Press Releases
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Binghamton Philharmonic Presents Free New Music Concert
The International Contemporary Ensemble performs
music of Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez and Others
Concert Hosted by Composer-in-Residence
On Sunday, March 16, 2008, at 3:00 p.m.
in the Anderson Center Chamber Hall at Binghamton University, the
Binghamton Philharmonic continues its new series of free
chamber music concerts, called South of the Border:
Explorations, examining the diverse world of contemporary
classical music. The concerts are hosted by the Binghamton
Philharmonic's composer-in-residence Carlos Sánchez-Gutiérrez.
The March 16 concert features a performance by the acclaimed New York and
Chicago-based International Contemporary Ensemble of music
by Carlos Sánchez-Gutiérrez (de Kooning Variations and
...and of course Henry the Horse...), Carolyn O'Brien
(Electrum), Ricardo Zohn-Mulddon (Jacaras) and
Edgar Guzman (Memento).
Admission to this concert is free and seating is by general admission. Call
607-723-3931 for further information. Advance
reservations are not necessary. This concert is co-sponsored
by the Binghamton University Music Department.
The South of the Border: Explorations series is
made possible by a grant from The New York State Music Fund,
established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller
Philanthropy Advisors. This performance is also made possible with
public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a
state agency. General Operating Support is provided to the Binghamton
Philharmonic by a grant from the United Cultural Fund, a
program of the Broome County Arts Council.
***
International Contemporary Ensemble
"In recent years the International Contemporary Ensemble has proved
itself one of the most adventurous and accomplished groups in new music."
Steve Smith, New York Times
"vivid, high-energy performances..." Allan Kozinn, New York Times
"It would be hard to overpraise the prodigiously talented, bracingly
idealistic and indefatigable ICE." - Michael Cameron, Chicago Tribune
"crackling virtuosity and palpable commitment...their music grabs the
listener by the lapels and refuses to let go." - John Von Rhein, Chicago
Tribune
"The group deserves the attention." Allan Kozinn, New York Times
The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is a
uniquely structured chamber music ensemble comprised of thirty dynamic and
versatile young performers who are dedicated to advancing the music of our
time. Through innovative programming, multimedia collaborations, commissions
by young composers, and performances in nontraditional venues, ICE brings
together new music and new audiences.
ICE was founded in 2001, and has rapidly established itself as one of the
leading new-music ensembles of its generation, winning first prize in the
2005 CMA/ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, and performing over
sixty concerts a year in the US and abroad. Recent engagements include
performances at the
Mostly Mozart Festival of Lincoln Center, the
Bang on a Can Marathon at the World Financial Center, the Composer
Portraits Series the
Miller Theatre, the
Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago,
CAL Performances in Berkeley, CA, the
Gardner Museum in Boston, and on tour in Latin America and Eastern
Europe. The ensemble will release three CDs in 2007, on the
Bridge Records,
Focus Recordings and
Naxos Records labels.
ICE has collaborated closely with many leading composers of our time. A
champion of music by emerging composers, ICE has also given over 300 world
premieres to date, and has performed the music of young composers from 25
different countries. In 2004, ICE launched the
21st Century Young Composers Project, a worldwide call-for-entries by
composers under the age of 35, which has culminated in the world premieres
of works by young composers in 25 different countries. ICE currently serves
as Ensemble-in-Residence at both
New York University and
Columbia College Chicago, and regularly conducts outreach activities
throughout the US and Mexico.
The International Contemporary Ensemble came into being in April 2000
when a grant from the Theodore Presser Foundation enabled the future
founding members, then students at the
Oberlin Conservatory of Music, to launch a year-long project to
commission and premiere five new works of chamber music in celebration of
the new millennium. As a result of a grassroots marketing campaign, the
concert of world premieres attracted a standing-room crowd at Oberlin's
750-seat concert hall. This experience - the integration of groundbreaking
new work, new talent, and the beginning of a new and diverse following -
became the touchstone for the creation of ICE.