MAYA BEISER + PABLO ZIEGLER:
“CANYENGUE, THE SOUL OF TANGO”CELLO/PIANO DUO PLAYS ASTOR PIAZZOLLA + MORE

FEBRUARY 1 AT LE POISSON ROUGE

Arrangements and originals by Ziegler, a 10-year veteran of Piazzolla’s band

On Wednesday, February 1 at Le Poisson Rouge, I’ll be performing with Latin Grammy-winning pianist/composer Pablo Ziegler in Canyengue, the Soul of Tango, a program of rare and well-known compositions by Astor Piazzolla and original works by Ziegler.

The show begins at 7:30 pm, with doors at 6:30; tickets are available through Le Poisson Rouge.

The term ‘Canyengue,’ pronounced “Can-jen-geh,” refers to the early style of tango – raw, provocative, sensual – that developed on the streets of the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires in the 20s and 30s. Much like Swing in American music, Tango has evolved from a simple form of dance into a sophisticated and complex genre of music. That tranformation is exemplified in this program, which centers on the work of Astor Piazzolla, who revolutionized the genre with his brilliant, classically-inspired compositions.

Along with Piazzolla classics like Libertango and Adíos Nonino, we will perform some lesser-known works, including the propulsive and virtuosic Escualo, the stately Milonga Sin Palabras, and the Bach-inspired Fuga y Mysterio, all newly arranged by Ziegler for our duo. We will also play a selection of Ziegler’s compositions, including his evocative Milonga del Adios and his jazz-infused Places. In addition, I will take the solo spotlight with a signature piece, Osvaldo Golijov’s Mariel.

Hope to see you there!!

Love,
Maya

On Friday, November 11, I’ll be performing at UCLA’s Royce Hall for a co-headlining bill with percussion icon Evelyn Glennie. I will open the evening, presented by UCLA Live, with selections from my latest album ‘Provenance.’ Following a solo percussion set by Glennie, we will appear together for the first time to give the world premiere of ‘Stuttered Chant,’ a new duo work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (and Los Angeles native) David Lang.

For ‘Provenance,’ I commissioned works by composers from Armenia, Kurdish Iran, Israel, and the US. The title means ‘origins,’ referring to both my personal history and the intertwining cultural traditions that course through these pieces. On some pieces, my cello is heard on its own or with live electronic sound; on others, I am accompanied by Lebanese-American master oud player Bassam Saba, as well as American percussionists Matt Kilmer and Shane Shanahan.

October 22-24th: My interview with Sirius XM’s Peter Cummings will be on air!

A few weeks ago I sat down for an interview with Peter Cummings at the Sirius XM studios here in New York. Peter hosts an interview series called Linked on the Sirius Classical Pops station (XM 75 & Sirius 75). We spoke about the inspiration for my latest album Provenance and the creative process behind my next big projects. Tune in this weekend to hear the interview and music from my recent albums as well as music that inspires me (Bach, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Piazzolla…). Tune in to Sirius XM so you don’t miss it!

Air Times on channel 75:

Saturday, October 22nd at 9AM

Sunday, October 23rd at 8PM

Monday, October 24th at 11PM

In other exciting news…

At the beginning of March I had the privilege of appearing at the prestigious TED conference in Long Beach, California, which brings leading artists and thinkers together to exchange “ideas worth spreading.” Other presenters included Bill Gates, Bobby McFerrin, Julie Taymor, Morgan Spurlock, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and Roger Ebert. It was a remarkable experience in every respect, truly energizing.

My presentation consisted of two pieces for multi-tracked cello and video: Steve Reich’s Cello Counterpoint with video by Bill Morrison and David Lang’s World to Come with video by Irit Batsry. While the performance was streamed live to TED attendees around the world, it is now available online and you can view it above or at the TED website here. I hope you’ll take a few moments to watch.

Wow, it was so rewarding to perform at the charming theater of the Rubin Museum in NYC.  Elliott Forrest  – the illustrious series director – projected haunting images from the museum’s fascinating exhibition and, as a special treat, the phenomenal Guy Klucevsek adorned the cello with his sublime accordion playing.

Seems that  the New York Times music critic, Alan Kozinn had a good time as well

Here is a quote from his review of the concert:

“Given the program’s conceptual breadth — it was something like Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival, condensed to just under two hours — you could almost have missed the sheer virtuosity of Ms. Beiser’s focused, richly nuanced playing. In her case, that involves more than finger power and interpretive suppleness. Except for two pieces (“Kol Nidre” and Ms. Gubaidulina’s involved, harmonically dense “In Croce”), for which she was joined by the deft new-music accordionist Guy Klucevsek, Ms. Beiser’s accompanist was an interactive program on her laptop, which included recorded cello and vocal tracks.

I am performing in NYC Sunday, March 13, starting at 6 pm at the Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea. The show is part of RMA’s “Resonating Light” series, hosted by my friend Elliott Forrest of WQXR. The works I’ve chosen are inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, “Embodying the Holy,” which explores striking parallels between Eastern Orthodox Christian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

This week I’ll be appearing at the prestigious TED Conference (February 28 – March 4), taking part in a panel called “Deep Mystery” on March 2 with neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, cognitive scientist Deb Roy, and geobiochemist Felisa Wolfe-Simon. Each year, TED brings together visionary thinkers from a wide variety of fields; this year’s participants include philanthropist Bill Gates, singer Bobby McFerrin, director Julie Taymor, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and critic Roger Ebert. Conference registration is closed, but you can follow the proceedings by registering for the TED Conferences Associates Webcast.

If you want to know more about my TED experience, you can follow me on twitter @cellogoddess, where I’ll be posting updates throughout the week.

You can find my official music video for “Kashmir” on my home page. Just look to your right! Enjoy!

In January, I performed with the Bochum Symphony under the direction of Steven Sloane. It was inspiring to be a part of such a great performance which featured Tan Dun’s “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Concerto”. Read the reviews from my appearance with the Bochum Symphony here.

More to come soon about the exciting events this year- Sign up for the e-mail list so you’re the first to know!

Recently I was featured on NPR’s Weekend edition, chatting with Liane Hansen about my new CD, Provenance. If you missed it, you can check it out here:
Maya Beiser Returns the Cello to the Middle East

Liane and I had a great time talking about Provenance, which officially came out on May 25th. As NPR fans know, she’s a lively, well-informed, and insightful host, and it was a real pleasure to speak with her. Our conversation ranged from the historical to the whimsical, connecting the music on the disc to my personal journey as an artist.