Spectrum and MISE-EN_PLACE begin their collaboration with “Exiles” concert # 2: Performers from Israel and the US present through-composed and improvised music. The 4 PM set features bassoonist Brad Balliett, who has degrees in music composition (Harvard) and bassoon performance (Rice). Brad has had recent composition commissions from Carnegie Hall, Cecelia Chorus and the Metropolis Ensemble. The 5 PM set has three distinct voices weaving a vivid, ever-shifting sound world: Electronic music artist Guy Barash, guitarist Nadav Lev, and vocalist Chanan Ben-Simon join forces for sonic explorations featuring original pieces, songs, and free improvisation. Guy’s music has been featured in Belgium, London, Japan, Israel, and across the U.S. Nadav has been described by composer and recording-industry executive Sean Hickey as “one of the greatest and most visionary guitarists working today.” Chanan is a vocalist, composer and a multimedia artist who was born in Jerusalem and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. His works include TV operas (‘The Weather Channel’ and ’Fire Heart’), multimedia stage pieces (‘The Unvoiced’, ‘Telepresence’), recorded music (‘Toy Store’ and ‘Party Tears’) and installations.
4 PM
Brad Balliett
Brad Balliett is a New York City-based bassoonist, composer, and educator. He is on faculty at The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, The Juilliard School, and Bard Prison Initiative, and has served as Artistic Director of Decoda, a chamber music collective in residence at Carnegie Hall. Brad attended Harvard College (summa cum laude, composition) and Rice University (bassoon performance).
In New York, Balliett often performs with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, the Knights, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and is a member of contemporary music ensembles Signal and Metropolis Ensemble. He has played full seasons with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Houston Symphony Orchestra and has appeared with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the International Contemporary Ensemble. During the summers, Balliett has spent time at the Marlboro, Tanglewood, Stellenbosch, Newport Jazz, and Lucerne Festivals. He has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony and Johannesburg Symphony Orchestras.
As a composer, Balliett has written orchestral, chamber, choral, operatic, and incidental music. Recent commissions have come from Carnegie Hall, Cecelia Chorus, Metropolis Ensemble, and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra Wind Ensemble. Balliett’s published compositions, including a widely-used book of bassoon studies and chamber music for a range of ensembles, are available through Long Echo Publications and the composer’s website. He spends his free time filming birds. His videos have been featured on local and national news stations.
Recent premieres include Migration Blindness, a concerto for violin and wind ensemble (Courtney Orlando and the Peabody Wind Ensemble), Swamp/Forest, a mixed sextet inspired by birds of South Carolina (Decoda), Field Guide to Birds of Inwood Hill Park, an interactive outdoor work for families in which wind players are scattered through a forest (Experiential Orchestra), and Tanbark Ridge (a wind quintet for The City of Tomorrow). Balliett’s work Arboretum matches instruments to specific trees to create an interactive singing forest and has been performed in arboretums across the country.
5 PM
Nadav Lev – guitars | Guy Barash – electronics | Chanan Ben-Simon – vocals
Three distinct voices weaving a vivid, ever-shifting sound world: electronic music artist Guy Barash, guitarist Nadav Lev, and vocalist Chanan Ben-Simon join forces for an evening of sonic explorations featuring original pieces, songs, and free improvisation.
Composer Guy Barash commonly juxtaposes improvised materials with composed ones creating an atmosphere where both performer and listener are invited to embrace uncertainty. His series of compositions for solo instruments and real-time digital signal processing, “Talkback,” which was hailed as being “at once divine, serene and haunting” (The Queens Chronicle). Developing innovative, multidisciplinary projects, Barash collaborates with a wide array of artists including poets, video-artists, and choreographers. His music has been featured in Belgium, London, Japan, Israel, and across the U.S. www.guybarash.com
Nadav Lev is an award-winning guitarist and composer praised for his versatility across classical, contemporary and improvised music. A winner of the prestigious Andrés Segovia Award, he has been described as “one of the greatest and most visionary guitarists working today” (Sean Hickey). Lev has collaborated with leading artists and ensembles including soprano/conductor Barbara Hannigan, choreographer Rina Schenfeld, the Mivos String Quartet, the Israel Contemporary Players, International Contemporary Ensemble and as soloist with conductors such as Ilan Volkov, Frédéric Chaslin, Fabián Panisello and Bar Avni. www.nadavlev.com
Chanan Ben Simon is a vocalist, composer and a multimedia artist, born in Jerusalem, resides in Brooklyn, NY. Chanan’s work combines voice, sound, visuals, installation art and new media. His works include TV operas (‘The Weather Channel’ and ’Fire Heart’), multimedia stage pieces (‘The Unvoiced’, ‘Telepresence’), recorded music (‘Toy Store’ and ‘Party Tears’) and installations. He also performs music by contemporary composers, as well as releases music under the name ‘Ben Simone’. www.chananbensimon.com