“The first New Music Gathering—the inaugural installment of what is expected to be an annual hybrid festival and conference—will be held at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Center for New Music Jan. 15 to 17,” writes Allan Kozinn in Wednesday’s (12/10) New York Times. “Its focus is largely on the new-music world’s younger composers and performers, and on the indie classical style in which elements of classical and pop styles mingle freely. The headlining performers include Claire Chase, the flutist and co-founder of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE); the pipa virtuoso Wu Man; the pianist Sarah Cahill; and the ubiquitous Kronos Quartet…. There will be … panels and roundtable discussions of both nuts-and-bolts issues like entrepreneurship and crowdfunding, publishing and new music technology, to more philosophical and esthetic topics, including theatricality, new opera, women in new music and music education. Musicians who take part can also schedule individual consultations with music business professionals. And there will be what the organizers call ‘composer-performer speed dating.’ The event, which is expected to be held in a different city every year, was founded by four young composers—Lainie Fefferman, Daniel Felsenfeld, Mary Kouyoumdjian and Matt Marks.”
Posted December 11, 2014
