Praised for his ability to "show off the instrument's malleability and freakish extended range as well as its delicacy and refinement" (The Chicago Reader) ICE saxophonist Ryan Muncy presents a solo program at the Abrons Arts Center featuring four new works by American composers alongside a rare performance by James Tenney’s spectral masterpiece for saxophone and tape delay system, Saxony.

Monte Weber’s Visions is an immersive multimedia experience in which the performer’s saxophone is turned into an audio-visual installation which captures live video through interior-mounted cameras. Mouthpiece XXIV by Erin Gee is a continuation of her extensive series born from her background as a vocalist and collaborations with Klangforum Wien, and Alex Mincek’s Ali forces the saxophone to purposefully malfunction via opening and closing keys out of order, resulting in sounds described by the composer as “more interesting and appealing than the ones the instrument was designed to create.” The program also features the New York premiere of Marcos Balter’s Cardinal for baritone saxophone and electronics — a work described by composer George Lewis as a reinvention of the nocturne.

Ryan is joined by ICE percussionist Ross Karre and ICE sound engineer Levy Lorenzo for this unmissable FREE OpenICE show.

Program:

Marcos Balter (b.1974): Cardinal (2013) for baritone saxophone and electronics (NYC PREMIERE)

Erin Gee (b.1974): Mouthpiece XXIV (2015) for tenor saxophone & percussion (WORLD PREMIERE)

The commission of Mouthpiece XXIV was supported by New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from New Music USA project grants.

Alex Mincek (b.1975): Ali (2010) for alto saxophone

Monte Weber (b.1991): Visions (2015) for prepared tenor saxophone and live video (WORLD PREMIERE)

James Tenney (1934-2006): Saxony (1978) for saxophone and tape-delay system

Project Lead: Ryan Muncy

OpenICE New York is made possible through lead support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation alongside generous support from New Music USA, the Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, the Paul R. Judy Center for Applied Research at the Eastman School of Music, the National Endowment for the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.