Tune-in Music Festival :: February 16 – 20, 2011 :: Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065 :: (212) 616-3930 ::

Grammy Award-winning eighth blackbird curates and performs at the Armory’s five-day music festival, bringing together some of today’s leading new music groups, including red fish blue fish, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Sympho, and Newspeak. Within the vast Wade Thompson Drill Hall, the audience becomes part of the musical experience. Works by Steve Reich, Frederic Rzewski, John Cage, Louis Andriessen, Kurt Schwitters, David T. Little, Stefan Weisman, and Matt Marks will be performed. Closing the festival is the New York—and indoor—premiere of John Luther Adams’ percussion-only Inuksuit, which features 72 performers moving throughout the expansive hall during the performance. The festival also includes the world premiere of ARCO, a new work commissioned by the Armory, co-composed by Paul Haas, Paul Fowler, and Bora Yoon, and performed by Sympho.

eighth blackbird’s program is inspired by Stravinsky’s provocative statement, “Music is, by its very nature, essentially powerless to express anything at all.” At the heart of the festival are two concerts that challenge Stravinsky’s statement by taking radical positions: for the negative (powerFUL), and for the affirmative (powerLESS). The concluding event (Inuksuit) provides musical (or spiritual) balm after the fray.

Each concert is preceded by an Artist Talk with Armory Consulting Artistic Director Kristy Edmunds and the artists and key creative forces behind the evening’s concert. Talks are free for concert ticket-holders. All others $10 (cash only). Pre-registration required.

Festival Schedule:
ARCO :: Wednesday February 16 at 7:30 p.m. :: Tickets: $25 :: The world premiere of ARCO, the Armory-commissioned orchestral work co-composed by Paul Haas, Paul Fowler and Bora Yoon and performed by Sympho.

powerFUL :: Thursday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m. :: Tickets: $30 :: powerFUL confronts listeners with edgy politically-charged music performed by eighth blackbird, red fish blue fish, Newspeak, and guest artists.

POWERLESS :: Friday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m. :: Tickets: $30 :: powerLESS celebrates the rich and multifaceted world of “absolute music” that seeks no meaning beyond its notes. Performed by eighth blackbird, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Steve Schick, and guest artists.

INUKSUIT :: Sunday, February 20 at 4:00 p.m. :: Tickets: $30 :: The New York—and indoor—premiere of John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit, which features more than 70 percussionists moving throughout the Armory’s expansive drill hall during the performance.

Programs and artists are subject to change.

$95 FESTIVAL PASS: The Festival Pass includes tickets to all four concerts.