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  – Joe McPhee

  “I know how difficult it is to keep something like that in operation. I love that the New Music Circle  has been in operation for (55) years. That is very impressive indeed, and crucial for the community.”

  – Olivia Block

Clockwise: Cooper-Moore children’s workshop at Old North St. Louis. Olivia Block soundchecking at Contemporary Art Museum. Marty Ehrlich workshop at University City Highschool. Mars Williams, Tyler Damon, Darin Gray trio at St. Louis Art Museum.

Thank you to everyone who came out to our fall 2013 concerts! All of us at New Music Circle have been heartened by your incredible support for  our unique programming.  What a great season our 55^th is turning out to be: a brilliant performance by Darin Gray, Mars Williams, and Tyler Damon on Art Hill in late summer, followed  by a long overdue visit from St. Louis native Marty Ehrlich and The Rites Quartet, William Parker’s quintet rocking The Mad Art Gallery, and Olivia Block, Luis Recoder and Sandra Gibson’s stunning multi-media show at the Contemporary Art Museum. The last three groups also offered workshops, freely sharing their musical and artistic ideas with the public.

These are only part of what NMC has presented in 2013!  More adventures into  innovative music of the highest caliber are already on the calendar throughout 2014’s winter and spring. Enthusiasm is way up and audiences are on the rise!

Unfortunately, institutional support for the arts is way down. All this exhilarating  music comes at a substantial cost, and ticket revenue covers only a dwindling fraction of it. Frankly, we must ask for the additional contributions of people who  love creative music and are willing to support it financially. Our hard-working Board  and minimal but devoted staff insure frugal and efficient operation, as do collaborations with our venues. However we simply cannot sustain this level of programming without your help.

We have been gratified by your growing show of love for this music by attending our concerts and by donating to NMC in the past; but more than ever now we need your financial support to keep moving forward.  I know I will be writing my check to  show my passion for The New Music Circle, as will our board members and staff. Please join in and show your support also. Your year-end tax-deductible contribution will help us continue on our adventure into great new music! Support NMC with a simple one-click PayPal donation HERE.

Thank you for your support!
Dave Day (NMC President) and everyone at NMC

• All our 2013/2014 concert dates and venues are now confirmed, save for a concert in May which we’ll announce shortly. More details on our concerts page.
• The Marty Ehrlich Quartet will include Michael Formanek on bass. Michael is one of the most versatile and in-demand bassists in contemporary jazz, and we’re excited that he’ll be joining Marty.
• We’re in the process of arranging workshops and public talks with some of our artists. More details soon.

Join New Music Circle for an evening of general question trivia, snacks and drinks on Saturday, August 24th at the William A Kerr Foundation, to help support our 55th season of presenting concerts in St. Louis.

Located just a few blocks from Laclede’s Landing, the Kerr Foundation has freely available parking on the street and east side of the building.

The evening will begin at 6:00pm and we will serve light snacks and soft drinks. You are welcome to bring your own food and beverages, including alcohol (we will have a cups and a refrigerator available). Trivia will begin promptly at 7:00pm. Guests may purchase a table for eight at $160, or individually at $20 a person.

Your support will benefit our upcoming concert season, featuring concerts by: Marty Ehrlich, William Parker, Olivia Block, Claire Chase, Joshua Abrams, and more.

You may RSVP directly to nmc.jeremy(at)gmail.com, or purchase your ticket at Brown Paper Tickets.

Google Maps directions to William A Kerr can be found here: map.

Once in the vicinity, look for balloons and signs pointing to the venue.

*This structure was originally a 19th Century bath-house but has since been renovated into a LEED-compliant community space, serving a broad range of functions, but most notably as the venue for numerous NMC events.

To RSVP or for general questions please email or call: nmc.jeremy (at) gmail.com / #314-477-3146.

While we’re still working on confirming some of the dates and venues, our concerts page has a sneak preview of what’s coming in our 2013/14 season. We are very excited to open the season with Marty Ehrlich and his Rites Quartet. This will be a rare chance to see this St. Louis native and University City High School alumni.

In addition to our regular season, we are very pleased to announce a special summer concert, presented in conjunction with the St. Louis Art Museum. The concert will be on Friday, August 23’rd and will feature bassist Darin Gray. For more information on this and all our upcoming concerts, see our concerts page.

Trio Kinsella

Saturday, May 14, 2011, 7:30 pm
Kranzberg Arts Center
501 N. Grand

• Jonathan Borja, flute
• Ben Gitter, cello
• Brendan Kinsella, piano

On this concert, Trio Kinsella will perform George Crumb’s famous 20th century masterpiece, Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale), in addition to works by Narong Prangcharoen, John Corigliano and Joseph Schwantner, with one of the highlights of the evening being the World Premiere of “Falling Through Infinity” by Nicholas Omiccioli.

The Kinsella-Gitter-Borja Trio is devoted to performing the music of our time. The group was featured in the Heidelberg New Music Festival in 2009, where they performed Vox Balaenae for Pulitzer-Prize winning composer George Crumb. Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) is scored for electronically amplified flute, cello and piano and demands nearly constant extended techniques. The work is highly dramatic – the performers appear in masks amid a wash of deep blue stage lighting.

The group continues to perform Crumb’s work, along with new works by young composers, throughout the Midwest. Trio Kinsella is featured in the upcoming recording of Thailand’s Narong Prangcharoen’s chamber music CD on Albany Records.

An exerpt from an article in the Kansas City Star (2009) reads:

“The highlight of the evening was one of Crumb’s best known works, the 1971 “Vox Balaenae” (“Voice of the Whale”). The composition worked well for a Halloween night concert, since Crumb required the performers to wear masks. More theatricality was added by turning off all lights but those used by the performers.

Pianist Kinsella, flutist Jonathan Borja and cellist Ben Gitter displayed full control of the challenging score. In addition to playing their instruments, they were called upon to sing, whistle, hum and play percussion.”