News!

Lots of exciting things are happening with TRANSIT as the season draws to a close. It’s been a wonderful year full of interesting adventures, and we are very excited about the way things are shaping up for next season!

The DoubleBill Series will be back in full force next year with concerts focusing on compelling things happening in the new music scenes of Australia and Denmark. As this series matures (five years going strong!), we are excited to build upon its structure to allow for deeper collaborations and cultural exchanges, while remaining true to its adventurous, globetrotting spirit.

We are also excited to continue our relationship with the Kent Gallery in Chelsea to provide a platform for innovative performers to present solo sets of experimental music in an intimate setting through the Spotlight Series. The series’ most recent concert featuring cellist Evelyn Farny and toy piano virtuoso Phyllis Chen was a smashing success, and we look forward to presenting more captivating programs featuring adventurous performers in the coming year.

Details about next year’s DoubleBill and Spotlight seasons coming soon!

In other news, TRANSIT was recently awarded a grant from the Cary New Music Fund (Meet the Composer/New Music USA).  We are so pleased to be a beneficiary of this very important program that provides vital support to new music organizations based in the five boroughs of NYC. These funds will help TRANSIT pursue its big goals by assisting with the many small, unglamorous tasks that are required to get the music written, produced, and performed! If you have a few dollars to spare, please consider chipping in to our general operating fund to amplify the positive effects of this grant.  You can donate online here.

Finally, TRANSIT is starting a new online initiative called ComposerViews. The idea behind this new feature came from the realization that while TRANSIT often has lots of opportunities to have interesting chats with composers when we work on their music together, listeners and audiences don’t generally have the same opportunities to hear composers discuss their ideas about music. ComposerViews provides a space for composers to sound off on music (and anything else that comes to mind via free-wheeling interviews) which are posted on the TRANSIT website. Check out our latest interview here with the totally captivating Angélica Negrón.

Happy Summer!

More Alaska Pics

We’d like to share some more pictures from our recent trip to Alaska. Enjoy!

Performing Angélica Negrón’s “What I’m Trying To Say Is…” with Eileen Mack deftly handling the mini megaphone

 

Matthew Welch’s “Ulrikke” with Native Alaskan dancers, led and choreographed by Stephen Blanchett.

After Daniel Wohl’s “Insext,” with another great dance collaboration.

Our green room was festive (see the smoked salmon, bottom left), both in food and in dress! It’s totally appropriate our performance of Matthew Welch’s piece followed a Scottish Highland pipes and drums band!

And sled dogs! Lots of them!

Yes!!

We had a fantastic time at the Native Alaskan Heritage Center! Big thanks to Steven Alvarez for organizing this amazing event! We’ll be posting pictures, but here are a couple to get started.

The amazing Shokoto

 

Dancers during Shokoto’s set

TRANSIT in Alaska!

This week, TRANSIT heads North–really North!–for an exciting performance at the Multicultural Drumming and Dance Celebration at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage.

This unique program pairs TRANSIT-commissioned pieces by emerging composers from around the world with native tribal dance. We are thrilled to be collaborating with Alaskan Native Dancers, who will perform along with us. We’ll be posting updates about this partnership, along with pictures of beautiful Anchorage.

If you happen to be in the Anchorage area–maybe before you strike out on the Iditarod–please come join us for what promises to be a thought-provoking amalgamation of the ancient and the cutting-edge.

CONCERT DETAILS:

Saturday, March 3

Alaskan Native Heritage Center
8800 Heritage Center Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
ph. (907) 330-8000

11 AM – 7:00 PM (TRANSIT performs at 2:45PM)

Admission FREE presented by Target

TRANSIT will perform previously commissioned works by:

Jason Cady (Three Quintets)
Fung Lam (Remembering Dowland)
Angélica Negrón (What I’m Trying to Say is…)
Daniel Wohl (Insext)
Matthew Welch (Ulrikke)*

 
*Considering this festival is focused on “drumming and dancing and the drum and its central role in indigenous cultures,” it is going to be awesome to see how Ulrikke, a gamelan piece for percussion and cello (with Scottish undertones) fits with Alaskan Native Dance! We can’t wait!!

Spotlight Series Rocked!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Kent Gallery last week! The night was a great success. Here are some pictures…

Angélica Negrón, introducing “Panorama”

 

Phyllis Chen and Rob Dietz

We love music boxes! “Mobius” by Phyllis Chen and Rob Dietz, with help from Andie and Evelyn.