Music Director Louis Langrée and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) are happy to announce the program and artists for their 3rd annual artistic collaboration with Bryce Dessner's MusicNOW Festival, taking place at the Cincinnati's Music Hall March 18 and 19, 2016. The festival's mission is to present the best in contemporary music, offer artists an opportunity to take risks and commission new work. The celebrated artists and composers who have gathered at past festivals include Sufjan Stevens, Kronos Quartet, Grizzly Bear, Philip Glass, Nico Muhly, The National, Glen Hansard, eighth blackbird and Steve Reich.
Cincinnati's MusicNOW is known around the country for its unique and thoughtful combinations of contemporary chamber music, world premiere commissions, indie rock performances and visual art installations.
Friday, March 18, the CSO opens the festival with Dessner's Aheym and Anna Clyne's The Seamstress, a work for violin and orchestra that the CSO will perform with soloist Jennifer Koh. The second half of the concert features Julia Wolfe's My Beautiful Scream.
The program on March 19, begins with Lutoslawski's Funeral Music for String Orchestra, followed by Dessner's acclaimed Réponse Lutoslawski. For the second half of that concert, the Kronos Quartet again joins the CSO on stage for Terry Riley's The Sands for String Quartet and Orchestra. The program ends with Magnus Lindberg's Feria.
In a press release touting the festival, CSO Music Director remarked that he and the orchestra looked forward to working with Bryce Dessner and MusicNOW for many years to come:
"The CSO's partnership with MusicNOW is something that makes Cincinnati an extraordinary place for the arts.
"This free collaboration between artists and genres, offering various aspects of contemporary music, creates a vibrant atmosphere for artistic experimentation. It is an event truly at the heart of the CSO's mission 'to seek and share inspiration.'"
Tickets for each concert are still available and start at $12. Two-day passes (orchestra or balcony level) are available for $80-100.
Get yours today by heading over to the CSO's official website or calling the Box Office at (513) 381-3300.
