THURSDAY MAY 14, 2015, 8:00 PM, Admission by contribution ($10 suggested)
AMY X NEUBURG, A Variety of Voices
The Old Stone House
in Washington Park, 3rd Street & 5th Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn – Map
718-768-3195
Musical Ecologies continues Thursday May 14th with the multi-talented Oakland-based singer, performer and lyricist Amy X Neuburg. Known for her witty, technologically sophisticated avant-cabaret performances, Ms. Neuburg will present a new variety show that mixes favorites from her original repertoire with highlights from her recent interpretations of Song Drapes by the late Jerry Hunt, and a new song written for her by New York-based composer Conrad Cummings about which he writes: “The song grows out of my current obsession with Margaret Mead and Ayn Rand and public intellectuals in the 1950s and who’s remembered and who isn’t. It’s called ‘I Want to be Famous.’”
Musical Ecologies is a monthly symposium on music and sound held every 2nd Thursday (except where noted) at the Old Stone House in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Curated and hosted by composer Dan Joseph, each event typically focuses on a single artist who presents a work or project either in the form of a talk or lecture, a multimedia presentation, a performance, or combination thereof. Each presentation is preceded by a 30-minute conversation with the curator and audience.
About the artist:
Composer John Adams called Amy X Neuburg “the best thing to come out of Oakland since Jack London.” Amy has been developing her own brand of irreverently genre-crossing works for voice, live electronics and chamber ensembles for over 25 years, known for her innovative use of live looping technology with electronic percussion, her 4-octave vocal range and her colorful — often humorous — lyrics. One of the earliest performers to work with live digital looping, Amy has presented her solo “avant-cabaret” songs at such diverse venues as the Other Minds and Bang on a Can new music festivals, the Berlin International Poetry Festival, the Wellington and Christchurch Jazz Festivals (New Zealand), and the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.
As composer, commissions for voices and chamber ensembles — often with electronics — include Robin Cox Ensemble, Present Music, Pacific Mozart Ensemble chorus, and Del Sol String Quartet. Her acclaimed song cycle The Secret Language of Subways for voice, cello trio and electronics has played at Yerba Buena Center, the San Francisco Symphony After Hours, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Left Coast Festival. She has also composed extensively for theater, visual media and modern dance. Recent projects include a large-scale collaboration with the Paul Dresher Ensemble and a new commissioned interpretation of Jerry Hunt’s “Song Drapes.” As vocalist she toured and recorded with Robert Ashley’s operas and has premiered numerous works by contemporary composers.
Amy received degrees in linguistics and voice from Oberlin College and Conservatory and an MFA in electronic music from Mills College. Her many grants and honors include Arts International, The Gerbode Foundation, The U.S. Embassy New Zealand, and the Alpert/Ucross prize.
Amy X Neuburg photo by Liz Payne
Upcoming on Musical Ecologies: Craig Shepard & Beth O’Brien On Foot Brooklyn book release party (5/29)
Facebook event page: facebook.com/events/992982647379402/