Bridging the Gap III
Music by and conversation with Philip Glass, Paola Prestini and John Zorn
Moderated by Steve Smith, Curated by Robert Sirota, Performed by Jeffrey Zeigler
Sunday, March 5th @ 7pm
Bridging the Gap III
Concert and panel discussion throughout
Music by and conversation with Philip Glass, Paola Prestini and John Zorn
Moderated by Steve Smith
Philip Glass – Songs and Poems for solo cello
Paola Prestini – Labyrinth for cello and electronics
John Zorn – Diableries for cello, bass and percussion
Jeffrey Zeigler, cello
Trevor Dunn, bass
Ches Smith, percussion
About the Series
“Bridging the Gap, created by National Sawdust Curator Robert Sirota, is a series of concerts of chamber, choral, and solo compositions that explore the student/teacher and mentor/mentee relationships between generations of composers.
It is a thrill to share this concert with two mentors I admire wildly, John Zorn and Philip Glass.
To make it an even more profound experience, I invited Jeffrey Zeigler, the brilliant cellist and my husband, to premiere a work of mine for cello and electronics; he will also perform Songs and Poems by Philip Glass, and Diableries by John Zorn, joined by Ches Smith and… To be able to participate in this series in my own venue is a true full circle, as both John and Philip’s lives and decisions helped me with the path I’m on.
The concert will be preceded by a discussion with all of us, moderated by the brilliant thought leader, in this case National Sawdust’s own, Steve Smith (creator of The Log)”
-Paola Prestini
Robert Sirota
Over four decades, composer Robert Sirota has developed a distinctive voice, clearly discernible in all of his work – whether symphonic, choral, stage, or chamber music. His music has been performed by orchestras across the US and Europe, ensembles such as yMusic, Chameleon Arts, Dinosaur Annex; the Chiara, American, Ethel, and Blair String Quartets; the Peabody and Webster Trios; and at music festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, Yellow Barn and Bowdoin.
Robert Sirota’s extensive work as a teacher and administrator has given him a unique perspective on the interactions between generations of composers. Before becoming Director of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in 1995, he served as Chairman of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at New York University and Director of Boston University’s School of Music. From 2005-2012, he was the President of Manhattan School of Music, where he was also a member of the composition faculty.
A native New Yorker, Robert Sirota received his music education at Juilliard, Oberlin, and Harvard and divides his time between New York and Searsmont, Maine with his wife, Episcopal priest and organist Victoria Sirota. They frequently collaborate on new works, with Victoria as librettist and performer, at times also working with their children, Jonah and Nadia, both world-class violists.
This performance was sponsored in part by the Village Voice.
Other Winter Highlights
Bridging the Gap V
June 04, 2017 - 7:00pm Featuring music by Robert Sirota, Jonathan Bailey Holland, and Angel Lam.
Alternative Guitar Summit 2017: Guitars of Heaven, Guitars of Hell
March 15, 2017 - 7:00pmFounded and produced by Joel Harrison and Life Force Arts, The "Summit" is a yearly gathering of some of the most creative guitarists on earth.
The Passionate Pilgrim Deluxe
June 3, 2017 - 7:00pm The Passionate Pilgrim” is a song cycle co-written by composer-performer collective Oracle Hysterical (Elliot Cole, Majel Connery and Doug and Brad Balliett). In this collaboration with baroque period ensemble, New Vintage Baroque, “The Passionate Pilgrim” brings an all-but-forgotten poem cycle back to life, reimagined as tuneful Baroque pop.
Ferus Festival: The Afield / Nelson Patton with Lonnie Holley
January 6, 2017 - 7:00pm This evening features a split bill of musicians who are expanding the notions of visual and textual storytelling within musical performance.
Ferus Festival: Requiem for: A Tuesday
January 7, 2017 - 7:00pm Requiem for: A Tuesday is a theatrical concert that takes the form of a ceremony in which those assembled are invited to overcome fear by looking to each other. In this ceremony, music opens up a space for the audience to witness and thus face collective and individual notions of mortality and fear. By taking part in such an act, the assembled will perhaps understand that these actions are universal and thus fear of the other is not necessary as there is, in fact, no other
