Baruch Performing Arts Center

Upcoming Events

Aaron Diehl Trio Virtuoso at Play

Baruch Performing Arts Center
presents
Aaron Diehl Trio
Virtuoso at Play
Milt Hinton Jazz Perspectives Series
March 28, 2019

"Melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint."
- The New York Times

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents Aaron Diehl Trio Virtuoso at Playon Thu... [ + ]rsday, March 28, 2019 at 8pm as part of the Milt Hinton Jazz Perspectives Series at Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Ave (enter 25th Street between 3rd & Lexington Avenues), NYC. Tickets are $16-51 and can be purchased at www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac.

Aaron Diehl, the classically trained pianist and composer, has made an indelible mark on the jazz world, with a rare affinity for early jazz, mid-20th century "third-stream" music, and modern classical works.

Pianist Aaron Diehl is one of the most sought after jazz virtuosos, consistently playing with what the New York Times describes as "melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint." Diehl's meticulously thought-out performances, collaborations, and compositions are a leading force in today's generation of jazz contemporaries, spearheading a distinct union of traditional and fresh artistry.

Recent highlights included serving as Music Director for the Jazz at Lincoln Center New Orleans Songbook concert series, performing in the New York premiere of Philip Glass' complete Etudes at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, collaborating with the Spanish flamenco guitarist Dani De Morón in Flamenco Meets Jazz (produced by Savannah Music Festival and Flamenco Festival), and touring the U.S. and Europe with Grammy nominated jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant. Ms. Salvant and Diehl's Trio, featuring Paul Sikivie (bass) and Lawrence Leathers (drums), had select performances at Walt Disney Hall, Jazz in Marciac, Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott's, and La Cigale. 

Diehl's second album on Mack Avenue Records, Space, Time, Continuum, emphasizes the artistic collaborations between generations. Establishing the jazz language as a continuum uniting artists, the album includes performances by NEA Jazz Master Benny Golson (tenor saxophone) and Duke Ellington Orchestra alumnus Joe Temperley (baritone saxophone), alongside Diehl's other established trio-Quincy Davis (drums) and David Wong (bass). The majority of the album consists of Diehl's original compositions. The title track, featuring vocalist Charenee Wade, was co-written by Cécile McLorin Salvant.

The Bespoke Man's Narrative (2013), Diehl's first album on Mack Avenue Records, reached No.1 on the JazzWeek Jazz Chart and was hailed by JazzTimes for displaying "precision and polish." KCRW praised the album, stating, "This is an album you can listen to again and again, honest music that invites you back in to discover new wonders with each listening."

Foxtrot

Michael and Dafna are devastated when army officials show up at their home to announce the death of their son Jonathan. While his sedated wife rests, Michael spirals into a whirlwind of anger only to experience one of life’s unfathomable twists, which rival the surreal military experiences of his so... [ + ]n.

Written and Directed by Samuel Maoz

Michael: Lior Ashkenazi

Dafna: Sarah Adler

Jonathan: Yonatan Shiray

Squad Commander: Gefen Barkai

BPAC: NYC Premiere of Bound

Baruch Performing Arts Center 
and
Fresh Squeezed Opera 
present the NYC Premiere of
Bound
April 13-18, 2019

Baruch Performing Arts Center and Fresh Squeezed Opera will co-present the NYC Premiere of composer Huang Ruo and librettist Bao-Long Chu's one-act chamber opera Bound in a new produc... [ + ]tion by Ashley Tata. Performances from April 13-18, 2019 at Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue (25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues), NYC. Tickets are $16-36 and may be purchased at www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac.

Bound is based on the true story of Diane Tran, a second generation Vietnamese American and 11th grade honor student who takes two jobs to support her family after her parents' divorce. As the eldest child, she is bound by her Vietnamese heritage to care for her siblings after her mother leaves. When Diane's overextended schedule results in multiple absences from school, the administration exercises its right under Texas law and sends her to court, where she is sentenced to a short jail term. 
Combining Eastern and Western instruments and musical techniques, Boundfluidly interweaves the past and the present as it explores the cultural conflicts immigrants face on a daily basis. "To me, a Vietnamese refugee living in America," says librettist Bao-Long Chu, "the notion of being bound to one's culture (and the struggles therein) is not just an idea, but my life writ large." 

The cast features soprano Fang-Tao Jiang as Diane, mezzo-soprano Guang Yang as Diana's mother Khan, baritone Andrew Wannigman as Stanley, bass/baritone Daniel Klein as Judge Moriarty, and Zhou Yi on pipa. The production team includes Alex Wen (Music Director), Ashley Tata (Stage Director), Aislinn Curry (Production Manager), Carl Whipple (Technical Director), David Bengali (Projection/Video Designer), Corina Louise Chase (Costume Designer), Abigail Hoke-Brady (Lighting Designer), and Stephan Moravski (Scenic Designer).

Israeli Chamber Project

In Israeli Chamber Project’s 3rd year at BPAC, their program focuses on homages. Brahms' C minor Piano Quartet is a deeply personal homage to his unattainable muse, Clara Schumann. Bartok's is to two of the great virtuosos of the 20th century - jazz great Benny Goodman and Hungarian violinist Jose... [ + ]ph Szigeti. Johann Anton Andrè pays homage to Mozart in his reimagining of a violin sonata for the unusual combination of string trio and clarinet. And finally, one of Israel's most important contemporary voices, Yinam Leef, pays tribute to the great violist and composer Oedeon Partos in his Triptych.


Program

Mozart: Clarinet Quartet in E-Flat Major (after Violin Sonata K. 380)

Yinam Leef: Triptych

Bartók: Contrasts

Brahams: Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60