MISSION STATEMENT

thingNY is a 501c3 not-for-profit collective of composer-performers who create and perform theatrically charged experimental music, champion the work of avant-garde and contemporary classical composers, and collaborate across disciplines, media and genres.

BRIEF HISTORY

The New Yorker's Alex Ross listed thingNY as part of the city's burgeoning avant-garde classical music scene "striking an attitude of resistance to mainstream culture." Comprised of composer-performers from the NYC metro area, thingNY creates and performs theatrically charged experimental music and collaborative fluxus-esque multimedia works, which have included collaboratively created opera, a radio play by Beckett, and over a hundred premieres of new music.

Called an "inventive new music cabal" by Time Out New York, thingNY has brought their blend of performance art and improvisation to theatres, concert halls, art galleries, and DIY venues around New York including the Galapagos Art Space, Judson Memorial Church, the Tank, Littlefield, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Issue Project Room, Dixon Place, and the Stone, as well as various historical homes throughout and beyond the metro area as part of their traveling concert/sound installation, IN HOUSE. thingNY has also held a residency at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center for their mass call-for-scores SPAM project.

New Music Box hailed thingNY's first album, the eccentrically excessive opera ADDDDDDDDD, as "rapidfire... pulseracing... all consuming.... packaged with a fun, quirky, comic book libretto. A lovely item that takes the album a step beyond the usual CD release, it makes the physical object in the digital age an interesting piece of art in and of itself, worthy of shelf space and providing plenty of additional visual stimulation."

Recently, thingNY has toured their portable Jeff Young and Paul Pinto, Patriots, Run for Public Office on a Platform of Swift and Righteous Immigration Reform, Lots of Jobs, and a Healthy Environment: an Opera by Paul Pinto and Jeffrey Young in the Northwest, and has performed in the highly acclaimed site-specific performance of Robert Ashley's television opera Perfect Lives Manhattan with the collective Varispeed.

BIOS

Vocalist and composer Paul Pinto creates and produces experimental music, theatrical works and performance art. He is a member of Varispeed and the artistic director of thingNY. His compositions utilize traditional instruments, unconventional sound-makers and amateur musicians. Paul has also released some albums: The Gentlemen, a suite for vocals and electronics, Every Note on the Piano, and NUDES, a live performance with guitarist Stefanos Tsigraimanis (a.k.a. animal nudity). His scores have been published by Deep Listening Publications.
[www.pfpinto.com]

Born and raised in Chicago, clarinetist, composer, improviser, and educator Alejandro T. Acierto has performed extensively in the USA and toured Europe as a chamber and orchestral musician. Alejandro performs regularly with the ai ensemble, Loadbang, ensemble dal niente, Opera Cabal, TACTUS, thingNY and improvising groups Preclear and STEREO. He has performed as a guest with the International Contemporary Ensemble, the Low Firm, and Yes A World.
[www.alejandroacierto.net]

Soprano Gelsey Bell was born in a small town in Northern California’s Sonoma Valley called Sebastopol. She studied Theatre and Music at Lehigh University and received a Masters from NYU’s Department of Performance Studies. She is currently a PhD candidate in the same department. Gelsey has performed throughout the US as a songwriter and classical soprano, and has directed plays, collaborated with dance companies and recorded two albums.
[www.gelseybell.com]

Cellist Isabel Castellvi is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Music Performance at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Fred Sherry. Isabel received her B.M. from DePaul University in 2006, where she studied with Katinka Kleijn and Steve Balderston. Collaborative creation is an integral part of her work, which has led to various projects with composers, dance, theater and visual art. Currently she is the cellist for the new music ensembles: ai ensemble, WetInk, thingNY, dal niente, and TACTUS.
[www.isabelcastellvi.com]

Andrew Livingston was born in 1976 in Dallas, TX. He studied with Steve Curtis privately in Dallas for many years. Andrew moved to Mississippi to further his studies in composition under the direction of mes Sclater. While in Mississippi Andrew composed for a wide variety of projects while staying very busy as a performer. He worked as a cellist, bassist, guitarist and pianist in projects ranging in diversity from R & B groups to chamber orchestras to comedy improv troupes. Andrew moved to New York in 2002 where he received a Masters Degree in Composition from Brooklyn College.
[www.myspace.com/andrewhlivingston]

Born and raised in Western Canada, Erin Rogers attended the University of Alberta for saxophone performance and Bowling Green State University for graduate studies in composition and performance. Her works have been performed in North America, Europe and Asia and have been broadcast on CBC radio and Radio Nacional d’Espana. In 2005, her chamber work, The Dionysian, was awarded a world premiere performance at the Circulo des Bellas Artes in Madrid, Spain, following its selection from an international rostrum of young composers.
[www.erinmrogers.com]

Jeffrey Young is a composer and a violinist who performs classical, avant-garde, jazz, bluegrass, Irish, and rock music. A native of Brooklyn, he makes around 100 appearances per year in venues throughout New York City, including Music Hall of Williamsburg, The Highline Ballroom, B.B. King’s, The Bell House, Mercury Lounge, The Spiegeltent, Galapagos, The Stone, and Rockwood Music Hall. He graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 2007.
[www.jeffrey-young.com]

PAST PERFORMANCES

SEASON SIX
October 15, 2010 - ADDDDDDDDD: an opera by thingNY
8pm - Joan Chambers Concert Series + Workshop
University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg, PA

August 8, 2011 - Jeff Young and Paul Pinto... the opera
8pm - Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA

August 10, 2011 - Jeff Young and Paul Pinto... the opera
8pm - The Jazz Station, Eugene, OR

August 12, 2011 - Jeff Young and Paul Pinto... the opera
7pm - The Boiler Room, Port Townsend, WA

August 13, 2011 - Jeff Young and Paul Pinto... the opera
8pm - Wayward Music Series, Seattle, WA

August 14, 2011 - Jeff Young and Paul Pinto... the opera
8pm - Part of the Mini Experimental Festival
Someday Lounge, Portland, OR

August 15, 2011 - Jeff Young and Paul Pinto... the opera
8pm - Luna's Cafe, Sacramento, CA

August 17, 2011 - Jeff Young and Paul Pinto... the opera
9pm - Subterranean Art House, Berkley, CA

November 6, 2011 - Varispeed: Perfect Lives Manhattan
Part of Performa '11
11am - Various locations, New York, NY

November 11, 2011 - thingNY + Amy X Neuburg + Todd Reynolds + Joey Molinaro + Valerie Kuehne
8pm - Exapno, Brooklyn, NY

November, 13, 2011 - IN HOUSE
2pm - Voelker Orth Museum, Flushing, NY

November 29, 2011 - Stefanos Tsigrimanis Benefit Concert
8pm - New York University, New York, NY

January 19, 2012 - Compendium Launch Event
8pm - Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn, NY

March 1, 2012 - Seven Immediacies Series, Vol. 1
8pm - Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn, NY

March 27, 2012 - Seven Immediacies Series, Vol. 2
7pm - Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn, NY

April 6, 2012 - 3 Experimental Operas: Globokar/ADDDDDDDDD
8pm - chashama @ Moe's Taxi, Long Island City, NY

April 7, 2012 - 3 Experimental Operas: Patriots/ADDDDDDDDD
8pm - chashama @ Moe's Taxi, Long Island City, NY

April 8, 2012 - 3 Experimental Operas: Patriots/Globokar
8pm - chashama @ Moe's Taxi, Long Island City, NY

April 24, 2012 - Seven Immediacies Series, Vol. 3
7pm - Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn, NY

SEASON FIVE
October 15, 2010 - ADDDDDDDDD: an opera by thingNY
8pm - Joan Chambers Concert Series + Workshop
University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg, PA

November 30, 2010 - Stefanos Tsigrimanis Memorial Concert
7pm - ISSUE Project Room, Brooklyn

December 19, 2010 - PROFILES
8pm - Littlefield, Brooklyn

February 25, 2011 - SPAM v. 2.0
7:30pm - LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Long Island City

April 15, 2011 - TIME: A Complete Explanation in Three Parts (preview performance)
7:30pm - Dixon Place, New York

May 4-14, 2011 - TIME: A Complete Explanation in Three Parts
8pm - The Brick Theatre, Brooklyn

June 18, 2011 - IN HOUSE
2pm - Queens Historical Society at the Kingsland Homestead, Flushing

June 23, 2011 - IN HOUSE
7pm - University of the Streets, New York

June 25, 2011 - IN HOUSE
3pm - Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn

June 26, 2011 - IN HOUSE
3pm - Secret Location, Brooklyn, NY

SEASON FOUR
November 7, 2009 - Around the World in 24 Hours
11:30pm – LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Long Island City
+The Internationalists

December 19, 2009 - SPAM
7:00pm - University of the Streets, New York

January 14, 2010 - UOTS Preservation Campaign
7:30pm - University of the Streets, New York

February 5, 2010 - thingNY's Greatest Hits
7:00pm - French-American School, New York

March 20, 2010 - thingNY
8:00pm - Issue Project Room
+ IKTUS Percussion Quartet

April 18, 2010 - SPAM v. 1.2
6:30pm - The Tank @ 45th Street Theatre, New York

June 12, 2010 - ADDDDDDDDD: an opera by thingNY
7pm - LAVA, Philadelphia
+ Joseph Hallman

June 15, 2010 - ADDDDDDDDD: an opera by thingNY
ALBUM RELEASE PARTY
7pm - Littlefield, Brooklyn
+ animal nudity, Lapis

June 19, 2010 - ADDDDDDDDD: an opera by thingNY
7pm - Lily Pad, Cambridge

SEASON THREE
October 16, 2008 - thingNY does Berio
7pm – Secret Project Robot, Brooklyn

December 18, 2008 - Cascando
9pm – The Tank @ Chashama, New York
with Co-op Theatre East

December 19, 2008 - Big Fat Thing
9pm – The Tank @ Chashama, New York
+ ai ensemble

February 4, 2009- thingNY @ the Stone
10pm – The Stone, New York

February 14, 2009- freshhitsofthe70s,80s&today!
7:30pm – Judson Memorial Church, New York
+loadbang

April 2, 2009 - thingNY strokes the mighty concerti
7:00pm – Nuyorican Poets Cafe, New York
+ Anti-Social Music

May 31, 2009 - thingNY at Yippie
7:00pm – Yippie Museum Cafe, New York

June 20, 2009 - ADDDDDDDDD: a new opera by opera
7:00pm – The Tank @ 45th Street Theatre, New York


SEASON TWO
October 5, 2007 - thingNY’s superSecond seasonOpening jamSession
8pm – Yippie Museum Café, Bowery

October 6, 2007 - thingNY’s superSecond seasonOpening jamSession
3pm – Mary Benson Gallery, Jersey City

October 8, 2007 - thingNY’s superSecond seasonOpening jamSession
3pm – Jeffrey Young’s, Brooklyn

December 7, 2007 - thingNY @ Yippie
8:30pm – Yippie Museum Café, New York

February 14, 2008 - I heart thingNY
9pm – Goodbye Blue Monday, Brooklyn, NY

February 17, 2008 - I heart thingNY
8pm – ABC No Rio, New York

April 5, 2008 - Tanks for everyTHING
8pm – The Tank, New York

June 21, 2008 - Make Music New York
12noon – Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
+ loadbang and the ai ensemble

July 7, 2008 - Goodbye Second Season
10pm – Goodbye Blue Monday, Brooklyn


SEASON ONE
October 22, 2006 - Ensemble thingNY: Chamber Music
12pm – Loews Jersey Theatre, Jersey City

February 18, 2007 - thing@judson
7pm – Judson Memorial Church, New York

March 28, 2007 - thing@galapagos
7:30pm – Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn

June 21, 2007 - Make Music NY
6pm – 112th and Manhattan Ave. New York

July 7, 2007 - THING TANK
10pm – The Tank, New York