Canceled

Scott WollschlEger

Scott Wollschleger (b. 1980) is a composer who grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. His music has been highly praised for its arresting timbres and conceptual originality. Wollschleger “has become a formidable, individual presence” in the contemporary musical landscape (The Rest Is Noise, Alex Ross), and his most recent piano work was praised as a “small masterpiece” (The New York Times, Seth xaColter Walls). His distinct musical language explores themes of art in dystopia, the conceptualization of silence, synesthesia, and creative repetition in form. Wollschleger’s concert works can be heard in the United States and abroad. Notable commissions and premieres include those from Adam Tendler, Miranda Cuckson, Isaac Shieh, Karl Larson, The String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Bearthoven, William Lang, Leileihua Lanzilotti, Du.0, and loadbang. His debut album, Soft Aberration, was released on New Focus Recordings and was named a 2017 Notable Recording in The New Yorker. His second album, American Dream, written for the trio Bearthoven, was released on Cantaloupe Music in 2019. His third album, Dark Days, and his work on The String Orchestra of Brooklyn’s most recent album, enfolding, were released on New Focus Recordings in 2021 and 2022. Following lightly in the footsteps of the New York School, Wollschleger received his Masters of Music in composition from Manhattan School of Music in 2005, where he studied with Morton Feldman’s protegé Nils Vigeland. For 10 years Wollschleger was a Co-Artistic Director of Red Light New Music, a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and crafting contemporary music. In addition to his musical ideas, Mr. Wollschleger frequently delves into the philosophical writings of Deleuze, Nietzsche, and Brecht, and maintains an ongoing collaboration with Deleuzian scholar Corry Shores. Their co-authored thesis, Rhythm Without Time, was presented at the London Graduate School’s academic conference, “Rhythm and Event.” Wollschleger is published by Project Schott New York. www.scottwollschleger.com

Miranda Cuckson, violin and violin - Karl Larson, piano - John Popham, cello - Kevin Sims, percussion

Set 1:
Tiny Oblivion
Music Without Metaphor
Brontal No. 2
Brontal No. 6
Brontal No. 11
Brontal No. 12 (New York premiere)
Secret Machine No. 4
Secret Machine No. 6
Karl Larson, piano

Soft Aberration No. 2
Miranda Cuckson, viola, Karl Larson, piano

Set 2:
Lost Anthems (New York premiere)
Miranda Cuckson, viola, Karl Larson, piano

Fish of the sea (New York premiere)
Kevin Sims, percussion

Secret Machine No. 7 (World Premiere)
Miranda Cuckson, violin

Brontal Symmetry
Miranda Cuckson, violin
Karl Larson, piano
John Popham, cello

scottwollschleger.com Twitter - @swollschleger IG - scott.wollschleger

Ethan Iverson-curator’s note

There are two hour-long concerts every night at 7:30 and 9, more like jazz practice than classical convention. We expect to turn the room over (there are only 60 seats) so most of those who are performing formally notated works will probably play the same program twice (a comparatively rare opportunity to enjoy such a liberating sequence)

Fri 16 Scott Wollschleger possesses an ear for fresh notes, and delivers them in a slow and almost terrifying manner: Morton Feldman meets Thelonious Monk meets H.P. Lovecraft. His pianist is the stellar Karl Larson, who will supply mostly solo Wollschleger for the first set, with Miranda Cuckson joining on viola for one piece. In the second set, Miranda will play a Wollschleger violin premiere; other solo and chamber music will include Miranda, Larson, John Popham and Kevin Sims.