SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR THE 2009-2010 SEASON

THE AHN TRIO: The Insomniac Concert
The Insomniac Concert is based on The Ahn Trio’s new CD, Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac–which continues to climb the Billboard charts for Best Classical Crossover Album. The concert combines the artistry of The Ahn Trio with a brilliant guest vocalist and a DJ or Sound Design expert. The music reflects choices made for the album–My Funny Valentine, Solitary Singer, Heart Asks Pleasure First, Magic Hour are representative. Selections can be heard by clicking here.

THE AHN TRIO: Classical Music in The Digital Age
The Ahn Trio collaborates with visual artist Paul D. Miller (a.k.a.: DJ. Spooky), and composer Kenji Bunch to explore music and art in our Digital Culture. What are the borders between classical traditions and the digital music/art of today? Workshops, a master class, a lecture/demonstration all lead to a performance where the audience will hear Bunch’s Triple Concerto (The Hardware Concerto), which mixes influences from Bollywood film scores to the Funk of the 70's with an Ahn Trio using "hardware"– plugged-in instruments. In addition, DJ Spooky will digitally sample The Ahn Trio’s music as they perform, re-mix it on the spot and create a performance that is not only purely digital, but is accompanied by the visual art for which Paul D. Miller is internationally renowned. The Ahn Trio, Kenji Bunch, and Paul D. Miller engage the audience throughout the concert.

THE AHN TRIO: The Art of the Fugue and Joy in Repetition
The Ahn Trio collaborates with the composer and performer Daniel Bernard Roumain in a project that examines, re-mixes, and re-imagines the music of J.S. Bach and Prince. The performance will be based upon an original score composed by Roumain that will draw upon major compositions by Bach, including, the Goldberg Variations, the Chaconne for solo violin, The Art of the Fugue, and the Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. The Ahn Trio will perform as both chamber and solo artists. Prince’s song, The Joy of Repetition, first recorded for his 1990 album Graffiti Bridge, will be featured. This 90 minute performance will be fully realized in a theatrical design that will include video, installations, lighting, costumes, and other design elements.

PRISM QUARTET: A New World of Sound
This collaboration between two of the nation’s preeminent proponents of new music, PRISM Quartet and Music from China, spans remarkable distances of both space and time. The commissioned works for the collaboration "evolve a multifaceted and layered language capable of containing Occident and Orient, forging a musical hybrid enriched by both traditions." United by their passion for fresh soundscapes, PRISM and Music from China join forces that explore the profound contrasts of timbre and culture, from instruments played for a millennium or more (traditional Chinese instruments) to the saxophone, which bears a French patent from the Industrial Revolution. Special note: presenters in the Mid-Atlantic states are eligible for a fee subsidy by applying to Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (www.PennPAT.org).
 
LEON BATES: American Originals Program
Leon Bates, in a project that includes a recital, lecture/demonstration, and/or a performance with orchestra, explores the genius of our American Originals–composers like Barber, Copeland, Gershwin, and Bernstein. Demonstrating his tremendous versatility, Bates also includes the works of African-American composers like George Walker and Nathanial Dett, as well as his own remarkable transcriptions of the works of Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Chick Corea and Pat Metheney. It is an extraordinary musical journey, and Leon Bates is the perfect guide–born and raised in Philadelphia, Leon Bates is an American original in his own right.
 
THE NAI-NI CHEN DANCE COMPANY: Song of the Phoenix
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company’s project introduces dances inspired by the timeless ideas from the I-Ching (The Book of Changes). Also available for the 2009-2010 Season, will be highlight works like "The Way of Five–Fire" with music by Tan Dun and "Incense" with music by Joan La Barbara. The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has tremendous residency activities to go along with Song of the Phoenix: Tradition Meets Innovation, Forms in Motion, Dancing on the Silk River, or The Ten Elements of Chinese Dance.

THE KORESH DANCE COMPANY: Theater of Public Secrets
The Koresh Dance Company’s project centers on one of Ronan Koresh’s recent premiers, Theater of Public Secrets. To paraphrase one review, Koresh is known for a choreography of defiance, sensuality, and abandon–but in Theater of Public Secrets, Koresh and his dancers go deeper–technically superb–what a collision of moods! Also, a continuing and significant part of the Koresh Dance Company, is Ronan Koresh’s commitment to working with guest choreographers like Robert Battle and Donald Byrd. Koresh will continue this in the new season working with Israeli choreographers like Itzik Galili whose The Things I told Nobody resonates with Koresh’s Theatre of Public Secrets. Premiers of new guest choreographers from Israel may also be integrated into the full-length program.