Cellists Karlos Rodriguez and Richard Vaudrey to Co-Premiere “Horizon” at Parrish Art Museum

Parrish Art Museum. Photo: Matthu Placek.
Parrish Art Museum. Photo: Matthu Placek.
November 9, 2013, 12:00-2:00pm – Karlos Rodriguez, Cello
November 10, 2013, 12:00-2:00pm – Richard Vaudrey, Cello
Parrish Art Museum
279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY
Performance included with museum admission.
More information on the Parrish Art Museum’s website.

 

This weekend, in celebration of the Parrish Art Museum”˜s one-year anniversary in its new location, cellists Karlos Rodriguez and Richard Vaudrey will each perform  in the Harriet and Esteban Vicente Gallery (on Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10, respectively). The musicians will both feature Horizon for solo cello, which I composed for this occasion.

Having presented wind quintet Watercolors last year at the grand opening of the new Parrish Art Museum, I’ve written Horizon to celebrate and reflect on the aesthetic quality of the Parrish’s building and the surrounding landscape.

Watch the World Premiere performance by Karlos Rodriguez below!

Karlos Rodriguez
Karlos Rodriguez

Karlos Rodriguez made his orchestral debut at the age of thirteen to great audience and critical acclaim and has since performed as an avid soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He has appeared at many of our important musical venues, including Carnegie Hall (Isaac Stern Auditorium), Merkin Concert Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Philadelphia’s Kimmel center, The Kennedy Center and Radio City Music Hall. Mr. Rodriguez has worked with distinguished artists such as the Beaux Arts Trio, and the American, Cavani, Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard, Miami, Orion, Tokyo, and Vermeer String Quartets; and Janos Starker, Lynn Harrell, and Steven Isserlis. He has attended and been a guest artist at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Grand Canyon Music Festival, ENCORE School for Strings, Sarasota, Aspen, and Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festivals, Cleveland Chamber Music Society, and the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Society. His teachers have included Richard Aaron, Peter Wiley, and David Soyer. Mr. Rodriguez has been featured internationally on TV and radio with multiple broadcasts on APM’s Performance Today. He is on the faculty at Summertrios and the Sphinx Performance Academy. Mr. Rodriguez has worked on various Broadway musicals and Pop albums, most recently with Shakira and Marc Anthony. In addition to these musical activities he is former Principal Cellist of the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra in Miami and cellist of the The Catalyst Quartet. He is prize winner of the 2012 Bergamo Classical music award (Switzerland). He proudly endorses Pirastro Strings.

Richard Vaudrey
Richard Vaudrey

Brooklyn based Australian cellist Richard Vaudrey is quickly becoming a notable force in the new breed of string players, classically trained and proficient across a multitude of genres. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Richard was a scholarship holder at The Australian National Academy of Music before heading to the United States, where he completed doctoral study in classical cello performance and contemporary improvisation at SUNY Stony Brook, studying with Colin Carr and Ray Anderson whilst acting as Teaching Assistant to the Emerson String Quartet. Richard has had a prolific background in chamber music and performs regularly both as a soloist and collaborator across a multitude of genres including classical, new music, jazz, folk and pop in venues including Carnegie Hall, 92Y Tribecca, the Stone, Alice Tully Hall and the Harvey Theatre, BAM.  Richard’s latest solo project “VAUDREY” a unique blend of post chestral-indie-dub -folk-pop for cello voice and electronics has this year been showcased in Sydney, Melbourne (Toff in Town) and New York City (Rockwood Music Hall, Pianos). The show also pays homage to the late Arthur Russell, a huge influence on Richard’s own compositions and the subject for Richard’s Doctoral Research. Richard is Adjunct Professor of Cello at Western Connecticut State University, and a member of the Numinous Ensemble, Indie band all boy/all girl and plays “The Beleura Cello” – a 1791 William Forster cello generously loaned by the Tallis Foundation. He currently resides in Brooklyn.

October 18: Premiere of “Three Decorations” by New York University Percussion Ensemble

October 18, 2013 at 7:30pm
NYU Mix: NYU Percussion Ensemble
New York University

Frederick Loewe Theatre
35 West 4th Street, New York, NY.
*Free Admission*
View the event on NYU’s website

This concert will include the world premiere of my Three Decorations (2013) for percussion trio, presented by the NYU Percussion Ensemble (directed by Jonathan Haas) in collaboration with the Program in Music Composition.

Trencadís
Trencadís. Photo by Lucy Nieto.

Three Decorations is a work for three percussionists in three movements: Column (Ancient Trees Rising)Trencadís (Shards of Color), and Tapestry (Cozy Castle)Each movement is a musical response to, or evocation of, a favorite image of mine from European decorative art: first, the tree-like vertical extensions of cathedral columns; second, the colorful, asymmetrical style of mosaic popularized by Antoni Gaudí; third, some grand tapestry covered in millefleur designs warming the walls of a dark 15th century castle.

Three Decorations is my first foray into writing for drum set in a chamber music context. As a former rock drummer, I opted to utilize the kit in similar ways I would in a popular music idiom: to create groove, accentuating and supporting the interlocking syncopations heard in the pitched instruments.

This Sunday: “Nine Muses” at Proclaiming Pan in Boston

Proclaiming Pan's "Nine Muses" Poster
Proclaiming Pan Poster (Click for Full Size)

Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 3:00pm
Tufts University

Distler Performance Hall, Granoff Music Center
20 Talbot Ave, Somerville, MA. 
*Free Admission*
RSVP on Facebook

This Sunday, those of you in the Boston area will have a chance to hear  Proclaiming Pan, the interdisciplinary program presented by flutist Elizabeth Erenberg and an ensemble of some of Boston’s finest musicians, scholars, and actors. The performance will combine music, literature, and theater to sound the stories of Greek mythology.

Nine Muses (2009), my set of nine miniatures for flute, violin, and harp—performed by Gabe Terracciano and Maria Rindenello Parker, respectively—will be included on this program in its fourth public performance.

Each movement of Nine Muses take its title and musical character from one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology. The Muses are goddesses who were thought to personify and inspire art and knowledge and are often referenced in Western art and literature (especially in epic poetry). Nine Muses was premiered at New England Conservatory on March 10, 2009. I am honored that Elizabeth Erenberg has given these miniatures continued life through Proclaiming Pan.

Success at the Parrish Art Museum; “Watercolors” on YouTube

“Nell’s extraordinary interdisciplinary vision…was an ideal program to introduce the public to the Museum’s collection through music and images. Two “standing room only” performances [of Watercolors] were met with high praise from attendees. The Director of the Museum cited this event as one of the best of the opening weekend.” Andrea Grover, Curator of Special ProgramsParrish Art Museum

The Chelsea Quintet and I at the Parrish Art MuseumI am so glad someone has at last given voice to what one imagines Burchfield might have been hearing in so many of his watercolors. Congratulations on bringing Burchfield alive in a way that I think he would have much appreciated.” Richard Kahn, art collector

“Your music illuminated Burchfield’s paintings for me.” Audience member

* * *

I’m happy to report that The Chelsea Quintet’s performances of Watercolors at the Parrish Art Museum in the Hamptons were an all-around success. We received a great audience response and turnout, with about 400 people hearing Watercolors and viewing selected videos from Beyond the Notes in the Museum’s new Lichtenstein Theater.

Watercolors received several preview articles and photographs in regional and local papers, including Newsday (the country’s highest-circulation weekday newspaper in a suburban area); The Sag Harbor Express; and The East Hampton Star, which printed a large feature article about my music (read it here). The Parrish Museum’s grand opening as a whole received notable publicity in The New York Times, New York Magazine, et al.

Now you can re-live the Parrish Art Museum concert or experience it for the first time! I’ve posted an HD video of one of The Chelsea Quintet’s November 10th performances on YouTube:

Watch Watercolors online


“Watercolors” at the Parrish: Crowdfunding Success!

Thanks to the generosity of some awesome and fantastic funders, my fundraising campaign to support The Chelsea Quintet‘s performance of Watercolors this Saturday at the Parrish Art Museum was a great success: contributions have brought the campaign to 126% of my fundraising goal! Combined with the funding provided by the Museum, this makes it possible to compensate the five musicians and cover transportation and production expenses.

The Chelsea Quintet
The Chelsea Quintet

The generous supporters of this campaign, whose contributions ranged from $15 to $200, are:

  • Anonymous (2)
  • Daniel Gagne
  • Andrea Grover
  • Kevin Morgan
  • Dorothy Reilly
  • John Resig
  • Nancy Weekly 

If you haven’t had a chance to contribute yet, you can still make a difference: all of the funds raised in excess of my goal for the Parrish Art Museum performance will help cover the expenses of my next (TBA) project bringing Music Inspired by Art into a gallery or museum venue. This is an ongoing project that needs continual support to thrive.

If you contribute by Saturday, November 10, 11:59PM Pacific Time you can still receive some neat perks, which include a DVD with over an hour of video from performances of my “Music Inspired by Art;” a personalized CD of my music; a special-invitation high tea at my apartment; and even a commission of a short piece of music.

Watch the Trailer, Find Out More, and Donate

Watercolors at the Parrish is already attracting some great feedback and press: The Sag Harbor Express included an article on the event in their Thursday, October 25 print edition announcing that I would be “Christening the Parrish” with the performance (click here to read a scan of the article). Nancy Weekly, leading Charles E. Burchfield scholar and curator at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, comments on the Indiegogo campaign: “Nell Shaw Cohen deserves superlative praise for her compositions inspired by art, particularly her understanding of Charles E. Burchfield’s rapport with nature.” 

Stay tuned for more updates!

“Watercolors” at Parrish Art Museum

WATERCOLORS

Inspired by the paintings of Charles Burchfield
Performed by The Chelsea Quintet
The Parrish Art Museum
Water Mill, NY
Saturday, November 10, 2012
12:30pm & 2:30pm
Free admission

I’m thrilled to announce another exciting performance of my music inspired by art coming up this November. I’d also like to ask that you consider helping me make this special project a reality.

The Parrish Art Museumest. 1898, a prestigious museum in the Hamptons, will open the doors of a brand new facility this November. To celebrate the public opening on November 10, the Museum has chosen to feature two performances of my piece Watercolors for wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon) inspired by the watercolor paintings of Charles Ephraim Burchfield (1893-1967).

Watercolors will be performed by a wonderful ensemble of accomplished musicians, The Chelsea Quintet. The group’s affiliated parent organization, The Chelsea Symphony, is the resident symphony orchestra of the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.

Read more about this concert and how you can help on my Indiegogo campaign page, which includes a video trailer and more information about the venue, musicians, and the music!

Watch the Trailer, Find Out More, and Donate *

* The Indiegogo campaign lists a number of suggested donation levels that have special “perks” — gifts and special opportunities I am offering as thanks — but remember that you or your friends can donate any amount, whether it’s $5 or $55!

Premiere of “Sextet” in Jordan Hall – my last Tuesday Night New Music concert!

Monday, April 23, 8:00pm
Sextet *PREMIERE*
Performed by Zachary Boeding, oboe, Andrew Thompson, bassoon, Gregor Kaelin, trumpet, Amy Kao, harpsichord, Lisa Goddard, violin, and Elizabeth Oka, viola.
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St, Boston MA. Free admission.

Sextet for oboe, bassoon, trumpet, harpsichord, violin, and viola is a love letter to the textures and sound world of Baroque music (a subject I explored in a very different way with my recent piece for trumpet and electronics, San Marco). Although references to historical style are not continuous throughout this piece, Baroque music influenced my choice of instrumentation and certain compositional devices I utilized: hence the movement titles Canon, Ritornello, and Passacaglia.

This piece is also infused with a feeling for syncopation, groove, melody, harmony, and soloistic playing—as well as the sense of being taken on a journey through music—inherited from my favorite 1970s progressive rock bands such as Yes and Gentle Giant and contemporary indie band The Flaming Lips: hence the movement title Groove.

For this performance, Sextet is also a fond goodbye to my time as an undergraduate at New England Conservatory: this marks the 20th and final performance of my music on a Tuesday Night New Music concert, and the 28th performance of my music in Boston and at NEC since arriving here in the fall of 2008.

Premiere of “San Marco” for trumpet and electronics

San Marco *PREMIERE*
Sunday, April 1, 8:00pm
Performed by Ezra Weller, trumpet and electronics
Pierce Hall at New England Conservatory
241 St. Botolph St, Boston MA.
Free admission.

Renoir, Piazza San Marco Venice
A painting of San Marco by Auguste Renoir

This piece combines live trumpet with digital processing and playback of pre-recorded samples controlled by the performer. This premiere performance is being featured on a recital of electro-acoustic music by students of composer John Mallia.

My goal with San Marco is to create a fluid, ambient atmosphere evoking the sound-world and spirit of the sacred instrumental music of the late Renaissance/early Baroque, especially Monteverdi (who I sample in the piece). The famous cathedral in Venice, Basilica of St. Mark’s (Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco), was a center for this music and the inspiration for my title, San Marco.

The piece features truncated, looped, and processed samples of late Renaissance music for voice and cornetto, a wind instrument with a sound not unlike a trumpet (although its construction is very different). The cornetto was highly regarded in the 16th and early 17th centuries for its similarity to the human voice, and has a delicate sound I find incredibly beautiful. The modern trumpet plays along with and around the samples, alternately imitating, dominating, and being dominated by the sound of the cornetto.

Proclaiming Pan concert to feature “Nine Muses”

Proclaiming Pan
Proclaiming Pan concert poster

Nine Muses
Sunday, March 25, 2:30pm
Hunneman Hall
Brookline Public Library
361 Washington Street
Brookline, MA
Free admission with a suggested $10 donation.

My set of nine miniature movements for solo flute, harp, and violin referencing the muses of Greek mythology will be performed by Elizabeth Erenberg, flute, Maria Parker, harp, Ryan Shannon, violin, and Oriana Dunlop, narrator, at the Brookline Public Library.

This performance is part of Proclaiming Pan, a musical and literary experience with Greek Mythology curated and produced by flutist Elizabeth Erenberg (a fellow Entrepreneurial Grant recipient). The program also features music by Debussy, Schubert, and Purcell, and literary quotations from Isadora Duncan, John Lyly, Goethe, and ancient texts.

Premiere of “Places in the Bay Area” for flute/piccolo and piano

Sarah Sullivan, fluteKristina Nyberg, piano
Sarah Sullivan & Kristina Nyberg

Places in the Bay Area *Premiere*
Tuesday, March 6, 8:00pm
Tuesday Night New Music
Pierce Hall at New England Conservatory
241 St. Botolph St, Boston MA. Free admission.

Performed by Sarah Sullivan, flute and piccolo, and Kristina Nyberg, piano.

With this piece, I sought to capture feelings I have about places in and around my former hometown of San Francisco, CA.

The first movement, San Francisco Streets – Home, features a lively, rhythmically-driven ritornello section alluding to the sunny energy of the city. The first instance of the ritornello is followed by a more reflective mood—perhaps a gray day out in the Richmond District. After a truncated ritornello, the music shifts character again to evoke some of the nostalgia I feel for my childhood home, an Edwardian apartment near the Presidio where my family lived for about 16 years.

The second movement, The Marin Headlands in Fog, features piccolo in place of flute. It depicts the mysterious atmosphere of the foggy coastal scenery of the Marin Headlands national park across the bay from the city.

The Marin Headlands
The Marin Headlands

I hope you can join me for Tuesday Night New Music!