American Immersion: Pierluigi Billone

Talea Ensemble, Long Island City, New York, USA

Following the success of the Talea Ensemble’s first project in this format, American Immersion: Beat Furrer, with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation the ensemble plans to continue its use as a platform for presenting leading European composers, and establishing an American portal for their music. This edition of the project, presenting the work of Pierluigi Billone, will be co-promoted with Carnegie Hall’s festival, Vienna: City of Dreams. 
The focus of Billone’s time in New York will be the preparation and performance of his masterpiece Mani.Long. This large-scale 50-minute work is scored for 18 instrumentalists. The musical direction will be led by American conductor James Baker. The American premiere will take place in the acoustically pristine Bohemian National Hall. The following two performances will span the eastern seaboard and take place at the East Carolina New Music Festival in Greenville, North Carolina, and at Brandeis University in Boston. These fresh locations offer fertile environments and opportunities to bring Billone’s music to new audiences. 
Three nights prior to the New York performance of Mani.Long, the ensemble will present an evening of Billone’s chamber music at the Austrian Cultural Forum. This concert will act as an introduction to Billone’s unique sound-world for those who are not yet familiar with his music. Instrumentalists and audiences from the community will be invited to examine a spectrum of Billone’s work during his residency. The resonance from these workshops will be heard in June 2014 as the ensemble presents these additional works from Billone’s catalog. Furthermore, Billone will be invited to the Manhattan School of Music in New York to give a lecture for the music department about his work. During this time, the academic community will familiarize themselves with Billone’s music as well as the individual behind the art. This mutual exchange of ideas and discussion is invaluable to the development of young composers. 

March 5, 2014 
Austrian Cultural Forum, New York, USA 

March 7, 2014 
Bohemian National Hall, New York, USA 

March 21, 2014 
East Carolina New Music Festival, USA 

March 29, 2014 
Brandeis University, Waltham/Boston, Massachusetts, USA 

Further Information: 
www.taleaensemble.org