Live Music Returns to MoMA’s Sculpture Garden with Summergarden 2013

Summergarden 2013: New Music for New York
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden
Sunday evenings, July 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2013
Sculpture Garden opens at 7:00 p.m. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m.
Admission is FREE

NEW YORK, — The Museum of Modern Art‘s Summergarden: New Music for New York free concert series returns to The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden for four Sunday evenings beginning July 7, 2013. Summergarden, a tradition since 1971, is part of MoMA‘s long history of presenting contemporary classical music and jazz. MoMA once again welcomes the collaboration of its programming partners, The Juilliard School and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Members of the New Juilliard Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Joel Sachs, perform on July 7 and 21, offering two distinctive programs of contemporary compositions, all of which are receiving their New York premieres. Jazz at Lincoln Center has selected two up-and-coming jazz groups whose concerts on July 14 (Melissa Aldana Quartet) and July 28 (Aaron Diehl Trio) emphasize original works, each with one New York premiere.

Summergarden is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Entrance to Summergarden is through the Sculpture Garden gate on West 54th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. The Sculpture Garden opens at 7:00 p.m., and concerts start at 8:00 p.m. and run approximately one hour to 90 minutes. The Sculpture Garden closes at 10:00 p.m. In the event of rain, concerts will be held in The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby, and the Museum‘s 54th Street entrance will open at 7:30 p.m. The Garden Bar sells gelato and seasonal sorbetto from Il Laboratorio del Gelato, with sweet and savory treats from Cafe 2. Prosecco, New York State wines, American craft beer, specialty coffees, and bottled water are also available for purchase.

The exhibition galleries are closed during Summergarden. See MoMA.org/summergarden for details. Summergarden is made possible by a partnership with Volkswagen of America. Additional support is provided by Paul D. Shein and family, in memory of Ethel P. Shein.

Summergarden 2013 Schedule

July 7
Juilliard Concert I: New Music for Mixed Ensembles
Members and Alumni of the New Juilliard Ensemble: Joel Sachs, conductor; Jessica Han, flutes; Weixiong Wang, clarinets; Sam Budish, percussion; Naomi Causby, piano; Alex Shiosaki and Alexandra Boyanova, violins; Jiwon Kim, viola; Jonathan Lo, cello

-Nigel Westlake (Australia, b. 1958)
Refractions at Summer Cloud Bay (1989)—Western hemisphere premiere
Refractions at Summer Cloud Bay, commissioned by the Australia Ensemble, was named Classical Composition of the Year by the Australian Performing Rights Association. The work is in four short movements, and, as Mr. Westell writes, “the title serves to suggest images of light on water, the sun‘s rays dancing on the ocean, refracted light changing color at every moment.”

-Ted Goldman (United States, b. 1983)
digidigidha (2011)—New York premiere
digidigidha was commissioned by Canada‘s Banff Centre, where it premiered. Unlike a traditional composition where different versions compete, with one selected, to create the final score, in this piece different versions coexist and then coalesce halfway through.

-Joe Duddell (United Kingdom, b. 1972)
Grace Under Pressure (2007)—Western hemisphere premiere
Mr. Duddell writes: “Strong riffs (or motifs) can help audiences navigate their way through this piece. It is intended to be a ’fun’ piece in the same way composers use the world ’bagatelle’—something and nothing, and not to be seen as a profound statement.”

-Reza Vali (Iran/United States, b. 1952)
Folk Songs—Set no. 15 (1999)—New York premiere
This is the 15th set in an ongoing cycle of Persian folk songs that Mr. Vali has been writing since 1978. Its seven movements are each composed in the style of an imaginary folk song, with thematic and motivic material that interrelates all the movements and reappears in the last movement as a summary of the entire composition.

July 14
Jazz Concert I: Melissa Aldana Quartet

Melissa Aldana, tenor saxophone; Glenn Zaleski, piano; Pablo Menares, bass; Jochen Rueckert, drums
From Santiago, Chile, the tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, who is in her early 20s, has already released two albums. For her Summergarden concert, she and her quartet will present the premiere of Turning, a long-form tune with several sections based on Latin American rhythms as well as on contemporary jazz. It thus reflects her own experience of coming to New York City from Chile. The title derives from the form of the work, which moves to different sections that the composer calls “sonic neighborhoods.”

July 22
Juilliard Concert II: New Music for String Quartet
Members of the New Juilliard Ensemble: Elizabeth Derham and Maria Im, violins; Kim Mai Nguyen, viola; Paul Dwyer, cello

Aleksandr Lasoń (Poland, b. 1951)
String Quartet no. 4, “Of Tarnowskie Góry” (2000)—Western hemisphere premiere
Although not explicitly depictive, Mr. Lasoń‘s String Quartet no. 4 is dedicated to lovers of the region of Tarnowskie Góry, an ancient, picturesque town northeast of Kraków. The quartet, composed in 2000 on a commission from a regional association, was premiered the Silesian Quartet, a distinguished Polish group known for its dedication to new music.

Elinor Armer (United States, b. 1939)
String Quartet 2011 (2011)—New York premiere
Ms. Armer writes: “String Quartet 2011 was inspired by circular images. It is organized around human experiences of circularity—from confinement to fulfillment, from stasis to mobility, from repression to expression, from departure to return—in an arch form with quintuple meters.”

Alessandro Annunziata (Italy, b. 1968)
String Quartet no. 1, “Griko” (2011)—United States premiere
Mr. Annunziata says, “The quartet is based on the lively musical forms and melodic inflections of Salento—a region in southern Italy that was a Greek colony in ancient times.” The composer draws on and elaborates this folk material in his four-movement composition.artet no. 4 is dedicated to lovers of the region of Tarnowskie Góry, an ancient, picturesque town northeast of Kraków. The quartet, composed in 2000 on a commission from a regional association, was premiered the Silesian Quartet, a distinguished Polish group known for its dedication to new music.

July 29
Jazz Concert II: Aaron Diehl Trio
Aaron Diehl, piano; Paul Sikivie, bass; Lawrence Leathers, drums
The pianist and composer Aaron Diehl is committed to unearthing the treasures of the jazz aesthetic through collaborative efforts with musicians across generations. The 2011 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz of the American Pianists Association, he has won many other accolades and awards. His trio displays the delightful, easygoing confidence of an ensemble whose personalities are in perfect harmony. Mr. Diehl will premiere a new composition at Summergarden. He writes, “My compositions focus on the musicians with whom I perform, featuring them in various contexts while continuously highlighting the ensemble dynamic. My personal aesthetic draws on a broad range of influences in the language of jazz.”

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ABOUT THE NEW JUILLIARD ENSEMBLE:
The Juilliard School established this country’s standard for performing arts education in music in 1905, adding dance in 1951, and as a Lincoln Center founding member, adding acting in 1968. More recently, Juilliard added programs in playwriting, jazz, historical performance, and in 2012, an MFA in drama. Partner programs explore Juilliard‘s resources, as with the Metropolitan Opera‘s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program; faculty appointments such as the New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert; and shared supervision of The Academy with Carnegie Hall, Weill Music Institute, and the New York City Department of Education. Juilliard‘s 800 students come from 43 U.S. states and 40 foreign countries. They participate in more than 700 annual performances, in five theaters inside Juilliard‘s newly renovated building, plus Alice Tully, Avery Fisher, and Carnegie Halls. For further information, please visit juilliard.edu.

ABOUT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER:
The mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center is to entertain, enrich, and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy. We believe that jazz is a metaphor for democracy because jazz is improvisational, it celebrates personal freedom and encourages individual expression; jazz is swinging, it dedicates that freedom to finding and maintaining common ground with others; and jazz is rooted in the blues, it inspires us to face adversity with persistent optimism. With the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and guest artists spanning genres and generations, Jazz at Lincoln Center produces thousands of performance, educational, and broadcast events each season in its home in New York City (Frederick P. Rose Hall, “The House of Swing”) and around the world, for people of all ages. Jazz at Lincoln Center is led by Chairman Robert J. Appel, Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, and Executive Director Greg Scholl. For more information, please visit jalc.org.

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MoMA NIGHTS:
Thursdays, July 4, 11, 18, and 25; August 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29
Live music set at 6:30 p.m., The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden (weather permitting)
Regular admission applies. In the event of rain, the Sculpture Garden will close, and music will take place indoors in one of the Museum theaters. Sculpture Garden and indoor seating are limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. The MoMA Nights 2013 music series includes indie acts selected by MoMA‘s PopRally committee (July 4, 11, 18, and 25), and concerts related to the exhibitions Soundings: A Contemporary Score (August 1, 8, and 15) and American Modern: Hopper to O’Keeffe (August 22 and 29). Further information: MoMA.org/nights

MoMA SUMMER HOURS: Monday: 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Thursday: 10:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. (July and August)
Friday: 10:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. (Uniqlo Free Friday Nights begin at 4:00 p.m.)
Saturday: 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Sunday : 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.


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Public Information:
The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019, (212) 708-9400, MoMA.org.
Hours: Saturday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Museum Admission: $25 adults; $18 seniors, 65 years and over with I.D.; $14 full-time students with current I.D. Free, members and children 16 and under. (Includes admittance to Museum galleries and film programs.) Free admission during Uniqlo Free Friday Nights: Fridays, 4:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
MoMA.org: No service charge for tickets ordered on MoMA.org. Tickets purchased online may be printed out and presented at the Museum without waiting in line. (Includes admittance to Museum galleries and film programs.)
Film and After Hours Program Admission: $12 adults; $10 seniors, 65 years and over with I.D.; $8 full-time students with current I.D. The price of an After Hours Program Admission ticket may be applied toward the price of a Museum admission ticket or MoMA Membership within 30 days.