Concert length: 90 minutes (with intermission)
Like most New York teenagers, the talented young players of Face the Music are fascinated by the many cultures they represent and observe in their daily lives. Contemporary classical music feeds that hunger, and at Issue Project Room they will present the work of three composers who have different world perspectives.
Osvaldo Golijov’s virtuosic “Last Round” is a meditation on the tangos of Astor Piazzola, and Ljova’s “Ori’s Fearful Symmetry’” has a Mediterranean lilt. Face the Music will also perform Puerto Rican-American composer Angélica Negrón’s “El Gran Caleidscopio,” written for Face the Music, which presents a unique sound-world filled with toy pianos, rain sticks, and other atmospheric sounds. The second half of the program will be a set performed by Ms. Negrón’s electro-acoustic pop outfit, Balún.
Praised for “stunning performances” by The New York Times, Kaufman Center’s Face the Music is an “alt-classical” ensemble of more than seventy unusually talented teenagers from in and around New York City. Advancing Kaufman Center’s commitment to modern music, Face the Music provides an unparalleled performance and education experience for the next generation of musical leaders. The group was founded in 2005 by Special Music School Music Director Jenny Undercofler and composer Huang Ruo.
Under the direction of conductor Dr. Undercofler, Face the Music has played across New York City at venues such as Le Poisson Rouge, Merkin Hall, Roulette, the River to River Festival and the Bang On A Can Marathon. The group has been featured on WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase, NPR’s All Things Considered, and played on a live broadcast marking the opening of NY Public Radio’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. In 2011, Face the Music was honored with the ASCAP Aaron Copland Award.
Face the Music features middle and high school students from over twenty different New York area schools. Many of the performers are students or alumni of Kaufman’s own Special Music School, the only K-8 public school in New York City that integrates pre-conservatory musical training with academic education.
Balún is a dream-pop group from Brooklyn via the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Their music has been described as a "dreamy mix of mellow, minimal music that brings to mind seductive Stereolab songs, nonboring atmospheric soundscapes—and the best children’s music" (Time Out Chicago). For this show, they'll be performing new music from their upcoming album as well as an exciting collaboration with Face the Music. http://www.balunonline.com