The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Music Director Louis Langrée announce exciting new details surrounding the second annual groundbreaking artistic collaboration with the MusicNOW Festival and Artistic Director Bryce Dessner. On Friday, March 13, 2015 (8 p.m.), the CSO opens the festival with Varese’s Tuning Up, as well as the World Premiere of Lo a new work by Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, who will also perform the solo violin part for the new commission. The second half of that concert is highlighted by the CSO performing side by side with the Grammy-winning indie rock band, The National (of which Mr. Dessner is a part of). The 25-minute set is bookended with Christopher Rouse’s The Infernal Machine and John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine (which Cincinnati audiences will recognize from the CSO’s wildly successful LUMENOCITY® program in August 2014).

Then on Saturday, March 14, 2015 (8 p.m.), the second program begins with the World Premiere of a work by Daníel Bjarnason. The premiere will be followed by Selections from “Planetarium” for orchestra, a work by acclaimed composers and musicians (and frequent MusicNOW collaborators) Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens and Mr. Dessner. The Festival comes to a close with David Lang’s man made, featuring the ensemble So Percussion, and Varese’s Amériques (1929). So Percussion will also perform a pre-concert opening act on the Music Hall stage 7-7:30 p.m. (A pre-concert opening act for the Friday performance will be announced at a later date).

“The CSO’s first collaboration with MusicNOW last year was one of the highlights of my career,” said CSO Music Director Louis Langrée. “Bryce is an immensely talented musician who brings fascinating ideas to the table. The fusion of MusicNOW and the full Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an experiment nothing short of extraordinary.”

The CSO’s collaboration with MusicNOW is uniquely representative of the Orchestra’s mission to seek and share inspiration. Works that are familiar in the concert hall setting, such as Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Amériques are shared with new artists, while the CSO seeks new soundscapes in newly commissioned works, or orchestrations of indie rock music. All of that is in turn shared with audiences.

MusicNOW was founded in 2006 by Cincinnati born Bryce Dessner of The National with the mission to present the best in contemporary music, offer artists an opportunity to take risks and commission new work. 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of this very special collaborative event. In addition to the performances with the CSO, other MusicNOW Festival events will take place at other Cincinnati theaters. See the complete schedule below. 

Sunday, March 15
Memorial Hall - 1225 Elm Street
Perfume Genius, The Lone Bellow, Mina Tindle

March 11-20
Contemporary Arts Center- 404 E. 6th St.
A Lot Of Sorrow – by Ragner Kjartansson featuring The National
An ongoing installation

Tickets for the performances at Music Hall are available by calling the CSO Box Office at (513) 381- 3300 or visiting www.cincinnatisymphony.org. Tickets for each concert are still available and start at $25 for Friday and at $12 for Saturday. Two-day passes are available for $80. For more information and tickets to MusicNOW events at other locations, please visit www.musicnowfestival.org.