history
2010 Festival – Chelsea Art Museum & Gary Snyder/Project Space
On Friday, May 7, at the Chelsea Art Museum, WNYC’s John Schaefer hosted a night of premieres, as eighth blackbird performed the World Premiere of Look & Listen’s first commission, Five Memos by Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez and Missy Mazzoli’s Still Life with Avalanche; Jack Quartet presented the NY premiere of Caleb Burhans’ Contritus and the World Premiere of Hannah Lash’s Frayed; and the dynamic and engaging pianist Jade Simmons performed John Corigliano’s Etude Fantasy. Mr. Schaefer interviewed special guests Caleb Burhans, John Corigliano, Hannah Lash, Missy Mazzoli, and Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez throughout the evening. The concert was followed by a Champagne & Chocolate reception. Look & Listen thanks The Chocolate Room and Long’s Wines & Liquors for their generous donations to the benefit reception. Festival performers Jack Quartet were guests on WNYC’s Soundcheck on April 28 at 2 pm. Also, Friday’s concert was recorded for broadcast on Q2, New York’s home for New Music and presented on WNYC’s Soundcheck. Friday and Saturday’s concerts were reviewed in the New York Times on Tuesday, May 11 with two color photos!
On Saturday, May 8 at Gary Snyder Project Space, amidst the striking work of Beatrice Mandelman, Lara Pellegrinelli hosted a dazzling evening that included Festival favorites So Percussion performing Morton Feldman’s King of Denmark, John Cage’s but what about the sound of crumpling paper, and Jason Treuting’s an imaginary city; vocal ensemble Meridionalis presented an array of Hidalgo; and toy pianist Phyllis Chen performed Fabian Svennsson’s Toy Toccata, Andrian Pertout’s Obstruction, and the World Premiere of Karlheinz Essl’s Whatever Shall Be. Ambient music by So Percussion’s Jason Treuting filled the space, and Ms. Pellegrinelli interviewed the composers throughout the evening.
Back at Chelsea Art Museum on Sunday, May 9, WQXR’s Terrance McKnight hosted a special Mother’s Day event that included stunning percussionist Eduardo Leandro presenting Daniel Almada’s Linde and the US Premiere of a new work by Flo Menezes; the youthful Face The Music presenting Marcelo Zarvos’ Nepomuk’s Dances, and the winner of the 2010 Look & Listen Festival Composer’s Competition, Dan Visconti’s Love Bleeds Radiant; and pianist Tanya Bannister performed Suzanne Farrin’s this is the story she began, Olivier Messiaen’s Premiere Communion de la Vierge, and David Del Tredici’s Gymnopedie No. 3 (My Loss). Ambient music by Odeya Nini welcomed the audience, and Mr. McKnight interviewed the composers throughout the concert.2009 Festival – OK Harris & Gary Snyder/Project Space
The 2009 Look & Listen Festival took place amidst the contemplative paintings of Mark Aronson and the life-size, totemic sculptures of Robert Rohm at OK Harris on Friday, May 1, and the luminous paintings of Leon Berkowitz at Gary Snyder/Project Space on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3. The Festival hosts were John Schaefer, Lara Pellegrinelli, and Karissa Krenz, respectively, who interviewed Festival composers Paul Lansky, Martin Bresnick, Paul Leary, Todd Reynolds, Tania Leon, David Del Tredici, and David Lang, So Percussion member Jason Treuting, and the owner of Gary Snyder/Project Space, Gary Snyder. Performances were Arnold Dreyblatt’s Escalator, Paul Lanksy’s A is for…, and Louis Andriessen’s Workers Union, played by Bang on a Can, Aaron Copland’s Elegies and Bresnick’s Three Intermezzi, played by the Chamber Players of the League of Composers, Beginner’s Mind and The Solution, written and performed by Todd Reynolds, Meredith Monk’s Gotham Lullaby performed by Todd Reynolds and So Percussion, John Cage’s Third Construction and Child of Tree, played by So Percussion, Paul Leary’s I Have a Past Life Memory from the War that Blew the Fifth Planet into the Asteroid Belt played by AM/PM Quartet, Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint and J.S. Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, played by Svet Stoyanov, Tania Leon’s Momentum, Tumbao, and Ritual, all performed by Jade Simmons, David Del Tredici’s Scherzo and Carioca Boy, played by Marc Peloquin and David Del Tredici, and David Lang’s Orpheus Over and Under played by Split Second.
League of Composers/ISCM (l) & Bang on a Can (r) at the 2009 Festival at OK Harris
Svet Stoyanov (l) and Split Second (r) at ’09 Festival at Gary Snyder/Project Space
2008 Festival – Robert Miller Gallery & OK Harris
The 2008 Look & Listen Festival took place amidst the striking paintings of Joseph La Piana at Robert Miller Gallery on May 1st and 2nd and the fascinating sculptures of Marilynn Gelfman at OK Harris on May 3rd. The Festival hosts included John Schaefer, Sara Fishko, and Molly Sheridan, who interviewed the Festival composers, including Mario Davidovsky and Mark Stewart among others. Highlights included Mr. Stewart’s delighting audiences with his invented instruments and endless creativity; Ethel and Electric Kompany’s joining forces with Mr. Stewart for the Festival Finale – a rendition of Chuck Berry’s Maybelline, arranged by Mr. Stewart; So Percussion and Zeena Parkins’ teaming up to perform Jason Treuting’s work from his recent cd; and the exciting 2 Foot Yard, Daedalus and Biava String Quartets, Peter Kolkay, and counter)induction.
2007 Festival – Robert Miller Gallery & Betty Cuningham Gallery
The 2007 Look & Listen Festival took place amidst the provocative paintings by Michael Kalmbach at the Robert Miller Gallery and in front of Abby Leigh’s playful paintings at the Betty Cuningham Gallery. The wide array of performers included ICE, Eclipse Quartet, John Zorn’s Sappho Ensemble, Brian Sacawa, L&L Prize-winning composer Izzi Ramkissoon and his quintet, the Daedalus Quartet, Aaron Smith, Flux Quartet, QQQ, Ethel, and So Percussion, performing works by Philip Glass, Carla Khilstedt, Fred Frith, John Zorn, Alexandra Gardner, David Horne, Ramkissoon, Annie Gosfield, Don Byron, Paul Lansky, and others. Ambient pieces by the Look & Listen Composers Collective welcomed the audience each night, and dnamic panel discussions with Festival composers and painter Abby Leigh were hosted by Steven Mackey, Sara Fishko, and Frank Oteri.
Annie Gosfield applauds the Flux Quartet (l) at Betty Cuningham Gallery
’07 L&L competition winner Izzi Ramkissoon at Robert Miller Gallery
Biava String Quartet at Robert Miller Gallery at ’07 Festival
Paul Lansky on a panel with artist Abbey Leigh and host Frank Oteri at Betty Cuningham Gallery in 2007
qqq at Betty Cuningham Gallery at ’07 Festival
So Percussion at Betty Cuningham Gallery at ’07 Festival
Steven Mackey interviews Newsweek art critic Peter Plagens at Robert Miller Gallery at ’07 Festival
2006 Festival – Robert Miller Gallery, Betty Cuningham Gallery, & Pace/Wildenstein Gallery
2006 Look & Listen Festival featured a different gallery each night! The variegated surroundings enhanced a star-studded performer lineup that included Lisa Bielawa, the Borromeo String Quartet, eighth blackbird, So Percussion, Patricia Spencer and Linda Hall, Ethel, Daedalus String Quartet, Biava string quartet, Grace Cloutier, Carla Kihlstedt, Percussion Discussion, L&L Prize winning composer Erin Gee, Harris Wulfson, Jeremy Eig, Conor Nelson, and Sadie Rosales.
Lively panels hosted by John Schaefer and Bruce Hodges featured Keynote speakers David Lang and Suzanne Bocanegra as well as composers Lisa Bielawa, Carla Kihlstedt, Erin Gee, Carlos Sanchez Gutierrez, and for the first time, the panel discussions included the visual artists whose works were up in the gallery during the Festival: Bill Henson (photography) and Judy Glantzman (paintings).
Works by Bielawa, Anthony Davis, Osvaldo Golijov, Ravel, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Bartok, Gee, John King, Julia Wolfe, Wulfson, Marcelo Zarvos, Boulez, Thierry DeMay, David Lang, Sanchez-Gutierrez, David Little, and ambient pieces by Joshua Hilson, Juliana Trivers, and Ryan Dorin provide the Festival with a wonderfully terrific aural accent to the stunning visuals of Henson (Robert Miller), Glantzman (Betty Cuningham), and Alex Katz (Pace).
2005 Festival – Robert Miller Gallery
The 2005 Festival at Robert Miller Gallery featured panel interviews with composers Christopher Ariza, Derek Bermel, Aaron Jay Kernis, Joan Jeanrenaud, David Lang, and Meredith Monk, visual artists Laruie Fendrich, Judy Glantzman, John Torreano, and William Wegman, and were moderated by Steven Mackey, John Schaefer, and Bruce Hodges. Featured composers on the Festival included Monk, Jeanrenaud (original Kronos Quartet member), Perle, Nancarrow, Greenstein, Danciger, Ariza, Kernis, Bermel, Feldman, Lang, Reich, Higdon, Gordon, and Rzewski. Performers included Monk and her Ensemble, Jeanrenaud, Daedalus, Contrasts, Lark, eighth blackbird, So Percussion, NOW ensemble, Yamami, Koo, Sutter, and the Yale Percussion Trio, among others. The gallery featured an exhibit of the Canadian surrealist painter Jean-Paul Riopelle.
2004 Festival – Robert Miller Gallery
The 2004 Festival at Robert Miller Gallery featured panel interviews with composers Martin Bresnick, John Corigliano, Steve Reich, Joan Tower, and cellist Fred Sherry; painters Nancy Davidson and Philip Pearlstein; and painter and art critic Peter Plagens. The events were moderated by composer Steven Mackey and showcased performances of music by Bresnick, Corigliano, Reich, and Tower, as well as Debussy, Stravinsky, Ligeti, Crumb, Xenakis, Takemitsu, Davidovsky, Look & Listen Festival Prize winner Peter Gilbert. Large-scale works by the Australian photographer Bill Henson set a moody, comtemplative environment.
2003 Festival – Art In General
The 2003 Festival at Art In General welcomed special guest panelists George Crumb, Steven Mackey, Donald Lipski, and Fred Sherry. Highlights included the Look & Listen Festival Prize winning piece, Interaction, by Mei-Fang Lin and performed by Ryan Dorin, the Daedalus Quartet’s performance of George Crumb’s Black Angels, and improvisation by Fred Sherry and Steven Mackey. The unique installations — imaginative proposals for use of space at the gallery — made the atmosphere at Art In General particularly inventive.
2002 Festival – ACE Gallery
In 2001, while enjoying one of Joan Tower’s Second Helpings series concerts at the DIA Center, David Gordon was struck by the intimacy between audience and performers and the effect of extended viewing of the visual art in the space. Interested in providing audiences with more concerts in such settings, he approached fellow NYU composer and Ph.D. student Sean Carson with the idea. Carson was immediately committed to the project, and they set out to put together a Festival in 2003. David, Sean, and third original board member, Sarah Snider, contacted all the performers, composers, and galleries they knew, and everything fell into place when Ace Gallery owner Douglas Christmas told David, “If you guys are supporting new music, I’m willing to support new music.” Fortunately, everyone they spoke to, from graduate students to professors to performers to friends and family, loved the idea and volunteered ideas and time, making a Festival in the spring of 2002, a year earlier than planned, a reality.
Held in TriBeCa’s Ace Gallery, the 2002 Look & Listen Festival paired several contemporary music performances with Tim Hawkinson’s indescribably unique installation, Überorgan. Gage Averill, the chairman of the NYU music department, delivered the guest lecture and hosted a panel of both visual artists and musicians that sparked lively discussion about the creative process.