Contact Contemporary Music
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| Contact Contemporary Music | |
|---|---|
| Name | Contact Contemporary Music |
| Type | Chamber ensemble |
| Location | New York City |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Genre | Contemporary classical music |
Contact Contemporary Music is a New York–based chamber ensemble dedicated to performing and commissioning contemporary classical music. The ensemble has been associated with premieres, interdisciplinary projects, and collaborations with leading composers, conductors, and institutions across the United States and Europe. It has cultivated relationships with conservatories, festivals, and presenters to expand the modern repertoire and promote emerging voices.
History
Contact Contemporary Music was founded in 1987 by a coalition of performers and advocates in New York City who sought alternatives to traditional chamber programming. Early alignments included partnerships with Lincoln Center series, Bang on a Can, and residencies at conservatories such as the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. During the 1990s the ensemble appeared at festivals including the Tanglewood Music Festival, Miller Theater (Columbia University), and the Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music, while collaborating with organizations such as the New York Philharmonic’s contemporary initiatives and the American Composers Orchestra. In the 2000s Contact expanded touring to Europe, performing at venues like the Wigmore Hall, Musikverein, and festivals such as the Aix-en-Provence Festival and the Donaueschinger Musiktage. Institutional collaborations have included residencies with the Sackler Center and partnerships with media organizations such as BBC Radio 3 and NPR.
Artistic Mission and Repertoire
The ensemble’s mission emphasizes commissioning, presenting, and recording new works by living composers from diverse backgrounds. Repertoire spans microtonal works by composers associated with Iannis Xenakis and Harry Partch, spectral pieces connected to Gérard Grisey and Hugues Dufourt, and experimental notation from figures like John Cage, Morton Feldman, and György Ligeti. Contact champions music by contemporary practitioners including Kaija Saariaho, Helmut Lachenmann, Tania León, Thomas Adès, and Oliver Knussen, while programming works by emerging composers from conservatories such as Curtis Institute of Music, Royal College of Music (London), and Conservatoire de Paris. The ensemble balances solo, chamber, and electroacoustic formats, presenting works that integrate live electronics from studios like the IRCAM and the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics.
Key Performances and Recordings
Notable performances have included world premieres at the Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, commissions unveiled at the Hudson River Valley festival circuit, and appearances at the Warfare and Peace-themed programming at major summer festivals. Collaborations with conductors and directors from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Berlin Philharmonic have brought cross-institutional visibility. Recordings include studio releases on labels associated with Nonesuch Records, ECM Records, and New World Records, and live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and WNYC. The ensemble’s discography features premieres by Pulitzer Prize winners and nominees, with projects involving producers linked to Deutsche Grammophon and sound engineers affiliated with Abbey Road Studios.
Composers and Collaborators
Contact Contemporary Music has commissioned and premiered works by an international roster of composers and artists. Regular collaborators and commissionees have included established figures such as Steve Reich, Philippe Manoury, Jennifer Higdon, David Lang, Kaija Saariaho, and George Benjamin, alongside younger composers affiliated with Mannes School of Music, New England Conservatory, and Yale School of Music. Interdisciplinary partners have featured choreographers from Martha Graham Dance Company and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, visual artists who have exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art, and filmmakers linked to Sundance Film Festival programs. Guest soloists and conductors have included principals from the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, and the Vienna State Opera.
Organizational Structure and Funding
The ensemble is governed by a board composed of musicians, arts administrators, and patrons drawn from institutions such as Columbia University, New York University, and philanthropic foundations including the Guggenheim Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Artistic leadership combines an executive director with an artistic director supported by an advisory council featuring faculty from Juilliard and Peabody Institute. Funding derives from a mix of private philanthropy, foundation grants from entities like the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, earned income through ticket sales and touring, and project-based support from cultural agencies such as the New York State Council on the Arts and municipal arts funds affiliated with New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Education and Outreach
Educational initiatives include residency programs at conservatories such as Brooklyn College, workshops at community centers partnered with Young Audiences Arts for Learning, and masterclasses with composers on faculties at Berklee College of Music and Royal Academy of Music. Outreach projects have involved collaborations with public schools in the New York City Department of Education network, joint programming with museums like The Morgan Library & Museum, and interactive sessions at festivals including Ravinia Festival and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival. These activities aim to engage students, emerging composers, and underserved audiences through curriculum-aligned performances, composition competitions judged by faculty from Curtis Institute of Music, and recording internships coordinated with studios connected to Pratt Institute.