Philadanco's New Faces and Alarm Will Sound's New Music at the Kimmel Center this Spring
APRIL 2, 2009
Philadanco
"Visceral—fierce and sensuous by turns-elegant and ingratiating." —New York Magazine about Philadanco
New faces and new music are central to the Kimmel Center's programming. This spring, young, professional choreographers work alongside a world renowned dance troupe, and a contemporary classical ensemble demonstrates both rock and classical influences.
- The "future of classical music" (New York Times), Alarm Will Sound makes its Philadelphia debut in Perelman Theater (Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 7:30pm)
- New Faces: Choreographers for the Future, Philadanco's spring performance spotlights three world premieres (Thur.- Sun., April 30 - May 3, 2009)
Alarm Will Sound
Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $19-$32
"One of the most vital and original ensembles on the American music scene" –New York Times
Alarm Will Sound concludes Kimmel Center Presents' Fresh Ink Series with an edgy, inventive program of new music on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 7:30pm. "As close to being a rock band as a chamber orchestra can be" (New York Times), the 20-member group melds world, jazz and classical music influences within modern works. Their Kimmel Center performance includes 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang's work Increase, Stefan Freund's arrangement of Cock/Ver 10 by British electronic artist Aphex Twin and compositions by Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Derek Bermel, Gavin Chuck and John Adams.
Adventuresome in spirit, Alarm Will Sound has the ability to infuse innovative interpretations of new music with string, brass, woodwind arrangements, percussion and vocal timbre reflective of the work being performed. One of Alarm Will Sound's most recent albums, the critically acclaimed Acoustica (2005), features acoustic arrangements of music by Aphex Twin, British ambient techno music of originator Richard D. James. The group displayed its inherent creativity with this project when they purchased materials at a toy store to invent their own instruments, which then truly replicated Aphex Twin's soundscapes.
Alarm Will Sound is currently scheduled for the 2009 release of a/rhythmia, which captures the rhythmic complexity and improvisational skills of the group. In 2009, Alarm Will Sound debuted 1969, a multimedia concert event that tells the story of great musicians striving for a new world during a time of tumult. Beyond live performances, the group has recorded a total of four albums, including Reich at the Roxy (2006), a CD/DVD recording of music by Steve Reich performed at the famed New York nightclub.
Led by conductor Alan Pierson, the ensemble's ranging repertoire includes contemporary works of American composers, such as Steve Reich, David Lang and Michael Gordon, to pop-rock works of The Beatles and Frank Zappa, and that of 14th Century European composers. The group first formed at the Eastman School of Music in 2001. Since then, the Rochester-based ensemble has captivated audiences and music critics, garnering accolades such as the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers's (ASCAP) 2006 Concert Music Award.
"Alarm Will Sound has grabbed the future of classical music and made it now — merging styles, erasing boundaries, championing experimentation and obviously having fun along the way... if classical music is to a remain a vital, relevant form that can attract new, young audiences, it needs daring, exciting groups like Alarm Will Sound." —Denver Post
Alarm Will Sound Program
DEREK BERMEL: Continental Divide
JOHN ADAMS: Son of Chamber Symphony
SIR HARRISON BIRTWISTLE: Silbury Air
DAVID LANG: Increase
GAVIN CHUCK: Seen
APHEX TWIN: Cock/Ver 10 (arr. Stefan Freund)
Kelli Kathman, flute, piccolo
Jacqueline Leclair, oboe
Elisabeth Stimpert, clarinet, bass clarinet
Bill Kalinkos, clarinet
Michael Harley, bassoon
Matthew Marks, horn
Jason Price, trumpet
Michael Clayville, trombone
Payton MacDonald, percussion
Chris Thompson, percussion
John Orfe, piano, keyboards
Courtney Orlando, violin
Caleb Burhans, violin
John Pickford Richards, viola
Stefan Freund, violoncello
Miles Brown, contrabass
Alan Pierson, Artistic Director and conductor
Gavin Chuck, Managing Director
Nigel Maister, Staging Director
Jason Varvaro, Production Manager
Saturday, Saturday, April 25, 2009 | Post-Show (Approx. 9pm)
Perelman Theater Stage | Artist Chat
This performance will conclude with an Artist Chat featuring that
evening's artists and Kimmel Center Vice President of Programming Tom
Warner, during which performers speak about their music-making as well
as take questions from the audience.
The Fresh Ink series has been funded by The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, through the Philadelphia Music Project.
Philadanco
New Faces: Choreographers for the Future
Works by Camille Brown, Zane Booker, Hope Boykin, Tony Powell
Thursday-Saturday, April 30-May 2, 2009 at 7:30pm
Saturday-Sunday, May 2-3, 2009 at 2:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $34-$46
Philadanco is "a company of happy, invigorating contrast ... a venerable institution...but has not lost its youthful verve or the freshness of its strong technical grounding." — New York Times
This spring Philadanco forges ahead in the world renowned dance company's pioneering spirit with three world premieres in a new program entitled New Faces: Choreographers for the Future on Thursday-Saturday, April 30-May 2, 2009 at 7:30pm and Saturday-Sunday, May 2-3, 2009 at 2:30pm in Perelman Theater. Philadanco welcomes a new generation of young, talented choreographers—Zane Booker,Camille Brown, Hope Boykin and Tony Powell—interpreting their work with the company's own special blend of African American inspired movement, ballet, jazz and modern styles.
Philadanco's New Faces: Choreographers for the Future brings together works by four up-and-coming choreographers:
Zane Booker's "The Red Envelope" explores themes of Faust, death and the afterlife in three duets, inspired by an original musical composition from Jeff Story. "The Red Envelope" is a symbol of the news, question or announcement of new fate. Booker's company, The Smoke, Lilies and Jade Arts Initiative, was named one of the top 25 companies to watch by Dance Magazine.
Ailey School alumna Camille Brown, "a force of nature" (New York Times), mixes modern dance techniques with West African influences in the imaginative, energetic work "Those Who See Light."
Former Philadanco member and current member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hope Boykin continues to shape the future of modern dance with her own company, HopeBoykinDance. Her original work "Be Ye Not...Philippians 4:13," explores the context of conformity, societal acceptance and finding one's place in the world through internal transformation.
Tony Powell, dubbed "a 21st Century Renaissance Man" by the Washington Post, has produced works as a choreographer, sculptor, filmmaker, photographer, composer, painter, writer, graphic designer and as director of his own company, Tony Powell/ Music & Movement. Philadanco will perform the company and Philadelphia premiere of Powell’s new ballet “Rapture” at the Kimmel Center. Set to the music of minimalist composer Steve Reich, “Rapture” was inspired by the choreographer’s vision of “emotional or spiritual ecstasy.”
For nearly four decades, Philadanco has adhered to its mission to provide exceptional dance performance and training to its many communities internationally under the guidance of founder and Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown. A European tour in 2007 reaffirmed the company's global appeal, with critically acclaimed performances in 14 cities in Austria, Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands. In 2005, Philadanco was one of 14 companies to receive the prestigious American Masterpieces Award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
"Steeped in the Horton, Graham, and Dunham traditions, [Hope Boykin] loves earthy, full-out choreography: finely sculpted, expressive movement that challenges both body and mind." –Village Voice
New Faces: Choreographers for the Future
ZANE A. BOOKER: "The Red Envelope"
CAMILLE A BROWN: "Those Who See Light"
HOPE BOYKIN: "Be Ye Not...Philippians 4:13"
TONY POWELL: "Rapture”
Featuring: Penelope J. Armstead-Williams, Lamar Baylor, Chloe O. Davis, Brandon Glasgow, David Holland, Odara N. Jabali-Nash, Michael Jackson, Jr., Joan Kilgore, Alicia Lundgren, Nijawwon Matthews, Teneise L. Mitchell, Tyrell V. Rolle, Jay Staten, Jermaine Terry, Tracy Vogt, Dawn Marie Watson
Thursday, April 30, 2009 | Post-Show
Perelman Theater Stage | Artist Chat
This performance will conclude with an Artist Chat featuring the
evening's dancers and Kimmel Center Vice President of Programming Tom
Warner.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30pm for an evening curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
Kimmel Center Presents' 2008-09 Season is sponsored by Citi. The Great Orchestras on Tour Series is supported by 10 Rittenhouse Square. Additional support is provided by PENN Medicine, PECO, American Express, and Interpark. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. NBC-10 is a media partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is the recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC "Grow Up Great" initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment in preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center's early childhood program "Bop and Swing," an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
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