La MaMa Experimental Theater Club ~
74A East Fourth Street ~ New York, NY 10003
Ellen Stewart, Founder/Artistic Director ~ Box Office 212/475-7710 ~
www.lamama.org
Jonathan Slaff, Press Representative ~ 212/924-0496 ~ js@jsnyc.com
~ for immediate release

2003-2004 SEASON SCHEDULE ~ UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS AS OF JUNE 30, 2003
Subject to change ~ Box office (212) 475-7710 ~ On-line ticketing available at: www.lamama.org
Annex Theater: Th-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm; $20
First Floor Theater : Th-Sat at 8:00 pm, Sun at 2:30 pm and 8:00 pm, $15/tdf
The Club: Th-Sat at 10:00 pm, 5:30 pm Sun, $15 or $12 members/tdf

6/17 to 06/27/04, Annex Theater
"The Africa Project " (working title) is a new multi-disciplinary theater
work by Ping Chong and Michael Rohd, exploring the lingering effects of
European colonialism on contemporary Africa. This work will use three
important contemporary books on Africa as its starting place: "King
Leopold's Ghost" by Adam Hoschchild, about the history of the Belgian
colonization of the Congo; "Black Livingstone: A True Tale of Adventure in
the Nineteenth-Century Congo" by Pagan Kennedy, about an African American
missionary, William Sheppard; and "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We
Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda" by Philip
Gourevitch, about the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990's.

6/17 to 06/27/04, First Floor Theater
Paul Zimet, artistic director of The Talking Band, will direct The Talking
Band in its newest piece after the OBIE-winning production at La MaMa this
past season, "Painted Snake in a Painted Chair."

6/17 to 06/27/04, The Club
A new performance work by Noel Alumit, winner of the 2002 Violet Quill
Award for his first novel, "Letters to Montgomery Clift."

MEET THE COMPOSER & THE AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA LEAGUE ANNOUNCE THE 4th ROUND OF “MUSIC ALIVE”—a residency program bringing composers and orchestras together

2003-2004 MUSIC ALIVE Residencies

Since the creation of MUSIC ALIVE in 1999, this far-reaching residency program has succeeded in advancing American orchestras’ involvement with living composers and fostering greater awareness and appreciation for contemporary music. To date, MUSIC ALIVE has supported a total of 28 residencies bringing 34 composers together with 25 orchestras. The participating orchestras have reflected a broad geographic and budget range, from youth and regional orchestras to major symphony orchestras with international reputations. The participating composers have ranged from established Pulitzer Prize winners to largely undiscovered emerging talents. Their music has covered an exciting and extensive stylistic terrain.

In announcing the latest round of awards, Jesse Rosen, chief program officer of The League, and Heather Hitchens, president of Meet The Composer, reflected that "We see an encouraging trend of significantly increased programming of works by living composers by American orchestras, as well as dramatically enhanced audience receptivity to these new works. Music Alive
has been an important catalyst in propelling this trend, and reaffirms our belief that when orchestras draw upon the manifold strengths of composers and engage them as artistic collaborators, new music can thrive."

This year’s MUSIC ALIVE awards continue this trend, and demonstrate an encouraging vitality among this diverse group of American orchestras and composers. The awardees include established composers like Chen Yi and Anthony Davis and exciting rising talents like Naomi Sekiya and Kenji Bunch, paired with orchestras that extend across the USA.

Meet The Composer and the American Symphony Orchestra League joined forces in 1999 for the first time to launch MUSIC ALIVE. This national residency program was created to generate ongoing support by symphony orchestras for living composers and their music. It enables American orchestras of all sizes to have a composer-in-residence for periods of two to eight weeks to coincide with performances of their works. Through the short but intense immersion approach of MUSIC ALIVE, the process of building adventurous audiences is accelerated. Composers participate not only in a wide range of community outreach and educational activities, but they also work internally with their host orchestras: supporting the work of the marketing and publications departments; advocating new music among trustees and staff; collaborating with the music director; and assisting in the performance of their own work.

For further information and to arrange interviews, please contact
Aleba Gartner Associates at 212/206-1450
or visit www.meetthecomposer.org