The Alb, the Mac, the Kap and I were at the Chelsea Art Museum in New York on Monday to receive the Trailblazer award from the American Music Center at their Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony.
At a time when the odds are stacked against such a blatantly non-commercial activity as new classical music, the tone of the event was gratifyingly upbeat. Board members talked enthusiastically about a new internet radio initiative and a complete web redesign that would combine all of the AMC’s disparate online worlds. Award recipient and head of BMI (an association promoting composers and protecting their rights), Ralph Jackson, gave a stirring speech aimed at rallying the troops to ensure a more central role for classical composers in society in general. NewMusicBox impresario, Frank Oteri, quoted stats on Alex Ross’ blog (a site that has reached a “watercooler conversation”-level of popularity in the classical music community) that identified almost fifty new music groups active in New York City, many of which were showing encouraging levels of audience and financial support.
Perhaps I just respond well to warm fuzzies, but this put me in a pretty bloody good mood.
The reception also threw me head-first into a large representation of the New York new music community to mix and schmooze with some cool folks.
I got to meet the excitable Jen Higdon, whose virtuosic Zaka we’ve been playing off and on all year, and whose explosive, politically pertinent rapidfire (dealing with the threat of gun violence in the US) I’ll be performing in the US and Oz in July and August. She’s an amazing ray of joy, and you just can’t help but have a good time in her presence - here is the Mac giggling (in his characteristically manly way) with the Hig:
The always dapper and effusive Mr Jackson, uncharacteristically trying to shun the limelight, with the Kap and the Alb laughing in the background:
Mr Oteri, trying desperately to put a halt to the rowdy socializing, so that he could bring the meeting to order in time for the 6.27pm commencement of official proceedings. (Appropriately enough for a community with a history of mathematically precise compositional techniques, the evening was planned to within a millisecond.)
The whole rowdy gang, on the second floor of Chelsea’s wonderful Art Museum on the far, far, far West side of Manhattan (any further west and we’d be in the river):
The Alb being his normal affable, concise, entertaining self, telling anecdotes while accepting the Trailblazer Award on behalf of 8bb:
An extremely distinguished fellow award recipient, Academy Award-winning composer John Corigliano with the Alb and the Mac. Notice the name-tags with pennants attached. As someone I overheard noted: “You look like prize heifers at the show.” I was reminded of elementary school sports day ribbons celebrating my enthusiastic “participation”…
More photos from the awards and dinner can be seen at our photoblog here.
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