Composers Concordance festival Part 1

Special Post #4- 2012
On the cover Milica Paranosic,
& Patrick Grant.

Composers Concordance Festival part 1. Articles and photos By K.K.W

From the start it looked and seemed like it was going to be a great event and night. NYC was unseasonably warm, though few were bothered by this. Heading to the city via the Q-line train as the sun was going down, I already new what to expect; a wonderful set of performances by one of the most amazing groups around. Then again its never a dull night-out with Composers concordance. 

Part 1 of the festival, "songs" was held at The Turtle bay music school(244 east 52nd street, NY, NY) 1/27/12, and was a stellar beginning to a five part event. 8 performances via 7 composers stemming from there interest in such greats as, Duke Ellington, Dubose Heyward, Val Coleman, Matsuo Basho, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, David foster Wallace, George Gershwin, and Luis Andrei Cobo.  

"The Phoenix & Turtle".

Rich, diverse, dubiously decadent, skills upon skills, and always with good grace. The stage @ Em lee concert hall(Turtle bay music school)barely contained the expansive, avant garde syncopated flow. All 8 performances were great through 3 to me were superb, and now my favorites."The phoenix & the turtle"(music by Dan Cooper, words by William Shakespeare)is an expressive concoction, of poetically driven sounds. A combination of old-world sound with a modern contemporary flair. It fills you up and brings you round into a world were animals talk, and people listen with intense devotion.  

Composers Concordance Festival 2012:"Songs",
panel discussion.

"Basho's rain"(music by Gene Pritsker, words by Matsuo Basho, and vocals by Milica Paranosic)is a howling, yet gentle storm that takes you there, into a world of strange haiku's, cherry blossoms, that exist within a cup of the finest sake. Pritsker's genius is his ability to interpret Basho's word from so long ago, through immense feeling, within a modern construct. His adding Paranosic's delicious, sultry, Serbian voice was the icing on that elegant cake.   

Composers Concordance Festival 2012:"Songs",
panel discussion.

"Kales Bre Andjo/river"(Music by Milica Paranosic, words: traditional Macedonian poetry, vocals by Chanda Rule, Milica Paranosic, and Charles Coleman)is a stunning song that travels on a sondwave of cultural exchange, subtle somber tones, and musical greatness. Paranosic is as gifted a composer as any I've seen in NYC. She always brings forth wonderful notes, full of both light and dark. You could feel the soul of Serbia in Paranosic's voice, the greatness of the African American spirit through Chanda, and the power/grace that is America flowing out of Charles Coleman. The combination was stunning, as was the event. Avant garde! "It beats for you, it bleeds for you, it knows not how it sounds. For it is(Composers concordance festival)the drum of drums, it is the song of 'songs'(1). 

If you would like to know more, go to: www.composersconcordance.com "Art is the reason, art is the way". Aside from those mentioned above, the other musicians who played their part are, Laura Kay/Soprano, Matthew Graybill/piano, Sean Satin/guitar, Cody Brown percussion, Edmundo Ramirez/viola, Taka Kigawa/piano, Gernot Bernroider/percussion, Keve Wilson/oboe, Mat fieldes/bass, John Clark/horn, and Tom Halpenny/guitar. (#1): Love song for a Vampire, by Annie Lennox-words taken from the Biblical poem, "The song of songs".

From left to right, Taka Kigawa,
Milica Paranosic, and
Gene Pritsker.

Charles Coleman

Charles Coleman(right):
"Theres a certain slant of light" 

Chanda Rule.

From left to right, Mat Fieldes, Gene Pritsker,
and John Clark.

Milica Paranosic

Milica and Chanda: "Kales Bre Andjo/river"