International Contemporary Ensemble, Composers Now, The Cheswatyr Foundation, Iranian Female Composers Association (IFCA), and NYU Skirball present an evening of works related to the theme of Peyvand (پیوند), the Persian word for Connectivity, including the world premiere of C Ce See, Niloufar Nourbakhsh’s work for the inaugural year of Cheswatyr Commissions.
International Contemporary Ensemble’s 20th anniversary season continues with Peyvand (پیوند), a concert of curated works by members of the Iranian Female Composers Association (IFCA) on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 7:30pm at NYU Skirball Center. Peyvand (پیوند), the Persian word for connectivity, features works related to this theme, including the world premiere of C Ce See by Niloufar Nourbakhsh. Nourbakhsh founded IFCA along with Anahita Abbasi and Aida Shirazi in 2017 as a platform to support, promote, and celebrate otherwise-unheard musical voices from the Iranian diaspora through concerts, public performances, installations, interdisciplinary collaborations, and workshops.
In Nourbakhsh’s new work, C Ce See, she expresses the importance of social and artistic connectivity by way of a custom kinetic sculpture, designed by Roxanne Nesbitt, which brings the tones and colors of violins, violas, and cellos into a united sound by a single perpetually moving strand of bow hair. C Ce See marks the first work from Cheswatyr Commissions—the new commissioning and composer mentorship initiative of Composers Now—with support from the Cheswatyr Foundation. Nourbakhsh was mentored by celebrated Rome Prize winner Suzanne Farrin. The initiative advocates for living composers and commemorates and celebrates arts philanthropist Cece Wasserman.
The program, conducted by Steven Shick, also features the world premiere performance of Inexorable Passage by Nina Barzegar, the US premiere of within the Hadal and Epi by Anahita Abbasi, the NYC premiere of Crystalline Trees by Aida Shirazi, and additional works by Golfam Khayam, Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi, Nasim Khorassani, and Bahar Royaee. Foregrounding the program's guiding theme of Peyvand, connectivity, Niloufar Shiri performs as solo kamancheh player throughout the evening.
Program Includes:
Niloufar Nourbakhsh: C Ce See (2022, World Premiere, Commissioned by Cheswatyr Commissions)
Solo interludes by composer & kamancheh player, Niloufar Shiri
Nina Barzegar: Inexorable Passage (2020, World Premiere) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano
Anahita Abbasi: within the Hadal and Epi (2019, US Premiere) for flute, bass clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, double bass
Golfam Khayam: Lost Wind (2019) for solo flute and wind gong
Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi: What the Body Says (2021, World Premiere) for solo bassoon
Nasim Khorassani: Growth (2017) for violin, viola, cello
Aida Shirazi: Crystalline Trees (2020, NYC Premiere) for flute, bass clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello
Bahar Royaee: Distortions of the shell of the water on the lake, under the wind for violin, cello, piano
Creative Team
Roxanne Nesbitt, Designer
Paige Seber, Lighting Designer
Steven Schick, Conductor
Niloufar Shiri, solo kamancheh player
From the Ensemble
Isabel Lepanto Gleicher, flute
Emmalie Tello, clarinets
Joshua Rubin, bass clarinet
Rebekah Heller, bassoon
Ross Karre, percussion
Erika Dohi, piano
Josh Modney, violin
Hannah Levinson, viola
Michael Nicolas, cello
Kyle Motl, double bass
BIOS
Composers Now, founded and led by Pulitzer Prizewinning composer, pianist, conductor and activist Tania León since 2011, empowers all living composers, celebrates the diversity of their voices and honors the significance of their artistic contributions to the cultural fabric of society. Its programs include: the Dialogues, Composer Curator and IMPACT series; the annual New York City-wide Festival; creative residencies; commissioning awards; and composer mentoring and career development opportunities for composers at a variety of points along their career trajectories.
Cheswatyr Commissions is created and produced by Composers Now with underwriting from the Cheswatyr Foundation. The award commemorates Cece Wasserman and foregrounds her legacy of empowering living composers in substantive ways. Cece was a passionate arts philanthropist and untiring advocate for the composers of our time. Under her leadership, the Foundation commissioned works from a stellar list of composers including Missy Mazzoli, Arlene Sierra and Julia Wolfe.
Niloufar Nourbakhsh is the inaugural composer to receive a Cheswatyr Commissions. Not only does the award come with a commissioning fee and world premiere event, Nourbakhsh received mentoring from composer Suzanne Farrin during the composition process and a high quality audio recording for her use going forward.
Founded in 2017, The Iranian Female Composers Association (IFCA) is designed to enrich the community of contemporary art and music. Its mission is to empower Iranian women and non-binary creators in the diaspora in music and in the arts by fostering originality, honoring diversity, and strengthening equality.
International Contemporary Ensemble strives to cultivate a mosaic musical ecosystem that honors the diversity of human experience and expression by commissioning, developing, and performing the works of living artists. The Ensemble is a collective of musicians, digital media artists, producers, and educators who are committed to creating collaborations built on equity, belonging, and cultural responsiveness. Now in its third decade, the Ensemble continues to build new digital and live collaborative environments that strengthen artist agency and musical connections around the world.
Composer & Artist Bios
Niloufar Nourbakhsh’s previous work has been described as “darkly lyrical” by the New York Times. She is the winner of the Hildegard Competition, the recipient of a Female Discovery Grant from Opera America, and a finalist for the Beth Morrison Projects Next Generation Competition. Her music has been commissioned and performed by ensembles throughout the United States.
Roxanne Nesbitt is a designer, musician, and sound artist of Indo-Caribbean and European ancestry. Her research explores radical instrument design, the interconnection between composition and improvisation, and participatory sound installation. With formal studies including architecture and classical double bass, Roxanne composes and performs with self-made instruments and a strong visual consideration. Roxanne believes new instruments can facilitate explorations of sound free from colonial legacies of exclusion and perfectionism. She celebrates process making work that is intimate, inquisitive, and exploratory. Roxanne is currently based on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (Vancouver, CA). For more info see: roxannenesbitt.com
CREDITS
C Ce See by Niloufar Nourbakhsh is co-commissioned by the Cheswatyr Foundation and Composers Now for the inaugural year of the Cheswatyr Commissions initiative, 2022.
The International Contemporary Ensemble’s performances and commissioning activities during the 2022-23 concert season are made possible by the generous support of many individuals as well as the Mellon Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music Inc., MAP Fund, Mid Atlantic Arts, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, Amphion Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, New Music USA’s New Music Organizational Development Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, BMI Foundation, as well as public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council for the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The International Contemporary Ensemble was the Ensemble in Residence of the Nokia Bell Labs Experiments in Art and Technology from 2018-2021. Yamaha Artist Services New York is the exclusive piano provider for the International Contemporary Ensemble.