Composers Now presents

Dialogues No. 9

Listen. Communicate. Relate.

Tuesday, May 24, 2022, 8 pm

Marc Scorca Hall of the National Opera Center

Composers Now presents Dialogues, hosted by Composers Now Founder/Artistic Director Tania León, on Tuesday, May 24 at 8 pm in Marc Scorca Hall at the National Opera Center. Dialogues unite living composers, inspired performances and audiences culminating in a lively conversation about music, the arts, community and society.

For May 24, composers Lucía Caruso (with performer/producer Pedro da Silva), Amirtha Kidambi and Tamar Muskal (with visual artist/sculptor Daniel Rozin) showcase projects where their compositions are in collaboration with voice enhancement, MIDI, virtual reality and interactive digital technologies.

Covid Safety Protocols: Visit the venue's website for up-to-date Covid safety protocols: https://www.operaamerica.org/national-opera-center/covid-19-safety/

The event will also be live streamed for those who prefer to attend from other locations. Advance registration is required.

Composers

Lucía Caruso is an Argentine-born composer and pianist based in NYC. As artistic director and co-founder with Dr. Pedro Henriques Da Silva of Manhattan Camerata, an innovative chamber orchestra, she coined the term transclassical music, to define a unique style of composition. Grounded in classical technique, her compositions blend improvisation with elements from various cultures and incorporate world instruments in a range of styles and genres.

Dr. Pedro Henriques Da Silva is a Portuguese composer, multi-instrumentalist, professor and lecturer in various fields of music, arts and sciences. He is a member of the New York University Faculty in composition, classical guitar, mandolin, banjo and sitar. He also presents master classes and lectures internationally at museums, universities and institutions on a variety of topics ranging from music and physics, art and music technology with sold-out courses at the Museum of Modern Art (NYC).

Amirtha Kidambi "takes a holistic approach to singing, which can mean treating every element as unfixed: Words can be opened up, rendered nonspecific. Melody can be repeated and frozen and stuck in place. Markings of rhythm can become utterly abstract, freed from cadence." (New York Times).

Kidambi is the composer and bandleader of her quartet Elder Ones and the leader of her vocal quartet Lines of Light. Her debut as a bandleader was met with critical acclaim. As Ben Ratliff wrote in the New York Times, "the aggressive and sublime first album...is a gauge for how strong and flexible the scene of young musicians in New York's improvised and experimental music world can be."

Tamar Muskal is mentioned in Anthony Tommasini's (of the New York Times) 10 Best Classical Music Events of 2014. Muskal studied composition and viola at the Jerusalem Academy for Dance and Music, Yale University and CUNY. Recent and future commissions include a double concerto for saxophone and viola for the Williamsport Symphony, a work for percussionist Steve Schick and a digital/interactive sculpture by Daniel Rozin. Muskal's "The Yellow Wind" was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Daniel Rozin is an artist, educator and developer, working in the area of interactive digital art. As an interactive artist, Rozin creates installations and sculptures that have the unique ability to change and respond to the presence and point of view of the viewer. In many cases, the viewer becomes the contents of the piece and in others, the viewer is invited to take an active role in the creation of the piece. Even though computers are often used in Rozin's work, they are seldom visible.

About Composers Now

Composers Now empowers all living composers, celebrates the diversity of their voices and honors the significance of their artistic contributions to the cultural fabric of society. Founder and artistic director Tania León leads the organization since 2010. Composers Now features a broad spectrum of performances in concert halls, jazz mobiles, opera stages, experimental spaces, conservatories, museums and other musical venues. For more information, please visit www.composersnow.org