This program adapts the idea of a traditional open mic for a new music context with the chamber orchestral forces of Contemporaneous serving as the band, providing an opportunity for composers of all ages and skill levels to submit their work at any stage of its development for a free performance. Composers are free to take risks, try out new material, and hear their music performed in an open environment by the extraordinary musicians of the Contemporaneous ensemble. The open mic will be free to the public as a space for creative community where artists from all backgrounds are welcome to gather, see, hear, and chat about their dreams and imaginations.
The event will also be professionally recorded, so that all composers involved can receive top-notch recordings of their work.
Food and drink will be provided.
Instrumentation is TBD based on audience submissions of pieces that Contemporaneous will be reading.
Contemporaneous is an ensemble of 25 musicians whose mission is to bring to life the most transformative music by living composers through performances, commissions, recordings, and educational programs. Described as “exact and detailed, but also lively and openly dancing” (The New York Times) and “leading new music towards its better self” (I Care If You Listen), Contemporaneous particularly champions the creation of large-scale works and “dream projects,” which composers might not otherwise have opportunities to realize due to scale.
Based in New York City and active throughout the United States, Contemporaneous has premiered over 200 new works, and has been presented by such institutions as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Park Avenue Armory, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, PROTOTYPE Festival, Merkin Concert Hall, MATA Festival, St. Ann’s Warehouse, and Bang on a Can and has worked with such artists as David Byrne, Donnacha Dennehy, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Dawn Upshaw, and Julia Wolfe. Contemporaneous’ programming has also received acclaim from community members, artists, and press of all kinds, with the ensemble’s recent performance of Stranger Love being listed as one of 2023’s “best classical music performances” by the New York Times.
Contemporaneous also leads participatory programs for public school students in the communities where the ensemble performs. These workshops are designed to instill a passion for new music and to convey the power of careful listening and meaningful expression through music. The ensemble has held residencies at such institutions as Colgate University, Hamilton College, City University of New York, the University of New Orleans, Williams College, and Bard College, where the group was founded in 2010. Contemporaneous is a federally tax-exempt not-for-profit organization, supported by a dedicated community of listeners.
