TARGET FREE THURSDAYS
All events are free and take place at the David Rubestein Atrium at Lincoln Center. Seating is limited and available on first-come, first-served basis.
Thursday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.: Target Free Thursdays: Tanya Tagaq / The Relatives
Inuit throat singer and sonic innovator Tanya Tagaq returns to Lincoln Center to perform her original score to the 1922 silent movie documentary classic, "Nanook of the North." Born and raised in Nunavut, Canada's high arctic, Tagaq began experimenting with Inuit throat singing as a teenager and her first professional concert caught the attention of Bjork, leading to participation on the Icelandic artist's 2004 CD, "Medulla," and to touring. Tagaq's two critically-acclaimed albums, "Sinaa" and "Auk/Blood," were joined in Oct. 11 by the live album, anuraaqtu, Inuktitut for "Wind." Recently venturing into film, Tagaq contributed to the soundtrack for Diaries of Knut Rasmussen and acted as musician/narrator for the award-winning National Film Board documentary, "This Land."
The music of the Relatives, whose performance will begin at 9:30 p.m., comes from three obscure singles from the '70s and a previously unreleased session were released to excellent reviews on the 2009 album, "Don't Let Me Fall." The Relatives reunited in 2009 for a sold-out performance at The Continental Club in Austin, Texas, and have since played major festival dates in the U.S., Australia and Europe, closing out Summer 2011 with a performance at Lincoln Center Out of Doors on a bill with Mavis Staples.
Friday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.: Target Free Thursdays: Chilly Gonzales, Piano Concerto No.1
Pianist, rapper, satirist, charismatic performer, Guinness World Record holder, and musical genius Chilly Gonzales performs the U.S. premiere of" Piano Concerto No. 1," a new musical work for 10 piece orchestra commissioned by Lincoln Center. The Grammy-Nominated, Canadian-born, Paris-based artist has released six recordings from rap-focused early albums on the German Kitty-Yo label to his 2004 solo piano CD. NOTE: The concert was rescheduled due to Hurricane Sandy.
Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.: Andrew Cyrille's 21st Century Big Band Unlimited
Brooklyn native Andrew Cyrille is one of the leading free jazz percussionists of the past three decades. Organized by Mark Masters, President of the American Institute, this newly-formed 12-piece ensemble showcases Cyrille's talents as a composer and percussionist. After studying under Miles Davis Quintet drummer Philly Joe Jones, Cyrille trained in traditional marching band percussion at Juilliard and the Hartnett School of Music. His compositions established his own style drawing predominantly from Bebop and Avant-garde jazz. His introduction to the radical free-jazz pianist Cecil Taylor in the mid-1960s brought him new acclaim and established him in the vanguard of jazz drumming, leading to collaborations with artists such as Mary Lou Williams, Oliver Lake, Jimmy Giuffre, Coleman Hawkins, Freddie Hubbard, and Rashaan Roland Kirk. The event is presented in collaboration with the American Jazz Institute.
Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.: Attacca Quartet
The quartet was formed in 2003 by violinists Amy Schroeder and Keiko Tokunaga, violist Luke Fleming and cellist Andrew Yee. It made its professional debut in 2007 as part of the Artists International Winners Series in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall on its way to becoming one of America's premier young performing ensembles. The ensemble gave the Alice Tully Hall premiere of John Adams' recently composed String Quartet and subsequently recorded the complete string quartet works of John Adams for Azica Records, which will be released March 24, 2013 at (Le) Poisson Rouge. 2010 marked the beginning of The 68, an ambitious project in which Attacca Quartet will perform all sixty-eight Haydn string quartets on a special series they created in New York. The event is presented in collaboration with The Juilliard School.
Thursday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m.: Lunar New Year Celebration
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with an evening of Chinese performing arts directed by Alan Chow co-presented by the Chinese American Arts Council.
OTHER EVENTS
Saturday, Jan. 5 at 11 a.m.: Meet the Artist Saturdays: Saung Budaya Indonesian Dance Group
Established in 2005 as a series of workshops at the Indonesian Consulate by dance instructor Amalia Suryani, Saung Budaya has grown to become a vital part of the Indonesian community in New York. The group's goal is to introduce Indonesia's culture through dance and music to Indonesian-American youth residing in New York, as well as to a wider public. A variety of dances from all over the Indonesian archipelago are taught. The group currently consists of 15 dancers -- both students and young professionals. This family-friendly event will include audience participation.
To open the program, kids are invited to join a special hands-on craft workshop: "Perform 'n' Create Date," co-hosted by the Children's Museum of Manhattan and led by Museum teaching coordinators. Recommended for ages 3-8 years.
Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m.: Budapest Festival Orchestra
The Budapest Festival Orchestra returns to Lincoln Center's Great Performers with founder Iván Fischer, who recently took over as music director of the Konzerthaus Berlin. He'll be joined at this concert by the brilliant young Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, who will perform Bernstein's "Serenade" in a program that also includes works by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff. Tickets are $35 to $100. They are available at LCGreatPerformers.org, by calling (212) 721-6500 or at the Allice Tully Hall box offices at Broadway and 65th Street.
Sunday, Jan. 27 at 11 a.m.: Vertavo String Quartet
The all-female members of the quartet serve as Artistic Directors of Norway's Elverum Summer Festival. The ensemble has also been honored with Norway's highest musical honor, the Grieg Prize, and its prize-winning discography includes a Diapason d'Or. Take the opportunity to mix and mingle with the artists after this hour-long Sunday Morning Coffee Concert. Tickets are $22. They are available at LCGreatPerformers.org, by calling (212) 721-6500 or at the Allice Tully Hall box offices at Broadway and 65th Street.
Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 8:30 p.m.: Lea Salonga
The 15th season of Lincoln Center's acclaimed American Songbook series begins in The Allen Room with Broadway star Lea Salonga, who burst onto the theater scene as a teenager in Miss Saigon in 1971, capturing the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and Theater World awards in her first Broadway outing. Salonga followed her Miss Saigon triumph with roles in "Les Misérables," "Flower Drum Song," and as the shimmering soprano voice of Disney princesses Jasmine and Fa Mulan in the movies "Aladdin" and "Mulan." The series will continue for 15 nights through March 2. A new chapter will begin with American Songbook in the Penthouse, a series of weekend-only performances March 29 – April 20 in the intimate, cabaret-style setting of the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. Tickets are $50 to $275. They are available at AmericanSongbook.org, by calling (212) 721-6500 or at the Allice Tully Hall box offices at Broadway and 65th Street or at the Frederick P. Rose Hall Box Office.
Thursday, Jan. 31 at 8:30 p.m.: Valerie Simpson
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," "I'm Every Woman," "Solid (As a Rock)" and other era-defining tunes were written by Valerie Simpson and her husband, the late Nickolas Ashford, in a songwriting career that began in 1964 when they wrote Ray Charles' classic "Let's Go Get Stoned." A flurry of hits written for Motown stars Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell as well as Diana Ross & The Supremes followed, then a switch to the Warner Brothers label led to writing for Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston among many others. Simultaneously with their songwriting, in the early 1970s, Simpson and her husband launched a performing career, letting their passion as a couple ignite their stage shows. With Ashford's passing in 2011, Simpson continues her solo career, releasing her most recent CD in June 2012. Tickets are $35 to $250. They are available at AmericanSongbook.org, by calling (212) 721-6500 or at the Allice Tully Hall box offices at Broadway and 65th Street or at the Frederick P. Rose Hall Box Office.
