new thread quartet press [email protected]! ! !!!! ntqfull!biography!!...

NTQ

[email protected] www.newthreadquartet.com

Organization and Contacts Based in NYC, New Thread Quartet was formed with the mission to develop and perform impactful new music for the saxophone and to provide high level ensemble playing to feature today's compositional voices. Booking and all inquiries: [email protected] Press material, including photos and logo: http://www.newthreadquartet.com/press/ NTQ Website: http://www.newthreadquartet.com/

Press Quotes "adventurous, rule-‐breaking" -‐ Matt Mendez, NewMusicBox “spell cast by the music” -‐ New York Times “Daniel Wohl’s Microfluctuations in Plainchant (for four saxophones and electronics), performed by the New Thread Quartet alongside four other pieces for saxophone quartet, was spellbinding. The microfluctuations of the title refer to the fluctuations in the frequencies after sending the chorale through an equalizer – what might happen if J.S. Bach had access to electronics and/or hallucinogens.” -‐Rebecca Lentjes, Bachtrack “It’s no coincidence that a great deal of chamber music is composed for quartets and trios: This lends itself to instrumental cohesion, yet allows for endless possibilities in harmonic, dynamic, and melodic variety. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe put it, a musical quartet is “four rational people conversing.” -‐Jack Crager, Vox Novus “The piece begins with a series of mysterious chords by the sax quartet, emerging like church-‐organ musings while two dancers (Skurr and Moen), still down from the last count, slowly come to and literally roll off stage. Palughi remains and, as the music builds, she is joined by a passer-‐by male dancer from the audience who revives her like a reluctant flower and stirs up a duet. The other dancers return for an energetic four-‐way interplay, while the saxes exchange increasingly frantic flurries and an almost combative sonic bantering.” -‐Jack Crager, Vox Novus

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Performance Highlights 2016 saxophone masterclass and Business of Music lecture at The Peabody Conservatory 2016 Elliott Sharp CD release concert with JACK Quartet and members of ICE 2016 Explorations Vol 1, four premieres of new works for saxophone quartet 2015 guest artist on Music For Contemplation series 2014 premiere of Erin Rogers’ Mother Earth at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall 2014 performance at Bang on a Can’s Summer Festival Fundraiser in Brooklyn, NY 2013 performance on NY Sound Circuit series at the DiMenna Center 2012 performance at the World Saxophone Congress XVI in Scotland NTQ has performed as guest artists at New England Conservatory, The Peabody Conservatory, The Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music, New York University, Montclair State University, Bronx Community College. Arizona State University, Illinois State University. NTQ was selected to perform at the World Saxophone Congress and North American Saxophone Alliance conferences. NTQ has received foundational support from The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Cary New Music Performance Fund, FROMM Music Foundation, New Music USA, Queens Council on the Arts, and Composers Now. NTQ is a presenting partner of Composers Now.

Commission Highlights Richard Carrick Pat Muchmore Anthony Gatto Elliot Sharp Scott Wollschleger Roberto Kalb Spencer Arias Marcelo Lazcano Ben Hjertmann Luke Schwartz Diarmid Flatley Erin Rogers Kathryn Salfelder Gilbert Galindo Ryan Pratt David Claman

Outreach Programs Pre-‐Concert Talks / Lecture Performance NTQ works closely with composers on each piece they perform and they enjoy sharing insights developed through this collaboration with their audience through pre-‐concert talks and lecture performances. For each piece, NTQ will reveal the developmental background, demonstrate unique techniques, and preview thematic elements to create a uniquely augmented listening experience. College/University Masterclass NTQ offers masterclasses focused on contemporary music performance, performer/composer collaborations, and managing a chamber ensemble. These events are designed to provide a transparent view of the inner workings of real world musicians. NTQ is also available for residency programs with composition students. More than just a reading session, NTQ will provide open rehearsals, collaborative feedback, and a professional performance of each student’s composition. Build-‐Your-‐Own Instruments (K-‐12) NTQ will introduce the science and acoustics of the saxophone through select repertoire, followed by a hands-‐on instrument building workshop! Using plastic tubes, balloons, and duct tape, your students will create their own “saxophone”. After a short lesson they will join NTQ on stage for a grand finale performance. Materials are provided and students keep their creation.

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Sample Concert Programs What’s Next? new music by leading young composers Scott Wollschleger -‐ Without World* Marcelo F. Lazcano -‐ Ser* Ben Hjertmann -‐ Sunstruck* Pat Muchmore -‐ Hyperoperator3* Electroacoustic Boundaries music for saxophone quartet and live electronics Ophir Ilzetzki -‐ Ambience for saxophone quartet and live electronics Monte Weber -‐ Lucidity for saxophone quartet, live electronics, and soprano voice Erin Rogers -‐ Mother Earth* for saxophone quartet, live electronics, and flute Diarmid Flatley -‐ Six Regions* for saxophone quartet, live electronics with video Now and Then a tour of the saxophone quartet from its founding to today Caryl Florio -‐ Quartette Salvatore Sciarrino -‐ selections from Pagine Kathryn Salfelder -‐ Stolen From Above* Jean Baptiste Singelée -‐ Premier Quatuor David Claman -‐ Liberties Taken (with Sahana Raga Varnam)* Roberto Kalb -‐ Ryden Scenes* Not Less Than The Good a celebration of Henry David Thoreau David Morneau -‐ Not Less Than The Good* for saxophone quartet, synthesizer, audio field recordings, and narrator

This evening-‐length composition combines text from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden with field recordings of Walden pond into a secular morning prayer services. Performances are staged as a sunrise through lighting, motion, and set design.

* = written for and premiered by New Thread Quartet

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NTQ Full Biography New Thread Quartet was formed with the mission to develop and perform impactful new music for the saxophone, and to provide high level ensemble playing to feature today's compositional voices. In 4 seasons, the quartet has commissioned and premiered 14 new works by composers such as Richard Carrick, Ben Hjertmann and Kathryn Salfelder, with upcoming commissions from Scott Wollschleger, Ryan Pratt and Max Grafe. Based in New York City, New Thread has performed at Carnegie Hall, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Bang on a Can Summer Festival Benefit, and Monadnock Music, and has performed or recorded more than 30 important works for saxophone quartet including Kati Agocs' Hymn on New England Conservatory’s Composer Series at Jordan Hall, a revival of Michael Djupstrom's 2001 work Test at Arizona State University’s Katzin Concert Hall, and the premiere recording of Elliott Sharp's seminal work Approaching the Arches of Corti for 4 soprano saxophones, to be released on New World Records in 2016. NTQ has a track record of working closely with composers in a workshop environment during the formation of new works and encourages composer attendance at rehearsals. The quartet strives for multiple performances of newly commissioned works in attempt to bring new music to different audiences as often as possible. Following its premiere in 2012 at the World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland, Richard Carrick's work Harmonixity received nearly a dozen public performances by New Thread. The quartet encourages young composers to create new works for saxophones through an open submission policy, conducting reading/feedback sessions throughout the year. NTQ has conducted masterclasses, residencies, and performances for student saxophonists and composers at Peabody Conservatory, Bronx Community College, Aaron Copland School (Queens College), and NYU. In high demand and recognized for its performance excellence, NTQ has received support from The Aaron Copland Fund, the Cary New Music Performance Fund, New Music USA, the FROMM Foundation, and the Queens Council on the Arts. NTQ is a presenting partner of Composers Now. For more information, visit www.newthreadquartet.com.

NTQ Short Biography Described as “spell cast’ (New York Times) and “adventurous, rule-‐breaking” (NewMusicBox), New Thread Quartet was formed with the mission to develop and perform impactful new music for the saxophone, and to provide high level ensemble playing to feature today's compositional voices. In 4 seasons the quartet has commissioned and premiered 14 new works by composers such as Richard Carrick, Ben Hjertmann, Scott Wollschleger, and Kathryn Salfelder. Based in NYC, NTQ has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Tenri Cultural Institute, the Bang on a Can Summer Festival Benefit, NYsoundCircuit, and the Composers Now Festival. New Thread has given masterclasses, residencies, and performances for student saxophonists and composers at Peabody Conservatory, Bronx Community College, Aaron Copland School (Queens College), and NYU. NTQ has received support from The Aaron Copland Fund, the Cary New Music Performance Fund, New Music USA, the FROMM Foundation, and the Queens Council on the Arts. NTQ is a presenting partner of Composers Now. For more information, visit www.newthreadquartet.com.

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NTQ Member Biographies Geoffrey Landman, soprano saxophone New York based saxophonist Geoffrey Landman is a performer, teacher, and advocate of the saxophone and new music. Having performed across North America, France, Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, Thailand, and in some of New York City’s most well-‐known music venues, he has collaborated with ensembles such as Either/Or, Talea Ensemble, the Metropolis Ensemble, Fireworks Ensemble, Opera Cabal, and New Thread Quartet. Geoffrey has won many competitions including Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, University of Cincinnati College-‐Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition, Cincinnati Arts Association Overture Award, as well as prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Geoffrey holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BM), University of Cincinnati College-‐Conservatory of Music (MM), Post-‐graduate work at the Musik-‐Akademie der Stadt Basel in Switzerland, and is currently working toward his Doctoral degree at the New England Conservatory as the first DMA candidate in saxophone performance in the schools history. His principal teachers are Donald Sinta, Marcus Weiss, James Bunte, and Ken Radnofsky. Kristen McKeon, alto saxophone Kristen McKeon performs primarily as a concert saxophonist, chamber musician, and clinician, and is thrilled to be working as a Product Specialist and Artist Relations Representative for D’Addario and Company’s Woodwind Division. Her major field appearances include performances at the Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, the New England Saxophone Symposium, the Aeolus International Wind Competition in Düsseldorf, Germany, a world premiere of Gabriel Lubell’s He Guards the Vision of the Sunset Sky for Solo Saxophone and String Quintet at the 2010 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference, and the 2012 World Saxophone Conference in St. Andrews, Scotland. An experienced clinician, current projects include nation-‐wide lecturing on instrument accessories manufacturing for Rico Reeds, careers in music, and the exploration of methods by which musicians most effectively collaborate with the music industry in our modern age. Kristen holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Master of Music & Pedagogy from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she worked as renowned saxophonist Otis Murphy.

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NTQ Member Biographies (continued) Erin Rogers, tenor saxophone Erin Rogers is a Canadian saxophonist and composer based in New York City. Her works have been performed by the Gotham Ensemble, IKTUS, guitarist Colin Davin, and violinist Miranda Cuckson, Chicago’s Anubis Quartet and Madrid’s Tribuna Sax-‐Ensemble. She has played with ensembles such as Copland House, Lost Dog, and PRISM, and is a founding member of experimental performance ensemble, thingNY, and the New Thread Saxophone Quartet. In 2013, Erin was awarded a Jerome Fund Commission from the American Composers Forum for Mother Earth, a work for flute, sax quartet and electronics, that premiered at Carnegie Hall in June 2014. Her work Trajectories was performed for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013 and featured at the 2015 Ecstatic Music Festival. Erin completed undergraduate studies at the University of Alberta and received Masters Degrees in composition and performance from Bowling Green State University. Zach Herchen, baritone saxophone Zach Herchen performs music ranging from classical trios to jazz tone poems, multimedia works, afrobeat, and beyond. He is a 2013 Bang on a Can Summer Festival Fellow, has worked on staff at New England Conservatory’s Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice, and was an artist-‐in-‐resident at Wildacres Retreat. Zach has performed as a soloist in Italy, Sweden, Germany, and at BU’s Spectral Summer Professional Performance Workshop, the SEAMUS National Conference, Third Practice Electroacoustic Festival, the 4th International Master-‐Class for Classical Saxophone, and the Look & Listen Festival. He is the artistic director of Con Vivo Music and performs with New Thread Quartet, Rhymes With Opera, Red Oak Contemporary Ensemble, Quiet City, and Man Down. Zach holds a MM and BM in Saxophone Performance (and BM in Recording Arts Engineering) from The Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where he received the Richard Franko Goldman Prize for performance. He has studied with Gary Louie, Gary Thomas, Timothy McAllister, Arno Bornkamp, Vincent David, Jan Schulte-‐Bunert, and Ties Mellema.

new thread quartet press [email protected]! ! !!!! ntqfull!biography!!...

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