New Vintage Baroque ushers in the new year with The Body Untied. This program features a new commission by Simon Frisch, a song cycle exploring the legacy of historic French queen (twice over) Anne of Brittany (1477 - 1514). As the last duchess of an independent Brittany, and a ferocious diplomat and patron of the arts, she surpassed her circumstances to live a life of enormous consequence for Europe. The cycle traces the arc of Anne's coercion into the French crown and legendary fortyday funeral, and ruminates on her embodiment, even centuries later, of the resilient spirit of the Breton. The texts, infused with chilling winds, sea salt, flora, violence, and mourning, are drawn from her court, funeral rites, and contemporary Anglo-Breton poet Claire Trévien. Interspersed are dances and Baroque court music of François Couperinand Jean-Baptiste Lully, guided with narration of Anne's life and influence.
Lightbox offers an immersive experience of The Body Untied, with projection installations by artist Rachel Libeskind.
New Vintage Baroque is an adventurous period instrument ensemble dedicated to the creation of a 21stcentury repertoire for early instruments. Inviting audiences to examine their relationship with both the past and the present, their shows inventively weave together narration, new commissions, and music of the Baroque. For more check out www.newvintagebaroque.com
Simon Frisch is a New York and Brittany-based composer. Recent premieres include his “lovely and delicate” Sandglass Vespers for the New Juilliard Ensemble at Alice Tully Hall (NY Classical Review), and a cycle of Patricia Barber song adaptations commissioned by the Renée Fleming for their Higher collabotation that "shattered musical boundaries" (Chicago Tribune), heard in Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York. A new song cycle commissioned by New Vintage Baroque, on the historical figure Anne of Brittany, is being premiered internationally in January, May, and August of 2016 by the ensemble, BZH New York, and the city of Saint-Briac.
He is also a founder of Festival Daniou, a Brittany, France based chamber music residency entering its third season after two acclaimed concert series in the summers of 2014 and 2015. As composer and advocate, he has been featured by ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Publishers), Ouest France, and in the 2011 Bayreuth Almanach.
Simon was winner of the 2014-15 New Juilliard Ensemble commissioning competition and recipient of a 2012 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award. In 2011 he was chosen by the Richard Wagner Society of New York to attend the 100th Bayreuth Festival on receiving the 2011 Richard-Wagner-Stipendienstiftung, founded by Richard Wagner, from the Gesellschaft der Freunde von Bayreuth, and appeared on a New York panel discussing the Festival.
A recent graduate from the Juilliard School, Simon held a Teaching Fellowship in Music Theory and was commended for contributions to tutoring while pursuing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Ligthbox is Manhattan’s premier interactive digital arts space. Lightbox promotes and supports innovation in digital art and multimedia experience. We also offer turn-key service for unforgettable private, corporate, and branded events. Lightbox’s flexible industrial space features floor-to-ceiling fully programmable walls, a state of the art sound system, two bars and a mezzanine lounge over nearly 3,000 sq feet of industrial style. Our technical and event strategy team can tailor content and visuals as well as social media activations to match your message, style and mood. Experience the next generation of art and technology at Lightbox, a space with endless possibilities.
