MJWB NEWS

Calling All Cultural Entrepreneurs

2011-10-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

On an average day at noon, Spangler Center at the Harvard Business School draws small groups for lunch and quiet study. But on Monday, September 26, a surprise performance by the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma packed the lounge. The sounds of bird whistles and the gaita drifting through the hallways drew such an overflow crowd that even HBS Dean Nitin Nohria had to find space sitting on the floor.

The audience had gathered for more than a concert. The message behind the music was an invitation for the arts and business communities to collaborate.

In town to workshop a new piece with the Silk Road Ensemble, Michael Ward-Bergeman (interviewed in our September issue) joined in the flash concert at HBS on his accordion. This video above appeared on his Gig 365 blog.

Read the rest at the October 2011 Silk Road Ensemble Newsletter - here -

GIG 365 in The Concord Journal

2011-10-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Concord — When Susan Ehrreich-Sisak went to Verrill Farm in Concord last week to pick up some corn for her grandchildren, she didn’t imagine she would be dancing the polka on the farm’s patio, too.

Read more: Accordion player brings year long gig tour to Concord - Concord, MA - The Concord Journal

New Release from Groanbox

2011-10-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Groanbox, the North American world roots trio, are releasing their fifth album on October 31, 2011, to be launched at King's Place, London on October 28th.
The band wrote, rehearsed, and recorded all of the material for their latest release, Guts, Lungs & Bones in a cottage perched at the bottom of a green, sheep-flecked and brook-bordered hill in the Scottish Lowlands over a period of ten days in August 2011.
Recorded live with producer/engineer Oscar Cainer at the helm, the album features ten original compositions and one traditional number, Death Don’t Have No Mercy.

Supporting the King's Place gig is John Ellis, mostly known for his work as a guitarist with major UK acts such as Peter Gabriel, The Stranglers, Peter Hammill and many more. He is also a songwriter and composer of electronic music. He has released 6 albums of instrumental music written for installations. His current song-based project is called THE PINCH. It consists of songs and instrumentals mostly played on acoustic guitar.

Big Old Big One

2011-09-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

Videos and pics from MJWB's GIG 365 GIG #263 on September 20th, 2011 w/Eran Shaysh posted here: BIG OLD BIG ONE

Silk Road Project Commission : "Damagomi"

2011-08-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

The Silk Road Project September 2011 Newsletter:
New Commission from MJWB : "Damagomi"

Column of Lasting Insignificance : GIG 365

2011-06-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

Click -here- for a feature on GIG 365 from the legendary John Wilcock, co-founder of the Village Voice. Wilcock's weekly "Column of Lasting Insignificance" has been running for over 50 years.

GIG 365 in the news

2011-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

USA TODAY: One man, one accordion, 365 days a year

ACCORDION UPRISING: Michael Ward-Bergeman (of Groanbox fame): 365 gigs in 365 days

GIG 365

2011-01-01T00:29:00.000-08:00

On January 1, 2011 MJWB launches the GIG 365 project (one gig for each day of 2011) in Venezuela. He will share a wide variety of music in places throughout the Americas and Europe with people from all walks of life. Visit www.gig365.com for more information.

Read the feature in Venezuela's El Universal newspaper here:

Ward-Bergeman interpreta música sacra en Betania

English Translation here:

Ward-Bergeman plays sacred music at Bethany

Golijov World Premiere in Phoenix

2010-09-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

World premiere rehearsal with Phoenix Symphony (l to r): Osvaldo Golijov (composer), Jamey Haddad (percussion),
Jeremy Flower (laptop/electronics), Michael Ward-Bergeman (accordion), Kayhan Kalhor (kamancheh)

Read Phoenix Symphony conductor Michael Christie's blog on the piece -here-

Daytrotter Session with Christina Courtin

2010-08-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

Tracks from the Daytrotter Session featuring Christina Courtin from a while back have been posted. Ryan Scott on guitar, MJWB on accordion. Listen here: Daytrotter Session

Aspen Times Review

2010-08-19T12:12:00.001-07:00

Tablas, banjos and hyper-accordions do not usually appear on programs at the Aspen Music Festival, but what a refreshing and dazzling change of pace they provided this week. The sheer virtuosity of masters such as Zakir Hussain (tabla), Béla Fleck (banjo) and Michael Ward-Bergeman (hyper-accordion) puts them in that rarefied place where classical finds harmony with the rest of the musical world.

Read the entire review here: Exotic sounds in the Aspen Music tent

Livingston Sessions

2010-08-06T06:33:00.000-07:00

Livingston Sessions, the fourth release from Groanbox has been getting rave reviews. Click here to read.

Review of Chicago's MusicNOW Concert

2010-03-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Featuring the music of John Luther Adams, Osvaldo Golijov and Michael Ward-Bergeman on March 15, 2010.

"Ward-Bergeman’s sonorous hyper-accordion sung resonantly over a string quartet, as arranged here by Golijov, in the cinematic score of Patagonia".

Read entire review here:

Chicago Classical Review

Chamamé in Federal, Entre Ríos

2010-03-27T12:55:00.001-07:00

Michael attended the 35th annual Festival of Chamamé in Federal, Entre Ríos, Argentina in February. His appearance was documented here (scroll down a bit):

In the original Spanish:

¿Y DÓNDE ESTÁ MICHAEL?

Google translated into English:

And where is Michael?

Azul Reviews from Toronto

2010-03-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

Energetic performers highlight composer's Azul, leaving the listener wanting more.

The four-movement work was bursting with lyricism, youthful energy and magical orchestration. The accordion played a fascinating, wizard-like role in the early movements, its unusual tone (sometimes processed electronically) mediating between the sounds of different sections of the orchestra, sometimes benevolently, sometimes warping their aural identities.

from 25 Feb 2010
Toronto's Globe and Mail Newspaper

Read entire review:

Globe and Mail Azul

Reviews: Azul at SLSO Opening Night

2009-09-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Reviews from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra opening night performance of Azul featuring cellist Daniel Lee.

Jason Makansi
Examiner
St. Louis Today

Tetro Soundtrack Released

2009-09-08T10:14:00.001-07:00

The soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro will be released in September by Deutsche Grammophon.

Further information is here : Tetro Soundtrack
Listen to some of the tracks for free here : Tetro Eplayer
Buy online

Reviews: Azul at Cabrillo Festival

2009-08-11T05:16:00.000-07:00

Reviews from the Cabrillo Festival performance of Azul featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Metro Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Financial Times
The Sacremento Bee
Mercury News

Some quotes:

"Weilerstein sang through Golijov's long-noted lines, storming or gossamer-light or evoking the slow, earthy grandeur of Bach. They mixed and merged with the reedy folk-techno-whoosh of the accordion (Michael Ward-Bergemen) and the Dionysian rustlings of percussion (Baptista and Jamey Haddad), while the orchestra hovered, a luminous cloud (those trombones! those horns!), with Alsop fine-tuning the proceedings across four movements.

And yet some of the work's best moments happened when the orchestra melted away, like precious metals vanishing to leave Weilerstein and the other soloists — perhaps representing Bach and all the musicians of the world — to a Baroque-raga jam session. Crazy, beautiful stuff."

"...an accordionist (playing a whooshing, digitally enhanced instrument, like a folk musician from outer space..."

"...wizardly Cyro Baptista, sporting a pair of gigantic red eyeglasses, looking like Merlin as a rock star."

"Osvaldo Golijov’s uncategorisable Azul, in its revised version, simply beguiled. The Argentine-born composer mines Indian ragas, finds inspiration in baroque forms and the poetry of Neruda and conjures sonorities that seem both to hover in the air and pierce the heart. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein has succeeded Yo-Yo Ma as this work’s prime interpreter; her collaboration with hyper-accordionist Michael Ward-Bergeman and percussionists Jamey Haddad and Cyro Baptista, both rhapsodic and visceral, set the standard for the festival."

Photo selected for Schmap Oxford Guide

2009-07-22T23:31:00.000-07:00

Michael's photo of a Sheldonian Theatre Emperor Head in Oxford has been selected for inclusion in the newly released eighth edition of the Schmap Oxford Guide.

Check it out here: Sheldonian Theatre

Reviews of "Three Roads" performance in Chicago

2009-06-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

Reviews of the June 8 MusicNow performance of Three Roads featuring Christina Courtin.

Amarillo Symphony Blog
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Classical Review
Chicago Tribune

Reviews of Dawn Upshaw Recital in Boston

2009-05-06T01:12:00.000-07:00

Michael's Treny (Laments) was performed by Dawn Upshaw at her recital at the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall in Boston on May 3. Works by Ives, Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, Messiaen, Golijov, and Bolcom were also on the program.
Nonesuch Journal article on Dawn Upshaw
Boston Globe review of recital.

Carnegie Hall Offers Recordings of Recently Commissioned Works Online

2009-04-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Carnegie Hall has announced that select new works recently commissioned are available online for free -here-
Michael's Three Roads is among esteemed company and some incredible music (Steve Reich's Double Sextet just won the Pulitzer)
Read more -here-

Greene Space @ WNYC

2009-04-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

Michael will be performing at the Inaugural Concert for WNYC's Greene Space with Jay Flower and ETHEL, and on the following day's Soundcheck with John Schaefer.
The Inaugural Concert will be webcast in its entirety -here- on April 28 starting at 8pm.
You can also view the following days Soundcheck on webcast or listen live on WNYC from 2-3.

This event has now passed. You can listen to the live version of Radio performed on the April 29 Soundcheck program -here-

Azul Reviews

2009-04-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple reviews from performances of Azul with cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Miami Herald
Cleveland Plain Dealer

Tetro

2009-04-11T12:28:00.001-07:00

The website for Francis Ford Coppola's new film Tetro is now online. Click -here- for information, video clips, and music featuring MJWB.

Click -here- for an article on the music of Tetro in Venezuela's El Nacional newspaper

Groanbox Boys Spring 2009 UK Tour

2009-02-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

Michael will be on tour in the UK with Groanbox Boys March 5-April 5. Click here for dates:

Groanbox Tour Dates

Bhavini Myspace

2009-02-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

New tracks featuring Indian vocalist Bhavini Vyas and arrangements featuring hyper-accordion are available at Bhavini's myspace here: Bhavini

In other news, Opera News Online has posted a review of the November 2, 2008 Dawn Upshaw Zankel Hall concert, featuring the world preiere of Ward-Bergeman's Treny.

Read it here: Opera News

Reviews from Colorado

2009-01-19T14:57:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple reviews from performances of Azul with cellist Alisa Weilerstein and the CSO.

Denver Newspaper
Rocky Mountain News

Azul : LA Times Review

2009-01-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

The LA times reviewed the January 11th, 2009 performance of Golijov's Azul featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Ward-Bergeman, Jamey Haddad, Keita Ogawa and LACO conducted by Jeffrey Kahane.

Click -here- to read the review.

Recent Press

2008-11-17T02:46:00.000-08:00

A review of the Dawn Upshaw/Stephen Prutsman program at Carnegie's Zankel Hall on November 2, 2008, includes reviews of the world premiere of Treny.

New York Times
The Classical Music Network

Seen and Heard International

An interview with Rob Adams from the Herald:

A Musician Still Eager to Squeeze

Groanbox Autumn 2008 UK Tour

2008-08-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

The Groanbox Boys will be touring the UK in the Autumn. Percussionist Paul Clifford has officially joined the lineup. Click here for date/venue information.

MJWB Vidcast

2008-07-22T03:55:00.000-07:00

Michael has started a vidcast. You can view it on his media blog, blip.tv, or on Itunes.

Groanbox Boys May 2008 UK Tour

2008-04-20T04:35:00.001-07:00

The Groanbox Boys will be touring the UK in May, with performances in Scotland for the first time. Special guest Paul Clifford will be joining them on percussion. Click here for date/venue information.

Three Roads

2007-12-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

The recording of the world premiere of Michael's composition, Three Roads, featuring the vocalist Christina Courtin, is now available for streaming and downloads from the Carnegie Hall website. Click here: Three Roads

Terezín Chamber Music Foundation

2007-10-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Terezín Chamber Music Foundation will announce its first commission at its annual benefit concert on Wednesday Evening, October 10, 2007. The commission is in collaboration with renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw and composer Michael Ward-Bergeman.

The evening features Grammy Award-Winning Pianist and Conductor Robert Spano and Boston Symphony Orchestra Members.

Mr. Spano and BSO members will perform a recreation of a 1943 concert given by prisoners in the barracks of the Terezín concentration camp. This benefit concert will be a celebration and memorial tribute to the lost genius of Terezín composer Gideon Klein.

For tickets: Benefit Concert

Michael's statement:

"It is an honour to accept this commission from the Terezin Chamber Music Foundation. I feel that I have quite a journey ahead of me. This commission is about continuing the search for the truth about the human spirit, and sharing the discoveries through music. I believe it is through life’s challenges that the truth about ourselves can be learned. We are all too aware of the atrocities of war, of concentration camps, of death and suffering. The music and art created in the Terezín camp points us to a truth about ourselves that we can not deny; the truth that we are an inherently creative people, able to create beauty in the most unbeautiful situations, able to reap inspiring, healing, and transforming ideas from deep within ourselves, despite impossible circumstances. I am grateful for the invitation to be both a witness and participant in this journey along with my friend Dawn Upshaw."