“National Sawdust, which opens this week in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, aims to be a trendsetting launchpad for new talent in contemporary music, its organizers said, with a focus on emerging artists, commissions and collaborative projects that cross-pollinate genres and styles,” writes Steve Dollar in Wednesday’s (9/30) Wall Street Journal. “ ‘The aesthetic we’re going for is artists at the forefront of their craft who are constantly experimenting,’ said Paola Prestini, a composer who also serves as the nonprofit enterprise’s creative and executive director.… The venue, a $16 million project, occupies a 13,000-square-foot … former sawdust factory built more than a century ago.… The interior, designed by Bureau V, looks to the chamber-music halls of the 18th century for inspiration. The concert hall holds up to 350 patrons, with a wraparound balcony, and doubles as a recording studio and rehearsal space.… Sawdust’s inaugural weekend features five performances with or devoted to Terry Riley, with artists such as John Zorn, electronic duo Matmos, clarinetist and composer Evan Ziporyn and Mr. Riley’s son Gyan, among others.… Other high-profile events include installments of the New York Philharmonic’s ‘Contact!’ series.… The venue will spotlight its own resident artists and ensembles, and promote discoveries championed by its roster of artist-curators.”
Posted October 6, 2015
