9:00 PM America's Longing For Freedom
The Manhattan Wind Ensemble, directed by Conductor Christopher BAUM and Assistant Conductor Clara YANG, will perform The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives and other American masterpieces, accompanied by images and commentaries by Jonathan FIELDS, musician.
The live performance of The Unanswered Question, a work by American composer Charles Ives which has been rarely heard in New York, will constitute the centerpiece of the night. Aaron Copland, who conducted this composition quite often, considered it to be "among the finest works ever created by an American artist." By that work of 1906, Ives was over half a century ahead of his time, writing in collage-like planes of contrasting styles.
The Manhattan Wind Ensemble (MWE) is an approximately fifty-person symphonic band composed of both professional and non-professional woodwind, brass and percussion players who strive to perform the best of the wind ensemble repertoire. Founded in 2007, the band is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Under the direction of Conductor Christopher Baum and Assistant Conductor Clara YANG, MWE rehearses weekly and performs several times per year throughout the New York City community. The governing Board is responsible for organizing and managing the day-to-day operations and long-term goals of the ensemble.
MWE’s ongoing goals are to recruit talented musicians, to find and afford a permanent weekly rehearsal space and a larger performance venue, to develop an extensive wind-band music library, to commission new works, to host workshops with guest artists, to perform in regional festivals, to pay a reasonable amount for our conductors, to purchase and store its own percussion and other musical equipment, and to expand publicity, audience and recognition, all while giving its members an exciting community to grow and perform.
About Clara YANG:
CLARA YANG (Associate Conductor) is a rising conductor noted for her stout belief in the power of music as a vehicle for social justice. She holds a double degree (B.A. Music, with an emphasis in flute performance, and B.S. Biology) from Duke University, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2011. At Duke University, she was the music director and conductor of Duke Chamber Players, an ensemble dedicated to bringing classical music to both the Duke and Durham communities.
She won the Benenson Award for the Arts to continue her conducting studies in New York City. Currently, she is studying with flautist and conductor Ransom Wilson and is always thankful for the instruction of her past teachers, notably Verena Mosenbichler-Bryant.
