Washington Square Contemporary Music Society

2019-20 Season
Louis Karchin, Artistic Director
Friedrich Kern, Executive Director

Concert I *POSTPONED*
Friday, March 27, 2020
Tenri Cultural Institute
43a West 13th St.
8:00 PM

The Washington Square Ensemble

Sammy Lesnick, clarinet
Zachary Herchen, saxophones
Miranda Cuckson, violin
Pauline Kim Harris, violin
Dan Lippell, guitar
Steven Beck, piano
John Ferrari, percussion
Alice Teyssier, soprano

Gordon Beeferman Alerta! (Antifascista) (2020) World Premiere, written for the Washington Square Contemporary Music Society
Chaya Czernowin Sahaf (2008)
Richard Festinger Spring Ice (2010) New York Premiere
Elizabeth Hoffman Chacun/e (2014)
morsels (2018)
Wang Lu Ryan and Dan (2017)

Reception following concert

Admission $15/8 (free w/NYU ID)

Concert 2 preview *POSTPONED*
Thursday, April 23, 2020
NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
19 Washington Square North
6:00 PM
Composers Shih Hui Chen, Louis Karchin and Matthew Quayle discuss their respective works and creative processes, with excerpts of their upcoming quartets presented by the Avalon String Quartet
Sponsored by the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute and 19 Washington Square North, NYU Abu Dhabi’s home in New York.

Concert 2 *POSTPONED*
Friday, April 24, 2020
Tenri Cultural Institute
43a West 13th St.
8:00 PM

The Avalon String Quartet:
Blaise Magniere and Marie Wang, violins
Anthony Devroye, viola
Cheng-Hou Lee, cello

Shih Hui Chen Fantasia on a Theme of Plum Blossom (2007) New York Premiere
Louis Karchin String Quartet #3 New York Premiere (2015)
Matthew Quayle String Quartet #3 New York Premiere (2016)
Co-sponsored by the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute

Admission $15/8 (free w/NYU ID)

Reception following concert

2018-2019 Season

Concert I

Friday, Oct. 26 8:00 PM
Tenri Cultural Institute
43a West 13^th St. (between 5^th and 6^th Ave.)
New York, NY

Fabio Grasso, …as doth eternity…(2018) world premiere
Louis Karchin, Barcarole Variations (2015) NY premiere
David Liptak, Impromptus (2016) NY premiere
Letizia Michielon, Sternbild—Dialectic Image (2018) world premiere
Adam Mirza, Triangles (2018) world premiere of the revised version
Paul Salerni, Autumn in Parco Querini, (2009) NY premiere
Theodore Wiprud, Mudang (2014) NY premiere

The Washington Square Ensemble
Alice Teyssier, flute
Benjamin Fingland, clarinet
Susan Jolles, harp
Gamin Kang, piri
Margaret Kampmeier, piano
Blair McMillen, piano
Renée Jolles, violin
Sunghae Anna Lim, violin
Christopher Gross, cello

2017-2018 Season
Concert I

Heritage/Evolution Marathon
Celebrating the Saxophone

March 22, 2018, 7 PM
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Symphony Space 
Prism Saxophone Quartet
Timothy McAllister, soprano
Zachary Shemon, alto
Matthew Levy, tenor
Taimur Sullivan, baritone

featuring
Dave Liebman, tenor/soprano
Rudresh Mahanthappa, alto
Tim Ries, tenor
Miguel Zenón, alto

Tim Ries: Name Day
Miguel Zenón: X Marks the Square
Miguel Zenón: The Missing Piece
Dave Liebman: Trajectory
John Coltrane / Arr. Liebman: Dear Lord
Rudresh Mahanthappa: I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR MY TONE TONIGHT
Steve Lehman: 15 Places at the Same Time
Matthew Levy: Forbidden Drive
J. Martin Daughty and Joel Rust: Refluent, Conspiring (World Premiere)
Chris Potter: Improvisations

Concert II

An Evening of Premieres

Friday, April 27, 2018, 8 PM
Tenri Cultural Institute

The Washington Square Ensemble
Alice Teyssier, flute and voice
Thomas Meglioranza, baritone
Lois Martin, viola
Christopher Gross, cello
Michael Truesdell, percussion
Friedrich Kern, glass harmonica
Ashley Jackson, harp
Dan Lippel, guitar
Thomas Sauer, piano
Matthew Bengtson, piano

Charles Wuorinen: Xenolith, world premiere
Brian Fennelly: Sacred Songs, Book 2, world premiere
Friedrich Kern: either/or, US premiere
Anna Thorvaldsdottir: Rain, NY premiere of the version for 2 performers and electronics
Jan Krzywicki: Alchemy, NY premiere
Louis Karchin: Quest, US premiere
 
Visit www.WSCMS.org

Fabio Grasso and Letizia Michielon, composers/pianists
Lecture-Recital on their recent music
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 Rm. 220 Silver Center 10:30 AM

Born in Venice, Letizia Michielon studied piano under the direction of E. Bagnoli, and graduated at 16 at the Conservatory “B. Marcello” (Venice) with full marks. A Steinway Artist, she was the winner of various national and international competitions and was the recipient of scholarships in Bayreuth and Venice. She performed recitals in Europe, Canada and the USA, playing with major orchestras and taking part in many international Festivals of Contemporary Music. Professor of Piano at the Conservatory of Venice, her recordings and interviews were broadcast by RAI Italian Radio-television, Radio Svizzera Italiana, Radio Television Capodistria, Radio S. Lake City, and NHK Tokyo. She is recording the complete piano works of Beethoven and Chopin for Limen Music.
She graduated in composition under the direction of R. Vaglini at Venice Conservatory. Her compositions, edited by ArsPublica, have been performed at contemporary festivals including Biennale Musica Venice, Ex Novo Musica, Festival Perpignan, BKA Berlin, Festival Compositori a Confronto, Trieste Prima, Festival Cinque Giornate Milan, and the Festival of Limoux. In December 2011 she made her debut as composer in New York, where the Washington Square Ensemble premiered her chamber work Spira Mirabilis.
After having obtained a degree in Philosophy at Venice Ca’ Foscari University, she received a Ph. D. degree in Philosophy at Padova University.  www.letiziamichielon.it

Fabio Grasso, Italian concert pianist, composer, Ph. D. in ancient Greek Literature, studied in Turin, Milan, Florence and Berlin. He was the winner of the Orléans Piano Competition (on modern and contemporary repertoire), finalist of the Busoni Piano Competition, and first prize winner of the Ginastera (Buenos Aires) and Journées de la jeune musique (Marseille) Composition Competitions. His piano activity included performances of complete series of works by Beethoven and Schumann, recordings, and masterclasses and recitals in various countries (particularly France). Some of his compositions have been performed in Venice (La Fenice), Paris (Salle Gaveau), Berlin (Philharmonie), Vienna, Warsaw, New York, Montreal and other European and American sites. His catalogue focuses on piano pieces, but it also contains chamber, symphonic and theatrical works. Since 2005 he has been Professor of Music at Venice Conservatory. www.fabiograsso.eu

Baritone Jeremy Huw Williams
Undergraduate/Graduate Residency
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018 Lecture/Demonstration on Writing for the Voice  Rm. 365 Silver Center, 10:30 AM
Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 Lecture/Demonstration on Performing Opera  Rm. 320 Silver Center, 3:30 PM

The Welsh baritone Jeremy Huw Williams made his debut with Welsh National Opera as Guglielmo (Così fan tutte) and has since appeared in sixty operatic roles.  He has given performances at major venues in North and South America, Australia, Hong Kong, and most European countries.

In France he has sung the roles of Olivier (Capriccio), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), George (Of Mice and Men), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Shchelkalov (Boris Godunov), Baritone (Hydrogen Jukebox) and title role Till Eulenspiegel by Karetnikov for L'Opéra de Nantes, and Sebastian (The Tempest) for L’Opera du Rhin.  In Italy he has sung the role of Nixon (Nixon in China) at the opera house in Verona and Ferryman (Curlew River) at the opera houses of Pisa and Trento.  In Greece he has sung the role of Chou En-lai (Nixon in China) for Greek National Opera.  In Belgium he has sung the role of Marcello (La Boheme) for Zomeropera.  In Norway he has sung the role of Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) for Vest Norges Opera and Serezha (The Electrification of the Soviet Union) for Opera Vest.  In Austria he has sung the role of Dr Pangloss (Candide) in Vienna, a role that he repeated in Bremen, Munich and London.  In the USA he has sung the role of Lukash (The Good Soldier Schweik) for Long Beach Opera.

He has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, and at many major music festivals.  He has appeared with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Tippett’s King Priam at the Royal Festival Hall, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Lambert’s Summer’s Last Will and Testament at Symphony Hall, the Hallé in Handel’s Messiah at the Bridgewater Hall, the Philharmonia in Mozart’s Requiem at St David’s Hall, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Nielsen’s Third Symphony at the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms.

He is renowned as a fine exponent of contemporary music, having commissioned much new music and given premieres of works by Alun Hoddinott, William Mathias, John Tavener, Michael Berkeley, Paul Mealor, Julian Philips, Richard Causton, Mark Bowden, and Huw Watkins.