumbry is a multi-percussionist from Washington, DC. With the djembe, drumset, and a multitude of West African Percussion instruments, Kweku is bringing forth a new sound to the jazz world…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.66824 N, 73.96470 W
the rhythm in the birds came about from two moments: while on tour and after discussing the parameters of this commission, a band member suggested that I look for the ‘silence in the birds’
following that conversation, I went and sat outside to observe and listen to birds every so often. what struck me in the midst of that silence were the rhythms being communicated and the way that they were being expressed.
each individual bird had its own personal rhythm, personal melody, and personal flight path. yet there were always constantly at least two or three birds, generally in the same vicinity, seemingly working together for the same goal.
their flights, rhythms, and songs weren’t always accurately expressed altogether or in unison; but when brought together, they created beautifully layered textures that moved and flowed together.
This piece revolves around mimicking the motions of birds in a flock – individual variations moving together towards the same direction. While there’s a beginning and end to the piece, everything cycles back on itself much like birds migrating and returning home. The paths of the flock as a whole remain largely the same, but the movement of each individual varies slightly each time
New York City-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and engineer Morgan Guerin has achieved much in his young, burgeoning career. From composition to appearances on significant stages, Guerin has spent his life exploring new and exciting ways to navigate sound…
Drummer and producer Kobi “Trenchfoot” Abcede, a.k.a !KOBI, brings propulsive rhythmic prowess and a jazz-tinged harmonic palette to any musical context from LA to New York. Combining futuristic synth loops with fiery live drums, he creates soundscapes that reveal his deep knowledge of jazz harmony and its ever-continuing history…
Hannah Marks is a bassist, bandleader, composer, and educator living in New York City. As a bandleader, she has performed at several major festivals, including the Detroit Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, and Indy Jazz Festival…
Nora Stanley is a New York-based saxophonist and composer whose interests and work live at the intersection of composed and improvised music. With strong roots in the jazz, afro-cuban and improvised music traditions, Nora’s music emphasizes interaction and collaboration. Her sound is melody-driven and reaches to expand the possibilities of the harmonic realm…
Dominican-American saxophonist and composer, Alfredo Colon is a proud New York City native. His distinct sound lives at the crossroads of a wide range of experiences and inspirations, from his upbringing in Upper Manhattan, to his Dominican heritage, to his love of musicians with melodic approaches to improvisation, including Sonny Sharrock, Ornette Coleman, and Pharoah Sanders…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.671091 N, 73.966051 W
The piece Migration Before the Storm is inspired by two common and fascinating bird behaviors: Migration and the group dynamic right before a drastic weather change, such as a storm. Both of these specific behaviors can happen in large groups and in this piece are represented by 4 tonal centers that appear in different shapes, dynamics and tempos
Miriam Parker has been Working within the avant-garde jazz community as an artist and collaborator since birth, she uses movement, installation, paint, and media to build modular kinetic environments that become extensions of the choreographed body. Through re-organizational practices, Parker refines her understanding of individuality, outside of traditions built from oppressive ethics…
JOSH HENDERSON is enjoying a multi-faceted career as a cross-genre violinist, violist, and composer. As a classical soloist, he has performed with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, China Performing Arts Broadcasting Troupe, Starling Chamber Orchestra, Accent X Festival Orchestra, Colour of Music Festival Orchestra, Bard Conductors Festival Orchestra…
Tal Yahalom is an Israeli guitarist, composer and bandleader based in Brooklyn, New York.
In his music he seeks to create engaging storytelling, attentive interplay and distinct sonic environments, weaving together influences and elements of hard-bop, alternative-rock, impressionistic classical music and improvised music…
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - 990 Washington Avenue 40.667277 N, 73.964325 W
Commissioned by the Metropolis Ensemble for the premiere in Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Twelve Miniature Etudes is inspired by the different techniques, music elements and timbre that can be produced by various instruments. Colors I is a movement of long holding notes that build chords. Bullet Notes are melodic lines produced by fast running notes connected from one instrument to the other. Ostinato Rocks are ostinatos with polyrhythms. Imitation You and I is created by musicians imitate each other’s sound, melody, and rhythms. Funky Chords is a movement with three sets of harmonic progressions that musicians use to improvise. In Scale Plays, players use octatonic scale(s) to build a three-part structure. The sound in Duets is produced by paring of instruments. In Unison Tuning, everyone starts by playing a single melodic line and then alternates after that. Composite Hockets is created by rhythmic hockets with different groups. In Chain II, short melodic lines are created and passed around musicians using eye contacts. Rhythm Blocks builds on single note chosen by each player and rhythmic patterns created by them. Colors II is an echo of Colors I.
This work was inspired by the calls and sounds of six different birds - Western Meadowlark, House Wren, Hermit Thrush, Black Rail, Eurasian Nightjar, and Night Heron. Each of the four movements of this piece combines elements from several of the sounds or patterns that one or more of these birds produce and has them work together.
Bassist Composer and Educator Walter Stinson has been performing and living in Brooklyn since 2012 after graduating from Purchase College. He began his music studies at the age of 10 by playing along with the classic country radio station and his mother who was a jazz pianist…
DoYeon Kim is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning virtuoso of the gayageum (a traditional Korean string instrument). In addition to traditional Korean music, DoYeon specializes in free jazz, jazz, and improvisation. She regularly performs solo and group concerts worldwide in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America…
Miriam Elhajli is a folk singer, composer-improviser, and musicologist whose work is influenced by the rich musical traditions of her Venezuelan, Moroccan and North American heritage. Elhajli currently lives in New York City where she performs and works as a researcher at The Association for Cultural Equity founded by Alan Lomax…
This work is inspired by the story of the birth of Pegasus, the winged-horse from Greek mythology. The work opens up in canonic form, depicting biophonic sounds that might be heard near the Gorgon cave, home to Medusa, mother of Pegasus. This biophony eventually gives way to the sounds of the approaching hero, Perseus, who arrives with might to slay Medusa. Pegasus is born from the blood of Medusa and as its wings spread for its first flight the piece opens in-kind. As Pegasus flies away, the work returns to the biophonic sounds near the cave, now witness to one of the great events of Greek Mythology.
This piece revolves around mimicking the motions of birds in a flock – individual variations moving together towards the same direction. While there’s a beginning and end to the piece, everything cycles back on itself much like birds migrating and returning home. The paths of the flock as a whole remain largely the same, but the movement of each individual varies slightly each time
Elias Stemeseder is a pianist, electronic musician and composer working in a wide-ranging variety of contemporary musical idioms. He has worked with Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, Craig Taborn, Ingrid Laubrock, Peter Evans, Joe McPhee, Anna Webber, Hamid Drake and Christian Lillinger, among others. Elias’ debut album Piano Solo was released by the acclaimed Swiss label Intakt Records in 2022…
Aliya Ultan (b. 1996) is a composer/improviser, cellist and vocalist from Brooklyn, NY. Born into a family of artists and musicians, Ultan was immersed in a variety of creative mediums and environments. Ultan grew up, periodically homeless with her mother and sister traveling across the U.S. and Canada. At age 12, Ultan fell in love with the cello turning it into her way out of poverty…
Stephen Boegehold is a drummer and composer based in New York City. As a collaborator, Stephen has worked with many of his generation’s forward-thinking jazz and improvising artists including Roulette Intermedium Artists in Residence Sonya Belaya and Nick Dunston, whose 2020 release Atlantic Extraction: Live at Threes appeared on Downbeat’s best albums of 2020 list…
wingbeat uses the flight formations of migratory birds as a model for listening and collectively maintaining energy. To conserve energy for long distance flights, birds fly in V formations, stagger their wingbeats, and react quickly to each other. Musicians are prompted to create sonic representations of this organically rhythmic phenomenon. The buildup of wingbeats earns moments of soaring, and sometimes flight is interrupted. The series of text cues aims to challenge and facilitate the project of sonic togetherness.
This work was inspired by the calls and sounds of six different birds - Western Meadowlark, House Wren, Hermit Thrush, Black Rail, Eurasian Nightjar, and Night Heron. Each of the four movements of this piece combines elements from several of the sounds or patterns that one or more of these birds produce and has them work together.
Tyrone Allen is a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music’s Global Jazz Masters Program, led by Artistic Director Danilo Perez. While at Berklee, he was fortunate enough to study, and preform with some of the leading jazz artist of our time. Tyrone plays in two of drummer Ralph Peterson’s bands; the Fo-tet and Aggregate Prime, and also plays in saxophonist George Garzone’s quartet occasionally. Tyrone and Tyson Jackson met at Berklee in the fall of 2017, and have been playing together ever since.
NYC artist Sami Stevens harnesses Jazz, Singer-Songwriter, and classic RnB influences to create truly intimate original music. In writing songs, singing and accompanying herself on keyboard, she crafts a musical world based in silence, delivering dynamic, personal performances. Though performing solo is where she takes complete control of the stage, Sami is also an avid collaborator...
Guitarist, singer and producer Grey Mcmurray has been called “sublimely odd” (New York Magazine) and “the world’s least obtrusive guitarist” (The Guardian). He will release his first solo album on Figureight Records in summer 2019. He has performed/recorded with Gil-Scott Heron, Meshell Ndegeocello, Tyondai Braxton, Alarm Will Sound, Olga Bell, Skuli Sverrissonn, Ali Sethi, Theo Bleckmann, Beth Orton, ACME, Colin Stetson, So Percussion, Shahzad Ismaily, Sam Amidon and John Cale, among others…
Claire Dickson is a vocalist, composer, and producer from Medford, Massachusetts, currently based in Brooklyn. Much of her work is self-contained: using her voice, field recordings, synthesizers, and samples she builds instruments and sound worlds that investigate dream states and sensation…
Martine Thomas is a violist and poet based in New York City. She began her Doctorate of Musical Arts at CUNY Graduate Center in Fall 2021 and she has a Masters in Viola Performance as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English from the Harvard-New England Conservatory dual degree program…
