After a short hiatus, we are now back to our old antics; folks have been returning to our concerts year after year, out of sheer curiosity to know what on earth we will we program next...in July of 2009 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11th Moon Landing at the Tenri Cultural Center (NYC) in which we premiered three new chamber vocal ensemble pieces by Marga Richter, William George, Scott Gendel and Richard Scarcella Perino. February of 2010 found us with a composer showcase, "Unheard Of" in which we performed the songs, chamber music by New York composer of Ed Windels. We were also guests of an academic symposium at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights in March of 2010, where we performed settings by Charles Naginski, Tom Cipullo, David del Tredici and Jerome Kitzke.
Our next project in the works is a concert of song and vocal chamber ensemble settings by Walt Whitman and the Beats. Walt has long be acknowledged "the grandfather" of the Beats, and we all admired Thomas Hampson's album dedicated to the Good Grey Poet. We knew of the many Whitman settings for voice and piano, but after some poking around, we found composers that were inspired by the Beats as well. Among the new works we will premiere Steve Ebel's setting of Ferlinghetti's "Cadillac Rain" which will feature an electric guitar, a setting of Diane DiPrima "Pieces of a song" for the whole ensemble by Alexa Babakhanian, Anthony Ocana's setting of Ferlinghetti's "Dog", William George's "Vigil Strange I kept on the Field On Night" for voice, piano and violin and Ben Schumann's cycle for baritone, tenor and piano based on Whitman's Calamus poems. Some of the composers will grace our stage, including Alexa and Jerome Kitzke, who will be performing his setting of Ginsberg's "Green Automobile" for amplified speaker pianist...it will be at treat. We are still rounding out the rest of the concert, so stay tuned
Our next project in the works is a concert of song and vocal chamber ensemble settings by Walt Whitman and the Beats. Walt has long be acknowledged "the grandfather" of the Beats, and we all admired Thomas Hampson's album dedicated to the Good Grey Poet. We knew of the many Whitman settings for voice and piano, but after some poking around, we found composers that were inspired by the Beats as well. Among the new works we will premiere Steve Ebel's setting of Ferlinghetti's "Cadillac Rain" which will feature an electric guitar, a setting of Diane DiPrima "Pieces of a song" for the whole ensemble by Alexa Babakhanian, Anthony Ocana's setting of Ferlinghetti's "Dog", William George's "Vigil Strange I kept on the Field On Night" for voice, piano and violin and Ben Schumann's cycle for baritone, tenor and piano based on Whitman's Calamus poems. Some of the composers will grace our stage, including Alexa and Jerome Kitzke, who will be performing his setting of Ginsberg's "Green Automobile" for amplified speaker pianist...it will be at treat. We are still rounding out the rest of the concert, so stay tuned
