NEW MUSIC COLLECTIVE
OVERVIEW
Syzygy works with a flexible roster of young instrumentalists. Click on the names on the left for the bios and websites of the musicians we are currently working with.
KINGA AUGUSTYN
Polish-born violinist Kinga Augustyn performed her New York Debut Recital at Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall in March 2008. Described as "a violinist for whom nothing seems too difficult" (Nowy Dziennik, March 2008, New York City), Ms. Augustyn has also released a CD with Nicolo Paganini 24 Caprices for Violin Solo. A Bachelors and Masters graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Cho Liang Lin, Naoko Tanaka, and the legendary Dorothy DeLay, Ms. Augustyn has appeared with Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and the American Academy of Conducting Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival, among others. As a soloist and a chamber musician, she has appeared in the US at halls including Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall and Stern Auditorium), Alice Tully, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Polish Embassy in Washington, DC. She has also performed in various concert halls in Europe, primarily in Poland and Germany. Interested in promoting Polish music in the US, she frequently performs her native composers' music. Ms. Augustyn has won international awards, including the First Prize at the Alexander and Buono International String Competition (New York), the Special Award (winner) at the Artist International Presentations (New York), the Second Prize at the Kosciuszko Foundation Violin Competition (New York), the Special Audience Award at the Johannes Brahms International Competition (Austria), the First Prize at the J.S. Bach String Competition (Poland), the Special Prize for Virtuosity and the 4th Prize at the Kloster Schoental International Competition (Germany). She is currently a doctoral candidate at SUNY, Stony Brook, where she has worked with Philippe Graffin, Philip Setzer, and Pamela Frank. Ms. Augustyn is playing on an instrument from Gregory Singer Fine Violins Shop, loaned to her by Mr. Singer. “…Ms. Augustyn is an adventurous programmer valuable to New York’s concert scenes…her playing was riveting and stylistically and emotionally varied…her impassioned performances and especially her devotion to new music make her a violinist to watch” (review of Ms. Augustyn’s Debut Recital a the Weill Hall, New York Concert Review, reviewer Anthony Aibel) www.kingaaugustyn.com
SARAH CARRIER
Sarah Carrier has performed throughout the world in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, and Albuquerque Convention Center. In 2007, Ms. Carrier was a winner of the National Flute Association Masterclass Performers Competition. An advocate for newly composed music, she frequently premiers works for up and coming composers. Sarah Carrier icompleted her masters degree at New York University under the tutelage of Robert Dick, a pioneer in contemporary flute playing. In 2006, Ms. Carrier graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a B.M. in flute performance. Sarah Carrier has also studied with John Barcellona, Jill Felber, and Mary Palchak. www.sarahcarrierflute.com
VICTOR NGO
Chilean- born pianist Maria Teresa Sepulveda began her musical studies at the age of eight at the Preparatory Division of the National Conservatory in Santiago. Later on, double majoring in Piano Performance and Humanities, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music –piano performance- from the Catholic University in Santiago,and after moving to the United States- the Master of Music and the Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where she worked with Phillip Kawin. Currently Maria Teresa is a doctoral candidate at SUNY, Stony Brook, where she is studying with Gilbert Kalish and Christina Dahl.Ms. Sepulveda is a recipient of several prestigious prizes in Chile, including the Escuela Moderna de Musica, the award of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the award of the Cultural Ministry of the Chilean Government. She has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician at such prestigious concert halls of Latin America as TeatroMunicipal de Santiago, Teatro Municipal de Viña del Mar, Teatro Municipal de Antofagasta, Teatro de la Universidad de la Santisima Concepcion, Teatro Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique, Teatro las camaras, Quito (Ecuador) and Salon Capilla del Mar, Cartagena (Colombia).Highly praised for her performances, she does not only regularly appear in several cities of Chile, but is also very much involved in outreach programs, which bring music to high school students, as well as other less privileged children.Ms. Sepulveda has participated in several music festivals such as Summer festival New Palz, where she worked with Vladimir Feldman, and the Emerson Festival. Also, she has been interested in contemporary music, and she has performed as a member of the Contemporary Chamber Players at the Stony Brook University,among other ensembles of this type. Her current contemporary music engagements include a recording of Michael White’s Sonata for Violin and Piano (2009).“Her Chopin was delicious. She played with an extraordinary interpretation” (Filetario. December 2, 2009)
FRANK TYL
Multi-instrumentalist Frank Tyl (1988) stems from an expansive artistic background exploring music, visual media, and writing. In 2010 he became Artistic Director and percussionist of SYZYGY NEW MUSIC—an ensemble dedicated to the curation of innovative new concert works and collaborations. With SYZYGY, Frank has commissioned and premiered many concert works by composers such as Jakub Ciupinski, Ricardo Romaneiro, Danielle Schwob, Scott Ordway, and more. He is also a founding member of NOISEBOX, a duo with percussoinist Sean Statser who is current collaborating with the real-time composers of Blind Ear Music and Jason Treuting of So Percussion. He has performed in venues from Lincoln Center and the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia) to (Le) Poisson Rouge and Europe. An alumnus of the Juilliard Pre-College Division, Frank is currently finishing his degree at NYU studying percussion performance under Jonathan Haas, James Saporito, and Simon Boyar.
NICK GALLAS
Clarinetist Nicholas Gallas is a devoted chamber musician, orchestral player and soloist residing in New York City. He has performed with a diverse range of artists and ensembles, including the Axiom Ensemble, Red {an Orchestra}, the Quintet of the Americas, Duncan Sheik (U.S. Tour), the New York Woodwind Quintet, Cultures in Harmony, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, the Washington Ballet Orchestra, the New Juilliard Ensemble, the National Repertory Orchestra and as a substitute with the Cleveland Orchestra. Nicholas has performed in such venues as the MoMA, Avery Fisher Hall, Miller Theater, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space and City Winery in New York, Severance Hall in Cleveland and the Echoplex in Los Angeles. Festivals he has attended include the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Focus! Festival for Contemporary Music, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Sarasota, Hot Springs and Kent Blossom festivals. Nicholas received his Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where his principal teachers included Charles Neidich and Franklin Cohen.
EMILY DUFOUR
Bio coming soon.
SEAN STATSER
Performer, composer, and educator Sean Statser (b. 1983) has been called "Lithe, muscular, and mesmerizing" by the New York Times. He is an active performer and has played and toured with several ensembles throughout the US, performing at many major venues including: Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, three appearances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (2007, 2008, 2010) and the Alba Music Festival in Alba, Italy. He has played with both the American Symphony Orchestra and One World Symphony as a section percussionist, and actively collaborates with many New York City artists and ensembles.Mr. Statser received his M.M in Instrumental Performance from New York University, studying under the instruction of Jonathan Haas and Simon Boyar. He holds a B.A. in Music Performance from Fort Lewis College, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and served as Student Marshal for commencement. Upon graduating in 2010, Mr. Statser joined the Adjunct Faculty at New York University. In addition, he is the General Manager of Kettles and Company, New York City's largest percussion rental company, and serves as Coordinator for the NYU Steinhardt Broadway Percussion Seminar/Summit.
ARIELLE
Arielle is an artist whose inspiration constantly balances between sonic and visual elements. Forging a dynamic dual career as a musician and designer, she continues to explore the convergence and interdependence of the two art forms. Whether draping a garment or performing on the harp, Arielle strives to achieve the aesthetic pleasure of striking form, high impact, and refined contrast. In 2007, she received her Bachelor of Music degrees from The Juilliard School with Scholastic Distinction for her thesis on the history and current issues of Fashion in Concert, and how a performer's attire can dramatically affect the music played. She continued at Juilliard to earn the Master of Music degree in May 2009, and is now pursuing a degree in fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology.Arielle is a contemporary music aficionado actively involved in commissioning and performing new solo, chamber, and ensemble works by composers from all over the globe. She has been featured in numerous solo, large and small ensembles, and chamber concerts in Avery Fisher, Alice Tully, and Carnegie Halls, The Metropolitan Museum, and many other venues from Maine to California. Arielle has joined organist Chelsea Chen as the ensemble Duo Mango. They have performed numerous concerts across the country, and continue to commision and premier new music for organ and harp. In addition to the concert grand harp, Arielle enjoys performing Celtic, contemporary, and improvisatory music on a 19-string lap harp. www.arielleharp.com
ISABEL CASTELLIV
Pittsburgh native, Andy Kozar is a New York City based trumpeter, improviser, and composer. A strong advocate of contemporary music, he is a founding member of loadbang, a member of TILT Brass, and has performed with new music ensembles including Argento Chamber Ensemble, Talea, Wet Ink, Signal, and Mark Gould’s Pink Baby Monster. He has performed alongside artists such as Dave Douglas, Todd Reynolds, Ken Thompson, Brad Lubman, David Cossen, and Caleb Burhans, worked closely with numerous composers including Helmut Lachenmann and Pulitzer Prize winning composer David Lang, and in the past three years, has had over twenty pieces written for him.Equally well versed in the traditional repertoire, he was featured as a soloist with the Carnegie Mellon Baroque Orchestra, performed at Eastman School of Music’s ‘Rising Stars’ recital, is a member of New York City based orchestra Camerata Notturna, and in 2003, he served as principal trumpet of the Pittsburgh Opera Center Orchestra. In addition to contemporary and traditional classical music, his versatility has also allowed him the opportunity to perform with the Grammy nominated Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, the Dave Ravello Ensemble, and indie pop bands including the Generationals and Emanuel and the Fear. He has also performed on Broadway’s Mary Poppins.His teachers include Anthony Pasquarelli, James Thompson, Brian McWhorter, Jens Lindemann, and Mark Gould. He has studied at Carnegie Mellon University, holds a BM from the Eastman School of Music, and a MM in contemporary performance from Manhattan School of Music, and, in addition to being a teaching artist for American Composer’s Orchestra, he is also on faculty at the Long Island Conservatory and the North Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts.
ALICIA LEE
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Jordan Dodson has won prizes in several national and international guitar competitions - Ohio America String Teachers Association, American Musicians Competition and the International Indiana Guitar Competition. In 2011, Jordan received the Segovia/Augustine Classical Guitar Award at the Manhattan School of Music.He recently appeared as guest soloist with the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Orchestra performing Joseph Schwantner's guitar concerto "From Afar..." Jordan is active in contemporary music, having given several U.S. and world premiere performances. He is currently commissioning works from New York- based composers.Jordan has received degrees in Classical Guitar at the University of Cincinnati and the Manhattan School of Music. In the Fall of 2011, Jordan was one of two guitarists selected to inaugurate a new program in classical guitar at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music.
BARIS BUYUKYILDIRIM
Soprano Amanda Gregory, native Houstonian, has performed the roles of Marjenka in The Bartered Bride, Mary Warren in The Crucible, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Manhattan Publisher in California Fictions by Mason Bates, and the English Teacher in Paul’s Case by Gregory Spears. As NYU’s Frederick Loewe Hall, professional performance credits include the soprano role in Stockhausen’s “Tierkreis”, Ginastera’s “Cantata para America Magica”, and Boulez’s “Improvisations I and II”. Additionally, Ms. Gregory performed the soprano role in Christopher Williams dance production “The Voyage of Garbhglas” at the RiverToRiver Festival, and performed a National Broadcast solo concert at the NanYang Royal Hall in Guanzhou, China. She has also performed at the Aspen Music Festival, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and Heidelberg Opera Festival. With an ear for all things new in classical voice, Ms. Gregory has premiered the works of composers such as Gregory Spears, Mason Bates, Paul Whitehead, Alfonso Molina, Yoo Youngwoo, Ursula Kwong-Brown, and Damjan Rakonjac. Recently, Ms. Gregory has performed in Julliard’s composer workshop, and the master classes of Lucy Shelton, Lauren Flanigan, Johanna Meier, and Leonid Smetannikov. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and a Master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music.
KATHERIN REDLUS
Katherine Redlus began studying harp and piano at age 6. After moving to Tallahassee, FL she performed with numerous orchestras, operas, bands, and other ensembles for Florida State University while in high school. During this time, she also acted as principle harpist with the Tallahassee Youth Symphony Orchestra while maintaining solo activity with both harp and piano. She attended University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music from 2007-2008, then lived and worked actively near family in Pittsburgh, PA studying with Gretchen Van Hoesen and was a finalist in the Advanced Division of the 2009 American Harp Society National Competition. She returned to complete her undergraduate education in the fall of 2009 at NYU-Steinhardt, where she is currently a student of Rita Costanzi.
Page 7
Amanda Lo was born and raised in Westchester County and began playing violin at the age of five. She currently studies with Stephanie Chase at New York University, having studied previously with Bira and Joseph Rabushka in Westchester.Amanda has collaborated with artists such as: Eliran Avni, Harry Connick Jr., Claude Frank, Pamela Frank, Kazuhide Isomura, Gilbert Kalish, Ani Kavafian, Cho-Liang Lin, Russell Malone, Anne-Marie McDermott, Jose Mendez, Daniel Phillips and Fred Sherry. She currently performs with numerous orchestras including the Chelsea Symphony, Ensemble 212, The Mimesis Ensemble, The New York Chamber Virtuosi, One World Symphony and SymphoNYC chamber ensemble. She has also traveled to China to appear at the Beijing Music School, performed at an exchange concert at the Shaanxi Little Swan Chorus and Art Troupe and has won numerous awards like the Ridgefield Symphony Youth competition. In 2006, she was named Concertmaster for NYSSMA’s annual Area All State Orchestra. In Spring 2007, Amanda’s professional debut came with two performances as soloist in St. Saens Violin Concerto No. 3. with theWestchester Philharmonic at SUNY Purchase. That same year, Amanda was appointed Concertmaster of the prestigious New York Youth Symphony and was awarded the Rosengarten String Scholarship. For three years prior, Amanda held the Frank Wigglesworth chair as Assistant Concertmaster. She also participated in the Youth Symphony’s Chamber Music Program. In 2007, her piano quartet was awarded a mentorship with violinist Daniel Phillips. In 2008, her piano trio was awarded the Director’s Award for commitment and achievement. Both years her chamber ensembles were featured in performances at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. In March of 2008, she was invited to perform as a featured soloist in Paul Haas’ concert series entitled “Traces” which was presented at the Angel Orensanz Center in New York City. In Spring of 2008, she gave her debut recital at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts‘ esteemed Music Room.
Page 8
Rick Quantz is a freelance violist and teacher. He is devoted to new music and has premiered works of numerous composers, including Peter Andreacchi, Todd Coleman, Hannis Brown, and Steven Estep. Crossing over to jazz, he plays regularly at Fat Cat with the Choi Fairbanks Quartet, and has played recently with bassist Linda Oh, and with Lenny Picket and Combo Nuvo at the Blue Note. His current projects include the formation of a new string quartet that gave its debut performance in September. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and NYU's Steinhardt School.
Page 9
Carlos Barriento (Double Bass) started studying at the age of 15. He has appeared with various orchestras and ensembles in many venues including Carnegie, Avery Fisher, Alice Tully and Merkin Halls, NJPAC, and Symphony Space. Currently, Mr. Barriento is Principal Bass of the New York Chamber Virtuosi, where he also holds a position on the board of the orchestra.An avid performer, Carlos has performed various chamber works including Schubert’s Trout Quintet at Carnegie Hall, as well as Prokofiev’s Quintet in G minor and Schubert’s Octet. He has played in the NY Times reviewed performances of Britten’s A Beggar’s Opera and Strauss’s Die Fledermaus at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM), and has also performed in master classes at the International Society of Bassists convention.An active teacher, Carlos maintains a private studio throughout the NY metropolitan area and has taught at the American String Teachers' Association/NJ Chamber Music Institute and the Garden State Music Festival.Carlos graduated with the Bachelor of Music degree in Double Bass Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2009. Teachers include: Alla Basis, Lewis Paer, Linda McKnight and David Grossman. Currently, Carlos continues his studies at Columbia University, where he seeks a BA in Sustainable Development and Hispanic Studies after attending Columbia and MSM simultaneously for three years.
Page 12
Page 11
ABOUT
EVENTS
COMPOSERS
PERFORMERS
MEDIA
CONTACT
OVERVIEW
KINGA AUGUSTYN
SARAH CARRIER
VICTOR NGO
FRANK TYL
NICK GALLAS
EMILY DUFOUR
SEAN STATSER
ARIELLE
ISABEL CASTELLIV
ALICIA LEE
BARIS BUYUKYILDIRIM
DONATIONS
EVENTS
COMPOSERS
Page 8
MEDIA
Page 7
HOME
ABOUT
Page 11
Page 10
Page 9
CONTACT
HOME-copy1
