LA Phil Announces Brooklyn Festival, 4/16-22

Location has always figured prominently in the world of art and music. For today's most forward-thinking music-lovers, Brooklyn has emerged as ground zero for young compositional talent. From composers whose work has begun to inform the repertoire of contemporary orchestras and ensembles, to those pushing the boundaries of art rock and electronic music, Brooklyn has become an incubator of innovative music ideas.

With the Brooklyn Festival (April 16 - 22, 2013), the LA Phil focuses on the contribution of Brooklyn artists to American music, including the world premiere of Stem by TEd Hearne; and the world premiere of Strip Mall, Matt Marks "mini-opera," performed on the same program as Tyondai Braxton's adventurous Central Market, a conceptually and sonically big, multi-movement work by an artist formerly of math-rock band Battles, but here enlisting an orchestra.

Brooklyn's art-rock scene gave birth to a new musical movement that continues to lend credibility and foster creativity in all different forms of music. Three of today's most multifaceted music talents - The National's Bryce Dessner, singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens and composer Nico Muhly - come together to consider the cosmos with the West Coast premiere of Planetarium, a planet-by-planet song cycle that melds their distinct creative contributions into a harmonic whole that unfolds against the backdrop of a giant orb. This show opens with a string quartet performance of compositions by Dessner, Stevens and Muhly.

Brooklyn-based bands The Antlers and Chairlift come together on one bill, transporting the sounds of the ever-progressive borough to Walt Disney Concert Hall. Both bands make their Concert Hall debuts.

"Brooklyn's music scene represents a unique and concentrated cultural phenomenon. The LA Phil celebrates the significance of Brooklyn-influenced artistry with a dedicated focus on the artists and composers of the region, who are pushing new musical boundaries and tipping the scales of creativity," says Deborah Borda, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

Alan Pierson, Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic and conductor of the Festival's Green Umbrella program, comments, "I've been a huge admirer of the LA Phil for years, so it's very exciting to get to work with them on bringing some of the amazing music and culture that's being created in Brooklyn to a West Coast audience."

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