In a recent interview with My Big Gay Ears, composer/performer Corey Dargel mentions for the first time publicly a new large scale project we’re working on with him, novelist Andrew Sean Greer, and stage director Emma Griffin.
“I’m not yet allowed to say what it’s based on,” he says “but religious delusion and schizophrenia play significant roles.” Can’t wait!
Read the full interview here, and stay tuned for more information on this exciting new project.
We’re very excited to report that the Jerome Composers Commissioning Program has just awarded a grant to Darcy James Argue to write a new large-scale work for us for next season. It’s to be called The Sleep Room and will be about the very creepy, CIA-funded MK-ULTRA experiments that took place at McGill University in the 1960s. We’re planning to premiere it in early 2011, and are very excited about the whole project!
For those who don’t know Darcy’s work, definitely check out his recent, much-lauded record on New Amsterdam.
Newspeak received a nice mention from Seth Colter Walls over at The Awl, where he gives an interesting account of our Wordless Music show, as well as thoughts on PR and “the scene.” The Awl’s motto is “be less stupid,” and SCW has definitely been doing his part to help make that happen. Worth a read.
(Note: it was Seth who conducted the locally controversial John Adams interview for Newsweek, prompting some responses around the blogosphere.)
Lots of Newspeak people in the news this summer! Here’s the roundup:
Most recently, our singer Mellissa Hughes was profiled on NPR’s All Things Considered for her role in Jacob Cooper’s mesmerizing opera TimberBrit. (Ted Hearne–who has written us a piece, and is about to write us another one–was also interviewed.) Read/listen here.
Our amazing percussionist Yuri Yamashita–”who sings bossa nova on the side”–recently took part in the Bang on a Can-organized Asphalt Orchestra, which got rave reviews all around. Yuri received specific mention in the NYTimes review, New York Magazine, and in Playbill.
A month ago, our drummer/composer/director David T. Little was profiled in the New Jersey Star Ledger. Also taking part in the interview was co-director/rockstar Eileen Mack. Give it a read.
Last but not least, about a month and a half ago or so, violinist/singer/composer Caleb Burhans, was awarded a huge and awesome grant from the Annenberg Foundation. More on that here.
Brooklyn Vegan has a nice blurb/review from our performance at the “Bang on a Can’t Afford the Other Benefit,” along with some great photos (like this one). Check them out here.
(Photos by Andrew Frisicano from brooklynvegan.com)
Thanks to all those who came out to the First Annual New Music Bake Sale! We were extremely pleased with the event, and look forward to #2 next year! If you couldn’t make it, here’s some of what you missed:
…and check out some of the responses here, here, and here.
(Photo collage by Steve Taylor; crowd photo from www.FeastofMusic.com)
Newspeak is pleased to report that we have been awarded an Organizational Development Grants from Fractured Atlas. These grants fund specific expenses relating to the strengthening and stabilizing of emerging arts organizations. We’ll be using this grant to replace components of our very tired reherasal PA system, which will improve our general rehearsal conditions, increase our efficiency, and help us operate at the highest possible musical level. Thanks Fractured Atlas!
So, as you may have noticed, we have a new website! And with it new band photos (by Stephen Taylor), a new live demo (mixed by Lawson White), and a whole new wordpress-tastic outlook on life. The site itself was designed by Peter Wise at Square Candy Design, who’s done a bang-up job! So have a look around, and leave us a note.
And check back soon: There’s lots on the horizon we know you won’t want to miss!
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