METROPOLIS ENSEMBLE PRESENTS: PIANO AS MACHINE: TIMBRE AND TECHNOLOGY OF A MOST FAMILIAR INSTRUMENT

An artist talk featuring composer Patrick Higgins and pianist Conrad Tao in which the surprising history of the keyboard will be examined from a contemporary and creative perspective — Tao and Higgins will engage their own theories of the piano as a timbral and gestural mechanism against the historical literature for the instrument and within the context of creating new innovative works for one our most overtly established “classical” machines.

This talk will be presented in anticipation of the  upcoming premiere of Higgins’ work “Toccata and Fugue” written especially for Tao and developed in close conversation between the two artists.

BLUEPRINTS unites pianists from different musical genres for eclectic concerts that present traditional classical music alongside contemporary works (including premieres), jazz and free improvisation. Co-founded by Daniel Anastasio and Erika Dohi, these unusually varied programs are each inspired by an aesthetic theme or blueprint. In Visible Roads, co-created with Metropolis Ensemble, represents its first major artistic collaboration with another performing organization, with the goal of enriching the community of pianists, composers, and instrumentalists alike through creating and fostering new collaborative relationships.
Yamaha CF6 premium grand piano provided by Yamaha Artist Services New YorkPhoto credit: © Pedro Barbeito — James Webb I — 2013 — private collection Washington, D.C. (detail)

Doors open at 6:30pm, show at 7:00pm. Because of the generous support of their followers, Metropolis Ensemble is thrilled to offer their pop-up venue at 1 Rivington as a place for new projects and works of music to take shape, at little to no cost to artists. Select artists are given the opportunity not only to share finished works, but to use the platform to craft ideas into tangible realities.