Chamber Musician Today: Grammy Party

Ilona Oltuski of

GetClassical.org

shares in the excitement of Metropolis Ensemble’s Dec. 16 Grammy Nomination Party at (le) Poisson Rouge.

“It is highly unlikely that anybody in the audience that evening will ever think of the humble mandolin the way they may have thought about it before hearing Avital play; he certainly changed my appreciation for it tremendously.”

Click HERE for the full report at ChamberMusicianToday.com

Manhattan Users Guide: Grammy Party

“Could the mandolin become your new favorite instrument? It actually could, after hearing Avi Avital play it. Metropolis Ensemble, one of the most exciting  things to happen to classical music in the city, with Mr. Avital as soloist, has snagged a Grammy nomination for their CD of Avner Dorman’s Mandolin Concerto. Celebrate at Le Poisson Rouge, tonight, 8pm, free.”

Link to Post

Sequenza 21: Grammy Nomination Party

Just got a note from Andrew Cyr inviting Sequenza 21 readers (and maybe some other less distinguished people) to a free party at Le Possion Rouge tomorrow night to celebrate the Metropolis Ensemble’s Grammy nomination for its Naxos recording of Avner Dorman’s Mandolin Concerto (Avi Avital (soloist) and Andrew Cyr (conductor) with Metropolis Ensemble). Avi, Andrew and the Metropolis crew will perform a few sets during the evening, including the Mandolin Concerto and, maybe, Andrew says, even “a Balkan music jam.” Not only is admission free but the first two drinks are on the house. The party start @7 and lasts until everyone goes home. What’s not to like?

The Red Possum (as I like to call it) is located at 158 Bleecker Street (a sacred place for those of us old to have caught Thelonious Monk on stage there in a different lifetime.)

Link to Post

Portland Press Herald: An Honor for Andrew Cyr

From Bob Keyes on Sunday, Dec 12, 2010 in the Portland Press Herald:

Andrew Cyr, a product of the music program of Fort Kent public schools and founder and artistic director of the Manhattan-based Metropolis Ensemble, has a Grammy Award nomination to his credit. Metropolis Ensemble received a classical nomination for Avi Avital (soloist) and Cyr (conductor) for Avner Dorman’s Mandolin concerto, part of their first studio album, “Avner Dorman’s Concertos.” David Frost, who produced the disc, also received a Grammy nomination for his work on five albums, including the Dorman concertos. “It’s amazing. I am pretty thrilled at everything that is happening,” Cyr said by phone from New York. Cyr grew up in Fort Kent and received his degree from Bates College in 1996. He’s turned the Metropolis Ensemble into an important contemporary classical music enterprise in New York, and has found ways to encourage the creation of new work while recruiting new, younger fans to the genre. With the success of the Metropolis Ensemble and now a Grammy nomination, Cyr stands at the apex of the classical music scene in New York. “We made this recording back in 2007, and it came out in 2010. We never expected it to get this far,” he said. “We certainly dreamed about it, but we’re really surprised. “I was not even aware when they were making the Grammy announcement. I was working on a grant, working late into the night. The composer sent me an e-mail that said, ‘Congratulations,’ and a link.” Cyr clicked on the link, which took him to the official Grammy nomination page. He wasn’t sure what he would see when he got there, but one thing he was sure he would not: “I didn’t expect us to be there.” But there they were. A Grammy win would be a bonanza. A nomination goes a long way toward more recognition and credibility, for sure. Already, there’s a greater awareness of the Metropolis Ensemble and its effort to champion the work of emerging composers. “It’s just such an honor and a thrill,” Cyr said. “I guess what you could say it means is this: the academy listened and acknowledged that this is special music and a special recording.”

Link to Article.