Read more...

Gartz has been in residence at the Arts Exchange in White Plains for an extended period capturing images of New York and the Hudson Region, juxtaposing them with archival material to create a translucent tapestry of original works which she has entitled Morgana, Plains, from silver to gold.

Her residency in Westchester is presented in concert with the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA) and runs concurrently with the "Double Dutch" exhibition in Peekskill as part of the Quadricentennial celebration.

Morgana, Plains, from silver to gold. is made possible by The Netherlands-based FONDS Foundation (BKVB), and the Consulate General of the Netherlands, with in-kind contributions from Klahr Glass Co, The Esplanade Hotel of White Plains, The Jacob Burns Film Center, Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, the Neuberger Museum and others.

Wineke Gartz is known for creating installations which relate to the site-specific architectural environment. Her installations draw upon the filmic qualities of light and shadow that are inherent in video art. At the same time, the spectrum of vibrant hues which she employs in these pieces recalls her early career as a painter. "My installations are assembled with a painterly eye," says Gartz. "In my compositions, the space is the canvas, the video images and slides are the colors and the forms, and there is chiaroscuro." The resulting works reveal a rich layering of image and meaning.

The centerpiece of the Morgana, Plains from silver to gold exhibition will be a huge, low glass tableau, approximately 20 feet long x 14 feel wide, placed in the center of the Arts Exchange's Grand Banking Room, upon which video images will be projected. Gartz envisions the piece as akin to a massive carrying tray for images facing skyward, which, although grounded, unite the earth and sky.

All of the works for the exhibition are site specific, meaning Ms. Gartz created them for the Arts Exchange space. She spent two weeks in Westchester in early October to gather video images from New York City, the Hudson Valley, and especially White Plains. She combines these new images with images she has been collecting for over 17 years.

Of the title she chose for this exhibition, Gartz explains that the word 'Morgana' comes from the phrase 'Fata Morgana,' which in Europe is frequently used to refer to a mirage that weary travelers will see in a dessert. But, by using only half of the phrase, 'Morgana,' Gartz seeks to suggest a fragmented mirage that does not literally reveal itself, but invites the viewer to observe it carefully and contemplate its meaning.

Gartz believes that a 'mirage' is an apt symbol to represent the illusions that people embrace to understand the world. "I am interested in how we create our own illusions, how we perceive images, live through them, and how memories work," she says.

Although she does not seek to confine viewers in their interpretations, Gartz contends that these 'mirages' also highlight the 'duality of opposites,' a concept central to her work.

"For instance, shifting between seeing the Manhattan skyline from a distance, and then being right in it, is a way to reflect a truth about daily existence," she explains. "The beauty of the Manhattan skyline is iconic. However, when you are on the streets of Manhattan, you can closely witness how opposites exist side by side. You see the details of ecstasies, such as successful people, the energy of the city, contrasted with the failure, pain and loneliness that are also prevalent. In this exhibition, the idea of the duality of opposites is also explored in contrasting images of a large city, such as New York, and a small city, such as White Plains, as well as the opposites of town and country. I guess I am interested in the truth behind the clichés."

Gartz says that she was especially drawn to the idea of presenting her works on the different levels of the Arts Exchange building. She believes it is important that visitors spend time in the space, experiencing the environment she has created. "Taking part in the pleasure of observing and experiencing is a process that often goes unnoticed," she says. "An artwork guides spectators, but at the same time, confronts them with something grander than themselves. A work of art can open up, liberate thought, and make shifts in regular ways of seeing."

More information: www.artswestchester.org

Read more...

Monday, January 11
JORIS TEEPE TRIO, Don Braden & Matt Wilson (Bass)
Two shows: 8PM & 10PM

Joris Teepe Trio will feature Joris on bass, Don Braden on sax and Matt Wilson on Drums. Several great bassists in Jazz came from Europe (Dave Holland, George Mraz, NHOP, Miroslav Vitous), but JorisTeepe is the first European musician from The Netherlands to be able to make it in NewYork. Arriving in New York in 1992 with just his bass and a suitcase, he quickly met many musicians, started to work a lot and a year later he recorded his first CD, co-led by Don Braden and featuring Cyrus Chestnut, Carl Allen and Tom Harrell. From that point everything really took of for Joris and he became a bassist in great demand and he has been working with the "who is who in Jazz" from Benny Golson to Randy Brecker to Rashied Ali.

Tuesday, January 12
PAULIEN (Vocals)
Two shows: 8PM & 10PM

Dutch born Paulien is not your typical jazz singer. Strongly influenced by her European background, she does not make concessions to or tries to imitate the mainstream interpretation of the American Songbook. Rather, she sings carefully selected American and international standards, the latter of which she often presents in their language of origin - be it French or Portuguese - thus making them fresh and attractive. After a successful struggle with the US immigration authorities obtaining permanent American residency last summer, Paulien appears with the producer of her US debut album, internationally acclaimed guitarist Royce Campbell, who discovered her in 2007 and Washington's creme-de-la-creme: Tony Nalker on piano, Tom Baldwin on bass and Tony Martucci on drums.

Wednesday, January 13
AMINA FIGOROVA (Piano)
Two shows: 8PM & 10PM

20 Amina Figarova is without doubt one of the most productive jazz composers and talented jazz piano players from Europe. Now living in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Amina started playing piano and composing at a very early age. She studied as a classical concert pianist at the Baku Conservatory, jazz performance at the Rotterdam Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Amina Figarova performs with her own group at many jazz festivals and jazz clubs around the world, such as The North Sea Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Capetown International Jazzfestival, Salvador Bahia Jazz Festival, Brasil, JakArt Festival, Indonesia, Yoshi´s in Oakland, CA, Blue Note jazz club New York, and has given concerts in Israel, Europe, United Arabs Emirates, Mexico, USA, Azerbaijan, and many others.

Thursday, January 14 and Friday, January 15
MICHIEL BORSTLAP (Piano/Bass/Drums)
Two shows: 8PM & 10PM

The music of Michiel Borstlap embraces the rich pianistical heritage of his heroes Glenn Gould, Sviatoslav Richter, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. Michiel Borstlap has worked with some of the greatest musicians in the world including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Gino Vannelli, Bill Bruford, Jimmy Haslip, Pat Metheny, George Duke and Jeff "Tain" Watts. With one of them, or all alone he played the biggest festivals in the world. Michiel Borstlap has received prestigious awards for his music. He is the winner of the 1996 Thelonious Monk/BMI Composers Award (event televised by CNN), the winner of the 1992 Prize for Best Soloist at Europe Jazz Contest, and a nominee for the 2007 Polar Music Prize.

Tickets: http://www.instantseats.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.venue&venueID=3

Read more...

Dutch theater ensemble Hotel Modern probes timeless themes of the ravages of war and the harsh realities that engulf soldiers in The Great War. The company's startlingly novel dramatic concept uses the brutal trench warfare of World War I as a lens to examine the ceaseless, universal toll of combat. An idyllic cultivated landscape transforms into a battle-scarred vista of destruction before your eyes, as the entire stage floor becomes a film set for a scaled-down version of the Western Front's war zone.

Company members roam this ruined terrain armed with tiny video cameras, creating an animated film that is projected above scenes that detail-with miniature tanks and toy soldiers-the tragic human enterprise too often glorified by nations' patriotic zeal. As you simultaneously watch the inventive theater magic unfold and the astonishingly realistic projected images that result, spoken passages from frontline testimonies and soldiers' letters bring out the heartrending price paid by cannon fodder caught in the storm of war.

Read more...

In Zambrano's, words "Soul Project is bout being continuously alive; it's about soul in all its manifestations: spiritual, abstract, musical, personal." Soul Project was presented in Ireland at the Dublin Dance Festival in May 2009, and has been seen throughout the Netehrlands as well as in France, Spain and Germany.

More information: www.danspaceproject.org

Read more...

Valery Gergiev's appointment as Music Director in 1995 heralded a new period of bloom. The celebrated Russian conductor made his debut with the orchestra in 1988. During the years of his leadership, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra has developed into an orchestra of worldwide reputation. At the start of the 2008-2009 season, Yannick Nézet-Séguin succeeded Valery Gergiev as Music Director.

Especially notable is the orchestra's opera tradition. It gave the world premiere of Alfred Schnittke's Life with an Idiot, and participated in acclaimed productions of Pelléas et Mélisande, Parsifal, and Tristan und Isolde. Its concert performance of Wagner's Parsifal under Rattle, as part of the September 2000 BBC Proms, was hailed a triumph.

One of the ambitions of the Rotterdam Philharmonic is to cultivate new audiences. Therefore special concerts for children are given; the boundaries between classical, world, and light music are explored in festive prom-concerts; and the world of classical music is introduced in educational concerts.

In addition to 70 subscription concerts, the Orchestra's schedule each season includes the Rotterdam Philharmonic Gergiev Festival. Themed 'Eternal Youth' the 14th edition of this festival will take place from 29 August to 6 September 2009, featuring symphonic concerts, opera, chamber music, a film series and solo and song recitals.

Read more...

Hassabi and Steijn ask themselves "when do outside differences meet inside similarities? When do opposites become the two sides of one coin?" In his thinking about art, Steijn is "strongly influenced by the mentality of the work of Jack Smith and the formality and playfulness of the performances of Dan Graham and Matt Mullican. In his belief in the spiritual dimension of theatre he is influenced by his encounters with the Korean Shaman Hi Ah Park.

More information: www.danspaceproject.org