Cutting Edge Concerts 25th anniversary season continues with “Japan Songs” on Sunday, June 12 at Tenri Cultural Institute
Program features chamber music with shakuhachi, including a world premiere by Victoria Bond
Presented by Kyo-Shin-An Arts in collaboration with Arts at Tenri
The world premiere of Victoria Bond’s new work Winds of ACDEGA is front and center in a program dedicated to chamber music with shakuhachi (a type of Japanese flute). Scored for shakuhachi, violin, and cello, Bond's work is inspired by the varying, diverse, and random sounds of wind chimes. "As I stood very close to the chimes, I was captivated by the unusual sounds caused by the wind’s movement," said the composer. "The randomness of which pitch sounds when, and the overtones produced, are endlessly fascinating.” The work is presented by Cutting Edge Concerts in collaboration with Kyo-Shin-An Arts and Arts at Tenri in a program called “Japan Songs” on Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 4 pm at the Tenri Cultural Institute in New York City.
Another highlight on June 12's concert is Bond’s Autumn Mountains for soprano, shakuhachi, violin, cello, piano. This setting of an evocative poem by Princess Nukata from an 8th century collection of classical Japanese poetry brought to Bond's mind the atmosphere of fall colors and fog. Commissioned by Kyo-Shin-An Arts the work is part of an eclectic collection of songs by Paul Moravec, James Matheson, Aleksandra Vrebalov, Jay Reise, and Douglas J. Cuomo, all based on ancient Japanese poetry. Minoru Miki’s Autumn Fantasy for shakuhachi and piano completes the program.
Shakuhachi Grand Master James Nyoraku Schlefer is joined by soprano Deborah Lifton; violinist Sami Merdinian; cellist Laura Metcalf; and pianist Kathleen Supové. Tickets are $20, available online at MUSAE.me and at the door. Tenri Cultural Institute is at 43A W 13th St. In New York City. Proof of full vaccination will be required, and ticket holders must wear masks at the performance.
Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival concludes the 2022 season on October 22 with a program of vocal music, including Victoria Bond's song cycle From an Antique Land, presented in collaboration with All Keyed Up. cuttingedgeconcerts.org
CALENDAR LISTING
Kyo-Shin-An Arts in collaboration with Arts at Tenri presents
Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival
Victoria Bond, founder and artistic director
Japan Songs
Deborah Lifton, soprano; James Nyoraku Schefer, shakuhachi; Sami Merdinian, violin; Laura Metcalf, cello; Kathleen Supové, piano
June 12, 2022 at 4:00 pm
Tenri Cultural Institute
43A West 13th St.
New York, NY 10011
Tickets and details
PROGRAM
JAPAN SONGS – PART 1 (2020)
Autumn Mountains by Victoria Bond
Eight Thousand Spears by Paul Moravec
Not a Trace by James Matheson
The Winds of ACDEGA (2022) by Victoria Bond – World Premiere
Trio for shakuhachi, violin, cello
Autumn Fantasy (1980) by Minoru Miki
Duo for shakuhachi and piano
JAPAN SONGS – PART 2 (2020)
KEI’UN SONG praying for love by Aleksandra Vrebalov
In the blink of an eye… by Jay Reise
Tree of Pearls by Douglas J. Cuomo
All ticket holders must be fully vaccinated and wear masks at the performance. Proof of vaccination will be required. Unvaccinated audience will not be admitted. Tickets will be refunded in the event of illness or quarantine due to Covid-19.
Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival
Inspired by Pierre Boulez's series, "Perspective Encounters", the composer and conductor Victoria Bond founded Cutting Edge Concerts in 1998. With 25 years of concerts, Cutting Edge Concerts has presented over 300 new works by more than 200 composers. Each program highlights the music of living composers, all of whom attend the concert. Along with performances by world-class ensembles and soloists, each program features on-stage discussions between host Victoria Bond and the composers.
Victoria Bond, artistic director
A major force in 21st century music, composer Victoria Bond is known for her melodic gift and dramatic flair. Her works for orchestra, chamber ensemble and opera have been lauded by The New York Times as "powerful, stylistically varied and technically demanding." Her compositions have been performed by the New York City Opera, Shanghai, Dallas and Houston Symphonies, members of the Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater and the Cassatt and Audubon Quartets. Ms. Bond is also an acclaimed conductor, and is the principal guest conductor of Chamber Opera Chicago, and has held conducting positions with Pittsburgh Symphony, New York City Opera, Roanoke Symphony, and Bel Canto and Harrisburg Operas.
Kyo-Shin-An Arts and Arts at Tenri
Kyo-Shin-An Arts is a contemporary music organization with a mission to commission music and present concerts that bring Japanese instruments – specifically koto, shakuhachi and shamisen – to Western classical music. The excellent acoustics and intimate gallery setting of the Tenri Cultural Institute create a superb setting for chamber music concerts that offer audiences the rare opportunity to experience contemporary, classic and traditional music from two cultures.
Kyo-Shin-An Arts is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; Cheswatyr Foundation; Arts at TCI, and our generous individual donors.
Arts at Tenri Cultural Institute is made possible in part with public funds from Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and administered by LMCC.