Reunion
January 31, 2015 at 8:00 pm
The Drawing Room
56 Willoughby Street
(between Lawrence & Jay Streets)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Program
The Extinction Series (for Solo Piano) - Part 1
Chatham Bellbird, Mysterious Starling, Dusky Seaside Sparrow
Music by Whitney E. George
Piano - Ivy Adrian
The Extinction Series is a collection of small one to six-minute miniatures written for both vocal and instrumental soloists. Each movement is a musical obituary to an extinct animal on the ever-growing extinction list. The concept for this compositional constraint was developed in 2014, and is an indeterminate and likely never-ending work, as the list of extinct animals is already daunting, and it continues to add members yearly. The sheer volume of the series is a commentary on mankind's carelessly destructive tendencies and manifest destiny attitude towards other living creatures on this planet. With this thought in mind, the composer has chosen to embark on a piece that can never be completed without the necessary reversal of our outlook on the environment and our impact on it. In regard to the presentation of the work, the soloist is encouraged to choose multiple individual movements as applicable for a performance or recording. Works can be freely ordered at the performer's discretion. In this first year, there are 10 completed movements of the collection, which are written for solo 'cello, solo piano, and solo percussion. The composer is planning on continuing her work on the series every year, scheduling performances and recordings
of the works as they are completed.
Ecco
Music by Milica Paranosic
Flute - Alice H. Jones
Ecco is a solo flute piece I wrote when I was a student in Belgrade centuries ago. Margaret Lancaster gave it the New York premiere.
Looking forward to Alice’s performance tonight.
Mandala
Music by Ivy Adrian
Piano - Ivy Adrian
Mandala explores a way of translating image into music, here a geometric image forming a circle with
a focus in its center. From a tiny seed the image expands as the piece unfolds from a single note
into phrases that overlap to mirror intersection in the mandala.
Like Bluebirds in a Cocktail Glass
Music by Whitney E. George
Piano - Kyoko Oyobe, Alto Sax - Manuela Lechler,
Bass - Emilio Guarino, Percussion - Joe Tucker
Like Bluebirds in a Cocktail Glass, exploring the medium of jazz with a throughout composed piece for a small jazz combo. Recording the work at a professional studio marked my first time preserving a work outside of a live performance, and was an incredibly valuable learning experience for me. Almost ten years later, I attempted my second jazz composition, The Immaculate Parade, but this time set it up much more like a “chart”, which allowed for greater freedom during improvised sections. Pleased with the outcome of this composition, and it's greater flexibility, I decided to revisit Like Bluebirds in a Cocktail Glass, and revise it to allow for greater improvisation. Both works were used to underscore a surrealist-theatrical
production based on the life of composer Erik Satie titled Un Lieu De Vie, collaboration between The Curiosity Cabinet and Concrete Timbre in October of 2014 at Gallery MC, New York.
Asian Airs
Music by Kyoko Oyobe
Piano - Kyoko Oyobe
My roommate is from Thailand. When her aunt was living with us, she treated me like her daughter. Her "Golden Smile" made me feel better when I was homesick. When she tapped my shoulder, I felt like I was surrounded by soft, warm air from a Southern country.
I translated this warm, vivid feeling to music.
Phi
Music by Manuela Lechler
Piano - Kyoko Oyobe, Alto Sax - Manuela Lechler,
Bass - Emilio Guarino, Percussion - Joe Tucker
inspired by Phi, the Golden ratio:
a/b = (a+b)/a = 1.6180339887498948420…
Phi is not just a number or ratio that is expressed in digits.
It is also inherent to all living things and the reason why we find things pleasing and aesthetically beautiful.
It is found in all nature and extends into the world of Art and Philosophy.
Heat 2 Oasis
Music by Ann Warren
Piccolo - Alice H. Jones
We always have a tendency to see those things that do not exist
and to be blind to the great lessons that are right there before our eyes.
Walter Allen Visits Your Classroom
Text by Nancy Greening
Actor - David A. Green
Here is a winter tale, about snow and wind, a bottle that once held perfume, and an eight-year-old boy who went to school on the day of a historic blizzard in January 1888. It is the story of Walter Allen, based on a true story Nancy read in The Children’s Blizzard, written by David Laskin.
Today Walter is visiting your classroom to tell you what happened.
The Extinction Series (for Solo Piano) - Part 2
Imperial Woodpecker, Reunion Ibis, The Passenger Pigeon
Music by Whitney E. George
Piano - Ivy Adrian
Mariposa
Music by Manuela Lechler
Piano - Kyoko Oyobe, Alto Sax - Manuela Lechler,
Bass - Emilio Guarino, Percussion - Joe Tucker
Mariposa means butterfly in Spanish. As the Soul likes to fly, we are in search of love and freedom.
Our desire is to unburden ourselves from all conflict, war and violence. This collection of themes
is dedicated to two female spies in the name of freedom, Anna Strong and Noor Inayat Khan.
Blue Flower
Music by Manuela Lechler
Piano - Kyoko Oyobe, Alto Sax - Manuela Lechler,
Bass - Emilio Guarino, Percussion - Joe Tucker
A ballad. Here’s to love and the memory of our loved ones.
Sunrise at Stonehenge
Music by Ann Warren
Flute - Alice H. Jones
There are certain moments when we might wish the future
were built by men of the past.
Sterntaler
Music by Manuela Lechler
Piano - Kyoko Oyobe, Alto Sax - Manuela Lechler,
Bass - Emilio Guarino, Percussion - Joe Tucker
Sterntaler is the title of a fairy tale. It tells the story about a girl who receives a gift from the stars. Like with all fairy tales,
harmony is re-created in a troubled world with a happy ending.
Cheer up!!
Music by Kyoko Oyobe
Piano - Kyoko Oyobe, Alto Sax - Manuela Lechler,
Bass - Emilio Guarino, Percussion - Joe Tucker
It was 9 years ago, I was on the subway train. Suddenly, a young girl (she looked like she was 13 years old, and she had a big scar on her cheek) came into the train and started saying, "I have no home to stay in, I have no family, I have no food, I have no money. Please help me!" But no one reacted, everyone just ignored her. Then, she started shouting, " Please help me! Please!". People still ignored her and she started crying with tears. After I handed her some money, she left at the next station. I was in shock for a long time to see that such a young girl was begging and all the people's ignorance. I know that people in NY work very hard to survive. It's a tough city to live. But we should not forget what is most important in our life is Love.
I wrote this tune "Cheer Up!!" for her, people, and for myself.
