Author Archives: Christina

Beth Soll: Two Red Solos
and a review by Deborah Jowitt

Two Red Solos: A Formal Response (2021) 8 minutes

Beth Soll Choreographer
Ethan Mass Videographer and editor

Dancers
Beth Soll
Abby Dias

The formal nature of Two Red Solos grew out of special circumstances that were both limiting and stimulating. Because of Covid, we worked on uneven ground in a beautiful, green public park next to the Hudson River. We were regaled with the music of the nearby highway and the sounds of insects, birds, and people. The 50+ year age difference between dancer Abby Dias and me also influenced my choreographic decisions. The quarantine rules required us to stay far apart, so I choreographed two separate solos: one for each of us. Our cameraman and editor, Ethan Mass made it possible to create a filmed version of the two solos. In the film, we dance these individual solos at the same time, but often in two different frames. In the post-Covid era, we hope to join our solos in a duet.

Beth Soll bethsollandcompany.org

Deborah Jowitt Review

Artsjournal.com
May 27, 2021

Excerpt
Sometimes they’re together in the verdant space and the camera’s eye; at other times, each occupies half of a split screen. Co-director Mass doesn’t keep his camera still either.

Maybe one woman seems to hasten into a close-up. Maybe one screen blacks out for a second. The dancers rush away and become tiny, or hurry toward us, becoming larger. Briefly the editors layer one moving image on top of another. Cuts occur. One half of the screen may briefly go dark.

I love watching Soll and Dias slip into unison and then slide out of it. They also move in canons with each other and, once, build a fugue. The image the two create is—almost—that of a friendship: they like being creative individually but enjoy coming together to confirm their amity. The differences between them are as interesting as the similarities

Two red solos. The performers’ responses to the title may be formal, and the two of them never touch. but their simultaneous solos seethe with the implications of togetherness and isolation that at present shape our daily lives.

Read the entire review
https://www.artsjournal.com/dancebeat/2021/05/red-on-green/

David Greenspan
Radio Play: The Memory Motel

Tickets: FREE

BOOK NOW

Written by David Greenspan
Directed by Morgan Green

Michael S. Michaels returns to a beach resort in order to piece together and better understand the fragments of his past. While he’s there, he encounters a series of eccentric characters with whom he discusses art, philosophy, and the peculiarities of memory. Obie-award-winning playwright and actor David Greenspan (The Bridge of San Luis Rey) returns to Two River with this brand-new radio play crafted with his unique blend of fancy, theatricality, and wit.

Cast

Joshua Avery Begelman
David Greenspan
Paul John
Keilly McQuail
Steven Ratazzi
Mary Schultz
Pete Simpson
Paco Tolson
Kevin Veloz

Reserve your free ticket and you will automatically be emailed the password to access the radio play in your confirmation email. In addition, the hour following your reservation you will receive an email with the login link, password and additional resources to enhance your experience.

BOOK NOW

You will be able to access the stream as often as you’d like through June 6/2021. Closed Captioning on an audio spectrum visualizer is available. Total listening time: 50 minutes.

Jeffrey Middleton & Raguel Gabriel: SCHWANENGESANG
by Franz Schubert

Live from Merkin Hall NYC
June 12, 2021 at 8Pm. Live Streamed

JOIN EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/518139139355066/

RTG Productions Presents:
Franz Schubert’s Schwanengesang

Trinidadian tenor Raguel Gabriel, and American pianist Jeffrey Middleton, join forces for a virtual, multi-camera livestreamed performance of Schubert’s beloved and unforgettable Schwanengesang, from the concert stage of Merkin Hall in New York City via kaufmanmusiccenter.org on Saturday June 12th at 8 pm. A musical journey searing with a myriad of emotions, Schubert’s final set of songs will be performed in the order as published after his death. Highlights include the famous ‘Standchen’, the turbulent ‘Aufenthalt’ and the bone-chilling masterpiece, ‘Der Doppelganger’.

The program is hosted by Raguel Gabriel and Emilotte Persson.

PROGRAM

Franz Schubert’s Schwanengesang

Liebesbotschaft
Kriegers Ahnung
Frühlingssehnsucht
Ständchen
Aufenthalt
In der Ferne
Abschied
Der Atlas
Ihr Bild
Das Fischermädchen
Die Stadt
Am Meer
Der Doppelgänger
Die Taubenpost

ABOUT SCHWANENGESANG

Schwanengesang is Schubert’s last set of songs written just before his death in 1828 and published posthumously in 1829. The collection, to this day, is considered to be among the greatest and most moving of all his works. The poems set to music by Schubert were written by German poets Ludwig Rellstab, Heinrich Heine and Johann Gabriel Seidl. It is Schubert’s only song set featuring poems written by more than one poet. Despite this, the pieces are connected with an ever present theme of desire with poignant explorations of the human experience, love, lust, heartbreak and resignation.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Raguel Gabriel is a Trinidadian classically trained singer and actor. He studied for many years in his homeland at The Key Academy of Music and Alfred Wallace’s School of Music. His desire for further training in acting took him to LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) and then the Stella Adler Studio of Acting (NYC) where he graduated from the three year professional conservatory. Operatic roles performed on stage include Tamino in Die Zauberflote (Mozart), Hoffmann in Les contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach), Alfred in Die Fledermaus (Strauss II) and Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas (Purcell). He also interpreted musical theatre roles including Tony in West Side Story and Marius in Les Miserables. NYC acting credits include Antonio in The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare), Sorin in The Seagull (Chekov) and the title role in Othello (Shakespeare). He continues to forge a very unique path expressing himself passionately in the areas of both drama and music, as actor and singer. Raguel is currently based in the United States.

Dr. Jeffrey Middleton is an American pianist and musician based in New York City. A graduate of The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music, his varied career includes solo and chamber music performances, vocal coaching, accompanying and teaching. Middleton’s debut recital in 1995 was at the Weill Hall at the prestigious Carnegie Hall where he was presented by Artists International Inc. Career highlights include his critically acclaimed recordings of Book II of Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier (One Soul Records) and ‘Cathay’ a recording of solo piano pieces composed by Joseph Fennimore for Albany Records. Further collaborations with Fennimore include 23 Romances for Piano (2015) and From My Window (2018) also on Albany Records. He has toured Taiwan, Switzerland and South Africa among other countries. In June 2021 Middleton received the Mae L. Wien Faculty Award for distinguished service from the School of American Ballet, from where he is about to retire after thirty six years on the Music Faculty.

Read the Profile in Arts Interview with Jeffrey Middleton HERE

You’re Never Too Old to Play
Workshop Performance

You’re Invited!

Thursday, May 20th
11:30AM-12:30PM
Register here: http://bit.ly/RegistrationMay20

You’re Never Too Old to Play, an improvisational theater workshop for seniors sponsored by the Westbeth Artists Residents Council and supported by Little Island (the new public park opening at 14th Street in Hudson River Park), presents a work-in-progress workshops on Zoom. PigPen Theatre Co., Artists-in-Residence of Little Island, will help us facilitate.

If you’d like to join us, here’s what you need to do:

1. Register here: http://bit.ly/RegistrationMay20
2. Once you’re registered, you will receive an email with instructions from the host of the
webinar with the link to the Presentation. (Be aware that this email might land in your junk mail as spam, because it comes from an unknown sender)

Nancy Gabor initiated ‘You’re Never Too Old to Play’ in 2018, a weekly workshop in the Westbeth Community Room for a diverse group of 17 players from 65 to 95 years old. Paul Binnerts joined Nancy to help develop stories a short time later.

COVID 19 stopped the in-person classes, so the workshop continued on Zoom. The focus was on breathing, playful improvisations, and story development based on our experiences and memories stimulated by the global pandemic.

We are excited to share this work with you and show a sampling of amazing stories.

Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet
Impulso Tanguero

Pedro Giraudo, the Latin Grammy winner bassist and composer, will release his contemporary tango album Impulso Tanguero on May 28, 2021. Performed by his quartet of virtuoso musicians, the album showcases 9 original compositions that take tango beyond genre boundaries while adhering to its rich musical past.

The Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet’s new album is a classic example of Pedro Giraudo’s contemporary tango style which so elegantly and seamlessly crosses over to the world of chamber music.

One of the most compelling tango artists right now, Pedro Giraudo has always been passionate about taking this musical genre into new territories. With immense respect for its roots and rich musical past, he is an active ambassador of tango and a proponent of its evolution. The quartet’s fervent and virtuosic musical style takes elements from Argentine tango, American jazz, and European classical music, and at times even some Brazilian traditions — and combines them gracefully and organically.

The New York City based Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet is composed of four of the most prominent musicians in the tango world: Nick Danielson, violin; Rodolfo Zanetti, bandoneon; Ahmed Alom, piano; and Pedro Giraudo, bass. The deep musical and personal connection between these musicians add another dimension to the music they create in unison.

Pre Save to Spotify and iTunes

https://fanlink.to/impulsotanguero

Listen

Private label link for press
https://tigerturn.eonedistribution.com/play/211/f7ffa43bbcfc0c192158f7731cc25e154b40358f/

Review

“His arrangements have the ducking countermelodies and cross talk of a Bob Brookmeyer chart, and the feisty footwork of Astor Piazzolla’s up-tempo tunes.”
– Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times

Personnel

Nick Danielson (violin)
Assistant Concertmaster of the NYC Ballet Orchestra, and enjoys a distinguished career in both the classical and tango worlds.

Rodolfo Zanetti (bandoneón)
Recognized as one of the most prominent bandoneonists in the United States, performing at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Ahmed Alom (piano)
Considered a prodigy since the age of 14, winning many first prizes on piano competitions, and now living in New York, where he continues to garner acclaim.

Pedro Giraudo (bass and compositions)
Among the many noteworthy events in Pedro Giraudo’s career, he recorded bass on Ruben Blades’ CD “Tangos”, which won a Grammy and a Latin Grammy. He is also one of U.S.’s most prominent tango artists including Pablo Ziegler, Hector Del Curto, and Luis Bravo’s “Forever Tango”.

More Info

Website
www.pedrogiraudo.com

Westbeth Artist Page
Pedro Giraudo

Contact:
Cantaloupe Management, Ellen Azorin, ellenazorin@gmail.com – 212-724-2400

Jonathan Bauch
Visual Rhythms

Jonathan Bauch
‘TheSteel”
Featured in Carter Burden Gallery show opening May 27, 2021
Painted steel. 64 x 37 x 18 inches

VISUAL RHYTHMS


May 27 – June 23, 2021

Carter Burden Gallery
548 West 28th Street 5th Fl
New York, NY

An exhibition of abstract contemporary art that features color -used in both two and three dimensions,

Jonathan Bauch – works in steel sculpture
Greg Brown – paints dancing intertwining forms

Melika Dave
Art on the Ave NYC

Art on Avenue NYC

A public arts initiative dedicated to community regeneration and the elevation of local artists.

Current Exhibition: Live the Village
April 15th – July 8th, 2021
Link: https://www.artontheavenyc.com

Melika Dave

“Joseph”
Mixed Media on Paper

Located in storefront at east side of Hudson St between Perry and Charles Its in West Village

“I use my expressionistic approach to painting to tell the story of the New Yorkers I love and appreciate. It is important for me to capture my neighbors, to capture the strength, solidarity and resilience of my community and to speak to the pulse and movement of the city. I have spent recent years building community with empathetic, affirming artists and cultural workers in New York City and this work is an ode to the multiplicity and nuance of that community.”

Melika Dave Links
Melika Dave at ArtonAveNYC.com

Melika Dave website