roster

Abraham Inc.

An unprecedented collaboration between three cultural visionaries: DAVID KRAKAUER, champion of klezmer music and world-class clarinetist; legendary funk trombonist and arranger FRED WESLEY, celebrated for his work with James Brown and George Clinton; and hip-hop renegade and beat architect SOCALLED - Abraham Inc. heralds a time when boundaries are eroding, mutual respect is presumed, and musical traditions can hit with full force without concession or appropriation. Backed by a three-piece horn section led by Wesley plus musicians who collaborate frequently with Krakauer and Socalled - and the result is an all-out klezmer-funk dance party! -- More info >>

ACME: the American Contemporary Music Ensemble

“One of New York’s brightest new music indie-bands”
- Time Out New York

Led by artistic director and cellist Clarice Jensen, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) is dedicated to the outstanding performance of masterworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, primarily the work of American composers. Known for their work with the Wordless Music Series as well as indie music icons such as Grizzly Bear, ACME’s dedication to cutting-edge contemporary literature extends across genres, and has earned them a reputation among both classical and rock crowds. -- More info >>

Krakauer Acoustic Klezmer Quartet

David Krakauer, one of the most important and influential musicians in new Jewish music today and of the vital new wave of klezmer, is known mostly for his amplified sound pushing the boundaries of klezmer to include elements of jazz, rock, funk and hip-hop. In a program tailored for spaces more appropriate for chamber music, Krakauer will present acoustic versions of his own original compositions mixed with his own special versions of classic tunes from the traditional klezmer repertoire.

Pablo Ziegler Tango Jazz Quintet with Claudia Acuña

In this program, the Pablo Ziegler Quintet is joined by Chilean vocalist . Ms. Acuña seamlessly fuses Latin rhythms with her instinctive jazz sensibility, performing songs composed by Pablo Ziegler and Astor Piazzolla, as well as some works of her own. "Emotional, exacting, and soulful, Acuña breathes great life and drama into each song." (Musiciansnews.com) -- More info >>

Akoka: The End of Time

Cellist Matt Haimovitz and clarinetist David Krakauer have come together to create a new project centered around Olivier Messaien's Quartet for the End of Time. Given that this piece was composed in a prisoner of war camp in the midst of tremendous world upheaval, and that the subject matter of the quartet describes cataclysmic events (the end of time itself), Haimovitz and Krakauer have created a program of music surrounding and commenting on this aspect of the Messaien. The point of departure is the fact that the clarinetist Henri Akoka who gave the premiere in the prison camp, was Jewish. Metaphorically, to focus on Akoka's story (not literally, but rather poetically through music) is to bring out the human aspect of this composition seen through the "eyes" of one individual caught up in terrifying events beyond his control. -- More info >>

Are You Now? or have you ever been?

Clarinetist David Krakauer, bass trombonist David Taylor, drummer Michael Sarin and the Apollo Trio (Curtis Macomber, violin; Michael Kannen, cello; Marija Stroke, piano) join forces to perform an electrifying, intense and moving concert on Jewish themes - from World War II to the Borscht Belt to klezmer. This program was performed for the first time on February 5th, 2011, on the Chamber Music Northwest Encore Series, at which David Schiff ‘s Borscht Belt Follies received its world premiere. -- More info >>

Maya Beiser: Provenance

In a world troubled by religious strife and division, the period between the eighth and fifteenth centuries in the Iberian Peninsula offers a hopeful historical reminder: Muslims, Christians, and Jews once lived together in Spain, creating a centuries-long flowering of commerce, culture, art, and architecture. Provenance offers a contemporary interpretation of this shared harmonious source.

Provenance peaked at #6 in overall music sales and #1 in Classical music on Amazon. It also hit #1 in World Music on iTunes and #3 in Classical on Billboard. -- More info >>

Maya Beiser with Orchestra

Over the past decade, Maya Beiser has created a new repertoire for cello, commissioning and performing many works written for her by today’s leading composers. Beiser’s innovative programs and recordings have been consistently hailed by critics and audiences alike, earning her recognition among today’s most exciting creators. The cello is often described as having the most human-like voice in the symphony orchestra, and in Beiser’s hands it seems to speak for humanity, offering a voice for our time.

Maya Beiser has been soloist with the American Composer’s Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Santa Rosa Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony, the China Philharmonic and many others.

Beyond Tango: the Music of Pablo Ziegler

Beyond Tango was conceived by Ziegler for the Miami International Piano Festival and we are pleased to now offer this popular program for touring. While Pablo Ziegler is known to the jazz world through his touring to venues such as the Bimhuis in Amsterdam and his annual performances at the Jazz Standard in New York City, this program focuses on his classical music and involves different instrumentation. The evening progresses from piano duo, through trio, quartet, quintet and finally large chamber ensemble playing mostly the compositions of Pablo Ziegler, but including some of his own arrangements of the Piazzolla 2-piano pieces which Pablo had recorded with Emanuel Ax for Sony Classical, produced by Ettore Strata. -- More info >>

A Blue Hat Washed Up On Shore:
Brooklyn Rider & 2 Foot Yard

A Blue Hat Washed Up On Shore is an exciting new work co-written by two visionary contemporary music ensembles: 2 Foot Yard, known for their impeccable craft and unique synthesis of chamber music sensibilities with popular vernacular, and Brooklyn Rider, a vital and adventurous string quartet praised for their innovative repertoire as well as their immense technical virtuosity. Drawing inspiration from Alan Lightman's best-selling novel, Einstein's Dreams, A Blue Hat Washed Up On Shore is a seamless collection of instrumental works, song, narration and improvisational sequences which draws on the wide sound palette of the two groups. -- More info >>

Canyengue: the Soul of Tango

Canyengue brings together Latin Grammy-winning pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler, considered to be “the outstanding representative of the nuevo tango in his generation” (Stereo Review) and Maya Beiser, described by the The New Yorker as a “cello goddess” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “the queen of post-minimalist cello.” Ziegler was pianist for Astor Piazzolla for ten years and instrumental in creating the sound that elevated tango music from dance clubs to the concert hall. Beiser grew up on an Argentinean kibbutz in Israel and is a celebrated cellist known for taking the cello beyond its classical boundaries. In their collaboration they explore the nature of “canyengue” – provocative, raw, earthy and sensual – the true soul of Buenos Aires tango. -- More info >>

Checkpoint KBK: with David Krakauer, Iva Bittová & Merima Ključo

Checkpoint brings together the unique talents of master musicians Iva Bittová, David Krakauer and Merima Ključo. Influences from the cultural heritage of each of these performers (Rom, Jewish and Bosnian) come into play with improvisation and original compositions to create a provocative statement about a shared central European identity. -- More info >>

Cure for Love: Music and Poetry of Machaut
Lionheart with special guest John Kelly

The elegant and fresh sounding poetry and music of Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377) continues to astonish and engage contemporary audiences. Integrating an unusual combination of musical colors, forms and sensual poetic narrative, Machaut heavily influenced younger contemporaries such as Chaucer, Boccaccio, and Petrarch. Machaut's bittersweet epic poem Remede de Fortune (the Remedy of Fortune) vividly sets to music the tale of a young man's first love and his passionate struggle to become worthy of his lady. As the centerpiece of Lionheart's concert, the dramatic presentation of this melancholic story evokes a spirit of serenity. -- More info >>

David Krakauer with Orchestra

Internationally acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer occupies the unique position of being one of the world’s leading exponents of Eastern European Jewish klezmer music, and at the same time is a major voice in classical music. Many of the world’s leading composers are taking the opportunity to incorporate Krakauer’s klezmer stylings into new compositions, engaging in cross-cultural dialogue from the contemporary perspective of a post-globalized world, while using one of culture’s oldest languages: music. Krakauer now offers a bold new repertoire that speaks to today’s world while remaining utterly timeless.

Paul Dresher Ensemble: Double Duo

A quartet of musicians from the Paul Dresher Ensemble will bring a program of works by Dresher that combine the Dresher/Davel invented instrument duo with the virtuoso violin and piano duo of Karen Bentley and Lisa Moore. The concert program will include two major works performed by Dresher and Davel - In The Nameless and Glimpsed From Afar - as well as classic duo, trio and quartet works by Dresher including Double Ikat, Elapsed Time and Chorale Times Two. -- More info >>

Paul Dresher

Paul Dresher is a composer who is internationally noted for his ability to integrate diverse musical influences into his own coherent and unique personal style. He pursues many forms of musical expression including experimental opera and music theater, chamber and orchestral composition, live instrumental electro-acoustic music performances, musical instrument invention, and scores for theater, dance, and film. -- More info >>

Maya Beiser: Elsewhere

Cellist Maya Beiser and Theater Director Robert Woodruff are collaborating on a new, evening-length multimedia work in two acts. Elsewhere is a bridge across the end of a world. It depicts the experience of two women who are caught up in a terrible catastrophe, which they do not understand, have no part of and are unable to prevent. Separated by time and distance, they call out to each other, sharing a sense of puzzlement about the brutality of their existence.

Donal Fox

DONAL FOX is internationally acclaimed as composer, pianist, and improviser in both jazz and classical music. His numerous awards include a Guggenheim fellowship in music composition, and a fellowship from the Bogliasco Foundation, and he is a three time nominee for the CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts. He served as the first African-American composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony and was a visiting artist at Harvard University, where he received a Certificate of Recognition from the President of Harvard College for his contribution to the arts. -- More info >>

Donal Fox with Orchestra

Donal Fox is internationally acclaimed as composer, pianist, and improviser in both jazz and classical music. His numerous awards include a Guggenheim fellowship in music composition and a fellowship from the Bogliasco Foundation. He served as the first African-American composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony and was a visiting artist at Harvard University, where he received a Certificate of Recognition from the President of Harvard College for his contribution to the arts. Mr. Fox just completed two years as Martin Luther King artist in residence at M.I.T.

John the Revelator

Commissioned by WNYC, Public Radio, John The Revelator is a recent work by downtown music virtuoso Phil Kline. Based on concepts from the Bible's apocalyptic Book of Revelation and named after a song by blues legend Blind Willie Johnson, this work is a mass for the 21st century, written specifically for the early music vocal sextet Lionheart and string quartet. The world premiere concert, with ETHEL, took place in November 2006 at the World Financial Center’s Winter Garden and followed with a broadcast on WNYC Radio. Lionheart can perform John the Revelator with ETHEL or a resident string quartet. March 2009 saw the release of the CD of this work on the Cantaloupe label for which it has garnered rave reviews from the press. -- More info >>

David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness!

As one of the foremost musicians of the vital new wave of klezmer, David Krakauer tours the globe with his celebrated Klezmer Madness! ensemble. While firmly rooted in traditional klezmer folk tunes, the band “hurls the tradition of klezmer music into the rock era” (Jon Pareles, The New York Times). With Klezmer Madness!, Krakauer has forged alliances among his genre of world music and jazz, rock, funk and hip-hop. It simultaneously shouts out to those who remember “yesterday’s” klezmer and to the hard dance clubbers and world music enthusiasts of today. -- More info >>

Phil Kline

Phil Kline has emerged as one of the 21st Century’s most intriguing song composers. Mining texts found in speeches, interviews and graffiti for the unique poetry of the American vernacular, Kline’s quasi-theatrical songs are by turns intense, dark, dizzying, confrontational and funny, but always with an ear for musical beauty. He places his voices in the multi-level sound world of an electro-acoustic chamber ensemble, mixing classical and rock instruments with electronics played by an elite group of New York’s new music specialists. -- More info >>

David Krakauer

Internationally acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer occupies the unique position of being one of the world’s leading exponents of Eastern European Jewish klezmer music, and at the same time is a major voice in classical music. Known for his mastery of myriad styles Krakauer lies way beyond “cross-over”. His best-selling classical and klezmer recordings further define his brilliant tone, virtuosity and imagination. -- More info >>

David Krakauer with Kronos Quartet

For the 2011-12 Season, David Krakauer is available as special guest at Kronos Quartet concerts. Repertoire includes the world premiere touring season of a new quintet by Aleksandra Vrebalov. -- More info >>

Lionheart

Lionheart is one of America’s leading ensembles in vocal chamber music. Acclaimed for its "smoothly blended and impeccably balanced sound" (Allan Kozinn, The New York Times), Lionheart (Jeffrey Johnson, Lawrence Lipnik, John Olund, Richard Porterfield, Kurt-Owen Richards, and Michael Wenger) is best known for its interpretation of medieval and Renaissance a cappella music, with Gregorian chant as the keystone of its repertoire. The ensemble also collaborates with instrumental ensembles, dance companies, and contemporary composers. -- More info >>

Just Ancient Loops: Maya Beiser & Michael Harrison

Just Ancient Loops brings together virtuoso cellist Maya Beiser and the extraordinary composer and pianist Michael Harrison. The program takes its name from the center piece of this concert: Just Ancient Loops, a 25 minute musical odyssey composed for Beiser by Harrison that unveils every aspect of the cello - from its most glorious and mysterious harmonics to the earthy rhythmic pizzicatos. Complementing Harrison’s compositions is music by two composers he reveres: Arvo Part and J.S. Bach.

Pablo Ziegler Quartet with Sandra Luna

A consummate ensemble featuring piano, bandoneon, cello and double bass, the Ziegler Classical Tango Quartet breathes with nuance and refinement, at once subtle and utterly expressive. Raised in the stockyard and slaughterhouse district of Mataderos in Buenos Aires, Sandra Luna brings a passionate, sometimes pained, voice to both classic and new tango songs. Like all serious contemporary tango artists, Sandra balances the weight of the tango past with the need to redefine and renovate. In this dynamic new program, Luna joins the Pablo Ziegler Ensemble, playing acoustic chamber arrangements of their captivating repertoire. -- More info >>

Carla Kihlstedt's Necessary Monsters

Every culture that has ever existed has created elaborate menageries of imaginary creatures, all with one important role: to tell us about ourselves. Based on Jorge Luis Borges' Book of Imaginary Beings, a collection of his favorite imagined creatures from around the world and throughout history, Necessary Monsters is a set of nine songs composed and directed by violinist/vocalist Carla Kihlstedt in collaboration with librettist Rafael Osés and co-director Rinde Eckert. In this new song-cycle, the audience follows the delirious journey of a writer cajoled by creatures of her own imagining as she tries in vain to corral and contain them in an orderly field guide. -- More info >>

On In Love: Craig Wedren & ACME
Composed by Jefferson Friedman

On In Love melds the energy and immediacy of post-punk rock with the complexity and refinement of classical chamber music. Composed by Jefferson Friedman with lyrics and vocals by Craig Wedren of avant-rock band Shudder To Think, and featuring ACME, known for their work with the Wordless Music Series and indie music icons such as Grizzly Bear, the song cycle represents a contemporary redefinition of archetypal songs through a unique collaboration. Friedman’s original blend of “classical music training with rock sensibilities […] is both sophisticated and appealing” (Allan Kozinn, New York Times). -- More info >>

Phil Kline's Out Cold
with Theo Bleckmann & ACME

Out Cold will be an evening length song cycle for vocalist Theo Bleckmann and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME.) There are two historical models in mind. One is Schubert, the other is Sinatra. The singer, rejected in love, journeys into a frozen landscape, full of painful memories, visions and strange forebodings. He finds neither oblivion nor redemption, but an ambiguous nether world in which one can only remember, forget and survive. Out Cold will present the state of being lost or without bearings as a spiritual path, tracing the journey of those who go beyond signposts, without social approval and, indeed, those scorned by society and bereft of love.

Psalm Book: Lionheart with ACME
Composed by Ingram Marshall

For over thirty years, Ingram Marshall has been heralded for his prolific compositions ranging from Indonesian Gamelan-inspired melodies to his use of live recording tape collages that incorporate extended vocal techniques. Marshall is now composing a new work for Lionheart and ACME string quartet based on early American psalmody. The piece will include a re-working of the 23rd Psalm from the Bay Psalm Book of 1692, the earliest printed music in North America, whose austere but curiously poignant melodies will supply the source materials for this new work. -- More info >>

Schick Machine

Paul Dresher has created an evening-length solo music theater work for percussionist Steven Schick using large-scale invented musical instruments. The work was first presented at Stanford Lively Arts and the premiere of its fully realized production took place at the Mondavi Center in November 2009. Virtuoso percussionist Steven Schick has long been bringing considerable theatrical skills into his performances, and here performs on a stage whose every object and surface is sonically active. The instruments combine both traditional percussion and new large-scale instruments that have been invented and built specifically for this composition. -- More info >>

Pablo Ziegler's Tango Meets Jazz

In association with Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta, Bernstein Artists proudly offers "Tango Meets Jazz", a program that has been presented annually at the Jazz Standard in New York, and features the Pablo Ziegler Quartet - Pablo Ziegler - piano, Claudio Ragazzi - guitar, Héctor del Curto - bandoneon, Pedro Giraudo - bass - with special guest artists including flutist Nestor Torres, saxophonist David Sánchez, and vibraphonist Stefon Harris. Pablo Ziegler is truly a master of this unique musical form. "To the devotee of Nuevo Tango, a performance by Pablo Ziegler is a deep experience, a trip to the heart of this music...He is a sort of musical brujo, a conjurer who can make all within earshot a believer in his message." (NYJazzReport.com) -- More info >>

Pablo Ziegler's Tango Orchestra Project

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Latin Grammy-winning pianist, composer and arranger Pablo Ziegler artfully blends classic tango with elements of jazz, adding a new voice to the rich tango lexicon. After collaborating with tango grand-maestro Astor Piazzolla as the pianist in Piazzolla’s quintet for over a decade, Ziegler has led his own groups for over 20 years, refining and reimagining the bounds of the New Tango tradition.

Ziegler has crafted majestic arrangements of the music of Piazzolla and J.C.Cobian, along with his own works, for large orchestra and chamber orchestra. At the Charleston Symphony Orchestra the program was received with popular acclaim as the most successful of their season.

Ziegler Classical Tango Quartet

A consummate ensemble featuring piano, bandoneon, cello and double bass, the Ziegler Classical Tango Quartet breathes with nuance and refinement, at once subtle and utterly expressive. Latin Grammy-winner Pablo Ziegler, the pre-eminent living member of Astor Piazzolla’s groundbreaking ensemble, leads the group in exquisite arrangements of his own compositions as well as the music of tango legends like J.C. Cobian and Piazzolla.

Pablo Ziegler Trio for Nuevo Tango

GRAMMY award winning pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler infuses his performances and arrangements with a deep knowledge of tango, having served as the pianist for Astor Piazzolla's ensemble for over 10 years. In 1990, Pablo Ziegler formed his own Ensemble for New Tango, which blended classic tango rhythms with jazz improvisations, bringing a new voice to the tango lexicon. Ziegler imprints his own unique stamp on the work, using the piano percussively, coaxing atmospheric jazz harmonies out of the music, and drawing upon the rhythms of early 20th century classical music. As the Chicago Tribune notes, "There's no question that Ziegler takes the tango to levels of sophistication and refinement probably undreamed of by Piazzolla."

Tesla: Phil Kline & Jim Jarmusch

Composer-Writer Phil Kline and Writer-Director Jim Jarmusch are collaborating on the creation of an evening length music theater piece, Tesla. Tesla will be a "more or less" true series of fantasies based on the incredible life of Nikola Tesla, and focusing on the years he lived in downtown Manhattan. One of the most remarkable and enigmatic men of the twentieth century, Tesla invented the modern method of electrical distribution that powered the second industrial revolution, and was acknowledged to be the true inventor of radio. And yet, despite all that, he died impoverished and alone in his room at the Hotel New Yorker. This project is currently being developed and will be available for touring in 2013.

Two Men Talking

Johannesburg 1974: A teacher asks two rival schoolboys to tell each other a story. Decades later, they meet by chance in New York as Oscar®-nominated filmmaker and psychiatrist and set out to transform the world through their real life storytelling.

Two Men Talking is a live unscripted performance in which two men weave their life stories into a production that captivates audiences. Their story takes place between South Africa and New York City touching on issues of personal identity, HIV/AIDS, being Jewish in South Africa, and the creation of a lifetime friendship. -- More info >>

Maya Beiser: World To Come

Evocative, theatrical and spiritual, World To Come is Maya Beiser's multimedia solo concert, featuring premieres by Steve Reich, Osvaldo Golijov and David Lang. This evening challenges the notion of a solo cello concert and encompasses text, vocals, dramatic lighting and interactive videos. World To Come had its world premiere at the Krannert Center on October 18th, 2003, and its New York premiere as part of the inaugural season of Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on October 30th, 2003, followed by a major national and international tour. -- More info >>

Pablo Ziegler

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Latin GRAMMY winning pianist Pablo Ziegler artfully blends classic tango rhythms with jazz improvisations, adding a new voice to the tango lexicon. Howard Reich of The Chicago Times writes, “There’s no question that Ziegler takes the tango to levels of sophistication and refinement probably undreamed of by Piazzolla”, and Eric Salzman of Stereo Review, writing of Ziegler’s CD, Tango Romance, affirmed that the CD “solidifies his (Ziegler’s) claim to be the outstanding representative of the nuevo tango in his generation.” -- More info >>

Zippo Songs: Poems From The Front
with Theo Bleckmann

Phil Kline's Zippo Songs sets texts that American GIs engraved on their Zippo lighters in Vietnam. The songs follow like a harrowing series of haiku, expressing the gamut of emotions young men feel under the threat of imminent oblivion. Alex Ross of The New Yorker calls it “One of the most brutally frank song cycles ever penned.” Recent seasons have included performances at the Detroit Institute of Art, the Kimmel Center, Connecticut College and the Flynn Theatre. -- More info >>

Krakauer Plays Zorn: with the Madness! Orchestra

David Krakauer has been closely associated with John Zorn's Radical Jewish Culture movement since its beginning in the early 1990s. He initially came to John's attention through his pioneering work with the Klezmatics in the late 80s at the old Knitting Factory in New York City. In 1992 he was invited to be part of the premiere of Zorn's epic composition "Kristallnacht" at "Art Projekt '92" in Munich. This event plus the subsequent release of a commercial recording of the piece launched the concept of "Radical Jewish Culture". Soon after Krakauer was given the singular honor of releasing the first record in the Radical Jewish Culture series on Zorn's then budding Tzadik label; this being the first record under Krakauer's own name : "Klezmer Madness!". -- More info >>

Chamber Music Reimagined

World Music

Jazz

Contemporary Song Cycles

Early Music

New Programs for the
21st Century Orchestra

Special Projects

Music-Theatre / Opera

Composers