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PRISM Quartet Upcoming Concerts

Heritage/Evolution, PRISM Quartet with Greg Osby and Rudresh Mahanthappa

9/10 @ 6 PM, Vernon Park, Philadelphia, Free!

The PRISM Quartet is joined by jazz saxophone luminaries Greg Osby (Inner Circle and Blue Note recording artist) and Rudresh Mahanthappa (Downbeat’s alto saxophonist of the year) in a free concert of music for six saxophones.

The concert draws upon a groundbreaking body of music PRISM has commissioned since 2014 for its Heritage/Evolution project, bridging the saxophone's dual histories in jazz and classical music, with music by Osby, Mahanthappa, Tim Ries, Chris Potter, Miguel Zenón, and the Quartet’s own Matthew Levy.

Local musicians are invited to bring their instruments to Vernon Park. There will be a chance to join in at the end of the concert!

Rudresh, Greg, and Matt will be interviewed by J. Michael Harrison on WRTI's "The Bridge" this Friday at 10 PM (EST). Listen online at wrti.org.

Click here for complete concert information.

BREATH BENEATH
9/14 @ 7 PM, Drexel's URBN Annex, Philadelphia
9/15 @ 8 PM, 3-Legged Dog, NYC

The PRISM Quartet partners with Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design in Philadelphia and 3-Legged Dog in New York City to co-present Breath Beneath, a pilot project that explores the intersection of music, interactive technology, and durational visual art. The Philadelphia program is presented under the umbrella of the Fringe Festival.

Breath Beneath is the first phase—and first public presentation—of a multi-year “Discovery” initiative, supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Reaching across disciplines, PRISM joins forces with two intrepid creative teams to investigate how saxophonists’ movements and sounds can be used to generate images—and how those images shape musical interpretation. The program features premieres of "Cha" by filmmaker Bill Morrison, composer Julia Wolfe, and programmer Ryan Holsopple; and "Waveguide Model I" by filmmaker Mark DeChiazza and composer Dan Trueman. Plus, “Hymn” by Kati Agócs (New England Conservatory) with film by Eli Stine and first-time PRISM Quartet performances of “The Body of Your Dreams” and “Heartbreakers” by Dutch “avant-pop” composer/videographer Jacob TV.

Limited seating! Click here for tickets and complete information.

Heartbreakers by Jacob TV

XAS Record Release

Paradigm Lost
9/22 Worldwide Release on XAS Records

Dedicated to the memory of PRISM's dear friend Lee Hyla, Paradigm Lost is the third album on the Quartet's XAS label, distributed worldwide by Naxos USA.

Paradigm Lost (2005) by Lee Hyla (1952–2014)
Fearful Symmetries (excerpt, 1988) by John Adams (b. 1947), Arr. Timothy McAllister
Compass (2010) by David Rakowski (b. 1958)
Prism (Memo 6b) (2008) by Bernard Rands (b. 1934)
Not Alone (2014) by Chen Yi (b. 1953)
Squeeze (2007) by Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964)

Click here for complete information.

PRISM Picks

Sun Ra Arkestra appears on Ars Nova Workshop's
October Revolution of Jazz & Contemporary Music Festival

Top Contemporary Art and Music Events in NYC and Philly

September 10, Philadelphia: DOUBLE DECKER MUSIC SERIES. Bowerbird and Sebastian Petsu are pleased to welcome Tether and Jo Nelson to the Double Decker Music Series. Join them on Sunday, September 10th at 8:00 p.m. (rain date, September 12th) for a unique and intimate mobile concert experience on an open-top double-decker bus. Before, between, and after the music, tour guide Sebastian Darkly Petsu will share dry wit and history about the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.

September 19, NYC: Harvestworks presents FIND ME by Christina Campanella and Jim Dawson. FIND ME is a multi speaker sound installation that explores the phenomena of getting lost and finding one’s way. A mesmeric, immersive environment created by composer/performer Christina Campanella and writer/sound designer Jim Dawson, FIND ME is composed of sonic ephemera in which field recordings, music and industrial drones swell into electro-symphonic motifs. Sound spatialization manipulates the internal mapping sense that shapes our perception of where we are.

October 5-8, Philadelphia: The October Revolution of Jazz & Contemporary Music, a four-day music festival presented by Ars Nova Workshop, in collaboration with FringeArts, featuring Anthony Braxton, Sun Ra Arkestra, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, So Percussion, Cortex, Karuna, John Luther Adams, Orchestra 2001, Claire Chase, Zeena Parkins / Brian Chase Duo,Tim Berne’s Snakeoil, David Torn’s Sun of Goldfinger, Mike Reed’s Flesh & Bone, Ballister, and more. OctRev is a dynamic festival experience constructed out of a variety of sonic adventures and revelations, led by musicians and artists who are pushing boundaries and opening borders.

October 27-28, Brooklyn: BAM's New Wave Festival Presents Road Trip. The tank is full, the top is down, and three composers have their collective hand on the dial in this euphoric musical road trip celebrating 30 years of downtown music collective Bang on a Can. Returning to the collaborative spirit of the group’s origins, founders Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe flood the waves with an original mash-up of wind-in-your-hair tunes that capture the sublime exhilaration of freedom and possibility. Performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, with scenic design by CandyStations and stage direction by Michael Counts.

November 2-5, Philadelphia: IN LIQUID BENEFIT. This much-anticipated annual fundraiser for InLiquid, the organization that supports and promotes Philly’s visual artists, serving as a comprehensive hub and catalyst for our region’s arts community. InLiquid believes that good art is at arms reach in Philadelphia and most importantly, everyone can and should be a collector. The Benefit returns to the newly renovated Icebox Project Space at Crane Arts, transformed into a three-day showcase: VIP, Young Professionals, and the Main Event silent-auctioning a specially select group of artists.

December 2, NYC: Miller Theater presents Chen Yi. Composer Portrait. Shaped by her experience coming of age during the Cultural Revolution, Chen Yi’s early influences included Chinese traditional music and Western classical music. She is a master of contemporary technique and a strong advocate for music’s power to connect audiences of different cultural backgrounds. The spirited Curtis 20/21 Ensemble will take on Chen’s impressive chamber works, including the evocative Happy Rain on a Spring Night.