The Mannes School of Music at the New School College of Performing Arts will present Philip Glass Weekend

The Mannes School of Music at The New School College of Performing Arts has announced its 2024–2025 season on October 25 and 26 with performances of A Weekend of Glass with music by iconic American composer Philip Glass. This special weekend will feature the American premiere of Glass’ Elergy for the Present, performed by the Namekawa-Davies duo – Maki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies – and Philip Glass’s soundtrack to Tod Browning’s classic 1931 film Dracula, performed live for the film by Orange Road Quartet, conducted on piano by Michael Riesman. Both concerts are open to the public and free of charge upon prior registration.

On Friday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m., perfectly in time for Halloween, the (Un)Silent Film series will present Dracula with the Orange Road Quartet (Cuker and Stern Graduate String Quartet in Residence at Mannes) and two pianists on Glass’s acclaimed score performed a live performance of Tod Browning’s classic 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi at the John L. Tishman Auditorium (63 Fifth Ave.). The performance will be led at the piano by Michael Riesman, arranger and musical director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, a graduate of the Mannes School of Music. Universal Studios Home Entertainment commissioned Glass to write the Dracula soundtrack for the film’s 1998 re-release, and the film was premiered by the Kronos Quartet and Michael Riesman. “I felt that the score should evoke the atmosphere of the 19th century world – so I decided that a string quartet would be most evocative and effective,” Glass wrote. “I wanted to stay away from the obvious effects associated with horror movies. Thanks to Kronos, we were able to add depth to the emotional layers of the film.” Orange Road Quartet cellist Jordan Bartow says, “We see new music as the future, the ‘orange road’ on the horizon, and we are excited to continue on that path and share our vision here at The New School and beyond.”

On Saturday, October 26, at 7:30 p.m., the Mannes School of Music presents the Namekawa-Davies duo (Maki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies) at Pianographique with music by Philip Glass (US premiere), Laurie Anderson and Steve Reich with real-time visualizations by Cori O’Lan, at The Auditorium on 12th Street (66 West 12th St.). The concert will feature the iconic piece Piano Phase by Steve Reich (1967), two songs by Laurie Anderson, including Song for Bob, and the second half with songs by Philip Glass, including the American premiere of Elergy for the Present (2020), music from the film The Truman Show and Four Pieces for Two Pianos, which Glass composed for the Namekawa-Davies duo. All of Cori O’Lan’s graphic elements will be taken directly from acoustic material – the sound of music – created live in response to frequency, pitch, dynamics and other elements of performance.

“The influence of Philip Glass on music cannot be overstated. As such, we are honored to host Weekend of Glass, which will feature the U.S. premiere of Elergy for the Present, along with Philip bringing Dracula to life through the brilliant score of the 1931 horror classic. Dracula will be led by Michael Riesman, a Mannes graduate and Philip’s longtime colleague from the Philip Glass Ensemble. Students, faculty and staff hope you will join us on this special weekend honoring the great Philip Glass,” said Richard Kessler, executive dean of the College of Performing Arts and dean of the Mannes School of Music.

Performances by students and faculty of the College of Performing Arts open up new possibilities, pushing the boundaries of convention and rediscovering traditional forms. Additional highlights this season include performances by renowned Mannes/School of Jazz Ensembles-in-Residence The Westerlies, Sandbox Percussion and JACK Quartet throughout the season, including the world premiere of Michael Torke’s BLOOM in Concert on December 11; A Mannes Opera double bill featuring one-act operas by David T. Little and Kamala Sankaram on November 8 and 9; the New School Studio Orchestra performing Duke Ellington’s “The Nutcracker” on December 5; and multiple performances by the Mannes Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, including Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light for the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc with The New York Choral Society on November 1, the American premiere of Augustus Hailstork’s Ndemera on December 9, and Sandbox Percussion in the Percussion Concerto Viet Cuonga Re(new)al combined with John Zorn’s violin concerto Contes de Fées performed by Stefan Jackew on April 11. The New School Studio Orchestra presents the U.S. premiere of jazz great Carla Bley’s rarely heard, groundbreaking album, Escalator Behind the Hill, on May 2.

Featuring approximately 900 performances by students, faculty and guest artists each year, almost all of which are free and open to the public, the Mannes, Jazz, Drama Season provides an incredible resource for the performing arts for the greater New York City community and beyond. Performances in the College of Performing Arts at The New School are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Some events require prior registration. View the full calendar of performances across the College of Performing Arts – including the Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and the School of Drama – for details on how to get involved.

Founded in 1916 by America’s first great violin reciter and distinguished educator, David Mannes, and pianist and educator Clara Damrosch Mannes, the Mannes School of Music is the banner of radically progressive music education, anchored in fundamental excellence and committed to supporting the development of creative and socially engaged artists. Through its undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs, Mannes offers a curriculum that is both imaginative and rigorous, taught by world-class faculty and guest artists. Part of The New School’s College of Performing Arts, along with the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and the School of Drama, Mannes resides on The New School’s Greenwich Village campus, in a state-of-the-art facility at the newly renovated Arnhold Hall.

Dedicated to performing new works and contemporary classics, the Orange Road Quartet creates unique listener-centered musical experiences for curious audiences. The programs they develop in collaboration with composers connect art and audiences beyond the traditional elite-dominated concert hall and leave people from all walks of life with transformative experiences. In recent years, Orange Road has twice performed as resident band at The Cortona Sessions for New Music, presenting audiences in Italy and the Netherlands with cutting-edge programs of premieres and contemporary masterpieces, from Xenakis to John Luther Adams. Orange Road is currently in the middle of a 2024-2025 concert season that includes performances in New York and Europe, with plans for further appearances as part of The Southern Exposure Series at the University of South Carolina and residencies at the University of Florida and the University of California, Davis, with over 15 premieres that will take place in the next few months. Orange Road began as The New Sounds Quartet in residence at the University of South Carolina in 2021, where they benefited from the mentorship of Ari Streisfeld, co-founder of the JACK quartet. Current members include Miguel Calleja and Holly Workman (violin), Nicky Moore on viola and Jordan Bartow on cello. The members of Orange Road have enjoyed solid and varied careers as international soloists, interdisciplinary artists and as chairs of regional orchestras. Orange Road is especially honored to join The New School as the Cuker and Stern Quartet in Residence, where they will be mentored by current members of the JACK quartet, continuing the seed of inspiration started by their beloved mentor, Ari. As a string quartet, the Cuker and Stern Graduate String Quartet Orange Road will have unique performance opportunities, including appearances at the Mannes Sounds Festival; workshops and readings of new works by composition lecturers and students; master classes at Mannes Prep; cooperation with The Mannes Orchestra, Mannes American Composers Ensemble and Mannes Opera; as well as performances at special events.

The (Un)Silent Film series played a key role in the resurgence of live music film screenings, with hosts including Matthew Broderick, Bill Irwin, Rob Bartlett, Ed Rothstein and Michael Bacon. The (Un)Silent Film evenings included world premieres of works composed for The Birds and The Immigrant (by Nathan Kamal and Alexis Cuadrado, respectively), the New York premiere of Hollywood composer Craig Marks’ soundtrack for Sherlock Jr. films, and Charlie Chaplin’s original scores for Gold Rush and others Chaplin’s classics. The latest (Un)Silent hosted the world premiere of the new soundtrack to the cult film METROPOLIS, composed by Mannes student Amir Sanjari.