All genres—from rock to classical—collide in the Ecstatic Music Festival at the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Concert Hall. Be surprised by the new sounds churned out by the 120 collaborating songwriters, composers and performers from different musical backgrounds.
Eleven concerts take place January through March. The festival kicks-off January 25 with Shara Worden and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and continues through March 21.
The Ecstatic Music Festival is curated by Judd Greenstein and presented in association with New Amsterdam Presents. It includes three New Sounds® Live concerts hosted by WNYC’s John Schaefer, which will be webcast live on Q2 Music and taped for future broadcast on WNYC.
Most concerts are $25, $15 for students. Purchase advance tickets to three or more concerts for $20 each and a festival pass for $150.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Shara Worden & The Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Jerome L. Greene Performance Space
Manhattan
Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
The Brooklyn Youth Chorus will perform three songs – including two premieres – by Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, and sing additional songs with her.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Carla Kihlstedt, ICE, Causing a Tiger & Face the Music
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 7:30 pm
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer Carla Kihlstedt joins the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), to premiere Kihlstedt's "At Night We Walk in Circles and Are Consumed by Fire."
Ecstatic Music Festival: DJ /rupture & Zs
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Sat, Feb 02, 2013, 7:30 pm
The border-crossing bass visionary and turntable artist DJ /rupture will join Zs, one of “the strongest avant-garde bands in New York” (New York Times).
Ecstatic Music Festival: Clogs, Sarah Kirkland Snider & Orchestra for the Next Century
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Wed, Feb 06, 2013, 7:30 pm
Sarah Kirkland Snider's new work for seven vocalists and chamber orchestra, Unremembered, is a 13-song cycle set to poetry by poet/writer Nathaniel Bellows.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Deerhoof & Dal Niente with Marcos Balter
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Wed, Feb 20, 2013, 7:30 pm
The rock band Deerhoof and the contemporary ensemble Dal Niente will collaborate on a new work for the first time.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Laurel Halo, Julia Holter & Daniel Wohl with Transit
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Sat, Feb 23, 2013, 7:30 pm
Composer/performers Laurel Halo, Julia Holter and Daniel Wohl join forces for a new collaborative commission, performed by all three artists along with Wohl's TRANSIT ensemble.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Arnold Dreyblatt & Megafaun
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Wed, Feb 27, 2013, 7:30 pm
One of the more rock-oriented of American minimalists, the Berlin-based composer and media artist Arnold Dreyblatt collaborates with psych-folk band Megafaun.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Bang on a Can People’s Commissioning Fund Concert
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:30 pm
The Bang on a Can People’s Commissioning Fund is a radical partnership between artists and audiences to commission works from adventurous composers.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Joseph C. Phillips, Jr. & Imani Uzuri with Numinous
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Sat, Mar 16, 2013, 7:30 pm
The stunning vocalist and globally-inspired composer Imani Uzuri teams up with composer and Numinous ensemble founder Joseph C. Phillips, Jr. to perform new works commissioned for the festival.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Steven Mackey & Rinde Eckert with Big Farm & JACK Quartet
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Wed, Mar 20, 2013, 7:30 pm
Grammy winners Steven Mackey (composer/electric guitar) and Rinde Eckert (voice/accordion) present, for the first time, the complete set of songs from the forthcoming debut album by their band Big Farm.
Ecstatic Music Festival: Simone Dinnerstein & Tift Merritt
Merkin Concert Hall
Manhattan
Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 7:30 pm
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein and singer-songwriter Tift Merritt join forces in Night, a unique collaboration uniting folk, rock and classical worlds, exploring common terrain and uncovering new musical landscapes.