Brian Coughlin : Bass
Elizabeth Janzen : Flute
Oren Fader : Guitar
Jim Johnston : Keyboards
Eric Poland : Percussion
Leigh Stuart : Cello
Michael Ibrahim : Saxophone
Influences
Artists: Kronos Quartet, Bang On a Can, Bill Frisell, Emerson String Quartet, Sonic Youth, King Crimson, Aphex Twin, Devo, Kraftwerk, Bjork, and many, many, others...
Composers: Glenn Branca, John Adams, Louis Andriessen, John Cage, Miles Davis, DJ Spooky, Duke Ellington, Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, Sigur Ros, Raymond Scott, Carl Stalling, Igor Stravinsky, Frank Zappa, John Zorn, and many, many, many others...
Founded with the goal of creating a single, small ensemble capable of representing the full scope of today’s musical diversity, FIREWORKS combines the talents of eight classically-trained but musically omnivorous young virtuosi who pride themselves on being able to play just about anything, regardless of style, time period, or instrumentation.
Fireworks burst onto the music scene in 2002 with its striking, rock-inspired reinvention of Stravinsky's masterpiece, The Rite of Spring. Called "Brilliant" by CD Baby and "Brave, skillful and refreshing" by the Berkshire Eagle, the work quickly drew critical attention and diverse, enthusiastic audiences.
Since then, the ensemble has developed a national reputation as one of the premiere ensembles of its kind with its acclaimed programs such as Dance Mix (featuring seven hundred years of dance music from around the world and called "the most madly eclectic program of the year" by Alex Ross of the New Yorker), Cartoon (celebrating music inspired by and written for classic shorts from the golden age of animation, and hailed as "serious fun of the highest (and funniest) order" by the Topeka Capital-Journal), and its portrait of iconoclast Frank Zappa (including the composer's challenging instrumental rock).
In its 2003-2004 season the ensemble established its reputation as one of the leading contemporary music groups in New York by presenting a concert of master 20th-century composer Luciano Berio's challenging Sequenzas. In 2005 Fireworks was one of four ensembles invited by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters to participate in its Young Performers' Career Advancement Program, which culminated in a performance at Carnegie Hall. The group's 2006-07 season included the a collaboration with the Lied Center of Kansas on the ensemble's Cartoon program, and a sold-out portrait of Frank Zappa at the Miller Theater in New York City. Last season the ensemble toured the west coast with its Dance Mix project, presented music of Zappa and Stravinsky on the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society series (including a live performance on NBC's "The 10 Show"), and premiered a major new work written for the ensemble by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Del Tredici on its home series at Symphony Space in New York. Upcoming events include performances and residencies in Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia, and a return to the Miller Theater for a performance with rock legend Lou Reed.
In the course of its seven year history, Fireworks has premiered over a hundred new works, promoting emerging composers worthy of wider recognition, and commissioning works by established masters such as Glenn Branca, Scott Johnson, and Nick Didkovsky. Passionate about its work with young people, the ensemble devotes a large part of its time each year to outreach activities, and has provided a doorway into contemporary and traditional classical music for hundreds of students in elementary, middle and high schools. This season, the ensemble will conduct a ten week residency based on its Cartoon program in Peekskill, New York as part of Chamber Music America's Residency Partnership program. Fireworks' three popular recordings: Dance Mix, First Tracks, and The Rite of Spring, have received airplay worldwide from WNYC in New York to Lo Otra Musica in Spain and RadioRock in Italy. This winter the ensemble will record Cartoon for Koch Classics.
Thanks for the friendship and your great music! Wish you the best for the future. Regards from Greece, ATTIKA Mandolin Orchestra www.myspace.com/attikaorchestra
Hi, I just wanted to let you know that my new album Afrikan Machinery is out now on Tzadik Records. Check out some of the tracks on my profile! You can buy the CD here, here, or here. It's also available on iTunes.
Best Wishes, Lukas Ligeti
Wishing you a happy and something else weekend (I can't think of what would be good, outside of "happy." The word "productive" seems to work, but also has bathroom associations. Other words occur to me, but I guess "happy" is good enough).
A very belated thanks for the add, and congrats on all your success. Here's hoping our paths will cross at some point--fascinating instrumentation . . . . Cheers, Geoffrey
Thanks for including me in your group of friends. What a great combination, a coming together...but I digress... Please have a look and listen to RADIOED on my main web site. I hope we might have the chance to work together in the future. I really like your sound and instrumentation.
"height="450px"
