NYC Performing Arts Spaces Blog

Have Your Voice Heard! Our Surveys on "Economic Realities" Close Tomorrow (June 11)

Posted by Emily Bowles, on June 10, 2010 - 0 comments

Tags: musicians, dancers, economic impact, choreographers, actors, survey

We don't repeat ourselves unless it is very important.  And this really is.

NYCPAS is conducting two surveys -- for performing artists and cultural facilities/venues -- that will help government administrators, legislators and policy makers better understand and respond to the impact of the recession on New York City artists.

 

Please take five minutes to tell us about your current professional activities and economic situation.  Whether or not you responded to our surveys in the past, your input today is critical, particularly in light of recent proposed cuts to culture and the arts in New York City and New York State budgets.

 

Take the 5-minute survey for Performing Artists now!

Take the 5-minute survey for Arts Venues & Cultural Facilities now!

 

Both surveys close Friday, June 11th.

Your participation is vital! 

 

These surveys follow up on similar ones taken in 2008 and 2009, and are part of our ongoing effort to accurately gauge the extent to which the recession has impacted New York City artists.

Survey results will be made publicly available, and responses will remain anonymous.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@nycPASpaces.org.

Composers' Spotlight: Steven Rosenhaus at Flushing Town Hall

Posted by Emily Bowles, on June 8, 2010 - 0 comments

Tags: composers, residencies

Steven Rosenhaus is one of six composers chosen as winners of the 2010 Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program.  A composer, arranger, conductor, lyricist, author, and educator, Steven plays guitar, mandolin, and keyboards and began composing music while in his teens.  He recently told me about his current projects and goals for his time in residence at Flushing Town Hall.

Steven, what have been some of your inspirations when composing?

Other music is certainly one; although I make a concerted effort to not duplicate something I’ve heard and like, I do allow it to inform what I do.  Another source of inspiration is language; I love to play with words and their meanings.  For example, my composition  “Mission Music” for solo marimba has three movements: “Emission,” “Transmission,” and “Admission,” and the music for each is based on the dictionary definitions of those words. 

 

I’m also interested in taking steps out of my comfort zone, and trying something I’ve never tried before, whether it’s an orchestrational technique or a harmonic language, or some combination of things.  I like the idea of saying, “What happens if I do this, and how can I make that really musical?”

Can you tell us a bit about your current commissions?

I received a commission for the U.S. Navy School of Music to celebrate the school’s 75th anniversary.  It is for concert band, and it will be premiered at the school in Norfolk, Virginia.  The piece is called “Unbreakable” and refers in oblique ways to the men and women who serve our country.  The Navy School actually trains musicians for the Navy, Army, and Marines, to go into the various bands stationed across the U.S. and around the world.  

Next up is a large-scale work for the New York Repertory Orchestra, which is conducted by David Leibowitz.  Right now I’m working out the basic concepts and sketching out not only musical ideas (thematic material, etc.), but also thoughts about structure and even some special things dealing with the space in which the orchestra performs.

And I recently received a commission for a work for trombone and organ.  This should be an interesting commission to fulfill, as I’ve never written for organ before.  I’ll be doing my “due diligence” and researching organs and the basics of how to write for them.  I’m also planning on meeting with an organist or two so my experience is more “hands on” (“ears on”?).

How has the Con Edison Residency helped you?

The residency has helped by giving me a wonderful space -- make that a choice of wonderful spaces within Flushing Town Hall -- in which to work without distractions.  Knowing that I “have” to come to the Hall to work helps me keep track of my time.  The stipend is appreciated as well.

What’s challenging and what's rewarding about being a composer working in NYC and, specifically, in Queens?

The most challenging aspect of being a composer in NYC is that I am by no means the only one. There are literally thousands of us, and I would say -- thanks to great schools like the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College -- that a fair percentage live right here in Queens. 

 

On the other hand, it’s a positive thing to be a composer from New York City.  There’s a perception that being a New York composer is something special.  To my mind that’s not true, but it does allow me to develop opportunities outside the NYC limits.

What’s next on your professional horizon following the end of your residency?

In the fall I will be back to teaching composition at New York University, serving as an adjunct assistant professor.  I’m also in the rewrite stage of a new book, The Concertgoers' Guide to the Symphony Orchestra, for E.F. Kalmus and The Musical Gifts Company.  And I have the premiere of an older work, a lute concerto, scheduled for February 2011.

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Visit his website to learn more about Steven Rosenhaus and his music.  To receive the first announcement of future residencies, sign up for the NYC Performing Arts Spaces email newsletter.

LMCC to Accept Swing Space Applications Beginning June 8th

Posted by Emily Bowles, on June 2, 2010 - 0 comments

Tags: rehearsal space, residencies, lower manhattan, lmcc

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) will be accepting online applications for the next session of its Swing Space residency program beginning next Tuesday, June 8th, 2010. The program currently offers Rehearsal Space at 14 Wall Street for visual and performing artists and arts groups.

 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the information session before applying for Swing Space. LMCC staff will review the application guidelines and project categories, and answer questions about the selection and placement process.

 

The information session will be held on Thursday, July 8th, 7 PM at 14 Wall Street.   RSVP is required.

 

More information about how to apply is available on the LMCC wesbite.

Tour the Bronx Arts Scene by Trolley -- Tonight!

Posted by Emily Bowles, on June 2, 2010 - 0 comments

Tags: theatre, free event, music, dance, bronx, poetry

Maybe it's because of all those episodes of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" that I watched as a child, but I just can't resist a trolley ride.  And why should one resist at all when the trolley will take you to the hottest arts and culture spots in the Bronx?

 

It's the first Wednesday of the month, so hop aboard the Bronx Culture Trolley tonight. 

 

NewYorkology's Anna Links calls it "not your mama’s gallery walk...Much more than a wine and cheese gallery reception, the Culture Trolley experience is essentially an open house for the South Bronx’s lively arts scene... On a standard trolley night, the [Bronx Council on the Arts] arranges an itinerary that includes music, theater, visual arts, vendors, openings, private tours, poetry readings and dance. It’s a showcase, and the Bronx is proud of what it has to show you."

 

Catch the trolley at Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos, on the campus of Hostos Community College at 450 Grand Concourse. It departs at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 PM for other venues in the South Bronx Cultural Corridor.   You'll want this venue information, featured acts, and a map. 

 

Thank you, Bronx Council on the Arts, for making the trolley ride and admission to participating venues along its route free.  All aboard!  Lady Elaine Fairchild would approve...

$5/hour Dance Rehearsal Space Could Be Yours

Posted by Emily Bowles, on May 27, 2010 - 0 comments

Tags: rehearsal space, residency, dance

From our collagues at The Field:

Field Artist Residency: Summer Applications Due Monday, June 7th

The Field Artist Residency supports the creative endeavors of artists as they work toward an upcoming production.

This summer, nine artists will be selected to develop their work with the support of a regular rehearsal schedule. Participants receive three months of rehearsal space and an individual consultation at The Field. Artists can use the residency to begin a new piece, rehearse an existing work, or engage in related creative processes that will move them toward a solid performance run. A consultation is offered for feedback on written materials, or to discuss project planning, goals, working challenges, fundraising or marketing plans, or other topics.

 

Let's summarize.  For $325 participants receive:

* More than 65 hours of rehearsal space (that's $5 per hour!)

* One individual consultation

Nine artists will be selected to develop their work with the support of a regular rehearsal schedule, June 28 to September 19.

 

The program is currently only open to dance artists. Eligible applicants have a full or half-evening performance date confirmed with a theater (or other venue open to the public) between September 5, 2010 and September 19, 2011. Both self-produced and presented productions are welcome. You do not have to be a Field Member to apply.

 

Applications Due Monday, June 7th @ 5 PM (in office).

 

Learn more on The Field's website.