Concrete Timbre

The Chain Theatre One Act Festival is currently accepting submissions!!! All performances will take place in their newly renovated 99-seat Off-Broadway theater and 65-seat theatre in the heart of midtown. Original works 10 minutes to 60 minutes in length will be accepted.

For the full rules and guidelines on how to submit please visit: https://www.chaintheatre.org/winter-one-act-fest-landing-2024

The deadline to submit is November 7.
Free to submit. Free to participate. Free rehearsal hours granted to participants.

Don’t miss it!!

Looking forward to hearing the incredible Cobalt Quartet play again.

Very excited to be presenting works, including a handful of premieres, by our friends, the Long Island Composers Alliance, next week at the Church in the Gardens: Saturday, October 28, 6:30pm. Would love to see you there!

Secret City opens tonight.

Adam von Housen and Jacob Elkin
play 8 short duets for Violin and Bass Trombone composed by Concrete Timbre composers.

What’s happening behind Concrete Timbre, the old stone house in Brooklyn? Hear the people tell their story on March 20th and 21st - link in bio!

Working through the Waves is our first live concert since well, since all of those waves hit us hard.
Performers: Kyoko Oyobe Adam von Housen Cobalt Quartet
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/394390110437

Working Through the Waves Concrete Timbre presents Working through the Waves, a program of new music and poetry composed for violin, piano, and saxophone.

When You Glow at Dusk on Convent Avenue Near a Breezy River of Gardenias
for Violin, Bass Trombone, & Looper

Music by Ann Warren
Video by Beatriz Len Barreto

The spirit of this piece was inspired by the poem even tho yr sampler broke down on you by Ntozake Shange and it was composed for Contrafunktus: Rose Kow Xiu Yi and Jasper Davis.

https://youtu.be/Q7IH0e-mHvk

Pieces of 8 - Covid-eo #8 When You Glow at Dusk on Convent Avenue Near a Breezy River of Gardenias When You Glow at Dusk on Convent AvenueNear a Breezy River of Gardenias (for Violin, Bass Trombone, & Looper)Music by Ann WarrenVideo by Beatriz BarretoThe s...

Echo me (i) by Jinhee Jin Hee Han

Echo me (i) for violin and bass trombone is inspired by the story of the Volta performance by Cirque du Soleil in Montreal (2017) which reminded my youthful days, with chaotic moments, stillness and progressive times in my life.
Also, 'Echo' infers a repetition of the reflection from somewhere, a person who reflects or imitates another, and a sympathetic or identical response, as to sentiments expressed, which is one of my important musical concepts.
The piece is written for celebrating my 20 year long career that is unfolded by abstract and controlled musical materials in a form.
Three sections and the tiny CODA are isolated by each different scale structure that starts from the chromatic mode on A to scale,
2(W) -1(H)-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-1, on F and a whole-tone scale until the end.

https://youtu.be/af9a9n1Eh2U

Pieces of 8 - Covid-eo #7 Echo me (i) Echo me (i) for violin and bass trombone is inspired by the story of the Volta performance by Cirque du Soleil in Montreal (2017) which reminded my youthful ...

Lucky Eight
composed by Tom Blatt

eight of eight
8 pieces of 8
to brighten the darkness
so is sealed our fate

https://youtu.be/ApkpxVHEv2I

Pieces of 8 - Covid-eo #6 Lucky Eight Lucky Eightcomposed by Tom Blatteight of eight8 pieces of 8to brighten the darkness so is sealed our fate

Too Hot For Lettuce
Rose Kow Xiu Yi

In August, it’s too hot for lettuce.

Playing on the word “pod” in our new reality.
https://youtu.be/fAuY7sjSvrE

KowXiuYi Too Hot For Lettuce Too Hot For LettuceRose Kow Xiu YiIn August, it’s too hot for lettuce.Playing on the word “pod” in our new reality.

Passing Ships
(for violin and bass trombone)
Alice Jones

I’ve been exploring additive patterns in my writing recently, and this duo gave me an opportunity to explore evolving, interlocking rhythmic patterns for both players. The opening section begins with a denser violin part than bass trombone part, and as the section progresses their roles gradually reverse, with the bass trombone taking on the more active role (filling in its pattern) and the violin line becoming sparser.

The middle section (m. 30) begins texturally where the first section leaves off, with the bass trombone playing a singing melody and the violin figuring out where it fits in as the section unfolds (and as the bass trombone part disintegrates simultaneously).

The final section (starting at m. 56) is playful and joyous, with both parts more closely intertwined. The title of the work comes from the feeling of neither part quite being in the same place as the other (rhythmically, harmonically, dynamically), like sitting on the beach watching ships on the ocean.

https://youtu.be/DaB0LGlZUUc

Piece of 8 - Covid-eo #4 Passing ships Passing Ships(for violin and bass trombone)Alice JonesI’ve been exploring additive patterns in my writing recently, and this duo gave me an opportunity to ex...

Disconsolate
Stephanie Greig

I took the mood of this piece from some remote conversations our group had during the peak of the pandemic in New York in April 2020. Itching to move, when there’s nothing to do but wait. Waking from a dream of working in a dim factory, stretching, tossing and turning, adrift in a useless landscape. Checking: has anything changed in the last hour? In the dream I realized: I’ve worked in this factory my whole life. There must be a way out…it’s up to all of us.

Concrete Timbre presents
Pieces of 8
with music composed in August 2020 for
Contrafunktus
Rose Kow Xiu Yi - Violin
Jasper Davis - Bass Trombone
Video by Robert Morton

https://youtu.be/NJMmkr2txcM

Pieces of 8 - Covid-eo #3 Disconsolate Disconsolate Stephanie Greig I took the mood of this piece from some remote conversations our group had during the peak of the pandemic in New York in April ...

Tears, A Lament from Southern Love Songs
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor / arranged by Lynn Bechtold
Tears, A Lament is a sad song by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. This version was adapted for violin, bass trombone, and electronics from the original violin duo and electronics version. It is an homage to Coleridge-Taylor. The sounds in the electronics are meant to evoke the late 19th century and the text at the end is taken directly from the song lyrics.
“My dream of joy is fled.”

Concrete Timbre presents
Pieces of 8
with music composed in August 2020 for
Contrafunktus
Rose Kow Xiu Yi - Violin
Jasper Davis - Bass Trombone
Video by Robert Morton

https://youtu.be/jGtgz0AbKIQ

Pieces of 8 - Covid-eo #2 Tears, A Lament from Southern Love Songs Tears Tears, A Lament from Southern Love Songs Samuel Coleridge-Taylor / arranged by Lynn Bechtold Tears, A Lament is a sad song by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. ...

Eight Resilient Confluences
for Violin and Bass Trombone
Héctor Oltra García

Resilience is the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

Compositionally, the piece is an open work based on resilience, luck and number 8 (the Asian lucky number): It consists of 8 no ordered short episodes (microludes), each consisting of 8 measures, 8 notes | rhythms | gestures | elements | etc., with 8/8 time signature and 88 bpm tempo.

Musicians will order their 8 fragments randomly, being able to produce numerous different musical confluences, combining different textures and characters, with very diverse sound results that will depend on luck and a resilient attitude in every performance.The piece is especially dedicated to Rose Xiu Yi Kow & Jasper Davis (Concrete Timbre, NYC, USA).

Concrete Timbre presents
Pieces of 8
with music composed in August 2020 for
Contrafunktus
Rose Kow Xiu Yi - Violin
Jasper Davis - Bass Trombone

Video by Robert Morton
https://youtu.be/0ySr9XiVNlU

Pieces of 8 - Covid-eo #1 Eight Resilient Confluences Eight Resilient Confluences for Violin and Bass Trombone Héctor Oltra García Resilience is the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficult condit...

R.I.P Dear Angelo Di Loreto, we can't believe you're gone.
Grief overwhelms us.

You were a fantastic musician (a true talent) and a wonderful person. Wasn't it was only yesterday when we first worked together to bring Dziewczyna to life? The past 10 years seem to have flown by.

We are sure you are making beautiful music amongst the angels.

Covid-eo #21 Poetry Project

The Poetry Project started when Raymond Todd, a trombone player and former bandmate, and I were discussing the idea of doing a recording of poetry and original music. About the same time Concrete Timbre started this series of videos and asked me to contribute. This is the result.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

Poetry Project
Music composed by tom blatt
Radar 1 (excerpt)
M6 (excerpt)
Performed by:
Adam von Housen - Violin
Mara Mayer - Clarinet
John-Paul Norpoth - Contrabass

Poems performed by Raymond Todd
San Francisco 1973 by tom blatt
Today in the Plague by tom blatt
Houdini’s CV by Raymond Todd

Video by Robert Morton
featuring paintings and sculpture by tom blatt
and a drawing by Raymond Todd

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.
https://youtu.be/QwZ2EVevZ38

Covid-eo #21 Poetry Project The Poetry Project started when Raymond Todd, a trombone player and former bandmate, and I were discussing the idea of doing a recording of poetry and origin...

As the pandemic calls us into an unknown place, CoViDaDa builds an atmosphere in which layers of past, present, delirium, and corporeality are mixed. The poem was based on the writing experiences of Tristan Tzara and Willian Burroughs, with the clipping, collage, combination and recreation of excerpts from different books and songs that accompanied the author during social isolation. The music was inspired by the dadaism of this poem and some works for violin duo by Reinhold Glière and Henryk Wieniawski.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

CoViDaDa
Poem by Ana Gabriela Dickstein
Performed by Leo Erickson & Yvonne Erickson
Music Composed by Rodrigo Batalha
Performed by Adam von Housen
Video by Robert Morton
Featuring Dada Art by
Jean Arp, Lion, 1916
Johannes Baargeld, Typische Vertikalklitterung Dada, 1920
Carlo Carrà, Manifestazione Interventista, 1914
DC Comics, Bat Signal, 1942
Otto Dix, War Cripples, 1920
Marcel Duchamp, LHOOQ, 1920
Marcel Duchamp, Buenos Aires Chess pieces, 1918-19
Raoul Hausmann, The Spirit of our Time (Mechanical Head), 1919
Hanna Hoch, Modenschau, 1925
Man Ray, Objet à détruire, 1923

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

https://youtu.be/GUPxVJCIt-g

Covid-eo #20 CoViDaDa As the pandemic calls us into an unknown place, CoViDaDa builds an atmosphere in which layers of past, present, delirium, and corporeality are mixed. The poe...

Covid-eo #19 Catania

Catania is a ride through the waves of classical guitar breezes and charango glimmer. A breath of repose, of peach, and of love.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

Catania
Music Composed & Performed by Monique Mizrahi
Video by Béatriz Barreto

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

https://youtu.be/jcMqtAt5yys

Covid-eo #19 Catania Catania is a ride through the waves of classical guitar breezes and charango glimmer. A breath of repose, of peach, and of love. During this terrible Covid-1...

This pandemic season, with different things and perspectives, is expressed with various music scales. I blur the minor scale, whole-tone scale, and pentatonic scale to present our uncertain and strange current situation. Quarantine Haiku #1 for flute is a part of the Covid-eo project by Concrete Timbre.

ME, Music Composer
American Kitchen, FRENCH WINE
COOK KOREAN FOOD

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

Quarantine Haiku #1
Music Composed by Jinhee Han
Performed by Aleksandra Newland
Video by Robert Morton

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

https://youtu.be/O3hN4Xwr1X0

Covid-eo #18 Quarantine Haiku #1 This pandemic season, with different things and perspectives, is expressed with various music scales. I blur the minor scale, whole-tone scale, and pentatoni...

Walking in the woods.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

Kerry in the Woods II
Music Composed by tom blatt
Videography by Shari Brousseau
Video by Robert Morton

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

https://youtu.be/4I9fMWpDNtU

Covid-eo #17 Kerry in the Woods II Walking in the woods. During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos...

Covid-eo #16 The Shopper Counts

Bertolt Brecht's immediate reactions to and commentary upon the events of his world seem remarkably similar to what we see now.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

The Shopper Counts
Video by Robert Morton
The Shopper (1934) by Bertolt Brecht
Performed by Coran Newland
Music Composed by Ann Warren
Flute - Aleksandra Newland
Soprano 1 - Claire Carson
Soprano 2 - Amy Carson Dwyer
Piano - Ann Warren

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

https://youtu.be/SMli4XI_JM4

Covid-eo #16 The Shopper Counts Bertolt Brecht's immediate reactions to and commentary upon the events of his world seem remarkably similar to what we see now. During this terrible Covid-19...

Covid-eo #15 Scherzo à capriccio

My Scherzo à capriccio for solo violin is a humorous and menacing work that varies between driving forceful moods, and devilish, sardonic interjections. Reworked from earlier pieces for bassoon and tuba, the current version of this piece explores the violin’s virtuosity in a playful manner.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

Scherzo à capriccio
Music Composed by Felix Jarrar
Performed by Adam von Housen
Video by Adam von Housen

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

https://youtu.be/UIfB6dOZAho

Covid-eo #15 - Scherzo à capriccio My Scherzo à capriccio for solo violin is a humorous and menacing work that varies between driving forceful moods, and devilish, sardonic interjections. Rewo...

Covid-eo #14 Projet Imaginaire 1.4

Projet Imaginaire means "living in a bubble" in French. This piece is about coming to terms with death, emerging from the "bubble" of mourning, and accepting that life goes on.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

Projet Imaginaire 1.4
Music Composed by Lynn Bechtold
Performed by Miolina
Mioi Takeda & Lynn Bechtold, Violins
Video by Robert Morton
Automized Sculptures by Jean Tinguely

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

https://youtu.be/pRMfFC7-lP0

Covid-eo #14 Projet Imaginaire 1.4 Covid-eo #14 Projet Imaginaire 1.4 Projet Imaginaire means "living in a bubble" in French. This piece is about coming to terms with death, emerging from the ...

Happy 154!!!

Happy 152nd Birthday to Erik Satie - born May 17, 1866
you've been good to us! and inspired our productions of Satie's Birthday Party (2012), Coq tôt (2013), Un Lieu de Vie (2014) and many individual compositions. Sure would be good to have a drink with you!

https://youtu.be/RrZBpxO3css
Covid-eo #13 Et in terra pax

Written at the request of the great violinist Manuel Guillén, Et in terra pax is a concise piece in one movement for solo violin.
Quoting the Gloria text from the Mass, Et in terra pax is a claim for peace in the middle of an aggressive, warlike, and cruel world. Three parts can be distinguished:

Furioso is evidence of a violent, unstoppable, and inhumane world.

Lento is an internal reflexion about the consequences of the wars. The double strings add tension to the music.

In Calmo, the violin looks for the imagined celestial peace, visualized at the distance.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

Et in terra pax
Composed by Salvador Brotons
Performed by Adam von Housen
Video by Adam von Housen

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

Covid-eo #13 Et in terra pax Written at the request of the great violinist Manuel Guillén, Et in terra pax is a concise piece in one movement for solo violin. Quoting the Gloria text fro...

RIP David,

A nice photo from a reading of Keys (by August Strindberg) a few years ago at the Drawing Room in Brooklyn.

You will be missed!

A big thank you to Brian Rogers and Sheila Lewandowski for making the introduction that got us together. We are forever grateful.

https://youtu.be/vn-b5uphXIg

R.I.P. David A. Green
We have so many memories we don't know where to begin. Thank you for being a friend, a fine actor, a funny guy, and a big part of Concrete Timbre.

So, we dug out an old performance video of a live performance of Mavericks in Sheol for Solo Flute and Actor from August 2013. While not studio quality, we hope that you'll be able to share in a fond memory.

First, a little background:
In 1885, England made a new translation of the bible. The word HELL was removed and replaced by the word SHEOL. All of a sudden Thomas Paine was in very different company. [Note light out in space - show continued, and forgive us for the noisy AC.]

Mavericks in Sheol for Solo Flute and Actor
Music and scenario composed by Ann Warren
Text by Nancy Greening
Projections by Robert Morton
(based on artist Joseph Ferdinand Keppler's illustration
in an 1885 edition of the British magazine Puck)

Aleksandra Newland (flute)
David Green (actor)

Performed at the Old Stone House of Brooklyn as part of the Concrete Timbre production of Age of Pain(e), an evening of enlightenment in commemoration of the 237th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn.

Mavericks in Sheol for Solo Flute and Actor Mavericks in Sheol for Solo Flute and Actor - August 2013 In 1885, England made a new translation of the bible. The word HELL was removed and replaced by the...

https://youtu.be/0FeGPS6JIPw

Covid-eo #12 Impresión Hipnagógica

This feeling of unreality, in which time and space seem to have been deformed during these lockdown days, is like a hypnagogic impression.

During this terrible Covid-19 Pandemic, Concrete Timbre has been meeting (virtually, of course) with D’moiselles to create short videos, new music, sound, texts, and images to share.
We're glad that we're still able to connect.

Impresión Hipnagógica [Hypnagogic Impression]
Video by I. R. Marin
Electroacoustic Music by Héctor Oltra García

Concrete Timbre and D’moiselles wish and hope that everyone remains healthy and safe. And...
Stay at home.
Wash your hands.
Thank those who are out there working to make life bearable.

Covid-eo #12 Impresión Hipnagógica This feeling of unreality, in which time and space seem to have been deformed during these lockdown days, is like a hypnagogic impression. During this terrib...