The New York Miniaturist Ensemble has performed hundereds of new works by composers from around the world. Over 180 composers have written works for the Ensemble, including Karlheinz Stockhausen, Christian Wolff, Michael Finnissy, Tom Johnson, Charles Wuorinen, Aldo Clementi, Pauline Oliveros, John Luther Adams, Sylvano Bussotti, Sebastian Currier, Alvin Curran, Henri Pousseur, Jo Kondo, Ben Johnston, and the mysterious Jandek. The NYME collaborated with the Museum of the Moving Image to perform live films scores to the early films of the Thomas Edison Company. Formed in 2004 by graduates of the Juilliard School, the Ensemble has been praised for their virtuosic performances and innovative programming.

In addition to their regular live performances, the NYME has been featured on radio in Chicago and New York and produces a regular podcast. The Ensemble is pursuing a wide variety of special projects, including performances of music composed by computers and animals, scores for silent short films, works written by deaf composers who have never heard music, and pieces composed by thousands of people together on a collaborative composition website which anyone in the world can access. The Miniaturist Ensemble is currently gathering material for a regular podcast of recorded orchestral and operatic works.


Performer Bios:


Erik Carlson has performed for audiences around the world, playing both as a soloist and as a member of various ensembles. He has soloed with orchestras in Europe and America, including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Radio/Television Orchestra of Ireland. He is the founder and director of The New York Miniaturist Ensemble and Ensemble 176. The New York Times called his recent performances of Berio and Dallapiccola "first-rate" and "a revelation". He plays frequently with the inter-arts ensemble VisionIntoArt, The Trinity Bach Players, and the New Chamber Ballet. As a composer and a playwright, he has had his works performed across the country. He studied violin with Jorja Fleezanis, Ronald Copes, and Robert Mann, and graduated from The Juilliard School with a Masters Degree in violin performance. Highlights of Erik's 2007-2008 season include performances on Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival and tours to Russia, Mexico, and Belgrade.

Joshua Rubin has been working as a chamber musician, orchestra musician, soloist and teacher in New York since 2000. As a passionate advocate for new music he has given premiere performances of hundreds of pieces and worked closely with many prominent composers including Mario Davidovsky, George Crumb, Pauline Oliveros, and David Lang. Performances this year include concert series at Cal Performances in Berkeley, California, at Massachussets MoCA, on WFMT radio in Chicago and internationally at festivals in Poland and Mexico. Joshua will be featured on albums from Bridge records and the NAXOS label to be released later in 2006. He is a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and of the percussion and clarinet duo Ensemble Breekbaar. He received degrees in Clarinet and Biology from Oberlin College and his Master's degree from the Mannes College of Music.

A native of Dallas, Michael Caterisano recently completed his Bachelor's Degree at The Juilliard School, where he studies with Daniel Druckman. He spent two summers in Spoleto, Italy at the Festival dei Due Mondi, and recently toured to Lucerne, Berlin, Helsinki, and London. Michael performed Kurtag’s …quasi una fantasia… with the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes in Zankel Hall. Michael is a founding member of the New York Miniaturist Ensemble and O-|, an experimental heavy metal band.

Tawnya Popoff was a prizewinner in the 2000 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. A recipient of two Canada Council Grants among numerous other awards, the Calgary-born artist has performed at the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival, Banff Centre, Salzburg Mozarteum, and the Kumamoto International, Sarasota, Music Academy of the West and Norfolk Festivals. She has also performed with the Symphony and Opera Orchestras of Vancouver, Orchestra X, and the New York Pops under conductors Eschenbach, Commissiona, Akiyama and the late Skitch Henderson and gave an exclusive recital with the Philadelphia Viola Society. A sought after chamber musician, Ms. Popoff is a founding member of the Solo String Quartet, is part of the resident ensemble for Chamber Dance Project, and has performed on tenor violin with NewBand (Harry Partch Ensemble) Ms. Popoff has served on the faculties of the Perlman Music Program, University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, SUNY Buffalo, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. As a member of the Cassatt String Quartet, Ms. Popoff performed the Slee Beethoven Cycle at SUNY Buffalo and was involved in commissioning and premiering works by Libby Larsen, Sebastian Currier, David Liptak and Daniel S. Godfrey among others. Ms. Popoff's recordings can be heard on the Koch International, New World, and Albany labels. She earned degrees at the University of British Columbia, working with Gerald Stanick, and Rice University, where she studied with Martha Katz. Ms, Popoff's viola was played by Boris Kroyt of the Budapest String Quartet, and is generously loaned to her by courtesy of Mr. Kroyt's grandson.

Daria Binkowski is an avid performer of contemporary music. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Performance from the Eastman School of Music and will complete her Master's Degree at McGill University in December 2007. Daria performs with the East Coast Composers Ensemble and the Talea Ensemble in New York and other venues throughout the country. She was a member of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble from 2004-2006 and has been a guest artist with Ensemble X and members of the St. Louis Symphony. Daria recently worked with Bang on a Can at their summer festival in Massachusetts, where she became fluent on the whirly and other non-traditional instruments that she hopes to incorporate into her future performances.

Following Christopher Gross' performance of Brian Ferneyhough's Time and Motion Study II for solo cello at the Lincoln Center Festival, the New York Times wrote: "...for 20 minutes this skinny young cellist with a punkish hair cut seemed like a musical master of the universe..." He is a founding member of The iO Quartet, currently the Billy Joel Graduate String Quartet-in-Residence at SUNY Purchase. As a soloist, he most recently premiered Milton Babbitt's piece More Melismata for solo cello on the 2006 Focus! Festival. As an active educator, he is on the Teaching Artist faculty at The New York Philharmonic.


210c/337p
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