Sounds at Silvershed

Neon of Trivial models one of his own designs

Tomorrow evening we’re playing some plugged-in music on the rooftop of the Silvershed. While we are super excited about playing, we’re even more excited about not having to go somewhere else to party, since we’ll be throwing a listening party at the venue, complete with inexpensive libations after the show!

But wait, there’s more!

In addition to the concert and party, our guests can walk through the Silvershed gallery and view fashion-inspired prints by Patrick Meagher. Culture, cocktails, and collective fun in one night.

Music (in no particular order):
Ananta- Ryan Manchester
Cliffs- Aphex Twin, Arr. Trevor Gureckis
Saint Arc- Daniel Wohl
Bed from Einstein on the Beach- Glass
Changing Opinion- Glass
Suspended Harmonies- Trevor Gureckis

Fashion: Millinery by Trivial

Art: prints by Patrick Meagher.

Tickets are 15 at the door or online here: http://silvershedncp.eventbrite.com/

Doors open at 7:30 pm

See you there!

Intelligence is a Luxury

Last night we did some much needed dancing and letting loose at FLATTmagazine’s launch party for their inaugural issue. The evening featured the art of Kika Karadi and a performance by rock jazz pianist Elew, who ‘played louder than anyone I’ve ever heard in my life!’ according to Trevor Gureckis. Post after party, which took place in a bar located in the basement, we went back to the gallery to have some fun with the piano and sang along to Kanye West and Arcade Fire songs.

We had the chance to read the magazine this morning. In the editor’s letter, James Perkins discusses how the idea of ‘liv[ing] charmingly’ has changed significantly in America. He writes:

In an era where we all may have a little less, being discerning about how we spend our money, our time, and deciding what gives us a high rate of cultural return is a fundamental necessity. FLATTmagazine endeavors to creatively arm you with a spectrum of knowledge to help all of us accomplish this goal.

Intelligence is luxury.

We love this magazine for a couple of reasons: the lusciousness of its gorgeous photos, thought-provoking articles, fabulous parties. But we especially adore FLATT for its desire to be more than just another chic publication, it’s intention to give readers a high ‘cultural return.’

Check it out and be sure to read NCP commissioned composer Jay Wadley’s piece, The Art of the Sample. And we’re not gonna lie, we are stoked about the lil’ mention we got.

NCP + Debut for Fashion’s Night Out!

Hope to see you at Début this Friday for Fashion’s Night Out this year! We’ll be there performing some Bach and a piece written especially for this event by Trevor Gureckis, featuring violinists Amanda Lo and Tessa Sacramone, and flutist Yoobin Whang. The girls will be performing in Début special edition Faces of Fashion T’s (if they aren’t already sold out prior to the event!). Each tee features a fashion icon, including a certain lovable VOGUE editor who is stopping by to say hello!

The proceeds from the tees will go to the Savannah College of Art and Design. So indulge in a glass of champagne and support art, and party the night away in an amazing boutique that supports art! RSVP: debut@companyagenda.com

Why Mark Morris Dance Group makes us love Handel Oratorios and the 80s…

We love pastels too sometimes...

Is classical music really dead? Mark Morris doesn’t think so. In fact Mark is so crazy about classical music, that he started one of the only large dance companies in the U.S. that insists on bringing their own musicians on tour to perform with them live. Surely an expensive and risky endeavor, Mark has stated in many interviews that this is an essential element needed to make his works feel alive. This is just one of the many reasons why we at NCP love the Mark Morris Dance Group (http://markmorrisdancegroup.org/), and tonight was no exception…

Sitting down in the first ring of Daniel Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center for the Mostly Mozart Festival, my first thought was, “I’m so freakin’ tired. How am I ever going to sit through a two-hour Handel oratorio without passing out?” Little did we realize that we were in for an awesome sensory overload. It takes a special kind of artist to make a Handel Oratorio seem modern, but Mark Morris more than manages to do so with his choreographed work set to Handel’s “L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato.” Choreographed in 1988 and inspired by paintings by Blake, and poems by Milton, this work of art has many muses. However, its Mark’s vision of life, beauty, and fun that shine the brightest throughout this grand piece.

With fantastic pastel leos, tea-length dresses, and cut-off tops, this work reminds me one of giant human kaleidoscope circa 1988 (credit going to costume designer Christine Van Loon). With inter-changing colors and a series of frames for the set-design, the setting at times almost appears digital. The oratorio is comprised of four singers, a pit orchestra, and an outstanding choir. Having heard rumors that the Mostly Mozart Festival orchestral musicians were not always the tightest group, this was certainly not the case tonight. My personal favorite was the choir, and lyric soprano Lisa Saffer. Lisa’s crystal clear voice was the perfect imitation of a flute and a bird in the “Sweet Bird” section (that song is hard!).

There are supposedly 32 little stories within this work, but what I picked up on was Mark’s ability to translate the music into perfectly compatible physical movements. While this sounds like an easy thing to do, Mark demonstrates the breadth of this skills by playing with this concept throughout the work. In the one of the movements, the featured dancer is the perfect embodiment of a bird, with spirit fingers to match the tiniest trills in the flute and voice. Equally stunning were the representations of flocks of geese, where the company of dancers appeared at first to fly together, and then without warning the second half of the flock separates off and assumes flying another direction. Mark mimics the layers of music by adding lines and layers of dancers. The effect is something like swimming in a pool of colors. In another movement, Mark shows his silly side with gender-bending roles of women carrying men, and better yet bottom smacking circles of boys which I think was part of an Accompagnato (but I cant be sure because I was distracted by bum-smacking – plus it was dark in there!). Who doesn’t love a choreographer that can make you laugh and feel like you’re watching something profound at the same time?

In any case, this is the perfect work to introduce someone new to the Mark Morris Dance Group, or to make you fall back in love with his works. “L’Allegro, il Penseroso” is stellar on every level, with beautiful music, exciting choreography, and stunning visuals. This show will run tomorrow and Saturday night (August 5-7) at Lincoln Center, so if you have a chance…this is NCP tested, approved, and recommended.

VISIONS

A concert where fashion and classical music converge. ‘Visions’ will will take our audience through a dream-like soundscape with music-inspired fashion in a beautiful, intimate venue.

Musicians will don fashion inspired by the music, designed by Edward Lorenz and Eri Wakiyama of Rag and Bone and Comme de Garcons, respectively.

This concert will feature Unsound Grounds performed by the composer himself, Trevor Gureckis, who regularly assists Phillip Glass on major projects. Also on the program are Glass’s Changing Opinion, Liebermann’s rarely performed Piano Trio No. 1, and Takemitsu’s Seasons (aka red and blue graphic score for live improvised percussion with tape!), which premiered in New York just a few months ago.

When fashion and classical music collide, the result is a beautiful visual and aural experience.

Meet and mingle with our artists at the after party- bar TBA!

Musicians: Walter Aparicio, Trevor Gureckis, Sugar Vendil, piano; Patti Kilroy, violin; Rebecca Dragonetti, cello; Amanda Hick, soprano; Jeffrey Eng, Laura Jordan, Frank Tyl, percussion.

Our last concert sold out, so try to get tickets soon!
20 adv/25 door
http://ncpvisions.eventbrite.com/

Gigi Burris x Screaming Mimi’s

Now you can be as glam as Nouveau Classical was at form/FIGURE and still pay rent this month! Gigi has created an affordable-yet-luxurious capsule collection for East Village vintage shop Screaming Mimi’s. We got a chance to preview the collection at GrandLifeNYC/Screaming Mimi’s/Gigi Burris Garden Party, which took place at The Yard at the SoHo Grand. Congrats, Gigi!

Feathers and Headgear

Thanks to all who came! And thanks to our wonderful musicians, designers Gigi Burris and Edward Lorenz, and artist Chris Rini.  Thanks to Yamaha for generously providing our piano! And to our generous volunteers: Michael Angeles, Trevor Gureckis, Ejay Jung, Jesse Patch, Jay Wadley. These amazing photos are by Frank Wang Photography. Looking forward to the next one…

LVMH x Parsons at Milk

Went to LVMH/Parsons “The Art of Craftsmanship Revisited” presentation at Milk last night, which was really amazing. Even got some press photos of me taken! Is it because I’m that cool? Or is it because Clint from Patrick McMullan is a nice guy?

Enjoy these photos, taken after a couple glasses of champagne (aka me making excuses for my lack of photography skills…)

Limited Edition Gigi Burris ‘Classical Music is Dead’ T-Shirt

List Price: $1,000.00
Our Price: $20.00

The shirts have arrived! More pics coming soon. Get them while you can, because there are a limited quantity in existence and some of our Kickstarter backers have already got dibs on them. At $20 a pop, these soon-to-be highly-coveted and unattainable tees are truly a deal. You can snag one here.

Get ready to be envied! Hope you can handle the overwhelming amount of attention this shirt may attract. We’d love to hear about any reactions, so feel free to send along photos and stories to info@nouveauclassical.org.

Score this shirt, get your name printed on our program, or receive a DVD of our show! Details here.

Coming Soon: ‘Classical Music is Dead*’ Tee Version 2.0

People are aware of all sorts of important causes and precious endangered species going extinct…but what about the survival of classical music? Or at least its relevance to people outside classical music-dom. Like philately (which used to be one of my favorite hobbies before the miniature works of art went adhesive), classical music has become one of those hobbies that contain a handful of middle-aged aficionados, who I’m sure want to see classical music (ahem, concert music) live beyond their lifetime.

So let’s make it happen! Our new and improved ‘Classical Music is Dead*’ tee, exclusively designed for us by Gigi Burris, will help get classical music in people’s heads and get you loads of attention. It sure did for Rachel, read about her shirt shenanigans here. These limited-edition gems are rare, so you’d better nab one fast and get ready to be stalked by paparazzi! Shirts arrive February 5…more info and pics coming soon.

Publicity for $1?! Your name in lights (ok, more like in ink on quality paper) at our next event! Details here.