Pianist Vicky Chow – known for her work with Meredith Monk, George Lewis, Bang on a Can All-Stars and many others – will perform 3 works by composer Michael J. Schumacher. These pieces were composed in the 1990s and are officially premiering at Roulette. They range in style from the fully notated, maze-like structure of New York 1998 to the minimalist, clanging, partly improvised Vienna 1994. Schumacher will also perform a set of newer works for electronics and piano.
Vicky Chow piano
Michael J. Shumacher piano and electronics
A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing. Watch below or on YouTube.
Hong Kong/Canadian pianist Vicky Chow has been described as “brilliant” (New York Times) and “one of our era’s most brilliant pianists” (Pitchfork). Since joining the Bang on a Can All-Stars in 2009, she has collaborated and worked with composers/artists/ensembles/orchestras such as Tania León, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, George Lewis, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Sasha Waltz Dance Company, Doug Varone Dance Company, BBC Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Symphonietta Riga, International Contemporary Ensemble, The Knights, Tyshawn Sorey, Andy Akiho, John Zorn, Gong Linna, Kronos Quartet, Longleash Trio, Trinity Choir, Wet Ink Ensemble, Yarn/Wire, and Momenta Quartet to name a few. She has toured over 40 countries and has performed in various venues in New York including Carnegie Hall, Guggenheim Museum, MOMA, MOMA PS1, Park Avenue Armory, National Sawdust, The Shed, and Roulette, as well as Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, EMPAC in Troy, New York, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre, Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms in London, L’auditori in Barcelona, Tivoli Vrendenburg in Utrecht Netherlands, ZKM in Karlsruhe Germany, City Recital Hall in Sydney Australia, Konzertzāle Latvija in Venspils, POLIN Museum in Warsaw, Poland, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and many others.
Brooklyn-based Michael J. Schumacher has worked in the area of spatialized sound and algorithmic composition since the 1980s, creating multi-channel, generative “Room Pieces” presented in galleries, museums, concert halls, public and private spaces. His interest in the relationship of musical form, architecture and social spaces led to him creating Diapason Sound Art, a gallery devoted to the presentation of multi-channel sound installations, long-duration performances and intermedia artworks. The gallery’s two high quality sound systems and its attention to the details of heightening aural perception made it an optimal space for creating and experiencing minimalist and process-based work. In its 15 years of existence Diapason presented over 300 artists.
Schumacher studied music composition with Stanley Applebaum, Bernhard Heiden, John Eaton and Vincent Persichetti and piano with Seymour Bernstein, John Ogdon and Shigeo Neriki. He holds degrees from Indiana University and Juilliard. He has also worked with composers La Monte Young, Giampaolo Bracali, Milton Babbitt and collaborated with musicians Oren Ambarchi, Charles Curtis and Stephen Vitiello. He has also worked with choreographers, poets, architects and filmmakers including Bruce Andrews, Ken Jacobs, Victoria Meyers, Donald Miller, Sally Silvers, and Ursula Scherrer. He is also the music director for the Liz Gerring Dance Company.His music has been released on many imprints including Superpang, XI Records, Sub Rosa, Entr’acte, Quecksilber and Sedimental. His compositions have been presented at Roulette, Issue Project Room, The Kasser Theater, Artists Space, Ostrava Music Days, The Sound Art Museum in Rome, Transmediale in Berlin, the MCA Lyon, The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Klangraum Krems, The Dream House, Skanu Mezs Festival and many others. He is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Steinhardt and Tandon schools and Ramapo College in New Jersey. He has received awards and residencies from NYFA, Harvestworks, RPI, DAAD, New Music USA, NYSCA, EMS Stockholm, Q-O2 Brussels, EMPAC and others. At this event he will be performing live electronic music works. Pianist Vicky Chow will be performing the World Premieres of his works for piano.
