On the second and final night of this year’s String Theories Festival, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn performs two world premieres by John King and J.G. Thirlwell, and a recent work by Lisa Renée Coons.
J.G. Thirlwell’s Exulansis is an urgent and cinematic work which explores escaping memories through the prism of the culture of fear and dread.
John King’s String Vectors II is an improvisational work conceived as a series of sonic ideas outlining the organization of time, in which sonic elements are revealed and bloom and fade organically, and through spontaneity and chance allow the work to unfold.
Lisa Renée Coons’s Vera’s Ghosts traces the trajectory of the composer’s grandmother into dementia.
Founded in 2007, The String Orchestra of Brooklyn has become an integral part of New York City’s vibrant and diverse musical landscape, bringing together creative instrumentalists, composers, and like-minded organizations and ensembles to collaborate on adventurous musical projects and present them to the public at an affordable price.
J.G. Thirlwell is a composer/producer/performer based in Brooklyn, NY. Born in Melbourne, he moved to London in 1978, then relocated to NYC in 1983, where he has been based ever since. As well as his own name, he works under many pseudonyms including Manorexia, Foetus, Xordox, Steroid Maximus, Baby Zizanie, Hydroze Plus, Clint Ruin and Wiseblood. Thirlwell has collaborated with a wide variety of artists including Karen O, Noveller, Excepter, Zola Jesus, Melvins, Swans, Nine Inch Nails, Lydia Lunch, The The, Coil, Z’s, Simon Hanes, Nick Cave and many more. J.G. also creates the musical score for the Emmy-winning FX show Archer, and for Adult Swim/Cartoon Network show The Venture Bros.
John King, composer, guitarist and violist, has received commissions from the Kronos Quartet; the Belgrade Philharmonic (co-commission with Aleksandra Vrebalov), Ethel; the Albany Symphony/“Dogs of Desire”, Bang On A Can All-Stars; Mannheim Ballet; New York City Ballet/Diamond Project, Stuttgart Ballet, Ballets de Monte Carlo; as well as the Merce Cunningham Dance Co. His string quartets have also been performed by the Eclipse Quartet (LA) and the Mondriaan Quartet (Amsterdam), in addition to the Secret Quartet which has premiered many of his compositions at The Stone (June 2007, May 2015), The Kitchen (April 2009), Lincoln Center Festival (July 2011); and Roulette (Oct. 2014).
Lisa Renée Coons is a composer and sound artist with a special affinity to noise composition, collaboration, and experimentation. She is dedicated to progressive art and focuses on partnerships with other artists and musicians as a means of developing innovative new works. Presently an Associate Professor of music composition at Western Michigan University, Lisa Renée received her PhD in Composition from Princeton University, her Master’s from SUNY Stony Brook and studied at the University of Missouri-Kansas City during her undergraduate degree. Her portfolio includes music for acoustic and electronic instruments, turntables, traditional ensembles, and her own welded sounding sculptures. Recent commissions include an evening-length work for The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and pieces for The American Composers Orchestra, The California E.A.R. Unit, Iktus Percussion Quartet, Dither Electric Guitar Quartet, the Machine Project for the Hammer Museum of Los Angeles, and the Violin Futura Project. Lisa Renée is a founding member of the bicoastal composers collective called, simply, The Collected.
