







The Composers Now Festival returns for a third round (of many more to come!) in February 2012. The month-long festival, presented collaboratively by numerous organizations across New York City, returns with a premier selection of concerts, lectures, conversations, and other activities to highlight composers’ contributions to the cultural fabric of our life. Each event features a recent work by a living composer, with the composer present at the performance and available to discuss and answer questions! Composers Now puts a public face on the vitality, diversity, and innovations that composers bring to our communities.
Composers Now: The Schedule
Click the title of an event to see details about that event.
Please be patient as we continue to update this page.
Feb 1st-29th
"John Cage Centennial Tribute" - Streaming Museum
Feb 4th, 4pm
"Music of Now Marathon" - Symphony Space
Feb 5th, 4:00 PM
"Music for the Soul and Mind" - Encompass New Opera Theatre
Feb 6th, 7:00pm
"American Cosmology: A Concert of American Works on the Sky and the Cosmos" - Americas Society
Feb 6th, 7:30PM
"Dolce Suono Ensemble" - Symphony Space
Feb 7th* & 8th , 8:30PM
Feb 8th, 5:30PM: Free Reading of Full Libretto
"Culturemart 2012" - HERE Arts Center in association with American Opera Projects
Feb 9th, 8pm
"Meklit Hadero" - Baryshnikov Arts Center
February 9th, 8pm
"Thomas Buckner performs Annea Lockwood, Narong Prangcharoen, Kit Young, & Anne Guthrie" - Interpretations 23
Feb 10th and 11th, 7:30PM and 9:30PM
"Jose James" - Harlem Stage
Feb 11th, 3pm
"ICElab Workshop at BAC|Music of Juan Pablo Carreño and Carlos Iturralde" - Baryshnikov Arts Center
Feb 11th, 8pm
"Las Américas en Concierto" - Mannes College-The New School for Music
Feb. 12th, 3pm
"Music and dance featuring a performance of Homenatge by Tania Leon performed by Adam Kent with choreography by Pedro Ruiz" - Dance Theatre of Harlem
Feb 13th, 7:30PM
"Student Composers' Concert" - Manhattan School of Music
Feb 15th, 8pm
"Faculty Composers', Spring 2012" - Mannes College The New School for Music
Feb 18th, 12:00pm
"Family Enrichment Series: Performance/Panel led by composer and HSA faculty member Major Scurlock" - The Harlem School of the Arts
Feb 18th, 2pm
"DEMETRIUS SPANEAS, Composer-in-Residence" - Flushing Town Hall
Feb 18th, 3pm
"ICElab Workshop at BAC | Music of Lisa Coons" - Baryshnikov Arts Center
Feb 19th, 1:30PM
"New Music from Mannes Faculty and Alumni 2012" - Mannes College The New School for Music
Feb 19th, 7:30pm
"Sweat Lodge presents: Winter Sweater" - Exapno
Feb 20th, 8pm
"Dangerous Crossings" - Copland House
Feb 22nd, 7:30PM
"Footprints: A Humanities Discussion on the Innovation and Impact of A Tribe Called Quest" - Harlem Stage
Feb 22nd, 8pm
"College Division Student Composers 2011-2012, Concert 2" - Mannes College The New School for Music
Feb 23rd, 7:30PM
"A Tribe Called Quest Tribute featuring the Revive Da Live Big Band" - Harlem Stage
Feb 23rd, 7:30PM
"Guitar Plus: Music of David Leisner" - Symphony Space
Feb 23rd, 7:30pm
"Trio KAVAK-The Singing Garden Grew" - Ear Heart Music
Feb 24th, 7:30PM
"MSM Composers' Orchestra: David Gilbert, Conductor" - Manhattan School of Music
Feb 24th-25th, 8pm
"Missy Mazzoli: Song from the Uproar-The Lives & Deaths Of Isabelle Eberhardt" - The Kitchen
Feb 25th, 2-4 PM
"SCATTERED WIND" - Flushing Town Hall
Feb 25th, 2-4pm
"Composing Jazz: A Multi-generational Conversation" - Jazzmobile
Feb 25th, 7:30PM
"Music Without Dance Festival/North River Dance" - Greenwich House Music School
Feb 25th, 8pm
"Hoichi the Earless- from ‘Kwaidan’ Ghost Story" - Asia Society
Feb 25th, 8:00pm
"Composers Out Front, sponsored by the American Composers Orchestra" - American Composers Orchestra
Feb 26th, 2:00pm
"Tune-In Music Festival: Afternoon Concert" - Park Avenue Armory
Feb 26th, 1:00pm
"On Foot: Brooklyn" - On Foot Productions
Feb 26th, 1:30PM
"Student Recital - Michael Weinstein-Reiman and Sam Young, composers" - Mannes College The New School for Music
Feb 26th, 6pm Panel Discussion, 7:30PM Concert
"Music Without Dance Festival/North River Dance" - Greenwich House Music School
Feb 26th, 8:30pm & 11:00pm
"Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Performing new works commissioned by the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance" - Birdland
Feb 27th, 8pm
"Jeffrey Milarsky Conducts the Student Composers' Concert" - The Juilliard School
Feb 27th, 8:00pm
"The Composers' Alliance - The Composer and Society" - The Graduate Center, CUNY
Feb 27th, 8:00pm
"Winter Composers' Concert - The Role of the Composer in Society" - Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, CUNY
Feb 27th, 8:00pm
"Morton Feldman's The Viola in My Life" - Symphony Space
Feb 27th, 8:00pm
"NYU Symphony Orchestra - David Byrne's The Forest" - Symphony Space
Feb 28th, 7:30PM
"Jazz Student Composers' Chamber Concert" - Manhattan School of Music
"A Centennial Tribute to John Cage" online at streamingmuseum.org features the work of Cage and contemporary composers influenced by him, and a collection of music and scores by composers featured in "Notations 21", a book by Theresa Sauer that was inspired by Cage's book "Notations" (1969). Streaming Museum is a new hybrid museum launched January 29, 2008 that presents multi-media exhibitions in cyberspace and public space on 7 continents, and at partnering cultural centers.
Symphony Space
“Music of Now Marathon”
Feb 4th, 4pm
Tickets $15, http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/6944-music-of-now-marathon
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street
Encompass New Opera Theatre
Music for the Soul and Mind
Feb 5th, 4:00 PM
Tickets: $125 includes concert and wine reception.
More info: Call 718-398-4675 email: encompassopera@yahoo.com.
Location: Private Home on Gramercy Park North - for exact location, use contacts above
Highlights from two new operas in development "The Theory of Everything," music by John David Earnest/libretto by Nancy Rhodes; a new opera exploring science, multi-dimensions and indigenous cosmology; and excerpts from "Found Objects," a new opera describing a summer trip by car from New York to Maine, music and libretto by Roger Trefousse. The text is made up of "objects" such as roadside signs, newspaper headlines, overheard scraps of conversation and popular songs. Featured on the program are the First Place Winner and the Finalist of the Marie Kraja International Singing Competition who will perform their winning arias from classic opera.
Performers/Instrumentation - Hannah Fuerst, Sara Heaton, Dominic Inferrera, Gloria Park, Ricardo Rivera, Christopher Preston Thompson with Pianist, Mara Waldman.
Program:
Astral, string quartet no. 1 by David Dzubay
Baalkah, for string quartet and soprano by Gabriela Ortiz
Musicians:
Madalyn Parnas and Timothy Kantor, violins
Rose Wollman, viola
Cicely Parnas, cello
Sharon Harms, soprano
This event features an evening of contemporary chamber music from composers of the Americas, David Dzubay and Gabriela Ortiz, and will be performed by musicians from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
Founded in 1961 by distinguished composer and musicologist Juan Orrego-Salas, the Latin American Music Center is the oldest center of its kind in the United States. Indiana University's The Latin American Music Center (LAMC) fosters the academic study, performance, and research of Latin American art, popular, and traditional music. Celebrating its jubilee year in 2011, LAMC continues to expand its library and to promote exchanges between Latin American music scholars and performers from the United States and the rest of the world. In addition, the LAMC performs, records, and commissions exemplary new works by Latin American composers.
Presented in collaboration with The Latin American Music Center at Indiana University and the Center's director, Carmen-Helena Téllez.
Symphony Space
“Dolce Suono Ensemble”
Feb 6th, 7:30pm
Tickets $30; Members $25; Under 30 $15, http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/7150-dolce-suono-ensemble
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th street
Title of Work(s) and Composer Names: Shulamit Ran, Moon Songs for Soprano, Flute, Cello, and Piano; Richard Danielpour, Remembering Neda: Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano; Steven Stucky, Aus der Jugendzeit; Steven Mackey, Herr Gutmann; Fang Man, new work; David Ludwig, Ewigkeit; Stratis Minakakis, Nepenthe
Performers: Dolce Suono Ensemble; Lucy Shelton, soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone
Premiere Status: 2 world premieres and 4 New York Premieres
HERE Arts Center in association with American Opera Projects
“Culturemart 2012”
Feb 7* & 8 , 8:30pm
Feb 8, 5:30pm: Free Reading of Full Libretto
*Panel Discussion with the Composers
Tickets $15, http://www.here.org/shows/detail/818/
HERE, 145 Sixth Ave. (enter on Dominick Street one block south of Spring)
Title of Work(s) and Composer Names: The Scarlet Ibis by Stefan Weisman and David Cote
Performers: Performances by Hai-Ting Chinn and Eric S. Brenner
Directed by Mallory Catlett
Premiere Status (World, New York, or non-Premiere): World premiere (Staged excerpts of opera-in-development)
Baryshnikov Arts Center
“Meklit Hadero”
Thursday, Feb. 9th, 8:00PM
Tickets $20
More info: 866 811 4111
http://www.bacnyc.org/events/performances/meklit_hadero
Jerome Robbins Theater, 450 W. 37th St., NY, NY 10018
Singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero performs a soulful set of music that draws from a variety of influences: jazz, hip-hop, art-rock, and folk traditions from the Americas and East Africa. Born in Ethiopia, raised in the U.S., and nurtured by San Francisco’s richly diverse arts scene, the acclaimed singer embodies these worlds with a sound that is hers alone.
“[Meklit] sings of fragility, hope and self-empowerment...[with a] sensuous, gentle sound. She is stunning.” - San Francisco Chronicle
Thomas Buckner performs Annea Lockwood, Narong Prangcharoen, Kit Young, & Anne Guthrie
Thursday February 9, 2012 @ 8PM
Tickets $15, $10 for Seniors and Members
More info: 212-627-0990 Interpretations.info
Roulette (509 Atlantic at 3rd Ave)
An evening of works composed for baritone Thomas Buckner, featuring Annea Lockwood’s “In Our Name” (with texts based upon poems written in Guantánamo by detainees), as well as new works by Robert Ashley, Alvin Lucier, Anne Guthrie, Kit Young , and Narong Prangcharoen, (featuring cellist Theodore Mook).
Harlem Stage
“Jose James”
Feb 10th and 11th, 7:30PM and 9:30PM
Tickets $25
More info: (212) 281-9240 www.HarlemStage.org
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
Black Magic and No Beginning, No End; Composers for Black Magic: Jose James, Taylor McFerrin, DJ Mitsu the Beats and Buddy Johnson; Composers for No Beginning, No End: Jose James and others TBD
International Contemporary Ensemble
“ICElab Workshop at BAC|Music of Juan Pablo Carreño and Carlos Iturralde”
Feb 11th, 3:00PM
Tickets FREE
More info: iceorg.org
Baryshnikov Arts Center- 450 West 37th Street, Suite 501, New York
ICElab and the Baryshnikov Arts Center throw the doors open to the creative process in this public showing of new works being developed through the ICElab program.
Carlos Iturralde is one of the most promising young composers to emerge from Mexico’s booming experimental music scene in many years. His music explores richly colorful acoustic spectra with an often violent intensity.
Colombian composer Juan Pablo Carreño is quickly emerging as a prodigious and dynamic voice from a region traditionally underrepresented in contemporary music. His varied work explores the intersections between art and politics, drawing on both the violence and the cultural vivacity of his home country.
Mannes College-The New School for Music
“Las Américas en Concierto” - Songs from South America, Central America and North America of 20th and 21st centuries.
Feb 11th, 8:00PM
Tickets FREE
Mannes Concert Hall, Mannes Building, 150 West 85th Street, NYC
Songs by Diana Arismendi (Venezuela), Germán Cáceres (El Salvador), Manena Contreras (Venezuela), Robert Cuckson (USA), Luis Carlos Figueroa (Colombia), Alberto Ginastera (Argentina), Mario Gomez Vignez (Chile), Joni Greene (USA), Julie Harting, (USA), Natalia van Hissenhoven Lapacó (Colombia), Alberto Nepomuceno (Brazil), Alba Potes (Colombia-USA), Germán Toro-Perez (Colombia), Ursula Mamlok (USA), Andrés Posada (Colombia), Antonio María Valencia (Colombia), Sebastian Zubieta (Argentina).
Alba Potes, Artistic Director
Natalia von Hissenhoven Lapacó, Assistant Director
Angelique Zuluaga, soprano,
José Alejandro Roca, piano
Dance Theatre of Harlem
“Music and dance featuring a performance of Homenatge by Tania Leon performed by Adam Kent with choreography by Pedro Ruiz”
Feb. 12th, 3:00PM
Tickets: $18.00 ($12.00 for children and seniors)
Location: Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Everett Center for the Performing Arts, 466 W. 152nd St. NYC
More info: www.dancetheatreofharelm.org
Mannes College - The New School for Music
"Faculty Composers, spring 2012"
Feb 15th, 8:00PM
Tickets: FREE
Location: Mannes Concert Hall, 150 west 85th Street
This concert will feature new music from Mannes faculty composers including David Loeb, David Tcimpidis, Robert Cuckson, Thomas Addison, and Eleanor Cory.
Flushing Town Hall
“DEMETRIUS SPANEAS, Composer-in-Residence”
Feb 18th, 2 PM
Tickets: FREE
More info: (718) 463-7700 www.flushingtownhall.org
Award winning composer and performer Demetrius Spaneas travels the world as a musical ambassador, connecting classical, jazz, and traditional music throughout the U.S., Eastern Europe, and Asia to create international dialogue through artistic collaboration. Recipient of the 2011 Exploring the Metropolis NYC Con Edison Musicians’ Residency Composition Program and a resident composer at Flushing Town Hall, Mr. Spaneas will perform work he has created during his residency, including new music based on traditional Chinese music.
International Contemporary Ensemble
“ICElab Workshop at BAC | Music of Lisa Coons”
Feb 18th, 3:00PM
Tickets: FREE
More info: iceorg.org
Location: Baryshnikov Arts Center, 450 West 37th Street, Suite 501, New York
ICElab and the Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) throw the doors open to the creative process in this public showing of new works being developed through the ICElab program.
Lisa Coons’ portfolio is diverse—ranging from chamber ensemble music to pieces for welded percussion sculptures—but two concepts remain ever-present in her work: an emphasis on sensual and emotional experience, and a focus on collaboration as a means of shaping musical language. Her new work for five musicians features real-time interaction with dance and movement, with work by choreographers Zack Winokour and Michelle Mola, and dancers from The Troupe.
Mannes College - The New School for Music
"New Music from Mannes Faculty and Alumni 2012"
Feb 19th, 1:30PM
Tickets: FREE
Location: Mannes Concert Hall, 150 west 85th Street
New Music from Mannes Faculty and Alumni 2012 The February concert will feature works by: Jonathan Bell, Wendy Griffiths, Christopher Park, Richard Russell, Faye-Ellen Silverman, and others.
Exapno
Sweat Lodge presents: Winter Sweater
Feb 19th, 7:30pm
Tickets: Free, suggested donation
Expano - 33 Flatbush Ave. Brooklyn
A night of original works and performances by Dave Ruder, Joe White, Ian Munro, Ellen O'Meara, Amirtha Kidambi, and Cory Bracken.
Copland House
“Dangerous Crossings”
Monday, Feb. 20th, 2012, 8:00PM
Tickets 30$
More info: 914-788-4659, www.coplandhouse.org
Christ & St. Stephen's Church, 120 West 69th Street
Music from Copland House journeys across the American musical landscape with a program of works influenced by folk, jazz, and rock. Includes World Premieres by Tamar Muskal, Rob Smith, and Antonio Moreno, the New York City Premiere of Pierre Jalbert's Crossings (commissioned by the ensemble) and music by Aaron Copland and Percy Grainger.
Harlem Stage
“Footprints: A Humanities Discussion on the Innovation and Impact of A Tribe Called Quest”
Feb. 22nd, 7:30PM
Tickets: FREE
More info: (212) 281-9240, www.HarlemStage.org
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
Mannes College - The New School for Music
"College Division Student Composers 2011-2012, Concert 2"
Feb 22nd, 8:00PM
Tickets: FREE
Location: Mannes Concert Hall, 150 west 85th Street
Harlem Stage
“A Tribe Called Quest Tribute featuring the Revive Da Live Big Band”
Feb 23rd, 7:30PM
Tickets: $25
More info: (212) 281-9240
www.HarlemStage.org
Harlem Stage at Aaron Davis Hall
Symphony Space
“Guitar Plus: Music of David Leisner”
Feb 23rd, 7:30PM
Tickets: $30; Members $25; Under 30 $15, http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/6945-guitar-plus-music-of-david-leisner
More info: (212) 864-5400
Brazilian guitarist Fabio Zanon joins Symphony Space All-Star David Leisner in a rare US appearance with the Arc Duo and the Enso Quartet. Featuring the world premiere of Guitar Plus Artistic Director Leisner's new song cycle West Wind to poems by Mary Oliver, performed by Leisner and Metropolitan Opera tenor William Ferguson.
"Leisner exudes creativity and expression at every moment...inventive and refreshing, pushing the expressive envelope..." - Guitar Review
Program:
Away for flute and guitar
Vision of Orpheus for guitar and string quartet
West Wind (World Premiere) for tenor and guitar
Acrobats for flute and guitar
Ear Heart Music series, curated by Amelia Lukas
Trio KAVAK - "The Singing Garden Grew"
Feb. 23, 7:30pm
Tickets: $10/8 (students)
More info: thetanknyc.org
The Tank- 354 W 45th Street, New York
Program:
Kaija Saariaho, New Gates
Sasha Siem, White Dictionary (*US premiere)
Claude Debussy, Trio Sonata
Sofia Gubaidulina, Garden of Joy and Sorrow
Victor Lowrie, Untitled
Trio KAVAK explores the contemporary repertoire and new sound possibilities for the highly evocative combination of flute, viola and harp. The trio is Amelia Lukas (flute), Victor Lowrie (viola) and Kathryn Andrews (harp). This program features works loosely related to the theme of contemplation and refinement.
The Kitchen
"Missy Mazzoli: Song from the Uproar-The Lives & Deaths Of Isabelle Eberhardt"
Feb 24th-25th, 8pm
Tickets: $15, 20% discount for students and seniors
More info: http://www.thekitchen.org/event/296/0/1/
Program:
Missy Mazzoli, Song from the Uproar-The Lives & Deaths Of Isabelle Eberhardt
Presented in collaboration with filmmaker Stephen Taylor, librettist Royce Vavrek, stage director Gia Forakis, and NOW Ensemble with mezzo-soprano Abigail Fischer
Flushing Town Hall
“SCATTERED WIND”
Feb 25, 2-4 PM
Tickets: FREE
More info: (718) 463-7700 www.flushingtownhall.org
Recipient of the 2011 Exploring the Metropolis NYC Con Edison
Musicians’ Residency Composition Program and a resident composer at Flushing Town Hall, Paul Yeon Lee presents two different sanjo (scattered melody) pieces by Korean traditional transverse flute daegeum and western instrument flute. Additionally, Lee will premiere his new music “Scattered”.
Jazzmobile
"Composing Jazz: A Multi-generational Conversation
Feb 25th, 2-4pm
Tickets: FREE - RSVP required (212) 866-4900 ex. 307
Location: Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing and Visual Arts 215 West 114th Street
Panelist/Instrumentalists:
Jimmy Heath (Tenor Saxophone), Frank Wess (Tenor Saxophone/Flute), Gerald Clayton (Piano/Moderator)
Asia Society
“Hoichi the Earless- from ‘Kwaidan’ Ghost Story”
Saturday Feb. 25th , 8:00PM
Tickets $20 members; $22 students/seniors with ID; $25 nonmembers
Performers: Akiko Sakurai, master performer of Japanese vocal music and Satsuma Biwa (traditional Japanese lute); Kumotaro Mukai, renowned Butoh dancer from Dairakudakan; and Kiyoshi Ohira, musical disciple of the Saz (Turkish lute) WORLD PREMIERE
American Composers Orchestra
"Composers Out Front, sponsored by the American Composers Orchestra"
Feb 25th, 8:00pm
Tickets FREE
University Settlement- 184 Eldridge Street New York
The latest works by Jessie Montgomery performed by PUBLIQuartet (string quartet), and members from the Catalyst String Quartet, ICE, and Threeds in performances of original live music to film and a world premiere of Scherzo for Winds.
Greenwich House Music School
“Music Without Dance Festival/North River Dance”
Saturday, Feb 25: 7:30 concert
Tickets $15, $10 for seniors/students
More info: 212.242.4770
Renee Weiler Concert Hall ,Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow Street
DELTA (dreamdeepdown) (2002) by John King, composed for choreographer Kevin O'Day Relative Calm (1981) by Jon Gibson, composed for choreographer Lucinda Childs Desert Myths (2006) by Joan La Barbara , composed for choreographer Nai-Ni Chen Migrations (2008) by Miguel Frasconi, composed for choreographer Alonzo King Future Sight (2010) by Shelley Burgon, composed for choreographer Katherine Behar plus works by Christian Wolff, Annea Lockwood, and Alvin Curran.
Mannes College The New School for Music
"Student Recital - Michael Weinstein-Reiman and Sam Young, composers"
Feb 26th, 1:30PM
Tickets: FREE
Location: Mannes Goldmark Hall, 150 west 85th Street
Sam Young: Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (2011) Sam Young: Drifting Out to Sea (for winds, piano, and percussion) (2011) Michael Weinstein-Reiman: String Quartet (2009)
Greenwich House Music School
“Music Without Dance Festival/North River Dance”
Sunday, Feb 26th 6:00PM Panel Discussion, 7:30PM Concert
Tickets $15, $10 for seniors/students
More info: 212.242.4770
Park Avenue Armory
“Tune-In Music Festival: Afternoon Concert”
February 26, at 2:00pm
Tickets: $35 seat; $15 general admission* -*Casual seating with cushion directly on drill hall floor at stage level or seats in last row of side sections.
More info: Park Avenue Armory Ticket Hotline (212) 933-5812 (9:30am–6:00pm M-F) http://www.armoryonpark.org/index.php/programs_events/detail/AfternoonConcert/
Nico Muhly with Nadia Sirota, Violist
Vijay Iyer with Prasanna and Nitin Mitta - “tirtha”
Tania León, Composer and Pianist
Zack Glass and Guests
The final day of the Festival will begin with compilation of unique artists that Philip Glass has assembled and represent the forward momentum of contemporary music. Included are: Nico Muhly, an astonishing composer who is redefining the compositional field of new and classical music; Grammy Award nominee jazz trio tirtha, whose work has been identified as the 2010 #1 Jazz album by The New York Times; and Tania Leon, whose works as a composer and conductor have been presented worldwide. Singer-Songwriter, Zack Glass, will be joined on stage with Rubén González and Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac, as they present new compositions.
On Foot Productions
"On Foot: Brooklyn"
Feb 26th, 1:00pm
Tickets FREE
Bensonhurst- northwest corner of 18th Avenue and 85th Street
From February 21 to May 21, 2012, Craig Shepard will travel everywhere he goes by foot. Each week, he will compose a new piece, write it down, and perform it in a public space. Every Sunday, he will walk to a new location in Brooklyn and perform the newly composed piece in an outdoor public space. Pieces will be named after the location and date of the first performance, i.e. "Downtown Brooklyn, April 22, 2012". All walks and performances are rain or shine.
Listeners can happen upon the performance as passerby, travel to the performance site, or join the silent walk to and from the performance site. Attendance in the group walk requires advance registration as well as a commitment to maintain silence during the walk including giving up one's cell phone for the duration of the walk. Talking will be permitted after the performance before the return walk.
An interactive map of the walks and performance sites is available at www.craigshepard.net.
Afro Latin Jazz Alliance
"Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra performing new works commissioned by the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance"
Feb 26th, 8:30pm & 11:00pm
Tickets: $30
More info: www.afrolatinjazz.org
(212) 581-3080.
Birdland NYC- 315 West 44th Street
The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra stands for the possibilities of what can happen when you discard the idea of high and low culture, when you cease to engage in elitist socio-economic pandering, when you invite the pueblo into your heart, into your song and into your day-to-day life. For us, that is where the adventure begins. - Arturo O'Farrill, 40 Acres & a Burro
The Graduate Center, CUNY
The Composers' Alliance - The Composer and Society"
Feb 27th, 8:00pm
Tickets FREE
Elebash Hall, the CUNY Graduate Center
An evening of new music by emerging composers at the CUNY Graduate Center, which will include a brief panel discussion on the role of the composer in society
Symphony Space
"NYU Symphony Orchestra - David Byrne's The Forest"
Feb 27th, 8:00pm
Tickets $25; Students $15; NYU Students $5
http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/7310-nyu-symphony-orchestra-david-byrnes-the-forest
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th street
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
NYU Steinhardt School Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions presents NYU Symphony conducted by Jonathan Haas. Student composition competition winners Tim Hansen's Goldbrick Oilslick and Ian Ng's Cité en l'air and David Byrne's The Forest.
Vocal Soloists Christina Courtin and Ryan Scott
Composers Now: The Origins
Composers Now was born from a friendly dinner conversation between Tania León and Laura Kaminsky. Composers, they lamented, held a highly critical role in the musical ecosystem, but suffered from public invisibility!
“You know,” said Tania, “the role of the composer in our society is huge; we need to find a way to raise awareness and appreciation of this important community of creators. I would love to see composers as visible as poets. After all, we have National Poetry Month. Why not do the same for composers? Composers now are creating the sonic legacy of tomorrow. They need to become better known for their contributions in all genres and in all communities, and with this awareness and understanding, they will be more deeply valued.”
Audiences are accustomed to seeing performers, but not composers. It’s rare that we talk to, interact with or get to know the people who create the music being performed, the people whose stories are being told. Composers Now month changes that by placing the emphasis on composer-audience interaction. Each performance highlights contemporary composers and their work, allowing the audience to better understand the narrative motivating the piece.


Tania León, Composer – Conductor
Artistic Director, Composers Now Festival
Dear Music Lover,
I am delighted to welcome you to the third annual Composers Now Festival. This year’s citywide celebration takes place over the course of the month of February, an expansion from the previous two years, which consisted of weeklong festivities. From concert halls to jazz mobiles, from opera stages to experimental performance spaces, from conservatories to museums, we invite you to join us in honoring and celebrating the creative forces behind some of today’s most diverse and captivating music. True to our mission, the “Composers” of “Now” will be in attendance at all the events, participating in performances, panel discussions, and interactions with the audiences. The festival features soloists and ensembles, World and New York Premieres, emerging and established talents. A plethora of sounds and styles.
The Composers Now Festival opens on February 4th with “The Music of Now” a daylong marathon at Symphony Space. For the rest of the month, there are dozens of events in venues all across the city.
We look forward to meeting you and introducing you to the Composers of Now!
In Friendship,
Tania León

Laura Kaminsky
Artistic Director, Symphony Space
A Word of Welcome
Composers tell the story of the times. Through poetic lyricism or kinetic cacophony; mellifluous soaring lines or jagged, irregular phrases; music tells a story. Whether it''s meticulously notated or freely improvised, rooted in Beethoven or Coltrane, derived from indigenous folk traditions or algorithmic formulations, acoustically rendered or made by machine, music has meaning and composers tell a story.
This ear-opening, provocative and daring citywide celebration, opening with a daylong marathon at Symphony Space on February 4, invites you to meet the composers telling the story of our times.
Listen, listen more, think, feel, absorb, and debate, then listen some more. Be part of Composers Now and turn your ears inside out.
For a list of groups taking part in Composers Now, click here.