With Youthful Energy and Talent Beyond Their Years, “The Knights" Bring Soulful Exhilaration to Classical Music
May 31st NYC Concert -- Emblematic of Group's Diverse Appeal -- to Showcase Beethoven's Sixth Symphony as well as Indie Singer/Songwriter Compositions
“An Ongoing Quest to Bring New Light to Old Works, and New Works to Light"
On May 31st, the young members of The Knights will come together to perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral" as part of the annual Beethoven Festival in NYC. As part of the evening's program, they will also accompany singer-songwriter Christina Courtin with a second set of original music. This special event, a lively combination of the revered and the eclectic, embodies The Knights at their best: an exhilarating, soulful revisiting of the Classical pantheon...but also a fierce performance as 'backing-band' for the Regina Spektor-like songs of their indie cohort, Courtin. Perhaps this combination of respect and risk is one of the reasons The New York Times accurately described the group as a “new-music chamber band." The May 31st concert is set for 8pm at Washington Irving High School - additional details follow below.
A shared joy of musical exploration is what The Knights is all about. A fellowship of young musicians of diverse and accomplished backgrounds, The Knights regularly perform classical masterworks, world premieres and arrangements of roots music, including gypsy tunes, Neapolitan love songs, dances and more. Members of the group - who range from 25 to 30 years old - are as likely to be found performing at Joe's Pub, as they are to be on the stage with the New York Philharmonic.
Founded by brothers Eric and Colin Jacobsen, The Knights have garnered praise for their spot-on skills as chamber musicians and for their passionate, engaging approach to live performance. Eric Jacobsen comments on the sense of shared responsibility that defines the band: “Friendship and love fuel The Knights, and take everything to the next level. I'm so honored to work with all the amazing musicians who come together to form an ensemble that is technically wonderful, full of soul, with a target, a mission, focus, leadership, consistency, a sense of a cohesive style and energy and most of all trust and unity in spirit behind the music. When The Knights unite for a set of concerts, the positive thoughts -- and the desire for everyone to succeed -- opens the door for people to take risks in rehearsal and on stage. These risks can be what bring a concert to a new dimension. If as a 35-piece orchestra [including the conductor] we can put all of our trust in the hands and lips of the second horn player and then a minute later, give ourselves to the palm of our timpanist as freely as with concertmaster and conductor, the possibilities to touch an audience and to be touched by an audience grow exponentially."
MAY 31ST CONCERT - Saturday PART OF BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL: THE KNIGHTS Beethoven Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral," and songs with Christina Courtin WASHINGTON IRVING HIGH SCHOOL 16th Street and Irving Place (one block east of Union Square subway station at 14th Street) TIME: 8PM TICKETS: $20 IN ADVANCE OF 5/31; $25 AT THE DOOR FOR TICKETS, CALL: 917-478-5341 or visit KnightsMusic.net
More About The Knights: The group is a flexible chamber orchestra, appearing often as a conductorless string orchestra, but expands accordion-like to include some of New York's most sought-after winds and percussion. Members of The Knights are graduates of Juilliard, Curtis, Manhattan, Mannes and Eastman, and include members of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. They have performed as soloists with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, to name a few, and appeared at the world's most prestigious music festivals, including Marlboro, Tanglewood, Verbier, Stillwater, Lucerne, Salzburg and Moritzburg.
In September of 2006, The Knights gave the world-premiere of Mark O'Connor's Harmony for violin and strings with the composer performing the solo in Musicians for Harmony's 5th anniversary Concert for Peace at Merkin Hall. Other exciting collaborative artists have included flutist Paula Robison in performances of Neapolitan folk and love songs, violinist Mark Peskanov, soprano Susan Narucki, internationally recognized cellist Jan Vogler, Iranian ney (Persian bamboo flute) virtuoso Siamak Jahangiri, jazz violinist and singer Jenny Scheinman, acclaimed (and recognizably red-headed) pianist Steven Beck, and singer- songwriter Christina Courtin (also a valiant Knight violinist).
The Knights (in their one of their guises as champions of music of our time), were the resident chamber orchestra for the 2007 MATA Festival for young composers, held at the Brooklyn Lyceum and premiering new works by Yotam Haber and Christopher Tignor and performing numerous other recent works by composers such as Osvaldo Golijov and Jim Mattheson. This past September, The Knights took audiences on a journey through Lisa Bielawa's Chance Encounter at Seward Park in New York's Lower East Side; a unique site- specific song-cycle for soprano Susan Narucki and The Knights with text based on conversation overheard in transient public spaces.
The Knights have performed at FOTA's annual Beethoven festival at the Planting Fields Arboretum for the last 2 years, performing Beethoven's 4th and 7th Symphonies, Eric Jacobsen conducting and, in a special Brooklyn Lyceum evening, paired Beethoven's 7th with Christina Courtin's songs in full orchestral arrangements made by various members of The Knights.
Other recent concerts include a performance at Carnegie's Weill Hall and Bargemusic, and a tour of Ireland. Their upcoming 5/2/08 Symphony Space concert continues The Knights relationship with Mark O'Connor; in a concert featuring the fiddler/composer performing his American Seasons alongside members of The Knights soloing on Piazzolla and Vivaldi's Seasons.
“a little orchestra of some of New York's best strings-about-town." --New Yorker
“You had the feeling of being with musicians, not just observing them..." --The New York Times
“truly an exhilarating experience" --New York Sun
Other Upcoming Appearances Include:
April 2, 2008
8:00 PM
MATA Festival
Young Composers Now!
The Knights perform new music by: Aaron Gervais; Jennifer Fitzgerald; Zibuotli Martinaityte
May 2, 2008
8:00 PM
The Knights at Symphony Space
with Mark O'Connor
Come travel through the seasons in Italy, Argentina and America! The Knights will present three different styles of music, through the eyes of composers who have interpreted and realized 'The Seasons' for solo violin and chamber orchestra. Vivaldi; Piazzolla ; Mark O'Connor
Soloists
Mark O'Connor, violin
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
May 3, 2008
8:00 PM
The Knights at Riverside Church
Vivaldi - Seasons
Respighi - Music for Organ and Orchestra; Christopher Johnson, organist
May 29, 2008
8:00 PM
Southport Summer Fesival
Beethoven - 'Pastoral' Symphony 6 in F Major, Op 68
With Alan Murchie
May 31, 2008
8:00 PM
The Knights at Washington Irving
Beethoven 6th Symphony and original songs by Christina Courtin Irving Place at 16th street [one block east of Union Square
June 1, 2008
5:30 PM
Beethoven Festival
Beethoven - 'Pastoral' Symphony 6 in F Major, Op 68
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
May 31st NYC Concert -- Emblematic of Group's Diverse Appeal -- to Showcase Beethoven's Sixth Symphony as well as Indie Singer/Songwriter Compositions
“An Ongoing Quest to Bring New Light to Old Works, and New Works to Light"
On May 31st, the young members of The Knights will come together to perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral" as part of the annual Beethoven Festival in NYC. As part of the evening's program, they will also accompany singer-songwriter Christina Courtin with a second set of original music. This special event, a lively combination of the revered and the eclectic, embodies The Knights at their best: an exhilarating, soulful revisiting of the Classical pantheon...but also a fierce performance as 'backing-band' for the Regina Spektor-like songs of their indie cohort, Courtin. Perhaps this combination of respect and risk is one of the reasons The New York Times accurately described the group as a “new-music chamber band." The May 31st concert is set for 8pm at Washington Irving High School - additional details follow below.
A shared joy of musical exploration is what The Knights is all about. A fellowship of young musicians of diverse and accomplished backgrounds, The Knights regularly perform classical masterworks, world premieres and arrangements of roots music, including gypsy tunes, Neapolitan love songs, dances and more. Members of the group - who range from 25 to 30 years old - are as likely to be found performing at Joe's Pub, as they are to be on the stage with the New York Philharmonic.
Founded by brothers Eric and Colin Jacobsen, The Knights have garnered praise for their spot-on skills as chamber musicians and for their passionate, engaging approach to live performance. Eric Jacobsen comments on the sense of shared responsibility that defines the band: “Friendship and love fuel The Knights, and take everything to the next level. I'm so honored to work with all the amazing musicians who come together to form an ensemble that is technically wonderful, full of soul, with a target, a mission, focus, leadership, consistency, a sense of a cohesive style and energy and most of all trust and unity in spirit behind the music. When The Knights unite for a set of concerts, the positive thoughts -- and the desire for everyone to succeed -- opens the door for people to take risks in rehearsal and on stage. These risks can be what bring a concert to a new dimension. If as a 35-piece orchestra [including the conductor] we can put all of our trust in the hands and lips of the second horn player and then a minute later, give ourselves to the palm of our timpanist as freely as with concertmaster and conductor, the possibilities to touch an audience and to be touched by an audience grow exponentially."
MAY 31ST CONCERT - Saturday PART OF BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL: THE KNIGHTS Beethoven Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral," and songs with Christina Courtin WASHINGTON IRVING HIGH SCHOOL 16th Street and Irving Place (one block east of Union Square subway station at 14th Street) TIME: 8PM TICKETS: $20 IN ADVANCE OF 5/31; $25 AT THE DOOR FOR TICKETS, CALL: 917-478-5341 or visit KnightsMusic.net
More About The Knights: The group is a flexible chamber orchestra, appearing often as a conductorless string orchestra, but expands accordion-like to include some of New York's most sought-after winds and percussion. Members of The Knights are graduates of Juilliard, Curtis, Manhattan, Mannes and Eastman, and include members of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. They have performed as soloists with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, to name a few, and appeared at the world's most prestigious music festivals, including Marlboro, Tanglewood, Verbier, Stillwater, Lucerne, Salzburg and Moritzburg.
In September of 2006, The Knights gave the world-premiere of Mark O'Connor's Harmony for violin and strings with the composer performing the solo in Musicians for Harmony's 5th anniversary Concert for Peace at Merkin Hall. Other exciting collaborative artists have included flutist Paula Robison in performances of Neapolitan folk and love songs, violinist Mark Peskanov, soprano Susan Narucki, internationally recognized cellist Jan Vogler, Iranian ney (Persian bamboo flute) virtuoso Siamak Jahangiri, jazz violinist and singer Jenny Scheinman, acclaimed (and recognizably red-headed) pianist Steven Beck, and singer- songwriter Christina Courtin (also a valiant Knight violinist).
The Knights (in their one of their guises as champions of music of our time), were the resident chamber orchestra for the 2007 MATA Festival for young composers, held at the Brooklyn Lyceum and premiering new works by Yotam Haber and Christopher Tignor and performing numerous other recent works by composers such as Osvaldo Golijov and Jim Mattheson. This past September, The Knights took audiences on a journey through Lisa Bielawa's Chance Encounter at Seward Park in New York's Lower East Side; a unique site- specific song-cycle for soprano Susan Narucki and The Knights with text based on conversation overheard in transient public spaces.
The Knights have performed at FOTA's annual Beethoven festival at the Planting Fields Arboretum for the last 2 years, performing Beethoven's 4th and 7th Symphonies, Eric Jacobsen conducting and, in a special Brooklyn Lyceum evening, paired Beethoven's 7th with Christina Courtin's songs in full orchestral arrangements made by various members of The Knights.
Other recent concerts include a performance at Carnegie's Weill Hall and Bargemusic, and a tour of Ireland. Their upcoming 5/2/08 Symphony Space concert continues The Knights relationship with Mark O'Connor; in a concert featuring the fiddler/composer performing his American Seasons alongside members of The Knights soloing on Piazzolla and Vivaldi's Seasons.
“a little orchestra of some of New York's best strings-about-town." --New Yorker
“You had the feeling of being with musicians, not just observing them..." --The New York Times
“truly an exhilarating experience" --New York Sun
Other Upcoming Appearances Include:
April 2, 2008
8:00 PM
MATA Festival
Young Composers Now!
The Knights perform new music by: Aaron Gervais; Jennifer Fitzgerald; Zibuotli Martinaityte
May 2, 2008
8:00 PM
The Knights at Symphony Space
with Mark O'Connor
Come travel through the seasons in Italy, Argentina and America! The Knights will present three different styles of music, through the eyes of composers who have interpreted and realized 'The Seasons' for solo violin and chamber orchestra. Vivaldi; Piazzolla ; Mark O'Connor
Soloists
Mark O'Connor, violin
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
May 3, 2008
8:00 PM
The Knights at Riverside Church
Vivaldi - Seasons
Respighi - Music for Organ and Orchestra; Christopher Johnson, organist
May 29, 2008
8:00 PM
Southport Summer Fesival
Beethoven - 'Pastoral' Symphony 6 in F Major, Op 68
With Alan Murchie
May 31, 2008
8:00 PM
The Knights at Washington Irving
Beethoven 6th Symphony and original songs by Christina Courtin Irving Place at 16th street [one block east of Union Square
June 1, 2008
5:30 PM
Beethoven Festival
Beethoven - 'Pastoral' Symphony 6 in F Major, Op 68
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
For more information contact Seth Cohen PR.
