This will be the 5th edition of a week-long festival celebrating the most compelling work developed by CreArtBox, including chamber music concerts with a crafted visual aesthetic, eclectic music programming and community outreach programs.

Date: Friday, April 8th, 9th & 10th 8.00pm

Venue address: 5-25 46th Ave Queens, NY 11101

Get there by ferry: Long Island City Stop, Astoria & East River Route

Get there by subway: 7 G & E Court Square Station

Celebrated by The New Yorker as one of its "art and music top picks in 2019" the CreArtBox Music Festival has solidified its presence as one of the most sought-after classical music platforms in Queens, offering regularly sold-out performances since its premiere in 2018.

Directed and curated by Guillermo Laporta and Josefina Urraca, the festival presents CreArtBox's roster of musicians, many of whom are members of notable orchestras and ensembles such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, New World Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Orchestra.

CreArtBox pairs exceptional classical and new music with a crafted visual aesthetic to design programs that foster art commitment in present society, promote the creation of new meaningful work, support professional artists, enhance local communities, and inspire future generations. This organization was founded in 2013 and has been supported primarily through individual donors and grants from the NYState Council on the Arts, the Amphion Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Spain Arts and Culture, and Queens Council for the Arts.

This fifth edition of the CreArtBox Music Festival features violinists Mari Lee and Yezu Woo, cellist Yi Qun Xu, violist Matthew Cohen, flutist Guillermo Laporta, pianist Josefina Urraca, and visual artist Tao Ho. 

The lineup of composers includes Joseph Haydn, Dmitri Shostakovich, Franz Schubert, Timo Andres, W. A. Mozart, Robert Schumann, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Joaquin Turina, and Gustav Mahler. Highlights of the program include Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, “Surprise,” Mahler’s Piano Quartet in A Minor, and Nikolayeva’s Trio for Flute, Viola, and Piano, Op. 18.

This edition also features the winners of CreArtBox’s “Call for Submissions of Classical Contemporary Music” Bryan Wysocki, composer; Cullyn Murphy, composer; Annamaria Kowalsky, composer and visual artist.

A key component of the festival is the use of captivating visual installations and theatrical design alongside the musical performances. CreArtBox works with visual artists, designers, dancers, and other creatives to craft multi-layered performances centered around classical music.

The festival includes artist talks and Q&A sessions where composers, musicians, and visual artists are more accessible and approachable to the local community than they are in regular performances. In addition to performances, this program showcases talks with the composers, musicians, and directors, exploring the creative process of a piece, the benefits of creating art for society, the status of the arts in the local community, and tips on how to build a career as an artist. 

Recordings of the festival will be published on the CreArtBox Digital Concert Hall, a new streaming platform that offers full length live performances in high resolution audio at no extra cost to users. 

The festival will take place in Culture Lab LIC’s newly renovated theater, located at the waterfront of Long Island City, Queens. Formerly a warehouse, the 12,000 square foot space boasts a 90-seat theater, an 18,000 square foot outdoor venue, and more. As a nonprofit arts advocacy organization, Culture Lab LIC, consistently supports the efforts of local artists through their significant community work and arts programming. Since its conception in October 2016, community outreach has doubled every year.

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

Steinway & Sons is the official piano maker of choice for the festival. Since 1853, Steinway pianos have set an unparalleled standard for sound, touch, beauty, and investment value. They remain 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. $10 affordable tickets can be purchased before March 15th or through our local partner organizations.

 

SCHEDULE

Friday April 8th - 8.00pm

Childhood Memories

ARTISTS

Mari Lee, violin,

Yi Qun Xu, cello

Josefina Urraca, piano

 

PROGRAM

Joseph Haydn Trio in E Major Hob.XV/28

1. Allegro Moderato

2. Allegretto

3. Finale: Allegro

Annamaria Kowalsky Autopoiesis

for cello solo

Dmitri Shostakovich  Piano trio n. 1 in c minor Op.8

Andante

Annamaria Kowalsky Perpetuo

for solo violin

Franz Schubert Notturno in E-flat major, Op. 148 

for violin, cello & piano

Annamaria Kowalsky Childhood Memories

for toy piano

Timo Andres Piano Trio

for violin, cello & piano

III. Coda (made of wood)

 

 

Saturday Apr 9th - 8.00pm

We can learn

ARTISTS

Matthew Cohen, viola

Guillermo Laporta, flute

Josefina Urraca, piano

 

 

PROGRAM

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Trio in E flat major K.498

for flute, viola, and piano 

1. Andante

2. Menuetto

3. Allegretto

Robert Schumann Fantasy Pieces

for viola and piano Op.73

1. Tender and with expression

2. Lively, light

3. Quick and with fire

Tatiana Nikolayeva Trio Op.18

for flute, viola, and piano 

1. Prelude. Moderato

2. Scherzo. Presto

3. Monologue (solo viola). Adagio

4. Aria. Moderato

5. Intermezzo. Allegro molto

6. Pastorale. Andante

7. Fantasy March. Tempo di marcia

8. Finale. Allegro ma non troppo

Bryan Wysocki We Can Learn Me Together 

for flute, viola, and piano

 

 

 

Sunday 10th - 8.00pm

Wherever one turns

ARTISTS

Mari Lee, violin

Yi Qun Xu, cello

Matthew Cohen, viola

Guillermo Laporta, flute

Josefina Urraca, piano

 

PROGRAM

Joseph Haydn

Symphony 94: Surprise

for flute, strings and piano

Joaquin Turina Piano quartet in a minor Op.67

1. Lento - Andante mosso

2. Vivo

3. Andante

Cullyn Murphy  Everywhere all ways

for flute, strings and piano

Gustav Mahler Piano Quartet in A minor

for violin, viola, cello & piano