WHEN: Festival: Sept. 23-October 2, 2005 Performances: Friday, Sept. 23, Sat/Sun, Oct. 1 & 2. All concerts @ 8 pm.
WHERE: St. Peter’s Church 346 West 20th Street (between 8th and 9th), NYC. Train A/C/E to 23rd Street/8th Avenue.
HOW: $20 per person, $15 for students/seniors, $50 Festival Pass. To order tickets, visit www.matafestival.org or call 212.563.5124.
CONTACT: April Thibeault, AMT PR, [email protected], 212.861.0990.
8TH ANNUAL MATA FESTIVAL RETURNS TO NEW YORK CITY CELEBRATING A NEW GENERATION OF COMPOSERS Watch 8 Young Composers Write 8 New Works in 8 Days
“#1 Classical Moment of the Year 2003” New York Times
New York City--- The eighth annual MATA Festival returns to New York City presenting new and recent experimental works of genre-jumping contemporary music by emerging composers from Friday, September 23 thru October 2, 2005 at St. Peter’s Church (346 West 20th Street). MATA has commissioned eight young composers from around the world to create their works in the first-ever “Monster Composer Rally”. In just eight days, the composers create their works in the Composers’ Petting Zoo, a series of storefront display exhibitions throughout New York City. This hands-on process culminates in eight world premiere performances by the MATA Micro-Orchestra on Saturday/Sunday, October 1st & 2nd at 8:00 pm.
Keeping with its spirit of adventure and its commitment to expanding the canon of classical music, this year’s MATA festival features composers who are exploring improvisation or aleatoric practices in their work. From a young Japanese woman who combines her vocal talents with digitally enhanced visuals, to a jazz pianist who experiments with Brazilian percussion, all eight composers have been selected from over 200 applicants in MATA’s annual international competition. They will be writing works for and in collaboration with the MATA Micro-Orchestra, a group of nine supremely versatile and accomplished soloists, led by Guest Curator Mick Rossi. According to Lisa Bielawa, Artistic Director of MATA, “we’re dedicated to advocating multi-genre music and composers; this year we’re thrilled to commission these young composers who come from such diverse musical backgrounds.”
Founded in 1996 by Philip Glass, Eleanor Sandresky, and Lisa Bielawa, MATA (Music at the Anthology, Inc.) is an organization serving as a catalyst for emerging composers, thereby encouraging and promoting compelling contemporary music. Every season, MATA commissions at least four new works representing a broad range of media, from traditional instruments to beyond. To date, MATA has commissioned and presented 28 new compositions by young composers. Visit www.matafestival.org for more information.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
