My name is Rohan Chander, and I'm the artistic director of the 2020 Pulsing & Shaking music festival. I, along with my teammates Leah Ofman, Jameson Caps, Zachary Mezzo, and Karl Kim would like to thank you for checking out our exciting new project, Pulsing & Shaking Macro, which we're so stoked to bring to NYU this year. Nearly ten years since its inception, Pulsing & Shaking has grown tremendously each year, and for 2020 we're going even bigger.
Pulsing & Shaking is a music festival that celebrates New Music created in New York. The festival creates a space for composers and performers to present music in context–foundational works of the past few decades are programmed alongside music hot off the printing press, in an effort to present a cross-generational picture of the incredibly rich history of music-making in our city. Eschewing labels and genres, Pulsing & Shaking is about music that lives and breathes New York, capturing the many energies and landscapes contained within. It’s not music about New York, so much as music indebted to New York.
With its expansive programming, Pulsing & Shaking seeks to introduce audiences to the newest music of our time—presenting premiere performances by young composers—while simultaneously putting a spotlight on the music that got us to where we are today, and everything in between. It commissions new works, presents public dialogues, and fosters collaborations across media, all in the service of building community and helping audiences rediscover the richness of our city’s New Music.
For 2020, we want to go bigger than ever. Occupying the first three weeks of February, this will encompass more shows, educational opportunities, and performances in addition to the annual two-night concert topping off the festival. We will be inviting 4-5 established composer/performers who have been meaningfully impacting the NYC experimental scene to give in-depth talks about their work with an accompanying live performance. In addition, we will be adding three more concerts to the roster– an all hands welcome concert featuring alumni from the past 8 years of Pulsing, a concert spotlighting open-instrumentation works featuring a newly formed local ensemble, and a house style show with home cooked food and live music from non-western traditions that have shaped the music scene here in NYC. The festival will also feature a new breadth of student works that are all spatially designed specifically for the beautiful NYU Frederick Loewe theater, our home for the past 8 years of the Pulsing & Shaking festival. This will all be strengthened by our ongoing collaboration with the NYU Contemporary Music Ensemble and extensive alumni network, bringing together past and present in a way that honors our traditions while pushing us into the new generation.
In order to bring all these exciting things this year, we need funding. Being an artist in New York City is difficult, and it is our duty as art curators to make sure all the artists involved get the financial support they need. We are shooting to raise approximately $2000 through this online campaign, which will help cover basic ensemble, guest artist, and marketting fees. All funds we raise here will be supplemented by the NYU Composer's Collective and the NYU Music Composition department. Any excess will go towards covering additional travel expenses and logistical fees before being backlogged for future Pulsing and Shaking events. As a completely student run group, we run a tight ship, but with your help we can really take our festival into the stratosphere. We have lined up some sweet perks for you all in thanks for your support as we make this vital next step. Any amount helps, regardless of how small!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at pulsingshakingnyu@gmail.com and we will be happy to answer.
Sincerely,
Rohan, Leah, Jameson, Zach, Karl, and Tae Hong
supported through NYU Music Composition
You are the foundation on which we create our castle. In thanks, we'll send a special note just to you!
You see the big picture, and believe in it. As a Macro Pulser, your name will be included in all our programs as a founding patron of the 2020 season (includes Pulsing & Creating perk)
As a PulseMaker, you really make things happen, and we want everyone to know. You will receive a special concert shoutout both in our online promotion and immediately before the concert. (includes Macro Pulser and Pulsing & Creating perks)
With the EarthShaker perk, you can get an exclusive Q+A with our esteemed guest lecturers at the 2020 festival. This will be scheduled before or after the show, exact time and date to be communicated in February. Guest lecturers will be announced periodically and will include some of NYC's leading experimental improvisers, composers, and ensembles (includes PulseMaker, Macro Pulser, and Pulsing & Creating perks)
You are making Pulsing & Shaking Macro not just another season, but a city within itself. For your immense generosity, we’d like to invite you to a private VIP event with the featured composers and guests artists to be held at a pre-determined location. Location and more info will be communicated in February (includes EarthShaker, PulseMaker, Macro Pulser, and Pulsing & Creating perks).