Claire Chase. Photo by Karen Chester. Courtesy of the artist.
Claire Chase. Photo by Karen Chester. Courtesy of the artist.

Claire Chase

Density @ 10

On View: May 18-May 25, 2023

The Kitchen at Westbeth, Carnegie Hall

Time:

Various Times

Density 2036 is a 24-year project begun by Claire Chase in 2013 to commission a new body of repertory for solo flute each year until the 100th anniversary of Edgard Varèse’s groundbreaking 1936 flute solo, Density 21.5. Chase will commission and premiere a new program of flute music every year until 2036. Each piece in the project will expand the boundaries of the instrument. For the ten-year anniversary of Density 2036, Chase performs all Density commissions up to the present in a series of concerts at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and in free performances at The Kitchen’s Westbeth Loft as part of Carnegie Hall Citywide. The final two programs will be the world premieres of Density 2036: part ix, a piece by Craig Taborn performed in collaboration with the composer, and Density 2036: part x, a piece by Anna Thorvaldsdottir performed with a small ensemble, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall.

Claire Chase: Density @ 10 is organized by Matthew Lyons, Curator, and Angelique Rosales Salgado, Curatorial Assistant.

PERFORMANCES

Thursday, May 18 at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall

7:30 pm Density I and II: Marcos Balter, Mario Diaz de Leon, Felipe Lara, George Lewis, Edgard Varèse, and Du Yun

Friday, May 19 at The Kitchen at Westbeth (Free with RSVP)

6:30 pm Density III: Nathan Davis, Jason Eckardt, Dai Fujikura, Pauline Oliveros, and Francesca Verunelli

9pm Density IV: Richard Beaudoin, Suzanne Farrin, Vijay Iyer, Pauchi Sasaki, and Tyshawn Sorey

Saturday, May 20 at The Kitchen at Westbeth (Free with RSVP)

6:30 pm Density V: Marcos Balter: Pan

9 pm Density VI: Phyllis Chen, Sarah Hennies, Olga Neuwirth, and Pamela Z

Tuesday, May 23 at The Kitchen at Westbeth (Free with RSVP)

6:30 pm Density VII: Liza Lim: Sex Magic

9 pm Density VII: Liza Lim: Sex Magic

Wednesday, May 24 at The Kitchen at Westbeth (Free with RSVP)

6:30 pm Density VIII: Ann Cleare, Matana Roberts, and Wang Lu

9 pm Density IX: Craig Taborn: Busy Griefs and Endangered Charms (2022-23), World Premiere

Thursday, May 25 at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall

7:30 pm Density X: Anna Thorvaldsdottir, World Premiere

BIO

Claire Chase, described by The New York Times recently as “the North Star of her instrument’s ever-expanding universe,” is a musician, interdisciplinary artist, and educator. Passionately dedicated to the creation of new ecosystems for the music of our time, Chase has given the world premieres of hundreds of new works by a new generation of artists, and in 2013 launched the 24-year commissioning project Density 2036. Now in its tenth year, Density 2036 reimagines the solo flute literature over a quarter-century through commissions, performances, recordings, education and an accessible archive at density2036.org. Chase co-founded the International Contemporary Ensemble in 2001, was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2012, and in 2017 was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Chase is currently Professor of the Practice of Music at Harvard University’s Department of Music, a Creative Associate at The Juilliard School, and a Collaborative Partner with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony. She is the Debs Creative Chair at Carnegie Hall for the 2022-23 season.

FUNDING SUPPORT & CREDITS

The Kitchen’s programming is supported by grants from The Amphion Foundation, Inc., Arison Art Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, The Cowles Charitable Trust, Ford Foundation, Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, Inc., The Willem de Kooning Foundation, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, Marta Heflin Foundation, Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Open Society Foundation, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Simons Foundation, and Teiger Foundation; and in part by public funds from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Season programming is made possible in part with support from The Kitchen’s Board of Directors and The Kitchen Leadership Fund. Learn more about the Leadership Fund.

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