[2.3] Moore and Levine Curatorial Statement

Greetings from James Moore and Taylor Levine! We are incredibly excited to be curating MATA Interval 2.3 on January 21st at Issue Project Room.  We have put together a pleasantly loud and eclectic program which will showcase new compositions by young composers for multiple electric guitars. The show will feature performances from our quartet Dither, as well as a 10-piece hearing-deprived electric guitar ensemble!

As guitarists who actively perform new and experimental music in New York, the two of us share a common approach to the guitar as a unique electro-acoustic instrument, with extensive capabilities for electronic manipulation, a rich history of improvisation, wide ranges of timbre and style, and endless popular and cultural roots. Working together, and through the formation of Dither, we have found an outlet to explore some of our favorite guitar music, and to work with composers to create an exciting new repertoire.

For this concert, we are pleased to present an entire set of new pieces, many of which are world premieres, including works by Eric km Clark, Lisa R. Coons, Bryce Dessner, Florent Ghys, and Wil Smith. These works represent a wide range of approaches: from clean pop textures to heavily processed noise, from tight rhythmic unity to cacophonous sound mass. What unifies them all is that they utilize and wholeheartedly embrace the beautiful, engulfing, and often gloriously loud sound of electric guitars.

We are thankful to MATA for giving us this great opportunity and we are looking forward to the show!

James/Taylor

James Moore and Taylor Levine