The Manhattan New Music Project presents: HANS TAMMEN & THIRD EYE ORCHESTRA JASON HWANG & SPONTANEOUS RIVER WEDNESDAY, May 27th, at 8pm Galapagos Art Space 16 Main Street, at Water Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Subway: F York St, A High St, 2/3 Clark St, G Smith/9th St. Directions: http://www.galapagosartspace.com/directions.html Admission: $10 In a new collaboration with "Darmstadt - Classics Of The Avantgarde" at Galapagos Art Space, the Manhattan New Music Project presents two ensembles as a part of their New Composers Series, highlighting living composers with new approaches to jazz and other forms of new music. "I have felt that the conditions of spontaneity and mobility of elements which I have been working with create a more urgent and intense "communication" throughout the entire process, from composing to the final realization of a work, I prefer that each "final form," which each performance necessarily produces, be a collaborative adventure, and that the work and its conditions of human involvement remain a 'living' potential of engagement." (Earle Brown) ---> 8pm: HANS TAMMEN & THIRD EYE ORCHESTRA Hans Tammen uses Earle Brown's open form composition idea as a starting point to create a large multi-movement piece, thoroughly composed and purely improvised at the same time, inspired by west african roots of Jazz, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, Steve Coleman, and Stravinsky's layering or Steve Reich's phase techniques. Drawing from a single repertoire of around 100 pre-conceived musical units, the conductor uses the orchestra as an instrument, while each performer shapes the music through virtuosic improvisation and the individual stylization of musical performance. "Everything about Third Eye Orchestra... indicates mastery and control" (Howard Mandel / CD Liner Notes) --

http://www.tammen.org/ens_teo.html ---> 10pm: JASON KAO HWANG & SPONTANEOUS RIVER Composer/Violinist Jason Kao Hwang’s Spontaneous River is an orchestra of over 25 string improvisers, including bassist Ken Filiano and along with drummer Andrew Drury, who are also members of his quartet, EDGE. It is only in recent years that so many string players have engaged in the art of improvisational music. Spontaneous River is an ensemble and a community that represents this emerging movement. The power of Spontaneous River is drawn from both the sonic unity of strings and the undeniable individualism of each musician’s "voice." Mr. Hwang’s compositions are often spontaneous architectures consisting of notated passages and guided improvisations, to express stories abundant with flora, fauna and dreams of the human spirit. This work was funded in part by the Composer Assistance Program of the American Music Center. -- http://www.jasonkaohwang.com/ The Manhattan New Music Project (MNMP) is a nonprofit performing and arts education organization that engages both young and adult audiences in innovative music programming throughout New York City. Founded in 1990 by late jazz artist Paul Nash, MNMP has sought to cross traditional musical boundaries and catalyze imaginative projects and collaborations involving the creation of new work though performances, recordings, and educational activities. MNMP is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, and commissioned this event with the support of the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. --

http://www.mnmp.org/ Darmstadt "Classics of the Avant Garde" is the Brooklyn-based contemporary music series led by composer-musicians Zach Layton and Nick Hallett which presents the best of New York City's live experimental music and multimedia. Darmstadt regularly hosts concerts and DJ sets at ISSUE Project Room and Galapagos Art Space (among other venues), while its founders both create and curate work for such institutions as PS1, The Kitchen, Spiegeltent, and The Stone. In June 2009, DARMSTADT holds its inaugural Institue, a month-long series at ISSUE PROJECT ROOM, connecting performance of and discourse about experimental music. Darmstadt will implement an interdisciplinary approach to its programming, incorporating workshops, talks, and films into its live concerts. Premieres and works-in-development will be a mainstay of the month. Examples of confirmed programs thus far: artist-in-attendance screening of Tony Oursler's Synesthesia, David Grubbs in conversation with Branden Joseph, music and dance panel with Stephan Moore and John King of the MCMC, Joan LaBarbara voice workshop, and a Mundos Ninos children's percussion workshop with Susie Ibarra and Roberto Rodriguez. There will also be concerts of music by Tony Conrad, Luke Dubois, Dan Joseph, Zach Layton, Matt Welch, Gordon Beeferman, Ha-Yang Kim, and Susie Ibarra. -- http://www.darmstadtnewmusic.org/ THIRD EYE ORCHESTRA LINEUP: Mari Kimura (vio), David Soldier (vio), Jason Hwang (vla), Tomas Ullrich (cel), Marty Ehrlich (bcl, as, fl), Briggan Krauss (as, bari), Chris McIntyre (tb), Robert Dick (fl, cbfl), Dafna Naphtali (voice, live sound processing), Denman Maroney (p/kb), Ursel schlicht (p/kb), Stomu Takeishi (b), Satoshi Takeishi (perc), Hans Tammen (composer, conductor, concept). SPONTANEOUS RIVER LINEUP: VIOLIN: Sarah Bernstein, Trina Basu, Mark Chung, David Soldier, Henry Grimes, Rosi Hertlein, Marlene Rice, Curtis Stewart, Elektra Stewart. VIOLA: Judith Insell, Nicole Federici. CELLO: Tomas Ulrich, Kirsten Jeme, Daniel Levin. BASS: Michael Bisio, Ken Filiano, Francois Grillot, Clifton Jackson, David Chevan. PERCUSSION: Andrew Drury. GUITAR: Bradley Farberman, Cristian Amigo, James Keepnews, Dom Minasi, Dave Ross, Tor Snyder, Hans Tammen. COMPOSER/CONDUCTOR/VIOLIN: Jason Hwang.