Ear To Mind To Stage: NYC Music Organization Premieres Contemporary Piano Music At Carnegie Hall

Jenny Q. Chai

Earlier this year we told you about the new Ear to Mind website created by 3rd Ward Web Design teacher David Karlins, and this Thursday, April 19 the NYC music organization will present the Carnegie Hall concert that inspired that new online destination.

The concert is a solo recital by acclaimed pianist and Jenny Q Chai, who will perform the world premiers of "Parallel Lines," a piece by composer and Ear to Mind co-director Inhyun Kim, and "Current," by Taiwanese composer Ashley Fu-Tsun Wang. The program also includes the US premier of "Innige Cavatina" by Italy's Marco Stroppa, as well as works by Debussy, Ligeti, Messiaen, Kurtág and Schumann. With the concert's diverse selection of works, Chai presents a broad musical survey. "I feel a sense of contentment programming creative concerts, mixing and matching old and new works, so as to highlight what is most special in each piece," she says. "After all, nothing comes from nothing, and new music is very much connected to that which came before."

For more information check out Page4Music's podcast interview with Chai, Kim and Ear to Mind board member Ruyi Lu.

The concert starts at 7:30pm this Thursday at Zankel Hall, which happens to be both Carnegie Hall's oldest and newest performance space. The hall, which New York magazine says "feels like a sacred underworld swathed in sea glass and forest green," hosted Carnegie Hall's very first concert, a 1891 piano recital, before splitting off to become a theater then cinema during the 20th century. It was revamped and reunited with the world-renowned music venue in 2003. Grab tickets for Ear to Mind's concert here.

-- John Ruscher

Our Picks: Five Must-See Artists Featured In The 2012 Whitney Biennial

 

The 2012 Whitney Biennial kicked off on Thursday, and while the major art world shindig has already attracted its share of protest and controversy (it even got "punk'd" with a fake website mocking its corporate sponsorship), we're looking forward to checking out the 51 contemporary artists that curators Elisabeth Sussman and Jay Sanders have selected for the renowned showcase.

To give you a head start in your own biennial explorations, we've picked five participating artists whose work we're particularly excited to see (along with a small slice of trivia to accompany each one.) Check out the first two below and hit the jump for the rest.

Werner Herzog - The renowned filmmaker's contribution comes in the form of the multi-media installation Hearsay of the Soul, which incorporates the work 17-century Dutch printmaker Hercules Segers. 

Fun fact: At the biennial preview earlier this week, Herzog told Gallerist, "I don't go to museums because I don't like art. That's true. I don't like art."

Georgia Sagri - The provocative artist and political activist  presents an ongoing performance installation where you'll likely never know what to expect. 

Fun fact: Sagri played a role in early stages of Occupy Wall Street, which has called for an end to the biennial.

Mike Kelley - The recently-passed artist is represented by a series of films in which he chronicled his "Mobile Homestead," a replica of his childhood home in Detroit. 

Fun fact: The biennial has been dedicated to Kelley, who died of an apparent suicide on January 31.

The Red Krayola - The psychedelic rock band, which formed in Houston, Texas way back in 1966, will perform a "free-form freakout" on April 13 and collaborate with British conceptual artists Art & Language for an opera, Victorine, on April 14. 

Fun fact: While known as a rock group, The Red Krayola is no stranger to the art world. Founding member Mayo Thompson was a studio assistant for Robert Rauschenberg in the early '70s and renowned German artist Albert Oehlen has played with the band since the '90s.

Bess Forrest - The late "painter/fisherman" developed elaborate theories about united the male and female forms and operated on his own body to transform himself in a "pseudo-hermaphrodite." Fun fact: New York art critic Jerry Saltz almost got kicked off of Facebook for posting an image of Forrest self-surgery. 

Fun fact: New York magazine art critic Jerry Saltz almost got kicked off of Facebook earlier this week for posting an image of Forrest's self-surgery.

And of course don't limit yourself to these five. There is a lot of other amazing work to see at the Whitney, and you've got plenty of time experience all of it. The biennial runs through May 27.

-- John Ruscher

This Saturday: A Tale of an Unrealized Computer Opera Unfolds at Triple Canopy

 

Esteemed local arts organization Triple Canopy is always thinking outside the box, from their groundbreaking online publication to readings of "allegedly unreadable" books, and this week they'll treat us to another singular event at their Freeman Street headquarters in Greenpoint.

They describe Thursday's The Tale of the Big Computer (based on Swedish artist Anna Lundh's essay of the same name in Triple Canopy's 13th issue) as a "deluxe reading, performance and silent concert." 

That essay explores the history of The Tale of the Big Computer: A Vision, a 1960s sci-fi novel written by Nobel Prize-winning Swedish physicist Hannes Alfvén under the pen name Olof Johannesson. The novel inspired Swedish composer Karl-Birger Blomdahl's vision of an ambitious and unprecedented "computer opera," which he was unable to realize before dying of a heart attack. Blomdalh left behind only traces of the grand work that he planned to create, such as how the "opera's audio would rely heavily on tape recorders, which would be controlled, in part, by cosmic radiation, producing a different result each night" and how a "synthetic computer voice would be the only 'soloist.'" Lundh gathers together these traces and imagines what might have been if things had happened differently.

To find out how Lundh will translate her fascinating essay in a live setting, head to Triple Canopy's 155 Freeman Street space this Saturday. Doors are at 6 and The Tale of the Big Computer starts at 6:30pm. We're particulary curious about the mysterious "silent concert." 

-- John Ruscher

Member Profile // Wesley Fruge: Multi-tasking, Theater-Modernizing Renaissance Man

When we (finally) caught up with Wesley Fruge, he was in the process of signing the lease on a new apartment, starting a new job, and running rehearsals for production of his play, Friend Andy. But then, the actor/singer/dancer/writer/director/producer/video editor/event planner is used to being that busy.

"I love performing," says the native Houstonian, "but I wanted to bring theater into the modern age. We don't need more Guys and Dolls. I mean, it's great, but it's been done." So: Friend Andy is about a blogger who goes viral overnight, almost unwittingly. It uses video projections to capture the kind of madcap media stimulation most of us experience every day (i.e. like how you may be reading this on your phone while watching a DVR'd New Girl and idly clicking around on your Macbook--though we truly hope not.)   "By using multimedia, we're giving the audience what they're used to," Fruge says.

If any 3rd Ward members have got anything you'd like to submit, Fruge is now welcoming video submissions. Though if you'd rather just watch, there will be a workshop production on February 7, and they are in the process of applying to New York Fringe.

All of this has put his party-planning crew, UnOfficial Presents temporarily on the backburner, but we've got a feeling it'll be back in action soon. 

Meanwhile, you can find Fruge at 3rd Ward editing video in the new coworking space and using studios for promotional shoots. Chances are--given his 10,000 interests and skills--you'll have something in common.

--Layla Schlack 

ESSENTIAL EVENT // Our Picks For This Month's Performa 11 Performance Biennial

This week marks the start of Performa 11, the fourth edition of New York's internationally renowned visual performance art biennial. Running now through November 21, Performa will feature work by more than 100 contemporary artists at more than 50 arts institutions across the city.

We've rounded up our 10 Performa picks for the coming weeks (and provided all the info you'll need for each one.) Hit the jump to check out our recommendations, which run the gamut from beer brewing and skateboarding to Fluxus and James Franco.

Print Showing - Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama recreates his 1971 performance, in which he photocopies his work and assembles staple-bound photobooks based on viewers' input into the selection and sequence. Friday, November 4, 2-4pm & 6-9pm, Saturday November 5, 12-3pm & 5-8pm. $75.

Free Ride - Raphaël Zarka, a Paris-based artist, will present a project incorporating his research on the "geometry of skateboarding" and how it relates to modern sculpture. He'll also attempt to create the first ever cycloid skateboard ramp, inspired by Galileo. Saturday, November 5, 3-5pm at Performa Institute at the Performa Hub. Free. $10.

Fluxus Weekend - Fifty-two hours of Downtown creativity and goodness stemming from the influential Fluxus movement that emerged in the 1960s, ranging from actions and ideas to music, films and objects. Participants will include renowned Fluxus artists such as Alison Knowles, Jonas Mekas, Milan Knížák and Ben Vautier. Friday, November 11 through Sunday, November 13 at various venues.

Creative Networking Workshop - A workshop that will explore networks and networking as a creative medium. Focusing on the design of large scale networks, participants will collaborate and build their own intricate compositions. Saturday, November 12, 1-4pm at Performa Hub. $10.

Brew Day - Colorado artist Eric Steen brings together NYC home brew enthusiasts to brew beer, swap tips and sample each others' creations, highlighting and fostering the knowledge and creativity that goes into the hops-filled hobby. Saturday, November 12, 12-4pm at Performa Hub. Free.

Fluxus Cabaret - Renowned filmmaker Jonas Mekas presents a new film featuring Fluxus performances, anecdotes and more, including Nam June Paik in Times Square, Joseph Beuys singing and John Lennon, Yoko Ono and George Maciunas taking a trip up the Hudson River. Saturday, November 12, 6-7:30pm at Anthology Film Archives. $9.

Three Performances in Search of Tennessee - James Franco is everywhere! Franco and Laurel Nakadate will present a three-part project inspired by Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagarie, including a séance in which they'll attempt to communicate with Williams, auditions for the part of Laura by female actresses interacting with a life-size video projection of Franco, and auditions for the part of Tom by male actors. Sunday, November 13, 12-2pm at Abrons Art Center. $30.

Crazy English - Shanghai-based artist Zhou Xiaohu has invited Li Yang, a Chinese celebrity educator, to give English as performance. Yang runs Crazy English, a company that teaches English to huge groups of Chinese students in stadiums and other large spaces. Through the performance Xiaohu presents both a unique theatrical teaching method as well as the distorted effects of cultural imperialism. Saturday, November 19, 1-2pm & 4:30-5:30pm at Judson Memorial Church. Free with registration.

Otomo Yoshihide and Christian Marclay Turntable Duo - The two influential sound artists and turntablism pioneers come together for a rare and exciting live concert. Saturday, November 19, 8:30-9:30pm at Japan Society. $25.

That Morning Thing - This is only the fourth performance of composer Robert Ashley's legendary 1967 experimental opera That Morning Thing. Ashley himself has promised that this will be the definitive version. Saturday, November 19, 8-9pm, Sunday, November 20, 3-4:30pm & 8-9:30pm, Monday, November 21, 8-9:30pm at The Kitchen. $30.

-- John Ruscher

ESSENTIAL EVENT // Our Performance Picks For BAM's Next Wave Festival This Fall

Last week the Brooklyn Academy of Music launched the 29th season of its Next Wave Festival, offering up a barrage of amazing performance, visual art, film, music and more. Past festivals have featured renowned figures like Phillip Glass, Merce Cunningham, Laurie Anderson and Ingmar Bergman, and this year's lineup is no less exciting.

You can peruse to full schedule here, but we've singled out a few events that us at 3rd Ward are particularly thrilled to check out. Check out our picks after the jump.

Symphony for the Dance Floor (BAM Harvey Theater, Oct 13 & 14 at 7:30pm, Oct 15 at 7:30pm, 10pm) - Composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain mashes up hip-hop, pop and classical music alongside visuals by renowned hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion and choreography by Millicent Johnnie. Dance party as performance or performance as dance party?

Between The Lines (BAMcafé, Sep 22 at 8pm, Oct 20 at 8pm, Nov 10 at 8pm) - "Storytellers, thinkers, and drinkers" take a look at different 21st century subjects through readings, short films, performances and more. Themes for each date are "Think You're Pretty Smart," "You Are What You Eat" and "Missionary Positions," respectively.

I don't believe in outer space (BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Oct 26—29 at 7:30pm) - Renowned choreographer William Forsythe presents wild, dark and humorous dance theater. The Guardian called it "a strange, comic cacophony of speech, song and dance – a performance in fragments that suggests a man already receding from life and gazing down at it with a detached and quizzical eye."

Brooklyn Babylon (BAM Harvey Theater, Nov 9—12 at 7:30pm) - Darcy James Argue, his jazz big band Secret Society and artist Danijel Zezelj conjure up a Brooklyn of the future, where the tallest tower in the world is being built. With a carousel on top. Zezelj paints live onstage along with projected animations and a soundtrack from Argue and Co.

Next Wave Art (Peter Jay Sharp Building, until December 18) - In its 10th year, the exhibition features Brooklyn artists such as renowned subway/graffiti artist Lee Quinones, media artist Marina Zurkow, painter Jules de Balincourt and photographer Rashid Johnson.

-- John Ruscher