Pop on over to The DiMenna Center for Classical Music on June 14th to savor a sweet and salty mix of fresh and innovative New Music! Kettle Corn New Music (KCNM), founded by Alex Weiser, Chris Rogerson, Emily Cooley, Loren Loiacano, and Ryan Harper, features an eclectic variety of New Music performers and composers in a casual, welcoming atmosphere. Showcasing musical concerts of avant-garde composers sans staid formalities is the raison d'être of KCNM, a refreshing musical phenomenon on the cutting edge of New York City's contemporary music scene.
KCNM eschews conventional protocol accompanying traditional concerts in favor of a more inviting and chill listening experience. While the music retains its intellectual, avant-garde flavor, the venue is designed with cool cat ambiance in mind. The audience is encouraged to mingle with the performers and composers during intermission. Beer and kettle corn are the snack of choice, a tradition stemming from the dorm room days at Yale when KCNM's founders passed around a big bag of kettle corn and sipped brewskies to the tunes of Johannes Brahms and John Adams.
"KCNM is a metaphor for a laid back concert akin to what you might experience in a movie theater," exclaims Alex Weiser, one of KCNM's enthusiastic founders. "You go to a movie theater, you buy popcorn, drink a soda and you relax. The movie might be something really intense or really thought provoking or entertaining or funny. No one goes to a movie thinking this is really intellectual and I can't relax and have fun. It's the opposite: no matter how intense the movie, you can relax. Let's have an organization where that is our mission: To present music that we really believe in, music that is great, performers who are great, but not have to worry about the pomp and the baggage."
Check out KCNM's video interview series, "Composers Eating Kettle Corn." Originally inspired by Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," the series follows KCNM's founders as they interview composers such as Martin Bresnick and Julia Wolfe. The series profiles and introduces KCNM's family of composers to the audience. Musical banter is exchanged, intellectual anecdotes shared, and, of course, the ubiquitous bowl of kettle corn eavesdrops ever so politely. CRUNCH!
KCNM will conclude its second year of productions with a performance by Typical Music, the Downtown chamber trio comprised of KCNM artist-in-residence Todd Reynolds and the Bang On A Can All-Star's Ashley Bathgate and Vicky Chow. Additionally, new works by Alex Weiser and Emily Cooley will be performed, as well as the world premiere of Todd Reynold's rousing new composition. Typical Music has been presented at several notable venues, including Greenwich Village's (Le) Poisson Rouge and The Guggenheim Museum.
Don't miss Kettle Corn New Music's All-Star Piano Trio featuring Typical Music on Saturday, June 14th at 7 p.m. at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music at 450 West 37th Street, New York, New York. Pop on over for some sweet and salty snacks -- stay for the sensational sounds of New York's New Music!
For more information, visit KCNM's website: http://www.kettlecornnewmusic.com/index.html
Check out KCNM's Composer Interview Series, "Composers Eating Kettle Corn": http://www.kettlecornnewmusic.com/composers_eating_kettle_corn.html
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