11/03/21 QUEENS, NEW YORK 

The four-day-long festival includes multiple classical music performances integrated with theatrical design, dance, food, and educational programs. 

From December 2nd to the 5th, a classical music festival will take place at Culture Lab, Long Island City, Queens (5-25 46th Ave, Queens, NY 11101). 

This project is presented by CreArtBox, a Queens-based music organization founded in 2013 by flutist/composer Guillermo Laporta and pianist Josefina Urraca. This organization utilizes classical music and visual art to foster art commitment in today's society, promoting the creation of new music and live arts in order to enhance local communities and inspire future generations.

The festival will present CreArtBox's roster of musicians, members of orchestras and ensembles such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Ensemble Connect, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, American Ballet Theater, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Orchestra.

Directed and curated by Guillermo Laporta and Josefina Urraca, this winter edition will feature Keir GoGwilt, violin; Matthew Cohen, viola; Yi Qun Xu, cello; Guillermo Laporta, flute; Jane Yoon, harp; Josefina Urraca, piano; Nuno Marques, piano; Robert Sirvent, video artist; Nathaniel Sullivan, baritone; Mary Taylor Hennings, dancer; Sara C. Sun, video artist; Marieken Cochius, painter; and Sarah K. Williams, video artist.

This festival aims to bring new audiences into classical music by presenting an eclectic programing of new music written by living composers, as well as classical music from the 17th century onwards.

In this edition the lineup of composers will be: Timo Andres, Anna Clyne, Marius Diaz de Leon, John Harbison, Ernest Bloch, Toru Takemitsu, Ludwig van Beethoven, Steve Reich, Leoš Janáček, Arvo Pärt, Gustav Mahler, Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, Georg Philipp Telemann, Andre Jolivet, Gustav Holst and Manuel de Falla. Highlights of the program include Piano Trio by Timo Andres; the Piano Quartet by Gustav Mahler; the sonata for flute, viola, and harp by Claude Debussy; Piano Phase by Steve Reich; The Planets by Gustav Holst; and the First String Quartet by Leoš Janáček.

A key component of the festival is the use of innovative visual installations and multimedia designs alongside the musical performances, working with visual artists, designers, dancers, and other art disciplines to create multi-layered performances with classical music as its deep creative core.

On Saturday and Sunday morning the festival will present the program “Breakfast with the artists” where composers, musicians, and visual artists will gather and approach the local community in a more direct way than in regular performances. This event will showcase talks with the composers, musicians, and directors, exploring the creative process of a piece, the benefits of creating art for the society, the status of the arts in the local community, and tips on how to build a career as an artist. These discussions will be followed by a Q&A and an open roundtable discussion, all while enjoying the breakfast.

The festival will take place in the newly renovated theater at Culture Lab LIC, located at the waterfront of Long Island City, Queens. Culture Lab LIC is a nonprofit organization formed to support the efforts of local artists, and its significant community work and arts programming. Since opening our doors in October 2016, thanks to the generous donation from Plaxall Inc. of a 12,000 square foot converted warehouse, the programs, and community outreach have doubled every year.

To reach low-income households and offer affordable art to everyone in the local community, the festival has created partnerships with local organizations such as Queens Library, the YMCA, Book Culture, local schools, and other groups, offering at least 10% of the seatings for free and making sure that affordable tickets are available especially to young audiences in low-income households.

Steinway & Sons is the official piano of the festival. Since 1853 Steinway pianos have set an uncompromising standard for sound, touch, beauty, and investment value. Steinway remains the choice of 9 out of 10 concert artists, and it is the preferred piano of countless musicians, professional and amateur, throughout the world. 

Tickets for the performances can be purchased at www.creartbox.nyc. Prices are $20 for regular seating, $30 for premium tickets with better visibility and acoustics, and $60 with premium seating with a post-concert reception included. Tickets for the "Breakfasts with the artists" program are $10.

$10 affordable tickets can be purchased before November the 15th or through our local partner organizations.

Note: Due to NYC vaccine mandates, all visitors to the gallery must wear a mask, be vaccinated, and will be required to show proof of vaccination (CDC vaccine card, NYC COVID Safe Pass, NYS Excelsior Pass).

Presented by

More info and tickets: www.creartbox.nyc

PROGRAM

Thursday, Dec 2nd 

THEN I KNEW

Toru Takemitsu

And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind

for flute, viola & harp

Marius Diaz de Leon

Luciform 

for flute solo and electronics

Claude Debussy

Second Sonata 

for flute viola and harp

1. Pastorale. Lento, dolce rubato
2. Interlude. Tempo di minuetto

III. Final. Allegro moderato ma risoluto

Andre Jolivet

Petite suite

for flute, viola and harp

1. Prélude. Modéré
2. Modéré sans traîner

III. Vivement

1. Allant
2. (Without title)
   

Friday Dec 3rd

THE BRINGER OF PACE

Gustav Holst

The Planets

for two pianos

II Venus - The Bringer of Peace

IV Neptune - The mystic

Manuel de Falla

Spanish folk Songs

for voice & piano

1. Nana
2. Asturiana

Andre Caplet

An invisible flute

for voice, flute & piano

Phillipe Gaubert

Pagan Evening

for voice, flute & piano

Albert Roussel

Two poems by Ronsard

for voice and flute

Arthur Honegger

Hommage a Roussel

for voice, flute & piano

Steve Reich

Piano Phase

for two pianos

John Harbison

Flashes and Illuminations

for voice & piano

Saturday, Dec 4th

A WONDERFUL DAY

Ludwig van Beethoven

Trio Op. 11

for violin, cello & piano

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio

III. Theme with variations

Anna Clyne

A wonderful day

for violin, cello, piano & tape (.arr)

Guillermo Laporta

Waltz from the opera Two Roads

for piano solo

Timo Andres

Piano Trio

for violin, cello & piano

III. Coda (made of wood)

Arvo Pärt

Spiegel im spiegel

for violin & piano

Ernest Bloch

3 Nocturnes for Piano Trio

for violin, cello & piano

I.Andante

1. Andante quieto

III. Tempestoso

Edward Grieg

Andante con moto

for violin, cello & piano

Sunday Dec 5th

PARI INTERVALLO

Johannes Brahms

Piano Quartet No.1, Op.25

for violin, viola, cello & piano

III. Rondo alla Zingarese. Presto

Gustav Mahler

Piano Quartet in A minor

for violin, viola, cello & piano

Telemann

Quartet TWV 43 g4 

for flute, violin, viola & cello

II Adagio

III. Allegro

Henriette Renie

Legende

for solo harp

Leoš Janáček

String Quartet No.1, "Kreutzer Sonata"

for flute, violin, viola & cello (.arr)

1. Con moto

Arvo Pärt

Pari intervallo

for flute, violin, viola, cello, piano & harp