As part of her week-long Fuse Project residency at Symphony Space, violist Nadia Sirota teamed up with Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire and Bryce Dessner of The National to perform works by the two indie-classical musicians. The performance from Feb. 4 includes a New York premiere of Old Folk by Parry.
Parry explains that the unconscious rhythms of the human body — heartbeat and breath — are what inspired his series of pieces for heart and breath. These natural rhythms add a chance element to his compositions and create what Sirota describes as a beautiful and odd experience.
Nadia Sirota teaches in the Contemporary Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music and is the host of Q2 Music's Meet the Composer podcast. Her 2009 debut solo record, "Beautiful Mechanical" was named a New York Times album of the year. She has premiered and commissioned works by some of the most prominent composers today and was a winner of the 2010 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award in Radio and Internet Broadcasting for her show on Q2 Music.
Performers on this program include Nadia Sirota, viola; Liam Byrne, viol; Bryce Dessner, guitar; and Richard Reed Parry, bass and piano.