http://www.chrispthompson.com The personal website of NYC-based percussionist Chris Thompson Sun, 11 May 2008 06:11:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 5/10, 5/14, and 5/17: The Metropolitan Opera is bringing back Tan Dun's The First Emperor for a run of 3 performances only. I'll be in the stone drum band once again, dressed as a chinese soldier. Check out my previous post, including a super-awesome picture of Tan Dun (and me?!) ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2008/05/10/the-metropolitan-opera-2/ 5/8: Composer Nico Muhly shares a bill with Phillip Bimstein on Merkin Hall's New Sounds Live series. I play percussion and also close-mic breakfast... Nico's beautiful new album Mothertounge is about to be released on May 6th. Like his first album, it features collaborations with friends, most of whom he ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2008/05/08/new-nico-album-release-concert-at-merkin-hall/ 4/5: Performing March, Improvisation, and Canaries from Elliot Carter's 8 Pieces for Four Timpani (1950/1966) for the American Contemporary Music Ensemble at the Tenri Cultural Institute. 4/23 Update: I just got live recordings from this concert, courtesy of the perpetually awesome Ryan Streber... here are some excerpts: Excerpt from Canaries: [audio:CanariesExcerpt.mp3] Excerpt from March: [audio:MarchExcerpt.mp3] Excerpt ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2008/04/05/acme-centennials-carter-and-messiaen/ 2/28: Alarm Will Sound promotes its forthcoming release "a/rhythmia" with a concert at Zankel Hall. The program includes works by Ligeti, Nancarrow, the Shaggs, Mochipet, Aphex Twin, and Birtwhistle, plus John Adams' newest work, Son of Chamber Symphony. I'm so excited to play in Zankel Hall again with Alarm Will Sound, ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2008/02/28/alarm-will-sound-zankel-hall-2/ 2/14: Guest timpanist with the Kremlin Chamber orchestra for their "To Pavarotti, With Love" tribute concert. This concert got some press on NY1, video available here. http://www.chrispthompson.com/2008/02/14/pavarotti-tribute-concert-avery-fisher-hall/ 2/2: Former composition students of John Corigliano celebrate his 70th birthday at BAMCafe, with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble and the yesaroun' duo. Featuring Nico Muhly's "Time After Time" for marimba, percussion and saxophone, which we recorded for Nico a couple years ago... more on that here. Also, this event got ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2008/02/02/bamcafe-live/ 12/7, 12/8, 12/9, 12/11: The New York Stage Debut of Elliott Carter's only opera, "What Next?" at Miller Theatre. Jeffrey Milarsky conducts AXIOM, Mr. Carter turns 99. If I had fully grasped my future as a percussionist, I think I might have considered taking more "shop" class in high school. Last ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/12/07/elliott-carters-what-next/ 11/12/07: John Cage's Imaginary Landscape #3 for 6 percussionists, at the DIA Center's annual fall benefit. April 2008 UPDATE: I finally have an audio recording of this performance, which I've posted to my chamber music excerpts page here, or just click below: [audio:Imaginary Landscape No3.mp3] "Mr. Cage, these are nice people, but... ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/11/12/appetizer-imaginary-landscape-dinner/ 10/11/07: Debut concert, conducted by Salvatore Di Vittorio in Zankel Hall. http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/10/11/chamber-orchestra-of-ny-zankel-hall/ 8/25/07: New York Premier of George Crumb's Winds of Destiny; Songs of Strife, Love, Mystery, and Exultation. 9/20 Update - I've put a couple excerpts from this performance up. You can find them here. I'll be joining the Locrian Chamber Players for a performance of George Crumb's newest work, scored for soprano, ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/08/25/locrian-chamber-players/ 8/12/07: American Contemporary Music Ensemble present Louis Andriessen's Workers' Union, Volans String Quartet #1, and Riley's In C in the Noguchi Museum Sculpture Garden. For me, Workers' Union completely defies the type of rational description you might expect to read in program notes or a composer's biography. So instead of ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/08/12/workers-union-at-noguchi-museum/ I've finished my score to "IF", the new short film by Teressa Tunney. For some demos of the music, (continue reading...) http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/07/23/film-score-if/ 7/14 - 8/05: Twenty three days of orchestral music performed in beautiful places. I've been Put In Trouble more than once for never having made it to Tanglewood during the summer, and thereby never having been able to fully understand one of the main inspirations from the musical histories of most ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/07/11/vermont-mozart-festival/ 6/13/07: Alarm Will Sound presents two concerts at the Musiekgebouw in Amsterdam as part of the Holland Festival. I'll be joining Alarm Will Sound on their trip to Amsterdam for the Holland Festival, June 13th. AWS will be presenting two concerts at the Muziekgebouw, a fantastic venue akin to Zankel Hall. ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/06/13/alarm-will-sound-at-the-holland-festival/ ACME's Tribute to Jacob Druckman at the gallery of the Tenri Cultural Institute. "Jacob Druckman became the most important proclaimer of a new romanticism, and practiced what he proclaimed...[His] conjured-up images, the swirling lights and shadows in the orchestral pieces--they added up to a fresher (and yes, newer) romanticism..." - ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/04/28/american-temporary-music-ensemble/ Marathon Concert by Alarm Will Sound as the finale of John Adams' In Your Ear Redux Festival at Zankel Hall. As John Adams' four year post as the Composer's Chair of Carnegie Hall comes to an end, his final weekend of concerts includes the 20-member new music band known as Alarm ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/03/18/alarm-will-sound-zankel-hall/ Iannis Xenakis' Rebonds, plus John Cage and George Crumb at the Tenri Cultural Institute. Saturday, January 27, 2007 at 8:00 PM Even for composers well-versed in the eccentricities of concert percussion in the context of orchestral or chamber music, writing unpitched multi-percussion music for solo performer is an entirely different beast. For ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/01/27/american-contemporary-music-ensemble/ Whitney Composers' Showcase: Nico Muhly This influencial series at the Whitney Museum of American Art, in hibernation for over two decades, prophetically presented portraits of many of the composers who would ultimately define late 20th century music. Of the impressive list: Luciano Berio, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2007/01/19/the-whitney-museum/ World Premier: The First Emperor by Tan Dun. In December and January the Metropolitan Opera will present nine sold-out performances of Tan Dun's new opera (co-commissioned by the Met and the Los Angeles Opera). Known best for his Oscar-winning score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tan Dun's interest in non-traditional uses ... http://www.chrispthompson.com/2006/12/21/the-metropolitan-opera/