2014 Fall Events Brochure

THE RICHARD B. FISHER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT BARD COLLEGE

FALL EVENTS 2014 Visit us at fishercenter.bard.edu

LIVE ARTS BARD

The House Is Open A pop-up exhibition of installation and performance Multiple locations within the Fisher Center Thursday, November 20 from 5–10 pm* Friday, November 21 from 2–10 pm Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23 from noon – 10 pm *Free preview Performance times vary; see opposite page.

Admission: $30, $10 all students (suitable for ages 18 and up) Admission includes all exhibitions and performances throughout the weekend, with reservations required for specific performance times.

Presented in collaboration with

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The worlds of the visual and performing arts are in a state of flux. Many artists are developing hybrid practices spanning theater, dance, performance, visual art, installation, music, and film. Meanwhile, museums and art galleries are increasingly embracing live performance, with major institutions such as the Guggenheim, Whitney, and MoMA presenting the work of choreographers and theater artists in their galleries.

The House Is Open is an inquisitive and playful pop-up exhibition that questions the way contemporary art is made and viewed. For four extraordinary days the Fisher Center is transformed into a temporary art museum, hosting the work of major artists who are working at the fast-changing intersection of the performing and visual arts. With a single admission ticket, discover installations and performances in parts of the building not normally open to the public—you’ll be free to wander through hidden areas of the Fisher Center as if you were in a gallery—and return as many times as you like over the weekend. The house will truly be open.

Photo: Ves Pitts Cover Photo: Nicholas Burnham

The exhibition includes:

Jack Ferver/Marc Swanson Chambre World Premiere/LAB Commission Choreographer, writer, and performer Jack Ferver and visual artist Marc Swanson MFA ’04 collaborate on a hybrid performance and art installation inspired by Jean Genet’s iconic play Les Bonnes (The Maids). Chambre is a sometimes farcical, sometimes savage, contemporary exploration of otherness, gender, celebrity, and the class divide.

Thursday, November 20 at 8 pm Friday, November 21 at 4 pm Saturday, November 22 at 7 pm Sunday, November 23 at 7:30 pm

John Kelly The Escape Artist Redux While rehearsing a theater show based on the life of the Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio, a stressed-out performer has a catastrophic trapeze accident. Stranded on a gurney in a hospital room with a broken neck, he escapes and finds refuge in the images that flood his mind—the sinners and saints, the prostitutes and gods—that populate Caravaggio’s paintings.

Thursday, November 20 at 6 pm Friday, November 21 at 10 pm Saturday, November 22 at 5:30 pm Sunday, November 23 at 2 pm

Tad Beck Double Document Ralph Lemon Scaffold Room New York Premiere/LAB Co-commission Ralph Lemon merges performance, visual art, music, and text in his new work Scaffold Room, an inquisitive hybrid “lecture-performance-musical,” refracting ideas of contemporary performance through archetypal black female personae in American culture.

Friday, November 21 at 6 pm Saturday, November 22 at 1:30 pm and 9 pm Sunday, November 23 at 5:30 pm

Tad Beck’s visual art works are exercises in reading the body in athletic, choreographic, and erotic contexts, often displacing movements and gestures from one of these arenas to another.

Double Document hybridizes the traditions of portraiture and performance documentation in a series of photographs that collapse multiple photographic and performative moments into a single image.

On view November 20–23 during exhibition hours

Nature Theater of Oklahoma Empire Jennifer Monson/iLAND Live Dancing Archive Jennifer Monson’s newest work is a visceral exploration of the dancing body as a physical archive of experience and place. Compiled from more than a decade of dance-based environmental research, Live Dancing Archive draws from video documentation of Monson’s past performances in addition to improvised scores.

Friday, November 21 at 8 pm Saturday, November 22 at 3:30 pm Sunday, November 23 at 3:30 pm Photo: Ralph Lemon

Empire is a tribute to Andy Warhol’s 1964 silent, black-and-white film of the same name, remade by Nature Theater of Oklahoma, the internationally renowned theater company.

Instead of filming the Empire State Building, as Warhol did, Nature Theater is creating an animated version, drawn by hand, one 4 x 6” index card at a time. It will ultimately last more than eight hours—the same length as Warhol’s film. You’re invited to view the project so far, and contribute your own drawings to the animation.

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LIVE ARTS BARD open rehearsal

reading

Miguel Gutierrez

Tankred Dorst and Ursula Ehler

Age & Beauty Part 2: Asian Beauty at the Werq Meeting or The Choreographer and Her Muse Miguel Gutierrez is a Bessie Award–winning choreographer and Guggenheim Fellow whose most recent performance, Age & Beauty Part 1: Mid Career Artist/Suicide Note or &:-/, premiered at the 2014 Whitney Biennial. Gutierrez will develop the second part of the Age & Beauty trilogy at LAB this fall—a tragicomic meditation on middle age, youthful hopefulness, and the politics of queer performance. theater two Saturday, September 6 at 2 pm Free; reservations required (suitable for ages 18 and up) Residency support for Miguel Gutierrez provided, in part, by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the New York Live Arts–Bard College Dance Program Partnership.

Discovery of America and other works Two of Germany’s most distinguished contemporary playwrights, Tankred Dorst and Ursula Ehler, will be in residence at LAB this fall to research and develop Discovery of America, an epic new play dealing with the experience of German prisoners of war in the Hudson Valley during World War II. In this public presentation, Dorst and Ehler read from their work in progress, and from their previous collaborations. olin 102 Thursday, October 16 at 7:30 pm Free; reservations required Presented in collaboration with the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard, Bard Center for Civic Engagement, Bard German Studies Program, and the Goethe-Institut.

LAB programs are made possible by the generous support of the members of the LAB Creative Council.

Ralph Lemon and Jack Ferver received LAB Choreographic Fellowships, made possible in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The presentation of Scaffold Room is made possible in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Photo: Chris Cameron

JOHN CAGE WEEKEND A weekend of performances exploring the formidable legacy of an American maverick sponsored by the John Cage Trust, the Fisher Center, and The Bard College Conservatory of Music.

The Ten Thousand Things The Ten Thousand Things is a title given by musicologist James Pritchett to a grand project initiated by John Cage in 1953 involving the composition of independent pieces for various media, each bearing a number title, each capable of being played alone or together with any of the others. Such an open work could be added to constantly, and Cage’s composition remains perpetually “in progress.” This performance brings together five of these pieces, spanning 1953 to 1956, into a chance-determined musical collage: 59 1/2” for a String Player (1953), 45’ for Speaker (1954), 31’ 57.9864” for a Pianist (1954), 26’ 1.1499” for a String Player (1955), and 27’ 10.554” for a Percussionist (1956). theater two Saturday, September 20 Preconcert talk at 7 pm Performance at 8 pm Tickets: $30

So¯ Percussion We Are All Going in Different Directions Branches—named after one of John Cage’s later works—is a new project at Bard. Curated by Conservatory faculty So¯ Percussion, it is an experiment in hybrid arts. Music, theater, video, dance, visual art, and other media are explored in the spirit of openness and adventure that So¯ Percussion brings to its own work, which is directly inspired by Cage’s. We Are All Going in DIfferent Directions captures that spirit in a performance with Bard musicians that includes classic Cage scores and new original works. sosnoff theater Sunday, September 21 at 3 pm Tickets: $25 Weekend pass to both concerts: $40 Branches is a multiyear partnership involving the Fisher Center, the Conservatory, and the John Cage Trust to highlight So¯ Percussion’s integration into the artistic and academic community of Bard College.

Photo: Guido Harari

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AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by Leon Botstein, Music Director

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Photo: Cory Weaver

Founded in 1962 by legendary conductor Leopold Stokowski, the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) continues its mission of making orchestral music accessible and affordable for everyone.

The ASO also has become a pioneer in what the Wall Street Journal called “a new concept in orchestras,” presenting concerts curated around various themes drawn from the visual arts, literature, politics, and history, and unearthing rarely performed masterworks for well-deserved revival. At Bard College, the ASO regularly performs at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, where it appears in a winter subscription series as well as the annual SummerScape and Bard Music Festival. Many of the world’s most accomplished soloists have performed with the ASO, among them Yo-Yo Ma, Deborah Voigt, and Sarah Chang. In addition to CDs released by the Telarc, New World, Bridge, Koch, and Vanguard labels, many live performances by the American Symphony are available for digital download. In many cases, these are the only existing recordings of some of the rare works that have been rediscovered in ASO performances. ASO also performs its two main subscription series at Carnegie Hall and at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City.

concert one Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25, 2014 Fryderyk Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor Maryna Kysla ’15, piano Franz Schubert Symphony No. 9 in C Major (“Great”)

concert two Friday, February 6 and Saturday, February 7, 2015 Carl Reinecke Flute Concerto Adrienn Kántor ’14, flute Erich Wolfgang Korngold Violin Concerto in D Major Gabriel Baeza ’18, violin Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

concert three Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25, 2015 Hermann Goetz Symphony No. 2 in F Major Alberto Ginastera Harp Concerto Xing Gao ’17, harp Leosˇ Janácˇek Sinfonietta

sosnoff theater Preconcert talk at 7 pm Performance at 8 pm Tickets: $25–40 Subscribe to all three concerts for $90

Winners of the 2014 Bard College Conservatory Concerto Competition appear as soloists at each concert.

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THE RED VIOLIN Elizabeth Pitcairn, violin Cynthia Elise Tobey, piano

Celebrated violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn performs with the legendary 1720 “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius. In 1990, Christie’s auctioned the Stradivarius, which is said to have inspired the 1999 Academy Award–winning film, The Red Violin.

Franz Schubert Rondo for violin and piano (“Rondeau Brillant”) Gabriel Fauré Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano Franz Liszt Liebestraum No. 3 Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No. 9 for violin and piano sosnoff theater Saturday, November 15 at 8 pm Tickets: $25–40

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Photo: Christian Steiner

LONGY SCHOOL OF MUSIC OF BARD COLLEGE Sistema Side by Side Orchestra Conducted by Jorge Soto

The Sistema Side by Side Orchestra travels from Boston to honor Maestro José Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema, the unique program from Venezuela that brings about social change through music and has improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of children worldwide.

In Longy’s Sistema Side by Side program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, conservatory students mentor students from El Sistema–inspired programs across the state. Through joint rehearsals and performances, these young musicians deepen their musical skills, make new friends, and learn that hard work and dedication can open doors to new opportunities. Maestro Abreu will be in attendance to receive an honorary degree from Bard College.

The program will include: Jean Sibelius Finlandia Georges Bizet L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2—Farandole Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 —Finale sosnoff theater Saturday, September 20 at 3 pm Tickets: Free; reservations required

Photo: Kelly Davidson

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CONSERVATORY SUNDAYS Music Alive!

Winter Songfest

“Dynamic Women Making Music from Around the Globe”

A festive holiday celebration with Dawn Upshaw and students of the Bard Conservatory Graduate Vocal Arts Program

Joan Tower and Blair McMillen Artistic Directors Conservatory students perform works by female composers Kaija Saariaho (Finland), Julia Wolfe (United States), Pauline Oliveros (United States), Jennifer Higdon (United States), Tania León (Cuba), and Iva Bittová (Czech Republic). More than 30 student performers, with a special appearance by soprano Dawn Upshaw. sosnoff theater Sunday, October 5 at 3 pm Tickets: $15, $20, free to the Bard Community

Bard College Conservatory Orchestra Conducted by Leon Botstein Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 8 in F Major Max Reger Four Tone Poems after Böcklin

sosnoff theater Sunday, December 7 at 3 pm Tickets: $15, $20, free to the Bard Community

Bard College Conservatory Orchestra Conducted by Cristian Maˇcelaru Paul Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphoses Frank Martin Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments Serge Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances sosnoff theater Sunday, December 14 at 3 pm Tickets: $15, $20, free to the Bard Community

All proceeds benefit the Conservatory’s Scholarship Fund.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 in B Minor “Pathétique” sosnoff theater Sunday, November 2 at 3 pm Tickets: $15, $20, free to the Bard Community

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Photo: Karl Rabe

special event

“Remembering the Genocide of European Roma during World War II” Mozart’s Requiem Conducted by Ádám Fischer A special event, conceived by acclaimed Hungarian conductor Ádám Fischer, explores issues of history and responsibility. A panel discussion, moderated

by Leon Botstein, includes Fischer and leading figures from the fields of history, human rights, and international law. A performance of the Mozart Requiem by the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra, students of the Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program, Bard College Chamber Singers, and members of the chorus of the Longy School of Music of Bard College follows.

Friday, October 17 lászló z. bitó ’60 conservatory building Panel discussion at 4 pm Free admission sosnoff theater Performance at 6:30 pm Free admission

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CONVERSATIONS WITH Neil Gaiman with NEIL Audrey Niffenegger GAIMAN live arts bard presents

In the second in a regular series of conversations hosted by Bard professor Neil Gaiman, best-selling author and artist Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler’s Wife) discusses time travel, Doctor Who, graveyards, taxidermy, graphic novels, pictures, books, and long-distance romance. sosnoff theater Friday, October 3 at 7:30 pm Tickets: $25; $5 for Bard community

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Photo: Brendan Hunt

a special holiday event David Parker and The Bang Group

Nut/Cracked Choreography by David Parker Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Nut/Cracked—The Bang Group’s beloved, witty response to The Nutcracker—has delighted audiences for more than a decade. Nut/Cracked takes its inspiration from all corners of the dance canon, from tap riffs to en pointe ballet, by way of bubble wrap, disco, and Chinese take-out noodles.

In Nut/Cracked, choreographer David Parker ’81, finds beauty in the ridiculous, waltzing us through many incarnations of Tchaikovsky’s score, including versions by Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller, as well as the traditional orchestral suite. You’ll never watch The Nutcracker in quite the same way again!

“Not only immensely entertaining but also intensely musical and witty, melding tap, disco, ballet, and contemporary dance. . . . Combines fantasy and silliness to marvelous effect.” —New York Times

sosnoff theater Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 pm Sunday, December 21 at 2 pm Tickets: $25–45 (suitable for ages 12 and up)

Photo: Yi-Chun Wu

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BARD STUDENT PERFORMANCES

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Fisher Center Fall Events 2014

Photo: Brendan Hunt

music program

theater and performance program

Bard College Symphonic Fall Production: Chorus, Chamber A work-in-progress new Singers, and Baroque musical Conceived by Amanda Palmer and Ensemble Directed by Alexander Bonus and conducted by James Bagwell George Frideric Handel Esther sosnoff theater Wednesday, December 3 at 8 pm Tickets: $5; free to the Bard community

Bard College Orchestra Conducted by Geoffrey McDonald The Bard College Orchestra presents a diverse program of works ranging from classical to contemporary repertoire. The ensemble features students in the College and Conservatory, as well as music faculty and members of the Bard community at large. sosnoff theater Wednesday, December 10 at 8 pm Free admission

directed by Steve Bogart A new music theater show, developed by composer, writer, and performer Amanda Palmer in collaboration with current and former Bard students. Coproduced with Live Arts Bard. theater two Wednesday–Sunday, November 5–9 at 7 pm Saturday, November 8 at 2 pm Tickets: $15; Bard alumni/ae, and non-Bard students; free to the Bard community

dance program

Moderation Concert Choreographed and performed by Bard students, assisted by professional lighting and costume designers, this concert gives students a chance to explore new territory in dance making. Some dances are presented in partial fulfillment for acceptance into the program. theater two Friday, October 24 at 7:30 pm Saturday, October 25 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm Sunday, October 26 at 4 pm Free; reservations required

Senior Dance Concert An evening of Senior Projects in dance, this concert represents a culmination of four years of work by the graduating seniors in the Bard Dance Program. theater two Friday–Sunday, December 12–14 at 7:30 pm Sunday, December 14 at 2 pm Free; reservations required

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Photo: Peter Aaron ’68/Esto

FISHER CENTER MEMBERSHIP— JOIN US TODAY! Your support is essential to sustaining the Richard B. Fisher Center for Performing Arts as an extraordinary part of cultural life in the Hudson Valley. Members support world-class performing arts and enjoy a variety of discounts and benefits through our Friends and Patrons programs, including: • Advance ticket access • Invitations to exclusive events • Discounts on dining and merchandise Membership benefits start at just $75.

Corporate Sponsorships The Fisher Center offers fully customized and flexible sponsorship packages that provide large and small businesses with a platform to meet their strategic marketing, promotional, and community goals. Corporate partners help build and sustain year-round cultural programs and in turn benefit from a relationship with an engaged audience committed to the Hudson Valley.

Visit fishercenter.bard.edu/support to become a member today.

For more information about membership and sponsorship opportunities and benefits, please contact 845-758-2273 or fcdevelopment@bard.edu.

The Fall 2014 season is made possible in part through the generous support of the Board of The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College and the Friends of the Fisher Center, as well as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Branches: Sõ Percussion’s performances and residency at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College are supported by New Music USA, and made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Helen F. Whitaker Fund, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. To follow the project as it unfolds, visit: www.newmusicusa.org/projects/branches-sopercussion-performances-and-residency-at-the-richard-b-fisher-center-for-the-performing-arts-at-bard-college.

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FALL EVENTS September 6 at 2 pm Live Arts Bard Miguel Gutierrez Age & Beauty Part 2: Asian Beauty at the Werq Meeting or The Choreographer and Her Muse September 20 at 3 pm Longy School of Music of Bard College Sistema Side by Side Orchestra September 20 at 8 pm John Cage Weekend The Ten Thousand Things September 21 at 3 pm John Cage Weekend So¯ Percussion We Are All Going in Different Directions

November 2 at 3 pm Conservatory Sundays Bard College Conservatory Orchestra November 5–9 Theater and Performance Program A work-in-progress new musical

by Amanda Palmer November 15 at 8 pm The Red Violin Elizabeth Pitcairn November 20–23 Live Arts Bard The House Is Open

October 3 at 7:30 pm Conversations with Neil Gaiman

December 3 at 8 pm Music Program Bard College Symphony Chorus, Chamber Singers, and Baroque Ensemble

October 5 at 3 pm Conservatory Sundays Music Alive!

December 7 at 3 pm Conservatory Sundays Vocal Arts Program Winter Songfest

October 16 at 7:30 pm Live Arts Bard Tankred Dorst and Ursula Ehler Discovery of America and other works

December 10 at 8 pm Music Program Bard College Orchestra

October 17 at 6:30 pm Conservatory Special Event Mozart’s Requiem

December 12–14 Dance Program Senior Dance Concert

October 24 and 25 at 8 pm American Symphony Orchestra

December 14 at 3 pm Conservatory Sundays Bard College Conservatory Orchestra

October 24–26 Dance Program Moderation Concert

December 20 and 21 A Special Holiday Event David Parker and The Bang Group: Nut/Cracked

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Photo: Peter Aaron ’68/Esto

TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS— ON SALE SEPTEMBER 2 subscribe and save Guarantee your seats in advance with a convenient and affordable series option.

Create Your Own Series Enjoy maximum flexibility—choose three or more fall events and save 25%.

American Symphony Orchestra Series See all three 2014–15 ASO concerts for just $90.

The House is Open and the John Cage Weekend pass are not included in the Create Your Own Series.

how to order Online at fishercenter.bard.edu or call 845-758-7900 (Monday–Friday, 10 am – 5 pm).

In person at the Box Office, Sosnoff Theater lobby (Monday–Friday, 10 am – 5 pm, and one hour prior to Sosnoff Theater performances)

group orders Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Call 845-758-7928 for details.

ticket policies In the event of a program change, all efforts will be made to inform ticket holders of the adjustment to our schedule. All sales are final and processing fees may apply.

getting here The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College is located at 60 Manor Avenue, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, 12504. Our venue is accessible by car and train. Detailed directions and parking information will be mailed with your tickets and are also available online at fishercenter.bard.edu/visit. For best parking, please try to arrive at least 30 minutes before show time. This will allow you ample time to park and make your way to the theater.

accessibility All our venues and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. The Fisher Center utilizes golf carts to assist patrons with disabilities between the parking lot and the Center. If you need any additional assistance, please call 845-758-7900.

Sennheiser infrared assistive listening devices are available in the Fisher Center. Receivers may be borrowed on request at the Box Office.

For complete information and to order tickets: fishercenter.bard.edu or 845-758-7900 fishercenter.bard.edu 19

845-758-7900 | fishercenter.bard.edu

Be the first in line for news of upcoming events, discounts, and special offers. Join the Fisher Center’s e-newsletter at fishercenter.bard.edu.

Tickets on sale September 2 Choose three or more fall events and save 25%.

PO Box 5000 Annandale-0n-Hudson, NY 12504-5000

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