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Park Ave Armory Announces 2012 Season, Begins With Tune In Music Fest

Park-Ave-Armory-Announces-2012-Season-20010101

Park Avenue Armory announced today its second full season of cultural programming, comprising productions of visual art, dance, and music that are conceived and performed "outside the box" of conventional theaters and museums. Dedicated to presenting works that cannot be realized in traditional institutions, Park Avenue Armory's season includes commissions of monumental, immersive installations by visual artists Tom Sachs, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, and Ann Hamilton; epic music experiences, including the second annual Tune-In Music Festival, celebrating the 75th birthday of the iconic Philip Glass, as well as the New York Philharmonic in a program exploring the sonic qualities of the Armory's cathedral-like acoustics; the legendary Trisha Brown Dance Company bringing a restaging Astral Converted; and, "Under Construction," a salon series featuring Armory Artists-in-Residence and friends.

With its soaring 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall and array of dramatic period rooms, the Armory's unique spaces catalyze artists to create-and the public to experience-unconventional work in all genres that could not be mounted elsewhere in New York City.

Park Avenue Armory's 2012 and 2013 seasons are sponsored by Citi.

"Our mission is to give artists and performers the freedom and support to create works of extraordinary imagination, and our second full season represents a breadth and depth of artists at the peak of their creative prowess," stated Rebecca Robertson, President and Executive Producer of Park Avenue Armory. "At the Armory, our spaces become a partner in the creative process, resulting in unparalleled experiences for both our artists and our audiences."

"Park Avenue Armory has built one of the most exciting cultural organizations in New York City, and we are delighted to be kicking off our two-year premier corporate sponsorship with some terrific events in 2012," said Peter Charrington, CEO of Citi Private Bank, North America. "The building itself is a National Treasure, and the artistic programs are bold, imaginative and cutting edge. We look forward to hosting many wonderful and thought-provoking events here."

http://www.armoryonpark.org/

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

TUNE-IN MUSIC FESTIVAL
Philip Glass: 75
February 23-26, 2012
Co-curated by Philip Glass, the Armory's second Tune-In Music Festival celebrates the iconic composer's extraordinary impact upon the musical and intellectual life of his times on the occasion of his 75th birthday. The series of five concerts features his own music, as well as music, poetry, and art created and performed by his muses, collaborators, and artists he has influenced, and uses the Armory's Wade Thompson Drill Hall, with its cathedral-like acoustics and informal character, to set the scene for an immersive and intimate concert environment. The programs are:

Kaddish
Thursday, February 23, at 7:30 p.m.
As a friend and frequent collaborator with the great Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass's affinity and reverence for the late poet will be honored with a world premiere commissioned by Park Avenue Armory and featuring a score by Grammy Award Winning jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, original visual designs by "Gonzo" artist Ralph Steadman, and the conceptual energy of legendary music producer Hal Willner, who will also be a narrator along with actress Chloe Webb. Conducted by Frisell, an eight-piece ensemble will accompany a reading of Ginsberg's Kaddish. One of the greatest works to emerge from the Beat Generation, the poem is a sprawling, propulsive lament to Ginsberg's mother and a reflection on his own estrangement from Judaism.

Philip Glass and Patti Smith: The Poet Speaks
Friday, February 24, at 7:30 p.m.
Longtime collaborator Patti Smith and Philip Glass present "The Poet Speaks" in a rare New York appearance. The two musical icons will perform original work individually and together, with music and readings celebrating their favorite poets including Ginsberg and William Blake. The evening culminates in a reading of Ginsberg's epic Wichita Vortex Sutra¸ set to music by Glass and recited by Smith.

Music in Twelve Parts
Saturday, February 25, at 5:00 p.m.
The Philip Glass Ensemble will offer a rare marathon performance of the complete Music in Twelve Parts, Glass's epic minimalist composition which was considered his "breakthrough" work. Over the course of the evening, the audience will be enveloped in this work described by music critic Tim Page as "both a massive theoretical exercise and a deeply engrossing work of art."

Afternoon Concert
Sunday, February 26, at 2:00 p.m.
Artists Nico Muhly, Tania León, Vijay Iyer with his trio Tirtha, and Zack Glass, son of Philip Glass, who were selected by Glass for this program based on their musical ingenuity, their shared interests and musical tastes, and their dynamic influence on one another. Special guests include violist Nadia Sirota (with Muhly), and singer/songwriter Ruben Gonzalez and Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac (with Glass).

Artist Talk: Composers in Conversation
Sunday, February 26, at 5:00 p.m.
Consulting Artistic Director Kristy Edmunds and Philip Glass moderate a conversation about the process, inspirations, and thoughts around the craft and artistry of composition. They will be joined on stage by Nico Muhly, Tania Leon, Vijay Iyer, and Zack Glass.

Another Look at Harmony – Part IV
Sunday, February 26, at 7:30 p.m.
The Festival concludes with the Glass's Another Look at Harmony – Part IV, a post-minimalist choral work Glass started in 1975 for organ and 100 voices (which has been expanded for the Armory's presentation to 160 voices). The program features the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, The Collegiate Chorale, and organist Michael Riesman, music director and keyboardist of The Philip Glass Ensemble, all under the direction of conductor James Bagwell.

Major support for the Tune-In Music Festival provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Reed Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo, the New York State Legislature, The Amphion Foundation, Inc. and the Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation.

TOM SACHS
SPACE PROGRAM: MARS
May 18 - June 17, 2012
Visual artist Tom Sachs launches the next flight of his SPACE PROGRAM with an installation of meticulously crafted sculptures that transforms the Armory's drill hall into a dynamic mission to Mars. Using found and salvaged materials, Sachs renders the component parts of the mission-including elaborate spacecraft, exploratory vehicles, mission control, launch platforms, and a Martian landscape-with virtuosic technique and humor. Presented in collaboration with Creative Time, SPACE PROGRAM: MARS will be manned by Tom Sachs and his studio team, who will demonstrate the myriad tasks, rituals, and procedures of their four-week mission, from takeoff to landing.

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