Suffolk Spotlight, September 8, 2000

Open Ears Concert Series to Present Distinguished Guests

Founded in 1997 by Professor William Ryan, the Open Ears concert series will continue this fall with two more outstanding concerts by contemporary artists. The first, Open Ears IX, November 1, 2000,will feature the incredible Furious Band. This energetic young ensemble consists of current and former graduate students from SUNY Stony Brook. Specializing in performing music composed within the past 20 years, the ensemble has been receiving increasing critical acclaim and notoriety. They were most recently the ensembleÐin-residence at the prestigious Aspen Summer Music Festival.

Michael Lowenstern

The second concert, Open Ears X, November 29, 2000, will feature the dynamic performer and composer Michael Lowenstern. Considered the pre-eminent bass clarinet soloist of his generation, he has performed to critical and popular acclaim throughout the Americas and Europe. He has performed, recorded and toured the U.S. and abroad with ensembles of every variety including The Klezmatics, The Steve Reich Ensemble, The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and The Bang on a Can All-Stars. Lowenstern is also active as a composer and has written music for concert, recordings, dance, film, CD-ROM, and his own performing ensembles. He is currently working as the head composer for Grey AdvertisingÕs e-Marketing division, writing internet or "e- jingles" for clients such as Oracle, Warner Brothers, Chase Manhattan Bank and British Airways. Actively involved with new technology in sound and music, Lowenstern is one of this country's leading producers of creative electro-acoustic music, both for his own works and those of other composers. To date he has been recorded on over twenty-five CDs; his first solo bass clarinet compact disc, Spasm, was released by New World Records in 1996 to critical acclaim in this country and abroad.

In addition to the exciting performances, there will be opportunities for the audience members to have a dialogue with the artists. These sessions are quite informative, and very often are as entertaining as the music.

Both events will take place from 11:00am-12:15pm in the Southampton building, room H-20, Ammerman campus, Selden, NY. They are free and open to the public. What a deal!

Suffolk Spotlight, February 10, 2001

OPEN EARS- Twelve Concerts and Going Strong!

The brainchild of Professor William Ryan, the Open Ears concert series has been a tremendous success. Since its inception in the spring of 1997, the series has presented a wide variety of musicians performing the new and unusual. This series, along with the Contemporary Music Ensemble which Ryan founded and directs, has changed the culture of the music department and the college. From massed boomboxes roaming the hallways, to large-scale soundpainting, to world percussion, to electric string quartets, Open Ears continually entertains and challenges the audience.

The name Open Ears was coined by Professor Ryan as a suggestion for the audience to listen positively, with an open mind. "This music tends to be quite distant from what people are familiar with." explains Ryan. "By listening to discover what each composition has to offer, rather than by making quick comparisons to what you are already familiar with, you will gain an rare insight that many miss. You might just discover that there is a link which makes this music a lot closer to you than you think."

Suffolk Spotlight, February 10, 2001

Spring Open Ears concerts: A quartet, two composers and boomboxes

This spring semester the Open Ears concert series will continue to present unique and innovative guest artists. On April 18, 2001, Open Ears XI will feature Ethel. This ensemble is a 21st-century realization of the classical string quartet model featuring uptown and downtown performing stalwarts Ralph Farris, Dorothy Lawson, Todd Reynolds, and Mary Rowell. Their credentials read like a whoÕs who of classical, contemporary, and popular music. From the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Steve Reich Ensemble to the Sheryl Crow Band and the Roger Daltrey Band, the members of Ethel bring together a vast spectrum of performing and recording experiences.

Ethel photo by Steve Sherman

Julia Wolfe

Joining Ethel will be the composer Julia Wolfe. Born in Philadelphia, her music has been performed by a prestigious cast of characters: San Francisco Symphony, Bang on a Can All-Stars, American Composers Orchestra, Piano Circus, Newband, the California EAR Unit, Margaret Leng Tan, Orkest de Volharding, the Cassatt Quartet, the Lark Quartet and Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. Crossing over into the worlds of theater and dance, her works have been choreographed by Eliot Feld, Doug Varone, and the Dusseldorf Ballet; she also composed music for Anna Deveare Smith's most recent play House Arrest. She was recently awarded a 1999 Academy Award by the American Academy for the Arts and Letters.

Phil Kline

On April 25, 2001, Open Ears XII will feature the talented performer/composer Phil Kline. He will be performing two of his own works, which employ dozens of boom box tape players. For more information on Phil Kline and the new work he is writing for the SCCC Contemporary Music Ensemble, see the accompanying commission article

In addition to the exciting performances, there will be opportunities for the audience members to have a dialogue with the artists. These sessions are quite informative, and very often are as entertaining as the music.

Both events will take place from 11:00am-12:15pm in the Southampton building, room H-20, Ammerman campus, Selden, NY. They are free and open to the public. DonÕt miss these events, you will not forget them!

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