One of the most anticipated New Music events of this season has started yesterday night (David Pearson’s review of the opening night should be up soon…).
SONiC, a production of the of American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and The Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, co-curated by composer Derek Bermel and pianist Stephen Gosling, is a festival that will feature, over the span of 9 days, music by more than 100 composers age 40 and under.
Sarah Lipstate – Photo by Louis Caldarola
Ensembles performing include ACO, eighth blackbird, ICE, Alarm Will Sound, JACK Quartet, NOW Ensemble, Talea Ensemble, the Imani Winds, PRISM Saxophone Quartet, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, Argento Ensemble, Ensemble Klang (Netherlands), Camerata Aberta (Brazil), Either/Or, and many more. Venues where SONiC concerts take place include Carnegie Hall, Miller Theatre, Symphony Space, 92YTribeca, Joe’s Pub, Roulette, Joyce SoHo, The Kitchen, Americas Society, The Stone, and the World Financial Center.
Imani Winds – Photo by Chris Carroll
Some unique features really ground this festival in the 21st Century. Indeed, SONiC:Interact offers three interactive tools to interact/discover/share beyond the concert hall. Thicket: SONiC is a FREE app for iPad and iPhone that allows users to create original, kaleidoscopic audio and art. The Thicket app is a mobile audiovisual world of texture, movement, line and tone that is part art piece and part toy.
UrbanRemix is a FREE app for both iPhone and Droid systems, that allows anyone to record found sounds in their environment and submit them for archiving on the UrbanRemix site, available via an interactive map. The found sounds can be manipulated and mixed online at UrbanRemix.com. Sounds submitted through UrbanRemix will be showcased by the electronic duo exclusive/or in their original compositions performed during Electronic SONiC at Roulette. In addition, UrbanRemix is the focus of several in-school workshops as part of ACO’s Music Factory education initiative.
Finally, through Re:Sound, audience members will have the opportunity to comment and vote online or via mobile phone for the piece they would most like to hear again. New York Public Radio’s Q2 will broadcast recordings of the pieces that receive the most votes during a special program dedicated to SONiC on October 19 and 26, 2011. For more information: www.wqxr.org/q2
SONiCpasses for the entire festival provide discounts of at least 20% on all ticket prices, reserved or preferred seating at the free events, and other free items and perks. SONiCpasses are $25 and are available at www.SONiCfestival.org or 212.977.8495.
Haven’t made your mind yet? Watch this and see you there!
Alright. If you really can’t make it, we’ll cover most of the festival on I care if you listen… Stay tuned.
