New York Weekend

It was a wonderful weekend in New York City, where I had the opportunity to hear and work with thirty choirs from Alaska to Florida, Vermont to California, at Worldstrides Heritage Festival at Riverside Church.  Some wonderful musical moments! (including an unexpected performance of my CANTATE DOMINO)  While there, I heard Michael Tilson Thomas' intriguing concert of "American Mavericks" at Zankel Hall, a warm and intimate space beneath the larger Stern auditorium at Carnegie.  Wow!  The program was Daphne of the Dunes by Harry Partsch on his orginial playful and quirky instruments by Newband (who now cares for and curates the collection), David del Tredici's Syzergy, with incredibly fearless and flexible soprano soloist Kiera Duffy, the premiere of Mass Transmissions, a new work by Mason Bates for chorus (Francisco Nunez' Young People's Chorus of NYC), organ and electronica (manipulated by the composer), and Lou Harrison's Concerto for Organ and Percussion.  Such an unique evening!  Also visited the Rubin Museum of Tibetan art and spent several hours exploring in the Metropolitan on Sunday (the new exhibit of Gertrude Stein and her brother's collection of Picasso and Matisse is huge), a walk in the park, good food at BLT Prime, a large capuccino at JOE, a slice or two of Ray's Pizza...