ensemble dal niente performs a broad range of 20th- and 21st- century music. Through concerts, commissions and educational activities, we explore the wealth and diversity of music composed in the past century — from the European avant-garde, to American high modernism, to styles influenced by popular music and jazz.

dal niente was founded by composer Kirsten Broberg in 2004 at Northwestern University and has become one of the Midwest’s leading new music organizations. We believe that we live in a unique and inspiring musical era and we are committed to fostering a positive, vital creative interchange.  We present the best of music being written today by established, emerging, and as-yet-undiscovered composers. We commission new works,  give countless premieres, and champion great but neglected compositions — all in addition to regularly performing contemporary and 20th-century masterpieces to bring this truly exceptional music to enthusiastic audiences.

dal niente understands that an essential part of a vibrant and sustainable music community is the education of young composers and performers. Partnered with local high schools, we perform music of teenage composers and guide their musical development.  We hold residencies and conduct masterclasses at colleges and universities across the Midwest.

The ensemble is comprised of young artists and international virtuosos who bring this challenging repertoire to life with enthusiasm and devotion.  We include in our ranks faculty from DePaul University and the University of Chicago; conducting staff and members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago; former participants in the Lucerne Festival and International Ensemble Moderne Academies; and past fellows of the Aspen Festival Contemporary Music Ensemble.

ISSUE PROJECT ROOM ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST PUBLIC CONCERT @ 110 LIVINGSTON

11AM Welcome Reception
11:30AM-5:30PM Concert
FREE

Pre-Renovation Candlelit Performance
of Morton Feldman’s Second String Quartet by Ne(x)tworks

On Sunday, April 11 the public will have a chance to attend a rare performance of Morton Feldman’s String Quartet No. 2 in its entirety when ISSUE Project Room opens its doors at 110 Livingston St. for a pre-renovation, inaugural Open House event. Performed by Ne(x)tworks, the six hour-long contemporary masterpiece will be free to the public, commemorating ISSUE’s first concert in their future Downtown Brooklyn home.

String Quartet No. 2 has been performed in its entirety only a few times, the first being in 1999 by the FLUX Quartet at Greenwich Village’s Cooper Union. The Ne(x)tworks quartet (which includes Cornelius Dufallo and Kenji Bunch, formerly of FLUX) will play the entire piece by candlelight in the cloistered hall while audience members are invited to stay for as long as little as they like. The beauty of candlelight is also a necessity as the space is still raw, in need of renovation and lighting.

“Ne(x)tworks is thrilled to present Feldman’s masterful Second String Quartet at ISSUE Project Room as our artistic endorsement of their fabulous new concert venue [at 110 Livingston],” says Ne(x)tworks’ Director, Cornelius Dufallo. “The musical community of New York City has been eagerly awaiting the opening of this performance space.”

Called his “most extreme” composition, Feldman’s String Quartet No. 2 (1983) is a collective paragon encompassing Feldman’s signature free rhythms, muted pitches, quiet and slowly unfolding music, and his experiments with duration.

“The focus at the time [of the premiere in 1999] seemed to be on how we were going to play for six hours without stopping,” Dufallo reflects. “As we immersed ourselves in the music, however, this began to change: we found that duration is by no means the most interesting aspect of this work. The ‘athleticism’ became more of a secondary concern to us. In this work, duration acts as a canvas, on which Feldman paints a stunningly beautiful encomium to the eternal marriage of sound and time. The piece must exist on a large scale in order to portray this relationship.”

In 2008 ISSUE Project Room won the bid for a 20-year, rent-free lease to occupy the landmark theatre at 110 Livingston St., an architecturally significant (McKim, Mead & White, 1926) and stunningly beautiful 4800 square foot performance space located in the former New York City Dept. of Education headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn. Once renovated, this space will offer opportunities to increase ISSUE’s audience, implement new programs and advance Brooklyn’s place as a cultural epicenter.

While this is an extraordinary opportunity, it is also an enormous challenge. ISSUE must still raise well over half a million dollars towards the $2.5 M needed for basic renovations. We hope that the community will join ISSUE on this amazing journey toward building a world-class center for experimental culture.

ISSUE Project Room’s Inaugural Concert @ 110 Livingston
Ne(x)tworks Performs Morton Feldman’s String Quartet No. 2
April 11, 2010
FREE
Reception: 11 am
Performance: 11:30 am – 5:30 pm
110 Livingston St. (Entrance on Boerum Place)
Brooklyn, NY  11201

Suzanne Fiol, May 9, 1960 – October 5, 2009

Dear friends,

It is with great heartbreak and sorrow that ISSUE Project Room announces the passing of our founder, artistic director, and driving force, Suzanne Fiol. Born on May 9, 1960, Suzanne died at 1:05 pm on Monday, October 5, 2009, after fighting a courageous and inspiring battle against cancer. Suzanne passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Our hearts go out to her daughter Sarah, her sister Nancy, and her parents Lawrence and Arlene Perlstein and her partner Anthony Coleman.

Anyone who has met Suzanne knows that she devoted her life to creating and sustaining a space where artists — acclaimed and emerging, local and international — could develop and perform new, challenging, and exciting works. Regardless of the different venues we’ve inhabited since our inception in 2003, ISSUE has always been Suzanne’s labor of love, a space that housed and reflected her restless intellect, fiery spirit, and great heart. She would often jokingly refer to herself as “Mama Issue,” a fitting moniker considering the unconditional love she unabashedly showed her friends, family, artists and the steadily growing audiences that have been coming to ISSUE over the years.

We are grief-stricken by Suzanne’s passing, yet inspired by her vision and strength, and will devote ourselves to fulfilling her vision with the strength we draw from our memories of her. Programming will continue this week in honor of Suzanne, and we welcome you all to come to ISSUE and share your memories.

A memorial is currently being planned.
Please stay tuned for information on its time, date and location.

(photos by Joe Holmes)

07/12/2009 02:37 PM