MusicNOW Festival

MusicNOW Festival

The MusicNOW Festival was founded in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by guitarist and composer, Bryce Dessner. Originally held at the Contemporary Arts Center, then moved to Memorial Hall, a small historic theater located in the city's historic Over-the-Rhine district. The festival performers have included contemporary music advocates Bang on a Can All-Stars and Kronos Quartet as well as indie rock groups such as Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors and The National. Two annual elements of the festival have been the inclusion of visual art, including installations by Karl Jensen and new music commissions.

Commissions and Premieres

MusicNOW 2006: Glenn Kotche and David Cossin collaboration

MusicNOW 2007: Four selections from Enjoy Your Rabbit by Sufjan Stevens were commissioned for string quartet

MusicNOW 2008: Premieres of new work from Nico Muhly and Sufjan Stevens.

MusicNOW 2009: New works for Kronos Quartet from Richard Reed Parry and Tyondai Braxton.

MusicNOW 2010: New work for yMusic from Annie Clark, recording artist St. Vincent and a new piece for Nadia Sirota from Evan Ziporyn

MusicNOW 2011: New for for yMusic from Richard Reed Parry.

Performers and Collaborators

MusicNOW 2006: Awadagin Pratt, Clogs, The Books, CelloProject, Kyaw Kyaw Naing, Glenn Kotche and David Cossin, Bell Orchestre, Erik Friedlander

MusicNOW 2007: Pedro Soler, Clogs, David Cossin, Amiina, My Brightest Diamond, Irena & Vojtech Havel, Sufjan Stevens

MusicNOW 2008: Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bill Frisell, Grizzly Bear, The Dirty Projectors, Ben Verdery, Andrew Bird, Glenn Kotche

MusicNOW 2009: Kronos Quartet, The Books, Toumani Diabaté

MusicNOW 2010: Robin Pecknold, Joanna Newsom, yMusic, St. Vincent, Colin Stetson, Justin Vernon

MusicNOW 2011: Shara Worden, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Hecker, Little Scream, Owen Pallett, Megafaun, Sharon Van Etten, The National

External links