Armin van Buuren Most Popular DJ in the world

The votes have been counted and the results are in. The DJ Mag Top 100 list of 2010 is officially announced. And it has some good news in it. For the 4th year running, Armin van Buuren is the number 1 DJ, and thus prolongs his title as ‘Most popular DJ in the world’! As the first DJ in the history of the DJ Mag, the Dutch DJ is now the number 1 DJ for 4 years in a row.


Armin: "What music does to people has always been a passion for me. It’s there to comfort you when you’re sad, or to make you scream when you’re happy. And that fact grew to a passion. It brings me to do what I do today."

The Bekkers Piano Guitar Duo

October 2010 - March 2011

22 October      - Newton, MA

23 October      - Hampton, CT
November       - San Francisco, CA
November       - Los Angeles, CA
November       -  Maui Hawaii

The Bekkers Piano Guitar Duo from the Netherlands will be visiting the USA. Dutch guitarist Robert Bekkers and Brunei-born Chinese pianist Anne Ku have two different programs (traditional and contemporary) to whet everyone’s appetite. They will also be offering guitar and piano workshops and lecture-recitals on piano/guitar repertoire.

Spearheading the way for the revival of piano and guitar as duo, Bekkers and Ku have been actively working with instrument makers, composers, and chamber musicians to develop a powerful blend. The combination of the modern piano with Robert’s custom-built guitar guarantees an ensemble that is greater than their instruments.

The piano and guitar were commonly heard in the early part of the 19th century. Composers such as Hummel, Giuliani, and Carulli wrote and performed for this combination, but their works are rarely played today because of acoustic imbalance and other technical challenges.

The guitar remained in the background until Segovia championed the instrument for the concert stage. He and his pianist wife inspired 20th century composers like Ponce and Tedesco to write for this magnificent combination.

Even more possibilities exist in the 21st century. The Bekkers Duo has premiered new works composed for their duo in Spain, Italy, Maui, and throughout the Netherlands.

This has resulted in a unique program of new and exciting music which they plan to record for their next CD.
To expand the piano guitar repertoire even further, Bekkers has arranged many famous pieces for this polyphonic ensemble: Handel’s the arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Bach’s Badinerie, to name a few.

Jaap van Zweden in Chicago

October 28-29, 2010

Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden and the Chicago Symphony will deliver the first of three renditions of the twelve-minute tone poem Dark Waves composed by John Luther Adams. As Marc Geelhoed observes, Chicago has effectively become JLA City. You can hear all of Dark Waves via the Listen to This Audio Guide. The program also includes a selection of Mahler songs, with Measha Brueggergosman, and Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony.

Jaap van Zweden has worked with many prestigious orchestras across the globe. In addition, opera plays an important part in his career. He has conducted La traviata and Fidelio with the Nationale Reisopera, Madame Butterfly at the Netherlands Opera, and concert performances of Verdi’s Otello, Barber’s Vanessa, and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger and Lohengrin at the Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.

Amstel Quartet

October 20 - October 29, 2010

October 20         - Laramie, WY
October 21         - Laramie, WY
October 25         - Los Angeles, CA
October 26         - Los Angeles, CA
October 27         - Los Angeles, CA
October 29         - Anchorage, AK

The repertoire of the Amstel Quartet is original, its performances personal. From the mystery of Bach’s Second Cello Suite in D to Michael Nyman’s theme for the film, The Piano, the four saxophones unleash a new energy with each arrangement. The Amstel Quartet has the technical confidence to tackle the most difficult piece from Iannis Xenakis and the versatility to collaborate with artists from other disciplines – such as dance, musical theatre, mime and cinema.

I Fioretti in Musica - opera in danza

September 30 - October 17, 2010

Thursday - Saturday at 7:30pm
Sunday at 2:30pm

Tickets: https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/766805

"I Fioretti in Musica- Opera in Danza" is an original Italian Opera that imagines St. Francis of Assisi as a character in modern New York.

The libretto and concept by Gian Marco Lo Forte is based on the 14th century book of poems in vulgar Italian Little Flowers and includes an original polyphonic score for 5 voices called mottetti composed by Sasha Zamler-Carhart layered and juxtaposed with electroacoustic live voice processing and music inspired by New York City's street noise composed by Ryan Carter. The intimate setting will include art and projections by visual artist Mark Tambella, choreography by Philip Montana and puppetry and masks made with garbage and savaged materials by Cathy Shaw and Abby Felder to evoke ancient festivities in Umbria and in Medieval Italy.

Sasha Zamler-Carhart, born (1975) and raised in Paris, currently based in The Netherlands. Music and literature are tightly intertwined in his work. He often recycles musical and poetic techniques from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as from the folk traditions of Europe and Africa. His compositions are typically large theatrical cycles for voices, often on spiritual themes.

Don’t Hit Mama’s Dance Party

October 14 - October 16, 2010

October 14 at 7:30PM
October 15 at 7:30PM
October 16 at 7:30PM

Tickets: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=26765&schedule=list

What happens when you mash-up a great venue like Harlem Stage with some of the hottest dancers from around the Globa, alongside Hip-Hop pioneers smashing the barrier between artist and audience? You get Don’t Hit Mama’s Dance Party. Part of the Harlem Stage Uptown Nights Series, this unique international collaboration between the Dutch dance company Don’t Hit Mama and some of NYC’s most celebrated local talent will explode on stage as the Festival’s grand finale, a not to be missed, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The Jig

October 26 - November 3, 2010

October 26   at Nublu, New York
November 2 at Kenny Castaways, New York
November 3 at Fontana's, New York

The Jig brings raw, uncut instrumental funk. Three cool horns and an ultra tight rhythm section with Hammond organ create a crispy funk sound inspired by heroes like The Meters and Bootsy Collins. Vintage, with style and a contemporary urge. The band plays almost exclusively their own material. Catchy, soulful, deep, funky. Some of their songs are already known as underground-dancefloor-hits.

Fret Magazine: "Chrystal clear and groovy, with a nicely bouncing horn section taking over control."

LiveXS Magazine: "The Jig is a cool asset on every festival. Jit it!"

Dutch bands at CMJ

CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival dominates New York City with 5 nonstop days and nights of over 1,200 live band performances and dozens of films from October 19 - 23. This year there are four Dutch bands invited to play.

De Staat                 October 21 at Ace of Clubs
The Black Alantic    October 22 at The Living Room
Daily Bread             October 23 at Arlenes Grocery
Moss                      October 23 at Bowery Poety Club

More info: http://cmj2010.com/

Great Noise Ensemble - De Materie

October 24, 2010

October 24 at 6:30pm
National Gallery of Art, East Building (Washington)

You can't call "De Materie" small. Louis Andriessen is one of the biggest composers in Europe, and his vocal-orchestra piece "On Matter" opens with a bang, literally, that's repeated 144 times at full volume. And this piece's Washington premiere is by far the biggest thing ever essayed by the still-new Great Noise Ensemble, a group founded a few years ago over Craigslist. In fact, this Oct. 24 performance at the National Gallery shows a small group demonstrating large-scale ambitions -- and one of the most important compositions of the late 20th century. -- Anne Midgette (http://www.washingtonpost.com/)

Mister Anansi

October 23 at 6 PM, Kennedy Center (No reservations)

October 24 TBA, Embassy of the Netherlands

October 25 AM, Public schools (Reservations 202-944-6558)

October 26 AM, Public schools (Reservations 202-944-6558)

October 26 at 2 PM, Children's Medical Center (No reservations)

Wijnand Stomp, a.k.a. Mister Anansi, turns folktales from around the world into theatre for all ages. He is a unique link in the world of narrative traditions and over the years he has managed to carve out his own spot in the world of theatre and storytelling.

Over the years he has developed a style that is entirely his own. His energetic mix of physical, musical, visual and textual elements makes for powerful performances. With humour, contagious cheek and a dash of wisdom Wijnand Stomp is able to move audiences of all ages. He has an exceptional mimicry and his easy and flexible voice enables him to change parts instantly infusing his words with strong imaginative power. As soon as the snake of his stories starts twisting and turning you are, for a brief moment, taken to a different world.

Meat

October 8, 2010

Friday at 7:30 PM

Meat (Netherlands, 2010; 85 min.)
Directors: Victor Nieuwenhuijs and Maartje Seygerth

A butcher and his neighborhood butchery both appear at first perfectly normal, but relationships are not what they seem in this sexually charged standout drama from the 2010 Rotterdam International Film Festival. The butcher (Titus Muizelaar) operates a seemingly ordinary life and business, but once the young and intoxicating assistant Roxy (Nellie Benner) starts working at his shop, everyday life soon begins to take on unexpected new forms. After business hours, employer and employee relationships shift and change as the two take part in bizarre psychological games, with art student Roxie capturing events on her video camera.

Their journey takes them on a wild ride and offers a glimpse behind the veil of normalcy, with dark consequences. Veteran Dutch filmmakers Maartje Seyferth and Victor Nieuwenhuijs will be in attendance for this North American premiere.

Cast: Nellie Benner, Hugo Metsers, Titus Muizelaar

LelleBelle

October 8, 2010

Friday at 9:30 PM

LelleBelle (Netherlands, 2010; 85 min.)
Director: Mischa Kamp

An innocent and at the same time sexually charged look at a girl's coming of age.
(Caution: Unrated/NC-17, w. explicit sexual content)

19-year old violinist Belle lives in a small farming village in the Netherlands. Everyone around her seems obsessed with sex: her boyfriend, her sister and especially her mother. But Belle's only interest is her violin, and she is put off by the constant flirting and mating of her peers.

Belle works hard to prepare for the admissions exam to the conservatory. Her technique is good, but her dispassionate attitude stands in the way of her sucess. Against the advice of her teacher, Belle escapes to the city to train as a professional violinist. Living in her new environment among the other students, Belle is surprised to discover her own sexual desires. When she finds she has a particularly sensitive ear lobe, this finally sets off the passionate musician inside her. Belle understands that without excitement she will fail at auditions, so she sets out on an erotic journey of discovery full of lust, sex and love.

Cast: Anna Raadsveld, Benja Bruijing, Charlie Dagelet, Tom Van Landuyt

Circles of Soul

October 3, 2010

Circles of Soul is a 7 minute piece filled with funk, lyrical phil-o-sophies, breakin and personal stories. Including Bulgarian and Kurdish influences mixed in a Hip Hop expression. In other words the official presentation of Philip Rachid's alter ego "Soultrotter".

“As I stroll on astral globes,
I know that I do not know.
What will come will go.
I am nothing, but nothing is all.
So I flow with universal soul.
The journey is my goal”
      -Soultrotter-

Didy Veldman 'Frame of View'

November 2 - November 7, 2010

Tuesday - Wednesday: at 7:30pm
Thursday - Friday:        at  8:00pm
Saturday:                     at  2:00pm & 8:00pm
Sunday:                        at  2:00pm & 7:30pm

The Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
Tickets: 212-242-0800 or http://www.joyce.org/


Dutch choreographer Didy Veldman has a successful career as a free lance choreographer. Creating works for many of the world's leading dance companies. Trained in numerous techniques at the Scapino Academy in Amsterdam, she went on to dance with Scapino Ballet, Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve and Britain's Rambert Dance Company. She worked with international choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Christopher Bruce and many others. She began choreographing in 1987, creating work for the repertoires of all three companies, as well as independently.

In 2008 Didy created 'Frame of View' for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in New-York. It is a re-staging of 'Track' for the Swedish Youth Company.

http://www.didyveldman.com/