National Sawdust Projects Tours New Interdisciplinary Works to Rotterdam, DC’s Kennedy Center, LA’s Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and More

 

National Sawdust, which specializes in the development of impactful, interdisciplinary new music projects, is not only a performance and recording space, but also, crucially, an incubator for new artistic work. National Sawdust Projects, the producing and touring arm of National Sawdust, enables the nonprofit to send new work, incubated in the Brooklyn venue, out into the world. The coming months see four important recent creations take flight, when National Sawdust Projects tours (M)iyamoto Is Black Enough, the Forward Music Project 1.0, Revert to Sea, and The Colorado to Washington’s Kennedy Center and Dupont Underground, New York’s Roulette, Tulsa’s OK Electric Festival, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. This follows the success of previous National Sawdust Projects productions like The Hubble Cantata and Glass Handel, which have already appeared at such key venues as LA Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and the Kennedy Center.

Dedicated to the full life-cycle of each new project, from inception as a Project-in-Residence to realization, staging, touring, recording, distribution, and beyond, National Sawdust – and its in-house label, National Sawdust Tracks – supports artists and their work at every stage of development. Spring brings the world premiere of the Forward Music Project 2.0 at National Sawdust, where three further projects are also currently in development. Of these, Sissieretta Jones: Call Her By Her Name! has just been previewed as a work-in-progress at the Brooklyn venue; Through You will be previewed there shortly; and an excerpt from The Amazon will be featured both at National Sawdust and at Rotterdam’s Classical:NEXT festival, on a program devoted to highlights from “Hear It New!”, National Sawdust’s present season. See full details of National Sawdust Projects’ upcoming presentations below.

(M)iyamoto Is Black Enough

Ariana Miyamoto was crowned Miss Universe Japan in 2015, but because she was a “hafu” – the biracial child of an African American father and Japanese mother – for some, she was “not Japanese enough” for the title. Her story inspired (M)iyamoto Is Black Enough, an evening-length performance piece exploring identity, race, and the experience of belonging. Fusing hard-driving rhythms with biting social commentary, the work was collaboratively created by its four performers: poet and spoken-word artist Roger Bonair-Agard, a two-time National Poetry Slam champion; Berio Rome Prize-winning composer and steelpan player Andy Akiho; Avery Fisher Prize-winning cellist Jeffrey Zeigler; and Sean Dixon, a “nimble-limbed drummer” known for his “driving grooves and playful embellishments” (Spin magazine).

(M)iyamoto Is Black Enough premiered at National Sawdust before making its DC debut at the Kennedy Center’s inaugural DIRECT CURRENT festival last season and touring to West Virginia State University and New York’s Troy Music Hall this past February. Now National Sawdust Projects presents performances of the work together with an educational workshop at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles (March 14 & 15).

Click here to see an excerpt from (M)iyamoto Is Black Enough.

Forward Music Project

The Forward Music Project comprises two hour-long multimedia pieces showcasing new music by contemporary female composers, each of whom was commissioned to write a solo cello work addressing the theme of social justice for women and girls. Sometimes drawing on personal stories, their stylistically contrasting compositions represent the gamut of the female experience, tackling issues that range from sexual violence to reproductive rights, the LGBTQ+ community, and empowerment, all while pushing the boundaries of traditional cello writing through an array of special effects that expand the instrument’s expressive potential. The project was conceived by cellist and educator Amanda Gookin, best-known as a co-founder of the innovative PUBLIQuartet, and came to fruition during her residency at National Sawdust in the 2016-17 season. Gookin’s performances of the piece feature projections by designer S. Katy Tucker, whose work has been exhibited in galleries including Washington’s Corcoran Museum and New York’s Artist’s Space.

Composers Leila Adu, Amanda Feery, Nathalie Joachim, Allison Loggins-Hull, Morgan Krauss, Jessica Meyer, and Angélica Negrón all contributed to the project’s first installment, Forward Music Project 1.0. Presented by National Sawdust Projects, Gookin recently performed this at Washington’s Georgetown University, and now looks forward to touring it to Brooklyn’s Roulette (March 6); Tulsa’s OK Electric Festival (March 22 & 23); Washington’s Dupont Underground, as part of the Kennedy Center’s second DIRECT CURRENT festival (March 29); and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in L.A., where there will be an educational workshop in addition to the performances (May 30 & 31).

Back at National Sawdust, Gookin gives the world premiere of Forward Music Project 2.0, her project’s second installment. This highlights sex positivity, trans rights, BDSM, and more, through new compositions by Niloufar Nourbakhsh, Kamala Sankaram, Alex Temple, Shelley Washington, and National Sawdust Co-Founder and Artistic Director Paola Prestini (March 20).

Click here to see an excerpt from Forward Music Project 1.0.

Revert to Sea

Inspired by the detailed descriptions of auditory sensations and their psychological effect in Ryū Murakami’s novel Coin Locker Babies, Revert to Sea is an hour-long multimedia work conceived, programmed, and performed by Yuka C. Honda. Known for her “mind-melding sound wizardry” (The Observer), Honda co-founded and produced all the audio architecture for the band Cibo Matto and has produced recordings for Sean Lennon, Martha Wainwright, and Yoko Ono, besides releasing three recordings on John Zorn’s Tzadik imprint. One of her most recent works, Revert to Sea is a multi-sensory experience. Incorporating specific themes from the novel, it explores the realm of sound through a combination of composition and improvisation. This will be performed by guitarist Nels Cline (of Wilco), drummer Alex Cline, harpist Zeena Parkins (Björk, John Zorn), and bassist Dave Harrington (of Darkside), with the composer herself on electronics. The lighting design, by Christian LeMay, will incorporate interactive video programmed by the composer. The experience will be synesthetic.

Having been developed during Honda’s National Sawdust residency in the 2017-18 season, Revert to Sea now comes to the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage where, under the auspices of National Sawdust Projects, it forms part of the second DIRECT CURRENT festival (March 31).

The Colorado

Offering “a delicate balance between didactic drive and meditative awe” (New York Times), The Colorado (2016) is a full-length feature documentary in which music takes center stage. Hailed as “outright gorgeous” (New York Times), its exhilarating score comprises original compositions by Paola Prestini, William Brittelle, Glenn Kotche, Shara Nova, and Pulitzer Prize laureate John Luther Adams, performed by Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, Glenn Kotche (in his role as percussionist), and Avery Fisher Prize-winning cellist and music director Jeffrey Zeigler. With a script by conservationist and Pulitzer Prize-finalist William deBuys, direction by Murat Eyuboglu, cinematography by Emmy Award-winner Sylvestre Campe, and narration by Academy Award-winner Sir Mark Rylance, The Colorado is a groundbreaking, music-driven eco-documentary that is at once a musical tribute to the Colorado River Basin, a film about the North American West, and a cautionary tale about the environment.

National Sawdust Projects presents two screenings of The Colorado this spring, both followed by Q&A sessions with members of the documentary’s creative team. The first screening will take place at the University of Pittsburgh (April 7), with auxiliary workshops for university students the following day (April 8). The second, to be held at National Sawdust to celebrate Earth Day (April 20), will include a screening of Kipatsi, Nija, Añaantsi (“Land, Water, Life”), a specially commissioned preview of the feature documentary’s upcoming sequel, The Amazon (see below).

Click here to see a trailer for The Colorado.

Projects in development

National Sawdust Projects is currently developing a range of additional new projects. Now being incubated at the Brooklyn venue, Through You, Sissieretta Jones: Call Her By Her Name!, and The Amazon are all due to premiere there, starting in 2020.

Through You [working title]

Through You is a project-in-development comprising four short compositions for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble by composers Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Paola Prestini, and Ellen Reid (with librettist Royce Vavrek). Drawing inspiration from iconic photographs of women, including Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills (1977–80), this operatic monodrama explores the stages of hidden transformation and identity in a woman’s life. By examining the stories an image can inspire, and immersing audiences in dramatic and musical action, it addresses themes of transformation, individualism, role play, and identity. Through You is set to premiere in 2021 in a fine art space, where it will star mezzo-soprano and creative producer Eve Gigliotti under the direction of R.B. Schlather. A preview of this work-in-progress will debut at National Sawdust (April 19).

Sissieretta Jones: Call Her By Her Name!

Also currently in development is Sissieretta Jones: Call Her By Her Name!, an immersive, multimedia concert experience about the life and legacy of Sissieretta Jones (1868-1933). Often dubbed “The Black Patti,” Sissieretta Jones – “a soprano who shattered racial barriers” (New York Times) – was the best-known and highest-paid African American performer of her day. Conceived by its artistic director, legendary soprano Jessye Norman, and executive produced by Adina Williams, Sissieretta Jones: Call Her By Her Name! will star co-artistic director and Grammy-nominated soprano Harolyn Blackwell. Excerpts from this work-in-progress were previewed earlier this winter at National Sawdust’s “An Evening Honoring Jessye Norman.”

The Amazon

The Amazon is a music-driven feature-length documentary about the Amazon River Basin and the humans who inhabit it. Through a combination of music, art, ecology, and history, it aims to inspire better stewardship of the region’s resources. Building on the success of The Colorado, the new film draws on members of the same creative team – director Murat Eyuboglu, composer Paola Prestini, and music supervisor Jeffrey Zeigler – now joined by composers Pauchi Sasaki and Marlui Miranda and advisors John Hemming and Renée Fleming. Scheduled to premiere in 2021, the project will continue in development over the next two years, with research and filming in the various countries through which the Amazon flows. Meanwhile, by way of a preview, National Sawdust Projects has commissioned a ten-minute short, Kipatsi, Nija, Añaantsi (“Land, Water, Life”), which follows a congregation of Peru’s Asháninka Indians as they visit sacred sites to discuss environmental issues. Integrating indigenous music, captured on the research trip, with an original score written and performed live by Peruvian composer-violinist Pauchi Sasaki, Kipatsi, Nija, Añaantsi will premiere at National Sawdust’s Earth Day celebration (April 20) before making its European debut at Rotterdam’s Classical:NEXT festival, during a program dedicated to National Sawdust’s fourth season, “Hear It New!” (May 15).

National Sawdust Projects: upcoming presentations

FORWARD MUSIC PROJECT 1.0
Wed, March 6, 2019 at 7:30pm
Roulette, Brooklyn, NY
The Forward Music Project 1.0 is an hour-long multimedia piece addressing the theme of social justice for women and girls. Conceived and performed by cellist Amanda Gookin with projections by S. Katy Tucker, the project’s first installment features original compositions by Leila Adu, Amanda Feery, Nathalie Joachim, Allison Loggins-Hull, Morgan Krauss, Jessica Meyer, and Angélica Negrón. (See also March 22 & 23, March 29, and May 30 & 31.)

ANDY AKIHO/ROGER BONAIR-AGARD | (M)IYAMOTO IS BLACK ENOUGH
Thurs, March 14 and Fri, March 15, 2019
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles, CA
Hard-driving rhythm meets biting social commentary in (M)iyamoto Is Black Enough, an evening-length performance piece exploring identity, race, and the experience of belonging. Featuring composer Andy Akiho on steelpans, poet Roger Bonair-Agard on spoken word, Sean Dixon on drums, and Jeffrey Zeigler on cello, the performances will be accompanied by an educational workshop.

FORWARD MUSIC PROJECT 2.0 (world premiere)
Wed, March 20, 2019
National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
The Forward Music Project 2.0 is an hour-long multimedia piece addressing the theme of social justice for women and girls. Conceived and performed by cellist Amanda Gookin with projections by S. Katy Tucker, the project’s second installment features original compositions by Paola Prestini, Niloufar Nourbakhsh, Kamala Sankaram, Alex Temple, and Shelley Washington.

FORWARD MUSIC PROJECT 1.0
Fri, March 22 and Sat, March 23, 2019
OK Electric Festival, Tulsa, OK
The Forward Music Project 1.0 is an hour-long multimedia piece addressing the theme of social justice for women and girls. Conceived and performed by cellist Amanda Gookin with projections by S. Katy Tucker, the project’s first installment features original compositions by Leila Adu, Amanda Feery, Nathalie Joachim, Allison Loggins-Hull, Morgan Krauss, Jessica Meyer, and Angélica Negrón. (See also March 6, March 29, and May 30 & 31.)

FORWARD MUSIC PROJECT 1.0
Fri, March 29, 2019 at 9pm
Kennedy Center at Dupont Underground for DIRECT CURRENT festival, Washington, DC
The Forward Music Project 1.0 is an hour-long multimedia piece addressing the theme of social justice for women and girls. Conceived and performed by cellist Amanda Gookin with projections by S. Katy Tucker, the project’s first installment features original compositions by Leila Adu, Amanda Feery, Nathalie Joachim, Allison Loggins-Hull, Morgan Krauss, Jessica Meyer, and Angélica Negrón. (See also March 6, March 22 & 23, and May 30 & 31.)

YUKA C. HONDA | REVERT TO SEA
Sun, March 31, 2019 at 6pm
Kennedy Center (Millennium Stage) for DIRECT CURRENT festival, Washington, DC
Inspired by Japanese author Ryū Murakami, Revert to Sea is an hour-long multimedia performance piece by electronic composer Yuka C. Honda. It combines an animated visual score, manipulated live by Christian LeMay, with live music from guitarist Nels Cline, drummer Alex Cline, harpist Zeena Parkins, double bassist Dave Harrington, and the composer herself on electronics.

THE COLORADO
Sun, April 7, 2019
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
A full-length, music-driven eco-documentary, The Colorado (2016) draws on the combined talents of composers Paola Prestini, William Brittelle, Glenn Kotche, Shara Nova, and John Luther Adams; filmmaker Murat Eyuboglu; and narrator Sir Mark Rylance. A screening of the documentary will be followed by a Q&A session with members of the film’s creative team. There will be related workshops for university students on April 8.

THROUGH YOU
Fri, April 19, 2019
National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
One of the projects-in-development currently being incubated at National Sawdust, Through You draws inspiration from iconic photographs of women, including Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills (1977–80), to explore the stages of hidden transformation and identity in a woman’s life. It comprises short compositions for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, Nico Muhly, Paola Prestini, and Ellen Reid. Mezzo-soprano and creative producer Eve Gigliotti stars under R.B. Schlather’s direction in a preview of this work-in-progress, which is scheduled to premiere in 2021.

THE COLORADO
Sat, April 20, 2019
National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
A full-length, music-driven eco-documentary, The Colorado (2016) draws on the combined talents of composers Paola Prestini, William Brittelle, Glenn Kotche, Shara Nova, and John Luther Adams; filmmaker Murat Eyuboglu; and narrator Sir Mark Rylance. A screening of the documentary will be followed by a panel discussion featuring local environmental activists alongside filmmaker Murat Eyuboglu discussing how art can be used as a call-to-action to raise awareness of global threats to the environment, with a sneak peek of Kipatsi, Nija, Añaantsi (“Land, Water, Life”), a specially commissioned preview of upcoming feature documentary The Amazon.

NATIONAL SAWDUST: HEAR IT NEW!
Wed, May 15, 2019
Classical:NEXT at De Doelen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
National Sawdust presents selections from the present season, “Hear It New!”. The concert features excerpts from the Forward Music Project performed by Amanda Gookin; Constellations by Emma O’Halloran, winner of the 2017-18 National Sawdust Hildegard Competition for female, trans and nonbinary composers; and a screening of Kipatsi, Nija, Añaantsi (“Land, Water, Life”), a specially commissioned preview of upcoming feature documentary The Amazon, directed by Murat Eyuboglu and performed by composer-violinist Pauchi Sasaki.

FORWARD MUSIC PROJECT 1.0
Thurs, May 30 and Fri, May 31, 2019 at 8pm
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles, CA
The Forward Music Project 1.0 is an hour-long multimedia piece addressing the theme of social justice for women and girls. Conceived and performed by cellist Amanda Gookin with projections by S. Katy Tucker, the project’s first installment features original compositions by Leila Adu, Amanda Feery, Nathalie Joachim, Allison Loggins-Hull, Morgan Krauss, Jessica Meyer, and Angélica Negrón. The performances will be accompanied by an educational workshop. (See also March 6, March 22 & 23, and March 29.)

About National Sawdust

National Sawdust’s mission is to build new audiences for classical and new music by providing outstanding resources and programming support to both emerging and established artists and composers. Centered on discovery within music, its programming introduces audiences to new artists and styles, and introduces artists to new audiences. An incubator of new music, National Sawdust also provides artists the space, time, and resources they need to create their art.

National Sawdust is both a state-of-the-art performance venue and a recording studio, housed within a preserved century-old sawdust factory. The building – which has won multiple architecture awards – also houses Rider, a two-story bistro and bar led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly. Rider completes the audience experience by offering an exceptional menu of food and drink during performances.

About National Sawdust Projects

National Sawdust Projects is the producing arm of National Sawdust. By presenting relevant, impactful new works on a global stage, it moves beyond the organization’s physical Brooklyn home to forge relationships between new audiences and the most innovative artists active today.

Believing that collaboration sustains artistic innovation, National Sawdust Projects produces, incubates, and tours new interdisciplinary music projects that not only reflect the world we live in today, but also the world we imagine, and wish to cultivate, for the future. National Sawdust Projects brings together emerging and established artists with experts in music, film, history, science, and beyond, to create new works that tell the untold stories of forgotten voices, or speak to themes of social justice, technology, and the environment. Frequently drawing from the work of National Sawdust’s Artists-in-Residence and Projects-in-Residence programs, National Sawdust Projects proudly takes works from ideation to execution before presenting them to audiences around the world.

Having begun life as VisionIntoArt, the nonprofit production company founded 20 years ago by Paola Prestini, National Sawdust Projects is now produced by Holly Hunter, formerly of London’s Southbank Centre.

To download high-resolution photos, click here.

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© 21C Media Group, March 2019