Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)

WELCOME

We are thrilled to welcome composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey to Park Avenue Armory for the New York premiere of his most recent musical work, Monochromatic Light (Afterlife). One of the most important composers to have emerged in the United States in recent years, Tyshawn wrote this commissioned work to commemorate 50 years of the opening of Rothko Chapel, and the work of the same name written by Morton Feldman to commemorate the occasion.

For the presentation at Park Avenue Armory, Tyshawn has invited an extraordinary group of artists including legendary director Peter Sellars, one of the country’s leading abstractionists Julie Mehretu, the brilliant dance activists The D.R.E.A.M. Ring led by flexn pioneer Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray, the immensely gifted baritone Davóne Tines, and a talented group of musicians and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street to create a multi-layered environment in which audiences can consider the thematic richness and emotional power of the musical work, amplified by the Mehretu paintings and flexn choreography.

Tyshawn, Peter, Julie, and Reggie have all worked with the Armory in various capacities over the last several years. By continuing to engage with these artists and bring them together for new productions and commissions, we reiterate our commitment to providing platforms for these creatives to elevate, expand, and collaborate in their practices.

It is a privilege for us to provide the space for collaboration between these extraordinary artists to create a unique experience that both honors Feldman’s original Rothko Chapel composition and expands upon it within the context of the Wade Thompson Drill Hall. We hope you find peace and meaning as you enter and share the reflective and intimate world activated by these artists.

Rebecca Robertson Founding President and Executive Producer

Pierre Audi Marina Kellen French Artistic Director

Cover image: Chromatic Light Paintings (revenant, Maroons), 2022. Julie Mehretu, courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery.

Photo credit: Tom Powel Imaging. © Julie Mehretu.

Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Avenue 67th

PARK AVENUE ARMORY PRESENTS

MONOCHROMATIC LIGHT (AFTERLIFE)

SEPTEMBER 27 OCTOBER 2022

A PARK AVENUE ARMORY COMMISSION THOMPSON DRILL

Tyshawn Sorey Peter Sellars

Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray Julie Mehretu James F Ingalls Marc Urselli

Kim Kashkashian Sarah Rothenberg Steven Schick Davóne Tines

Composer, Conductor Director Choreographer Scenic Design Lighting Design Sound Design

Viola Piano/Celesta Percussion Soloist

DANCERS

Banks Artiste, Deidra “Dayntee” Braz, Rafael “Droid” Burgos, Quamaine “Virtuoso” Daniels, Calvin “Cal” Hunt, Infinite “Ivvy” Johnson, Derick “Spectacular Slicc” Murreld, and Jeremy “OPT” Perez WITH

The Choir of Trinity Wall Street

OTHER HAPPENINGS

ARTIST TALK: Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 6:00pm

ARMORY AFTER HOURS

Join us after select performances for libations with fellow attendees at a special bar in one of our historic period rooms.

The musical composition Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) was originally co-commissioned by Park Avenue Armory, DaCamera, and Rothko Chapel in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Rothko Chapel.

Support for Park Avenue Armory’s artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, The Prospect Hill Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Armory’s Artistic Council. Park Avenue Armory is deeply grateful for Senator Charles E. Schumer’s visionary leadership of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program.

Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory | 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street3

A CONVERSATION WITH THE CREATIVE TEAM

Tyshawn Sorey: Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) was inspired by Morton Feldman’s 1971 composition Rothko Chapel, which premiered at the Rothko Chapel at the Menil Collection in Houston the year after Mark Rothko’s suicide alongside the unveiling of Rothko’s 14 black canvases. I happened upon Feldman’s piece in my early twenties, and the music spoke to me in such a profound way.

I wanted to construct a piece in dialogue both with Mark Rothko, whose 14 paintings I feel are synonymous with my music and of course my engagement with Feldman’s. Further, I also wanted to tie it to other works influential to me, like Duke Ellington’s sacred music, spirituals, and finally, the recent events and tragedies of the 21st century—the pandemic, Black Lives Matter, the war in Ukraine, the January 6th insurrections, mass shootings, isolation, loss, lockdown, and suffering. All these things connect in the work.

Rothko didn’t produce work that people just admire for its beauty. Instead, I think Rothko is synonymous with time and how time passes, both literally and emotionally. You get intense feelings when looking at a Rothko, and I want my composition to reflect that experience: I want the listener not only to listen to the music for music’s sake, but also to come away with something beyond that.

There are a lot of differences and similarities between the Feldman Rothko Chapel piece and Monochromatic Light (Afterlife). For one, my work is a little bit over 70 minutes; the length of Feldman’s is 25. But both of these pieces convey the different emotions of Rothko’s paintings, like tragedy and grief, through context and the music itself. At the end of Feldman’s piece, there’s this quasi-Hebraic melody that he composed—which to me suggests a reflection of his lineage and its tragedy. My version of that ending incorporates the hymn “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” which actually appears throughout the entirety of my work in a myriad of ways that may seem abstract to the listener and that not only suggest a reflection of Black tragedy, but its continuation through the very present day.

Peter, you helped inspire the title of this piece, Monochromatic Light (Afterlife). In Houston, you mentioned the word afterlife during a conversation after being in the chapel one day. What made you think of that?

Peter Sellars: I think, in Rothko’s paintings, there are layers, stories, lifetimes, thoughts, and feelings underneath continually emerging and submerging. The way Rothko paints, you feel a lot buried in there, which is like consciousness, right? Because your consciousness is working on many levels, turning over seeds planted lifetimes ago, or two weeks ago, or one minute ago. And those seeds, depending on how they find water or what light gets to them, start to grow. Whatever experience, ancestral trauma, breakthrough, or joy you’ve had, you’re carrying all of it. And, of course, grief. Grief is one of the most deeply motivating things in human life, because grief demands a response. That is where Rothko poured himself into the layering of those pieces, creating this space that opens up and shuts down. You can feel the in breath and the out breath, the expansion and release.

For me, Tyshawn, your piece responds with your own space of memory and grieving, and that gives it an amplitude that is not exactly in the Feldman. Feldman made the world’s longest pieces, but for Rothko Chapel, he made one of his shortest late works. this, he made maybe his shortest piece. I think after Rothko’s death, Feldman deliberately tried to say something profound, but also concise and modest. In expanding and lengthening your piece, you take a deep breath and let a phrase open the closed places. To me, that’s where you’re going with this music: the sustained emotion, memory, and determination to move through it and come out the other side, and in the process create new memory and new experience.

TS: I especially like the word you used, response. My way of responding to the Feldman Rothko Chapel piece was by first using the exact same instrumentation as Feldman, but then replacing the soprano with bass baritone Davóne Tines and adding piano. It’s somewhat expanded, but not quite; and yet, I feel there were more sonic possibilities to explore this emotional space with this instrumentation. When thinking of Sarah Rothenberg’s role in this piece, for example, there were some things I wanted to convey that I felt I couldn’t access with the celesta alone, so I added the piano, because it’s one of my favorite instruments to write for and the reflective decay of sound in a piano attracts me, much like Feldman.

So this piece for all intents and purposes is my personal response to the Feldman piece and the Rothko paintings. It is NOT an attempt to reproduce Feldman’s landmark composition—that is surface-level listening, to me, which only misses the point. The point is to walk away from Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) feeling like this is yet another response to the composition, the Rothko paintings and the sense of being inside the chapel itself.

PS: Another note on the word afterlife: right now, we’re in a period where everyone wants to say that history’s over, but history never ends. Nothing ever finishes, and everything has an afterlife. Any action lives on through generations, histories, or possibilities that are unresolved. We want to separate the living and the dead, but the dead never die, because they’re still present. The ongoing presence of history, of the dead, and this realization that we are living with all of it is haunting, which your paintings, Julie, go right into.

TS: I think what we’re touching on here is continuum. I choose to be a part of several continua that influence not only Monochromatic Light (Afterlife), but also my entire compositional and performance practice. I think you two, Julie and Reggie, would agree that continuum too is ever-present in your works.

Julie Mehretu: Rothko and his paintings have a depth and are fundamentally time-based experiences, but what’s also important to consider is the political context and personal histories when these paintings were made. Rothko was living right after the Civil Rights Act was passed and came from a family directly impacted by the Holocaust. He was working through personal mourning, grief, and depression during a time of immense and palpable violence and mourning, coming from a family that lived through violence, terror, and horror in Europe. He was digesting that, and it’s present in his context, consciousness, and work. And the chapel was made to honor that moment, to be a place of social change acknowledging that moment.

That’s not so different from what’s happening now; fear, horror, and violence are extra palpable now. There’s been an intense mourning since Trump’s 2016 election campaign, and it has been made even more present with the internet. Listening to Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) in this time of “post-pandemic” reemerging, getting back into collective space, there is a different sense of palpability, that collective sense of grief, mourning, but also possibility. It’s in that transformational space within grief, mourning, darkness, or Rothko’s paintings, that new layers of light and color emerge, when you spend time with it. That’s the continuum in which I’m very much interested in participating.

When I started work on my paintings for this production, they began as blurred images of the January 6th insurrection. These images—depicting the eruption of contagious violence, riotous dynamics, and passionate push for white supremacy—evoke people trying to uphold a form of violence and terror, living in a moment of deep untruths and echo chambers, denying reality, history, and time. So, how does one build, create, invent, continue in that space? Where does that possibility emerge? It always will, because that’s what we do as artists.

Composer and conductor Tyshawn Sorey, director Peter Sellars, scenic designer Julie Mehretu, and choreographer Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray on their collaboration, Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) at the Armory.

Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray: Flexn has always been responding to something—the hood, the political arena, our homes, our realities; we respond with emotion and movement. Even with different musical instruments, each movement responds differently to those sounds. When I hear a piano, I think about its smooth lines and how to move through it. When I hear a cello, I think about how Deidra flows through movement. Flexn responds to all types of emotions and turmoil. Because of the things that members of The D.R.E.A.M. Ring have been through—as African Americans, as young New Yorkers from the hood—our dancers emerge from that with their own story and apply their experience to the music. It brings something different out.

PS: The other powerful thing about flexn has to do with the history written in and by people’s bodies. The way new history is created with each new move connects your and Julie’s work so deeply. Bodies and histories moving in these paintings. You, Julie, start with different histories in each of your paintings, but also make new history in the paintings themselves. The next move is the next move. You guys are always making the next move.

R(RR)G: We always say, “The movement is infinite.” It always has a new vocabulary to explore. Anytime something new comes out, something newer has to come out of the body. My favorite thing is to say is, “the body never lies.” It’s always shows something new, especially with flexn.

Looking at Rothko’s paintings for the first time, I sat with them for a while and started to see lines, movement, different types of light. I realized that if I stare long enough, I started to see multiple things, histories, feelings of the painter at once. But seeing the paintings with the music, it brought out something different within myself—I listened to every ting, every beat, and as a movement artist, everything made sense to me. I think, this is a heartbeat, this is death, this is turmoil, this is a response. Everything had that fly to it. I had a bunch of different emotions—first calmness, and then rumbles made me want to get up. Your music speaks to so many people, Tyshawn, but you don’t have to say much.

TS: Percussionist Steven Schick is the ideal person for this. His funereal tympani rolls, his bass drum, the way that he touches his instruments evokes the emotions you’re talking about. It’s calm for a moment, but then subtly, another emotion comes through in conflict with what came before. Violist Kim Kashkashian really drives the piece. The viola is a central element to the piece in that everything she plays is in some way—musically, emotionally, abstractly, and interpretively— synchronized with everything. Even during times when the viola isn’t playing, she’s still there, and Kim approaches it ever so brilliantly. Sarah Rothenberg, what a touch she has on the piano and celesta. She is so detailed and thorough about sound, how it moves through a room, carries, and conveys different things—she’s brilliant for this work. Steve, Kim, and Sarah—they’ve performed and recorded Feldman’s Rothko Chapel piece, so they’re already familiar with how to properly deal with that special sound world. I wanted to infuse that with my own take on spontaneity, and they’ve combined my new interpretation with their knowledge and brought it to life.

This is where bass baritone Davóne Tines comes in, who to me is the only vocalist suited to perform this piece. I wanted him, specifically, to sing for this piece— he has such command of the room, a deep understanding of what the composition requires, and executes his part with clarity and soulfulness. I trust Davóne to take his part where it really needs to go, because we both have a mutual understanding of music and the piece technically, expressively, and spiritually. Like any performer I choose to work with, he lifts the notes off of the page; he brings more than merely his magnificent voice. He gives the vocal line life, meaning, imagination, and the interpretation clearly stems directly from his life experiences.

I’m grateful to Park Avenue Armory for having us in this space to develop this stage production to such magnitude. I hope the viewers, listeners, observers will walk out of here thinking—I mean, really thinking; that’s my goal for this.

PS: Mark Rothko specifically wanted a chapel—not a museum—for these paintings, inviting the consideration of sacred and nondenominational questions. This couldn’t have come from a religion. That had to be created by an artist, a space of gathering as a sacred project. “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child” is called a spiritual. That’s really deep; those are sacred feelings.

We don’t need more shows right now; we really need more ceremonies, more ritual, more ways to gather peacefully, positively. More memory in the presence of mass erasure. Ways to share an experience as participants, not spectators. For me, that’s the powerful thing about a ritual: you’re not coming to watch it; you are creating it. This ritual connects everyone in the room with the strength of people from the past and a vision of the future, which is why we’re creating new work in this context. Julie and Regg, you guys do this every single day, moving forward through our current moment and finding a place no one imagined before that painting or that dance existed. That weight and the momentum all in front of you.

JM: This ties back to the word haunting you mentioned earlier. Not haunting like terror, but rather the continual presence of our past. I feel that with Davóne’s voice, a calling. The way that he sings, you feel the history of voices and the tradition that could create it all at once. It gives a sense of invention from this haunting, that the ghosts of the past are as present as the possibility of these other futures. And I think that ties to the invention of dance language in flexn, bodies morphing into positions you never thought a body could do.

R(RR)G: Flexn takes you to a place of new vocabulary and meaning. To every new sound, something new has to be written. That’s how we keep up with the Joneses; we keep it moving.

PS: What’s really powerful too in your work, Tyshawn, and Feldman’s is quiet. We are in a world with the volume cranked up, and that can disturb any sense of tranquility, focus, self, or containment you have. But these pieces offer a beautiful moment of sustained quiet. When you invite people to a quiet experience, the things you already know in deep places in ourselves begin to take over. Sharing this quiet with other people, we actually have time and space to begin to deal with hard stuff.

The quiet also brings up the idea of memorial. We’ve lost so many people in the last two years. Has there really been any acknowledgement inviting us to feel that loss in public space? For the last two years, we’ve been socialized not to feel. So, at this moment where so many people left or lost people without saying goodbye, we are all carrying that with us, but not acknowledging it in ourselves or others. This is a shared loss, a moment where death invites us all to get real about everything. For me, you have also created the space to share that loss and that grief we’ve been ignoring these past two years, Tyshawn.

TS: Collaborating with all of you has been a fruitful opportunity. I have three brilliant people in the room with me, and we’ve made something extraordinary together. It’s a natural pairing, a collaborative team that developed here. Everybody is attuned to each other’s aesthetics and way of collaborating.

JM: It’s really been a rich, inspiring, vital time. Our projects inform each other, and the practice just flows and emerges. One thing becomes so formative and informs something else; these things collide into one another.

R(RR)G: It started for me at the chapel, listening to all those different sounds, staring at Rothko’s paintings. Then, going through your book, Julie; it’s beautiful to see so many different lines, colors, movements in it. Then letting the dancers become who they need to be within the piece and make art from their bodies. And of course, working with Peter again. It feels good, natural. I can’t wait to get into performances and show what we’ve got.

Art begetting art. Stillness creating movement. Imagination offering liberation. This continuum of creative reflection and action underpins the multidisciplinary collaboration behind Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) and is mirrored in the creativity-based exploration at the heart of the Armory’s Arts Education Program. Crucial to the Armory’s mission and offered at no cost to participants, the Arts Education Program immerses students from underserved New York City public schools in the creative process of worldclass artists and fosters students’ own creative instincts. With artists Tyshawn Sorey, Julie Mehretu, Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray, and Peter Sellars insistence that we cannot be mere spectators in this world but instead actively navigate the sharing of space, Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) is an inspiring way to kickstart a new school year, offering a reminder of why the arts are a vital experience for today’s young people.

The creative process that fueled Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) —in which a musician, visual artist, choreographer, and theater director all found inspiration through interpretations of each other’s art forms—is a beautiful example of the limitless possibility inherent in multidisciplinary collaborations and communities. In all areas of the Arts Education programs, students respond to the Armory’s artists and productions by making art of their own, often exploring their experience with one art form by creating in another. Production-Based Programs invite students to experience the unconventional works of music, theater, dance, and visual arts in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall and historic rooms in conjunction with workshops co-facilitated by multidisciplinary Teaching Artists. The Partner School Program builds on those experiences and relationships, by offering long-term, customized residencies that support school curriculum and community goals. The Armory’s Youth Corps Program offers paid and closely mentored internships for students ages 16-25+. All of these initiatives, supported by the Armory’s multidisciplinary teaching artists, celebrate each individual’s diverse contributions to our shared space and art’s unique role in making that shared space into community.

COLLABORATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ARTWORKS

Maahes (Mihos) torch, 2018-2019

Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 96 x 72 in / 243.8 x 182.9 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

Photo Credit: Tom Powel Imaging © Julie Mehretu

Chromatic Light Paintings (revenant, Maroons), 2022

Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 108 x 120 in / 274.3 x 304.8 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

Photo Credit: Tom Powel Imaging

© Julie Mehretu

about the space of half an hour (R. 8:1) 7, 2019-2020

Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 96 x 72 in / 243.8 x 182.9 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

Photo Credit: Tom Powel Imaging

© Julie Mehretu

With schools continuing to focus on Social Emotional Learning needs this Fall, programming around this production provides holistic, art-centered opportunities for students to be in dialogue with the past and consider how we can gather to create a collective. The student matinee of Monochromatic Light (Afterlife), along with the surrounding in-school workshops, is an opportunity to jump start students’ curiosity and give them space to foster a practice of noticing—noticing what they are taking in from the world around them and noticing how that impacts their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Noticing allows connections. Connections inspire reflection. Reflection leads to action.

Part of the beauty of this particular artwork and the similar approach of the Armory’s Arts Education Program is that they both offer agency to the young people experiencing it to choose how to take that action, whether that be through embodying the role of artist and creating work of their own, or through embracing the role of an active audience member who doesn’t leave the art in the space it is experienced, but takes it with them and allows it to propel them forward and inspire change. Across all initiatives, Arts Education at the Armory is rooted in the common cause of raising student voices and affirming their interpretations of art and the world. With Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) programming, students are invited to not only notice what they connect most with during the performance, but also engage with the experience of how art can help audiences connect with grief, ancestral trauma, and even hope.

Each of the artists who created Monochromatic Life (Afterlife) reference their place on a continuum–a continuum of artists who do more than simply bear witness to the world around them, but whose talents and platforms of expression invite their audience to consider, “What do we do now? How is the afterlife of now dictated by the decisions and events that we contribute to today? How can trauma and grief evolve into hope and affirmation?” Experiencing this work of art and participating in their own creative processes actively engages young people with their unique place on this continuum by harnessing the power of the arts to reject the chaos and find peace and purpose in the stillness.

Chromatic Light Paintings (sphinx), 2021-2022

Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 96 x 120 in / 243.8 x 304.8 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

Photo Credit: Tom Powel Imaging © Julie Mehretu

Chromatic Light Paintings (oneironaut), 2021-2022

Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 96 x 72 in / 243.8 x 182.9 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

Photo Credit: Tom Powel Imaging

© Julie Mehretu

Chromatic Light Paintings (panoptes), 2022

Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 108 x 120 in / 274.3 x 304.8 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

Photo Credit: Tom Powel Imaging © Julie Mehretu

about the space of half an hour (R. 8:1) 3, 2019-2020

Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 96 x 72 in / 243.8 x 182.9 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

Photo Credit: Tom Powel Imaging © Julie Mehretu

A Mercy (after T. Morrison), 2019-2020

Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 96 x 120 in / 243.8 x 304.8 cm

Courtesy of the artist, carlier | gebauer, Berlin and Marian Goodman Gallery

Photo Credit: Tom Powel Imaging © Julie Mehretu

CREATIVE TEAM

TYSHAWN SOREY (COMPOSER, CONDUCTOR)

Newark-born composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey has performed nationally and internationally with his own ensembles, as well as artists such as John Zorn, Vijay Iyer, Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, Wadada Leo Smith, Marilyn Crispell, George Lewis, Claire Chase, Steve Lehman, Jason Moran, Evan Parker, Anthony Braxton, and Myra Melford, among others. Sorey has composed works for the LAPhil, ICE, Julia Bullock, PRISM Quartet, JACK Quartet, TAK Ensemble, McGill-McHale Trio, Claire Chase, Davóne Tines, Alarm Will Sound, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Ensemble Intercontemporain, The Crossing, Soundbox Percussion, and violinist Johnny Gandelsman, among others. Awards include 2017 MacArthur, 2018 United States Artists, 2021 Goddard Lieberson (American Academy of Arts and Letters), and Van Lier fellowships and a 2018 Fromm Foundation commission, with support from the Jerome and Shifting foundations. Sorey has released 15 critically acclaimed recordings that feature his work as a composer, cocomposer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, and conceptualist. He has taught and lectured on composition and improvisation at prestigious universities across the globe and joined the composition faculty at University of Pennsylvania in 2020.

PETER SELLARS (DIRECTOR)

Opera, theater, and festival director Peter Sellars has gained international renown for his groundbreaking and transformative interpretations of classics, advocacy of 20th century and contemporary music, and collaborative projects with an extraordinary range of creative and performing artists. He has staged productions at the Dutch National Opera, English National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opéra national de Paris, and the Salzburg Festival, among others. Projects include: John Adams’ Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, El Niño, Doctor Atomic; Kaija Saariaho’s L’Amour de loin, Only the Sound Remains; Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde with video artist Bill Viola; Handel’s Theodora, Hercules ; Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Idomeneo; Euripides’ The Children of Herakles ; Desdemona with novelist Toni Morrison and Malian composer/singer Rokia Traoré. Park Avenue Armory: Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Berliner Philharmoniker, FLEXN, FLEXN Evolution . Awards and positions: MacArthur Fellowship; Erasmus, Gish, and Polar Music prizes; Professor, World Arts and Cultures/Dance, UCLA; Resident Curator, Telluride Film Festival; leader, 1990 and 1993 Los Angeles, 2002 Adelaide Arts, and 2016 Ojai Music festivals; Artistic Director, Vienna’s 2006 New Crowned Hope; member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

REGGIE (REGG ROC) GRAY (CHOREOGRAPHY)

Brooklyn-born dancer and choreographer Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray is the pioneer of hybrid dance genre flexn: a combination of styles from the local scene such as bone breaking, gliding, get-low, connecting, hat tricks, punchlines, and pauzin, the flex style he revolutionized. Drawing on Brooklyn’s Jamaican street styles bruk up and dancehall, the style was named after TV program Flex N Brooklyn . Gray has won several top dance titles, danced for America’s Best Dance Crew and in music videos for Wayne Wonder, Sean Paul, Nicki Minaj, and others. Gray performs with his award-winning dance crew RingMasters and new dance company The D.R.E.A.M. RING (Dance Rules Everything Around Me). He has choreographed FLEXN and FLEXN Evolution at Park Avenue Armory, touring to the Brisbane, Marseille, Napoli Teatro, and Jacob’s Pillow festivals, as well as Princeton and Dartmouth. Other works include: choreographic contributions to Public Works; The Odyssey at The Public; a residency at National Sawdust; and Flex Ave. Gray is currently developing a new dance production and documentary, Infinite

JULIE MEHRETU (SCENIC DESIGN)

Julie Mehretu’s paintings, drawings, and prints engage in a dynamic visual articulation of contemporary experience, depiction of social behavior, and psychogeography of space. Mehretu’s work is informed by a multitude of sources including politics, literature, and music. Her most recent paintings use images from broadcast media depicting conflict, injustice, and social unrest as intellectual and compositional points of departure; though ultimately occluded, they remain a phantom presence in the highly abstracted, gestural completed works. A mid-career survey of Mehretu’s work appeared at LACMA (2019), the High Museum of Art, Georgia (2020), Whitney (2021), and Walker Art Center (2021-22). Awards: MacArthur Award (2005); Berlin Prize: Guna S. Mundheim Fellowship, The American Academy in Berlin (2007); US Department of State Medal of Arts Award (2015). Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1970, she lives and works in New York and Berlin. MFA honors, RISD; BA, Kalamazoo College; studied at University Cheikh Anta Diop. Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and American Academy of Design. Global representative: Marian Goodman Gallery.

JAMES F INGALLS (LIGHTING DESIGN)

James F Ingalls makes his Armory debut with Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) His work with Peter Sellars spans 42 years and includes the world premieres of Kaija Saariaho’s L’Amour de Loin, Adriana Mater, La Passion de Simone, and Only the Sound Remains ; and John Adams’ Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, The Gospel According to the Other Mary, Doctor Atomic, and Girls of the Golden West. Recent work in New York includes Waiting at the Station (Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Joyce season at the State Theatre), Twyla Now! (New York City Center), and the BAM revival of Mark Morris’ L’Allegro, Il peneroso ed Il Moderato. Other recent projects include Fidelio (LA Philharmonic with Deaf West Theatre), Raymonda (Dutch National Ballet), Le Roman de Fauvel (Théâtre du Châtelet/Paris), Three O’Casey Comedies (Druid Theatre/Galway), and Lagrime di San Pietro (Los Angeles Master Chorale). He often collaborates with The Wooden Floor dancers in Santa Ana, California.

MARC URSELLI (SOUND DESIGN)

Born in Switzerland, Marc Urselli started his career as a sound engineer and music producer in early ‘90s Italy, moving to New York in 1999 where he worked at EastSide Sound (est. 1972), a recording studio he now manages that serves internationally acclaimed recording artists. Over his 25-year career, Urselli earned three Grammy awards and seven nominations for his work with artists Lou Reed, Nick Cave, U2, Foo Fighters, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, Marianne Faithfull, and others. Urselli has produced and released several albums under his own name, including sound design albums with film director Jim Jarmusch and Sonic Youth member Lee Ranaldo. Urselli has also collaborated with visual artists such as Laurent Fort, Nicolás Rupcich, Luis Accorsi, and Michelle Jaffe. Sound installation and art exhibits include: “The Rock And Roll Circus,” The New Gallery, Hudson, New York; GIAF Governors Island Art Fair, New York; LeSon 7 Sound Art Gallery, London. He lives and works in New York and London.

COMPANY

KIM KASHKASHIAN (VIOLA)

Violist Kim Kashkashian appears with the orchestras of Berlin, London, Vienna, Milan, Amsterdam, New York, and Cleveland in collaboration with Eschenbach, Mehta, Welser-Moest, Kocsis, Dennis Russel Davies, Blomstedt, and Holliger, and performs with Trio Tre Voce and pianist Robert Levin in the great halls of Vienna, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Tokyo, Athens, London, New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. She worked closely with Kurtág, Penderecki, Schnittke, Kancheli, and Pärt and commissioned compositions from Eötvös, Ueno, Olivero, Larcher, Auerbach, Mansurian, and Hosokawa. Over 25 solo albums on ECM have earned her a Grammy (first violist), Cannes Classical Award, and the Edison and Opus Klassik prizes. Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; member, Royal Academy of Music. Founder, Music for Food.

SARAH ROTHENBERG (PIANO/CELESTA)

Sarah Rothenberg is a performer, writer, producer, and creator of interdisciplinary productions. Highlights: The Departing Landscape (film, 2020); Vienna 1900: In the Garden of Dreams (2019), A Proust Sonata (2018), The Blue Rider in Performance, Moondrunk (Lincoln Center New Visions series); and performances at Great Performers at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Barbican Centre (London), The Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Library of Congress, and 92nd Street Y, among others. World premieres: over 80 works, including Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey. Recordings: Fanny Mendelssohn’s Das Jahr (US Premiere); Shadows and Fragments: Piano Works of Brahms and Schoenberg ; Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen ; Rothko Chapel: Feldman, Satie, and Cage (ECM). Artistic Director of DACAMERA; formerly Co-Founder, Co-Artistic Director, Bard Music Festival. Faculty, Columbia University Graduate Program in Writing. Graduate, Curtis Institute of Music. Medal of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (2000).

STEVEN SCHICK (PERCUSSION)

Percussionist, conductor, and author Steven Schick has championed contemporary percussion music by commissioning or premiering more than 150 new works, including major repertory for solo percussion. As conductor, he has appeared with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Ensemble Modern, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble. Discography: Percussion Works of Iannis Xenakis (2010, Mode), The Complete Early Percussion Works of Karlheinz Stockhausen (2014, Mode), “A Hard Rain” (2022, Islandia.)

Received “Diapason d’Or” as conductor (Xenakis Ensemble Music/ICE) and Deutscheschallplattenkritikpreis as percussionist (Stockhausen). Positions: Artistic Director Emeritus of La Jolla Symphony and Chorus and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players; Music Director, 2015 Ojai Festival; Co-Artistic Director, Summer Music Program, Banff Centre (2017-2019); Distinguished Professor, UC San Diego; Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame (2014).

DAVÓNE TINES (SOLOIST)

Bass baritone Davóne Tines, Musical America’s 2022 Vocalist of the Year, is a pathbreaking artist whose work not only encompasses a diverse repertoire, from early music to new commissions by leading composers, but also explores today’s pressing social issues through work that blends opera, art song, contemporary classical, spirituals, gospel, and songs of protest, as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance that connects to all of humanity. Tines is the recipient of the 2020 Sphinx Medal of Excellence in recognition of extraordinary classical musicians of color and one of Lincoln Center’s 2018 Emerging Artists.

BANKS ARTISTE (DANCER)

Banks Artiste is a New York-based dancer who grew up in Queens and Brooklyn. On Halloween in 2009, a shooting damaged his knee but propelled him to rehabilitate and hone his craft. In the following years, Banks continued to train in his specialty of krump, auditioning and networking in the dance world. Artiste earned a spot as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance Season 11 in 2014 and subsequently travelled to England to play the Angel Gabriel in English National Opera’s production of John Adams’ The Gospel According to The Other Mary, also in 2014.

DEIDRA “DAYNTEE” BRAZ (DANCER)

Deidra “Dayntee” Braz was born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn, having a strong influence and shaping her into what she is today by parents that gave her the space, freedom, and upbringing to allow her to become who she is today. Dance has been an integral part of her life since the age of 6, introducing her to the meaning and feeling of passion, artistic expression, and allowing the opportunity to travel across the world to perform and teach. Over the last few years, she continues to grow in her artistry and has begun to look towards artistic directing and creating in different artistic ways.

RAFAEL “DROID” BURGOS (DANCER)

Brooklyn-born Rafael “Droid” Burgos (aka King Droid) has been dancing his whole life and began flexn in 2010, making this over a decade of being in this dance culture. His performing career began in 2015 with FLEXN at Park Avenue Armory, and he also works as a teaching artist at The Shed. Burgos has also been serious about artwork animation, singing, and performing arts in general, shaping who he is and his dance style today. His style is very animated; he creates objects and makes them come to life. A gliding/connecting specialist, he uses get low and pauzin within his flexn style.

QUAMAINE “VIRTUOSO” DANIELS (DANCER)

Quamaine Daniels, also known as “Virtuoso”, is a Brooklyn-based master of flexn. He has been flexn since 2004 and started professionally in 2015. His flexn styles are gliding, get low, bone breaking, and connecting. He has performed and toured around the world with The D.R.E.A.M. Ring and has been a part of FLEXN: Evolution, Alphabus, and most recently Maze productions. Virtuoso is also a teacher of the arts. From street dance to street art, Daniels has always been inspired by the arts. He is currently working on various paintings that fuse flexn and his unique drawing style to further connect with the art of flexn.

CALVIN “CAL” HUNT (DANCER)

Brooklyn-born flexn dancer Calvin Hunt began his professional dance career in 2015 with the Armory production FLEXN with The D.R.E.A.M. Ring under Peter Sellars and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray. He subsequently appeared in the FLEXN international tour and FLEXN Evolution in 2017. In 2019, Hunt appeared in Les indes galantes at the National Opera in Paris, including a solo performance to “Viens, Hymen” sung by soprano Sabine Devieilhe; a documentary of this production went on to be nominated for the Cesar Award for Best Documentary. Hunt recently became Program Director for Its Show Time NYC and served as a teaching artist at The Shed in 2017.

INFINITE “IVVY” JOHNSON (DANCER)

Brooklyn native Infinite “Ivvy” Johnson is a self-taught dancer in styles such as hip hop, dance hall, belly dance, contemporary, experimental dance, and street dances like bruk up and flexn. Her personal dance expression incorporates movement from tribal fusion, belly dancing, and traditional Indian and Hindu dances, a perfect blend with bruk up, flexn, and Jamaican dancehall dominating the street dance battle scene. Johnson has worked with artists such as Elton John, Sean Paul, and Tanisha Scott; she is also a freelance model in Japanese hip hop street fashion. One of Johnson’s personal missions is to empower women through expression and movement with unapologetic attitude and creativity.

Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory | 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street

DERICK “SPECTACULAR SLICC” MURRELD (DANCER)

A street dancer born and raised in Brooklyn, Derick “Spectacular Slicc” Murreld is one of the pioneers of the style called “get low,” which is one of five elements of flexn. He does a mixture of bone breaking and body isolations, mixed with his get low. He has made a big impact on the culture and style of the dance form. His dance experience has brought him to LA, London, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, and other places. His 11-year career has included tours, campaigns, and music videos.

JEREMY “OPT” PEREZ (DANCER)

Jeremy “OPT” Perez—who is based in Brooklyn, New York—is an aspiring artist of the flexn culture. His gruesome bone breaking and ways to channel the music through his expression are out of this world. He is featured in the film version of Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights on Disney+, music videos with a variety of artists, and has begun to create his own musical sound.

THE CHOIR OF TRINITY WALL STREET

Peerless interpreters of both early and new music, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street redefines 21st-century vocal music, breaking new ground with artistry “blazing with vigour” (The Times, London). Described as “thrilling” (The New Yorker) and “simply superb” (The New York Times), the choir has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Shed, The Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, PROTOTYPE Festival, Montreal’s Salle Bourgie, Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and London’s Barbican Theatre with partners such as Bang on a Can All-Stars, the New York Philharmonic, and the Rolling Stones. Numerous recordings include Grammy Award-nominated Luna Pearl Woolf: Fire and Flood and Handel’s Israel in Egypt ; as well world premiere recordings of Pulitzer Prize-winning works by Du Yun, Ellen Reid, and Julia Wolfe.

Shabnam Abedi

Eric S. Brenner

Margaret Carpenter Haigh

Kelvin Chan

Joe Damon Chappel

Paul D’Arcy

Jeffrey Gavett

Sonya Headlam

Madeline Apple Healey

Catherine Hedberg

Timothy Hodges

Nate Hodgson

Steven Hrycelak

Nickolas Karageorgiou Helen Karloski

Enrico Lagasca Sylvia Leith

Clifton Massey

Brian Mextorf

Charlotte Mundy Melanie Russell Gregório Taniguchi

Pamela Terry Tommy Wazelle Elena Williamson Jonathan Woody

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Betsy Ayer Production Stage Manager

Pamela Salling Stage Manager

Laura Aupert Assistant Production Manager

Sin Jones Production Assistant

Sam Cortez Company Manager

Ashlyn Diaz Assistant Company Manager

Cassie Beauchamp Programming Assistant

Carolyn Wong Lighting Supervisor

Dave “Tater” Polato Production Electrician

David Orlando Lighting Programmer

Mark Grey Audio Supervisor

Andrew Lulling Audio Engineer

Carl Whipple Production Carpenter

Stephen Pucci Production Rigger

Victoria Bek Costume Supervisor

COVERS

David Fulmer Conductor Cover

Martine Thomas Viola Cover

Cory Smythe Piano/Celesta Cover

Sae Hashimoto Percussion Cover

Wayne Arthur Soloist Cover

Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray Dancer Cover

PRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

BNW Rigging Five Ohm Productions Mind the Gap

Premier Stagehands

Lighting and Rigging Equipment by 4Wall Entertainment Audio Equipment by Masque Sound

Scenery built by RoseBrand, Tom Carroll Scenery, Big Image Systems Steinway & Sons

Celeste by Wilson Showtime Services Percussion by Centanni Percussion

SPECIAL THANKS

James Egelhofer

Diane Malecki

Sonja Kostich, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park

Avery Willis Hoffman and Jessica Wasilewski, Brown Arts Institute Graphic Lab

ABOUT PARK AVENUE ARMORY

Part palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory fills a critical void in the cultural ecology of New York, supporting unconventional works in the performing and visual arts that cannot be fully realized in a traditional proscenium theater, concert hall, or white wall gallery. With its soaring 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall and an array of exuberant period rooms, the Armory enables a diverse range of artists to create, students to explore, and audiences to experience epic, adventurous, relevant work that cannot be done elsewhere in New York.

Programmatic highlights from the Wade Thompson Drill Hall include Ernesto Neto’s anthropodino, a magical labyrinth extended across the Drill Hall; Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s harrowing Die Soldaten , in which the audience moved “through the music”; the event of a thread , a site-specific installation by Ann Hamilton; the final performances of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company on three separate stages; an immersive Macbeth set in a Scottish heath with Kenneth Branagh; WS by Paul McCarthy, a monumental installation of fantasy, excess, and dystopia; a radically inclusive staging of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion staged by Peter Sellars and performed by Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker; eight-time Drama Desk-nominated play The Hairy Ape, directed by Richard Jones and starring Bobby Cannavale; Hansel & Gretel , a new commission by Ai Weiwei, Jacques Herzog, and Pierre de Meuron that explored publicly shared space in the era of surveillance; FLEXN and FLEXN Evolution , two Armory-commissioned presentations of the Brooklyn-born dance activists group the D.R.E.A.M. Ring, created by Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and director Peter Sellars; Simon Stone’s heralded production of Yerma starring Billie Piper in her North American debut; The Let Go, a site-specific immersive dance celebration by Nick Cave; Satoshi Miyagi’s stunning production of Antigone set in a lake; Sam Mendes’ critically acclaimed production of The Lehman Trilogy ; the Black Artists Retreat hosted by Theaster Gates, which included public talks and performances, private sessions for the 300 attending artists, and a roller skating rink; Deep Blue Sea by Bill T. Jones and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Companies; The Shape of Things, a multiwork installation, convening, and performance series by Carrie Mae Weems; Rashaad Newsome’s Assembly ; the North American premiere of Michel van der Aa’s Upload featuring Julia Bullock and Roderick Williams; and the North American premieres of Robert Icke’s Hamlet and Oresteia , played in repertory and starring Alex Lawther, Jennifer Ehle, and Anastasia Hille. Productions in the Armory’s Social Distance Hall included works by Bill T. Jones; David Byrne, Christine Jones, and Steven Hoggett; Laurie Anderson and Jason Moran; and Robert Icke.

In its historic period rooms, the Armory presents more intimate performances and programs, including its acclaimed Recital Series, which showcases musical talent from across the globe within the intimate salon setting of

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman Emeritus Elihu Rose, PhD

Co-Chairs

Adam R. Flatto

Amanda J.T. Riegel

President Rebecca Robertson Vice Presidents

David Fox

Pablo Legorreta Emanuel Stern

the Board of Officers Room; the Artists Studio series curated by MacArthur “Genius” and jazz phenom Jason Moran in the newly restored Veterans Room, which features a diverse array of innovative artists and artistic pairings that reflect the imaginative improvisation of the young designers and artists who originally conceived the space; and a public talks program that brings diverse artists and thought-leaders together for discussion and performance around the important issues of our time.

Among the performers who have appeared in the Recital Series and the Artists Studio in the Armory’s restored Veterans Room or the Board of Officers Rooms are: Christian Gerhaher; Ian Bostridge; Jason Moran; Lawrence Brownlee; Barbara Hannigan; Lisette Oropesa; Roscoe Mitchell; Conrad Tao and Tyshawn Sorey; Rashaad Newsome; and Krency Garcia (“El Prodigio”).

Highlights from the public programs include: symposiums such as Carrie Mae Weems’ day-long event called The Shape of Things, whose participants included Elizabeth Alexander, Theaster Gates, Elizabeth Diller, and Nona Hendryx; a day-long Lenape Pow Wow and Standing Ground Symposium held in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, the first congregation of Lenape Leaders on Manhattan Island since the 1700s; salons such as the Literature Salon hosted by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose participants included Lynn Nottage, Suzan Lori-Parks, and Jeremy O. Harris, and a Spoken Word Salon co-hosted with the Nuyorican Poets Cafe; and most recently, 100 Years | 100 Women , a multi-organization commissioning project that invited 100 women artists and cultural creators to respond to women’s suffrage.

Current Artists-in-Residence at the Armory include two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage; Obie winner and Pulitzer shortlisted playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Carmelita Tropicana; Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and the D.R.E.A.M. Ring; singer and composer Sara Serpa; Tony Award-winning set designer and director Christine Jones and choreographer Steven Hoggett; and Mimi Lien, the first set designer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. The Armory also supports artists through an active commissioning program including such artists as Bill T. Jones, Lynn Nottage, Carrie Mae Weems, Michel van der Aa, Tyshawn Sorey, Rashaad Newsome, Julian Rosefeldt, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, and others.

The Armory also offers creativity-based arts education programs at no cost to thousands of underserved New York City public school students, engaging them with the institution’s artistic programming and outside-thebox creative processes.

The Armory has undertaken an ongoing $215-million renovation and restoration of its historic building designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron, with Platt Byard Dovell White as Executive Architects.

Vice Chair Wendy Belzberg

Treasurer Emanuel Stern

Directors Emeriti Harrison M. Bains, Jr.

Angela E. Thompson

Wade F.B. Thompson

Founding Chairman, 2000–2009

Pierre Audi Marina Kellen French

Artistic Director

Marina Abramović

Sir David Adjaye OBE

Abigail Baratta

Joyce F. Brown Cora Cahan

Hélène Comfort

Paul Cronson

Tina R. Davis

Marc de La Bruyère

Emme Levin Deland

Jessie Ding

Sanford B. Ehrenkranz

Roberta Garza Andrew Gundlach

Marjorie L. Hart

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Samhita Jayanti

Edward G. Klein, Brigadier General NYNG (Ret.)

Ken Kuchin Ralph Lemon

Heidi McWilliams

Jason Moran

Joel Press

Janet C. Ross

Joan Steinberg

Deborah C. van Eck

Peter Zhou

PARK AVENUE ARMORY STAFF

Rebecca Robertson Founding President and Executive Producer Pierre Audi Marina Kellen French Artistic Director

ARTISTIC PLANNING & PROGRAMMING

Michael Lonergan Chief Artistic Producer

Kevin Condardo General Manager

Melanie Milton Producer

Rachel Rosado Producer

Darian Suggs Associate Director, Public Programming

Sam Cortez Associate Producer/Company Manager

Oscar Peña Programming Coordinator

ARTISTIC PRODUCTION

Paul King Director of Production

Claire Marberg Deputy Director of Production

Nicholas Lazzaro Technical Director

Lars Nelson Technical Director

Rachel Baumann Production Coordinator

ARTS EDUCATION

Cassidy L. Jones Chief Education Officer

Monica Weigel McCarthy Director of Education

Aarti Ogirala Associate Director of Education, School Programs

Nadia Parfait School Programs Coordinator

Ciara Ward Youth Corps Manager

Bev Vega Youth Corps Coordinator

Drew Petersen Education Special Projects Manager

Kate Bell, Emily Bruner, Donna Costello, Alexander Davis, Asma Feyijinmi, Hawley Hussey, Larry Jackson, Hector Morales, Peter Musante, Drew Petersen, Leigh Poulos, Neil Tyrone Pritchard, Vickie Tanner Teaching Artists

Wilson Castro, Shar Galarza, Daniel Gomez, Nancy K. Gomez, Maxim Ibadov, Stephanie Mesquita, Paola Ocampo, Amo Ortiz, Catherine Talton Teaching Associates

Arabia Elliot Currence, Victoria Fernandez, Sebastian Harris, Melissa Velasquez Teaching Apprentices

Habib Apo-oyin, Zeinebou Dia, Fatoumata Diallo, Melina Jorge, Taylor Maheia, Oscar Montenegro, Jason Quizhpi, Angela Reynoso, Silas Rodriguez, Lucille Vasquez Youth Corps

BUILDING & MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS

Jenni Kim Chief Operating Officer

Ashlee Willaman Director of Human Resources

Marc Von Braunsberg Director of Operations and Security

Chris Sperry Facilities Manager

Williams Say Superintendent

Leandro Dasso, Mayra DeLeon, Mario Esquilin, Jeferson Avila, Olga Cruz, Justin DeLeon Nieto, Jazmin Dominguez, Cristina Moreira, Tyrell Shannon Castillo, Joshua Rosa, Cindy Fabara Maintenance Staff

Jason Moran Curator, Artists Studio Tavia Nyong’o Curator, Public Programming

Oku Okoko Director of IT

Ethan Cohen IT Administrator

Bobby Wolf Senior House Manager

Daniel George House Manager

Alejandra Ortiz Assistant House Manager

Jacqueline Babek, Emma Buford, Sarah Gallick, Daniel Gomez, Eboni Green, Nariah Green, Maxim Ibadov, Sandra Kitt, Christine Lemme, Beth Miller, Drew O’Bryan, Jon Ovadia, Regina Pearsall, Shimel Purnell, Eileen Rourke, Michael Simon, Kin Tam, Kathleen White Ushers

CAPITAL PROJECTS & ARCHIVES

Kirsten Reoch Director of Capital Planning, Preservation, and Institutional Relations David Burnhauser Collection Manager

DEVELOPMENT

Melanie Forman Chief Development Officer

Charmaine Portis Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer

Sam Cole Director of Development

Rachel Risso-Gill Senior Director of Individual Giving Billy Fidler Director of Institutional Giving Jennifer Ramon Associate Director of Individual Giving Adithya Pratama Individual Giving Coordinator

Michael Buffer Database Manager

Yejin Kim Senior Special Events Coordinator Rose Cole-Cohen Special Events Coordinator

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Lori Nelson Executive Assistant to the President Nathalie Etienne Administrative Assistant, President’s Office Simone Elhart Project Manager

FINANCE

Jim McGlynn Chief Financial Officer Khemraj Dat Senior Staff Accountant Christy Kidd Controller Zeinebou Dia Junior Accountant

MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS & BOX OFFICE

Tom Trayer Chief Marketing Officer

Nick Yarbrough Senior Digital Marketing Manager

Allison Abbott Press and Editorial Manager

Joe Petrowski Director of Ticketing and Customer Relations

Monica Diaz Box Office Manager

Anne Amundson, Cal Lane, Mary McDonnell, Rocky Nardone, Sienna Sherman Box Office Associates Resnicow + Associates, Inc. Press Representatives

NEXT AT THE ARMORY

EUPHORIA

November 29, 2022 – January 8, 2023

Artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt continues his examination of the power of language and the conventions of cinema as an allegory for societal and individual behaviors with the multichannel film installation Euphoria, which explores capitalism, colonialism, and the influential effects of unlimited economic growth in society. This immersive new work, commissioned by the Armory, is presented in an arena-like setting, fully surrounding the viewer with life-size projections of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and acclaimed jazz drummers Terri Lynne Carrington, Peter Erskine, Yissy Garcia, Eric Harland, and Antonio Sanchez, featuring a stereophonic score by composer Samy Moussa. Thoughts and musings from a variety of sources from economists, business magnates, and celebrities take on new meaning as they are reinterpreted as poetic monologues in real and imagined scenes of euphoric production and consumption. The result is a searing monument to the history of greed that raises seminal questions around the success and enduring legacy of entrepreneurship.

RECITAL SERIES

YING FANG & KEN NODA

October 26 & 27

“Star in the making” (The New York Times) soprano Ying Fang is cultivating a burgeoning international career on some of the world’s most important opera stages. The New York Times praised her performance at The Metropolitan Opera as “a source of pure joy and light...sung with a soprano of succulent sweetness."

ARTISTS STUDIO RODNEY MCMILLIAN

October 15

Conceptual artist Rodney McMillian presents his musical performance Hanging with Clarence, based on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ 1985 commencement address at Savannah State University that was rich with conservative views on social programs, race, and sexual harassment. Performed by McMillian and two backup singers, the theater work uses Thomas’ speech as its text, while weaving in the artist’s music and poetry.

CAMILLE NORMENT & CRAIG TABORN

November 18

Pianist, composer, and electronic musician Craig Taborn is joined by multimedia artist Camille Norment as they return to the Armory after their debut in 2016. Using the physical elements of automobiles to launch in their exploration of space and sound, these two mavericks explore what is known and unknown in the world of sonic play.

MAKING SPACE AT THE ARMORY SYMPOSIUM: ART AT WATER’S EDGE

October 9

Artists, activists, and designers engage the meeting of land with water. Facing climate change and rising sea levels, this event links New York with communities across the nation and globe that sit at water’s edge. Centering the work of Indigenous water protectors who challenge extractive futures, as well as a generation of youth leaders who are rebelling against climate nihilism, Art at Water’s Edge is an intergenerational forum for the imagination in action.

JOIN THE ARMORY

Support Park Avenue Armory as a member and join us in our mission to enable diverse artists to create, students to experience, and audiences to consume epic and adventurous presentations that cannot be fully realized in a traditional proscenium theater, concert hall, or white wall gallery.

FRIEND $100

$28 is tax deductible

» Members-only pre-sale or preferred access for performance tickets

» Free admission for you and a guest to visual art installations

» Invitations to visual art VIP preview parties, plus admission to installations for two

» Discounts on Armory Historic Interiors Tours***

» Discounts at local partnered restaurants

» 20% discount on member subscription packages*

SUPPORTER $250

$148 is tax deductible

All benefits of the Friend membership plus:

» Fees waived on ticket exchanges*

» Two free tickets to Historic Interiors Tours***

» Discount on tickets to the Malkin Lecture Series, Artists Talks, and Public Programs*

ASSOCIATE $500

$266 is tax deductible

All benefits of the Supporter membership plus:

» Access to concierge ticket service

» Free admission for two additional guests (a party of four) to Armory visual art installations

» Two free passes to an art fair**

Each membership applies to one household, and one membership card is mailed upon membership activation.

*Subject to ticket availability

**Certain restrictions apply

***Reservations required

For more information about membership, please contact the Membership Office at (212) 616-3958 or members@armoryonpark.org.

For information on ticketing, or to purchase tickets, please contact the Box Office at (212) 933-5812 or solutions@armoryonpark.org.

BENEFACTOR $1,000

$766 is tax deductible

All benefits of the Associate membership plus:

» Recognition in Armory printed programs

» No-wait, no-line ticket pickup at the patron desk

» Handling fees waived on ticket purchases*

» Invitation for you and a guest to a private Chairman’s Circle event

» Two complimentary tickets to the popular Malkin Lectures Series*

CHAIRMAN'S CIRCLE STARTING AT $2,500

Chairman’s Circle members provide vital support for the Armory’s immersive arts and education programming and the restoration of our landmark building. In grateful appreciation of their support, they receive unique and exclusive opportunities to experience the Armory and interact with our world-class artists.

AVANT-GARDE STARTING AT $350

The Avant-Garde is a group for individuals from their 20s to 40s. An Avant-Garde membership offers a deeper, more intimate connection to the unique and creative concepts behind the Armory’s mission.

$5,000

Amy

Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Avenue at 67th StreetThompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory | 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street

Anonymous Anne-Victoire Auriault/Goldman Sachs Gives Abigail and Joseph Baratta Wendy Belzberg and Strauss Zelnick Sonja and Martin J. Noreen Buckfire Coleman Hélène and Stuyvesant and and and DeScherer

Krystyna Doerfler Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz The Lehoczky Escobar Family Adam R. Flatto Roberta Garza Barbara and Peter Georgescu Kim and Jeff Greenberg Barbara and Andrew Gundlach Anita K. Hersh Wendy Keys Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan Almudena and Pablo Legorreta

Christina and Alan MacDonald Kim Manocherian Heidi and Tom McWilliams Lily O’Boyle Valerie Pels Amanda J.T. and Richard E. Riegel Susan and Elihu C. Caryn Schacht and David Fox Stacy Schiff and Marc de La Bruyère Brian S. Snyder Joan and Michael Steinberg

Emanuel Stern Mimi Klein Sternlicht Jon Stryker and Slobodan Randjelović Merryl and James Tisch Deborah C. van Eck Bob Vila and Diana Barrett Mary Wallach Peter Zhou and Lisa Lee

Katharine Rayner The Reed Foundation Rhodebeck Charitable Trust Donald Amanda J.T. and Richard E. Riegel Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Shubert Foundation Sydney and Stanley S. Shuman and Jeffrey Silverman L. Smith TEFAF Speyer Fund Bob Vila and Diana Barrett Wallach

AECOM Tishman Judy Hart Angelo Jody and John Arnhold Anne-Victoire Auriault / Goldman Sachs Gives Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Harrison and Leslie Bains Mortimer Berkowitz III Emma Bloomberg The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation Marian and Russell Burke Con Edison Joyce B. Cowin Luis y Cora Delgado DHR Global William F. Draper Caryl S. Englander James Fingeroth Teri Friedman and Babak Yaghmaie Martin and Lauren Geller Sylvia Golden and Warren Friedman Kiendl and John Gordon Kim and Jeff Greenberg Allen and Deborah Grubman Ralph and Cornelia Heins Karen Herskovitz Lawrence and Sharon Hite Peter Huntsman Jack Shainman Gallery Kekst Suzie and Bruce Kovner Bill Lambert Fernand Lamesch Leon Levy Foundation Christina and Alan MacDonald Steve and Sue Mandel Danny and Audrey Meyer Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation Nardello & Co. Elyse and Michael Newhouse Gwendolyn Adams Norton and Peter Norton Lily O'Boyle Michael Peterson Joan and Joel I. Picket Anne and Skip Pratt The Prospect Hill Foundation Richenthal Foundation Fiona and Eric Rudin May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. Robyn and Seymour Sammell Mrs. William H. Sandholm Lise Scott and D. Ronald Daniel Dr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Sculco Brian S. Snyder Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Jr. Beatrice Stern Michael and Veronica Stubbs Allen and Meghan Thorpe Merryl and James Tisch Barbara D. Tober Susan Unterberg Cynthia and Jan van Eck Cristina Von Bargen and Jonathan McHardy Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg Samuel and Kathryn Weinhoff Wescustogo Foundation Maria Wirth Lisa and David Wolf Anonymous

Linda Earle Altman

Roberta Thompson

J. Christopher and Violet Eagan

Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg Foundation

Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein

Leland and Jane Englebardt

Dr. Nancy Eppler-Wolff and Mr. John Wolff

The Felicia Fund Andrew and Theresa Fenster

Candia Fisher

Diane Fogg

Jill and Michael J. Franco

Bart Friedman and Wendy A. Stein

Heather & Andrew Georges

The Georgetown Company

Great Performances

Cecilia Greene and Paul Verbinnen George and Patty Grunebaum

Mimi and Peter Haas Fund

Molly Butler Hart and Michael D. Griffin

Tania Higgins Peter Imber and Ali Zweben Imber

Steve Jensen and Mark Grace Cynthia and Stephen Ketchum

The David L. Klein, Jr. Foundation

Kameron Kordestani

Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley

Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder

Chad A. Leat Denise Lefrak

Gail and Alan Levenstein

Jane Lombard

Lili Lynton and Michael Ryan Linda Macklowe Shelly and Tony Malkin Charles and Georgette Mallory Kim Manocherian

James C. Marlas and Marie Nugent-Head Marlas Nina B. Matis Mr. and Mrs. Matthew McLennan

Joyce F. Menschel

Liz Neumark

Jesse and Stéphanie Newhouse

Valerie Ohrstrom

David Orentreich, MD / Orentreich Family Foundation

PBDW Architects

Marnie Pillsbury

Susan Porter

Michael Weinstein

Lynne Wheat

Barnard Family Foundation

Francesca Beale

Tony Bechara

Catherine Behrend Mr. Lawrence B. Benenson Jonathan and Marjaleena Berger Mr. Stephen Berger and Ms. Cynthia Wainwright

Judy and Howard Berkowitz

Stephanie Bernheim

Carolyn S. Brody Annabel Buckfire Amanda M. Burden

Steven and Betsy Bush Arthur and Linda Carter

Sommer Chatwin

Joel and Ulrika Citron Orla Coleman and Rikki Tahta Margaret Conklin

Colin Cowie and Danny Peuscovich Austen and Ernesto Cruz

Ellie and Edgar Cullman

Joshua Dachs / Fisher Dachs Associates Richard and Barbara Debs

Christopher Duda Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz

Jamshid and Mashid Ehsani Deborah and Ronald Eisenberg Foundation

Jared Feldman

Edmée and Nicholas Firth

Megan Flanigan

Ella M. Foshay and Michael B. Rothfeld Gwen and Austin Fragomen Eleanor Friedman and Jonathan J.

The Garcia Family Foundation

Emanuel E. Geduld

Alexandra Giniger Rosalind and Eugene Glaser

Robert and Trudy Gottesman

Elizabeth Granville-Smith Robert S. Gregory and Lea Highet

Andrea Hirsch Barbara Hoffman

Johanna Hudgens and Matthew Wilson

James Ingram

Jeff and Hollye Jacobs Ann Jones

Jeanne Kanders Adrienne Katz Claire King

Zachary Kline Douglas and Judith Krupp Lizbeth & George Krupp

Heidi and Christian Lange Suydam Lansing Lazarus Charitable Trust

Julia Ledda

Elliot Levenglick

Phyllis Levin Gina Giumarra MacArthur

Judith and Michael Margulies Marian Goodman Gallery

Joanie Martinez-Rudkovsky

Bonnie Maslin

Peter and Leni May Claudia and Eduardo Mazzi Dennis McNeill and Robin Burns McNeill Constance and H. Roemer McPhee Claire Milonas

Barbara and Howard Morse Saleem and Jane Muqaddam

Aida Murad

Nancy Newcomb and John Hargraves

Peter and Susan Nitze Susan Numeroff

Nancy and Morris W. Offit Kathleen O'Grady

Deborah Rose Marjorie P. Rosenthal Susan Rudin Jane Fearer Safer Sabina and Wilfred Schlumberger Caroline Schmidt-Barnett Benjamin Schor & Isabel Wilkinson Schor Nicholas and Shelley Schorsch Sara Lee and Axel Schupf Douglas Schwallbe and Nancy Lorenz Uma Seshamani and Jason van Itallie Jack Shainman

Emilia Sherifova

Stephanie and Fred Shuman Douglas Sills Denise Simon and Paulo Vieiradacunha Laura Skoler

Shelley Sonenberg

Daisy M. Soros Stephen and Constance Spahn

Robert & Amy Stavis Leila Maw Straus Bonnie and Tom Strauss Stella Strazdas and Henry Forrest Thomas and Diane Tuft

Union Square Events United States Tennis Association

Mrs. William J. vanden Heuvel Andrew E. Vogel and Véronique Mazard Robert Warshaw and Debbie Schmidt Shelby White Kate Whitney and Franklin Thomas Andrea Winter and Daniel Mintz Amy Yenkin and Robert Usdan Samiah Zafar

Freya Zaheer and Whit Bernard Anonymous (6)

$1,000 to $2,499

Diane and Arthur Abbey Marina Abramovic´ Ellen Abrams Eric Altmann

Ms. Regula Aregger

Dr. Lora Aroyo Joe Baio & Anne Griffin Barbara and Jude Barbera Fabrizio and Enrica Bentivoglio D’arengi Deborah Berke and Peter McCann Reid Berman

Richard Berndt and Marie-Camille Havard Elaine S. Bernstein Katherine and Marco Birch

Boehm Family Foundation Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Melanie Bouvard Polly Shih Brandmeyer

Kathy Harrison and Edward Flinn M. Hartley Thomas Hartman

In memory of Maria E. Hidrobo Kaufman

William T. Hillman

Bruce Hoffman

Mr. Joseph C. Hoopes, Jr. and Amy Houston and Roberta Huber G Ingrum and Weslie Janeway

Linda Janklow and Hilda Jones A. Kassanoff and Daniel H. Schulman

Kay Kimpton Walker and Sandy Walker General Edward G. Klein, NYNG (Ret.)

Kate Krauss Kremnitzer Barbara Landau

Karen Eckhoff

Valerie Rubsamen and Cedomir Crnkovic

Patty Sachs John and Shelby Saer

Eva Sanchez-Ampudia Richard and Ann Sarnoff

Paul H. Scarbrough, Akustiks, LLC. Charlie and Lindsey Schilling Pat Schoenfeld Robert Schroeder and Karen Brooks Marshall Sebring and Pepper Binkley Joel and Nan Shapiro Adrianne and William Silver Bonnie Simon

Albert Simons III Donna Snow and Michael Rubinoff Lauren Starke and Aric Domozick Mr. and Mrs. Charles Stonehill Studio Institute A. Alfred Taubman Foundation Kris Togias

Jean Troubh

Zachary Kress Turner Caroline Wamsler and DeWayne Phillips Arete Warren Sharon Wee Mati Weiderpass and Nikolas Chen Lauren and Andrew Weisenfeld Janet Yaseen and Hon. Bruce M. Kaplan Anonymous (8)

Preserve New York, a grant program of Preservation League of New York Laura and Gerald Rosberg Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation Chuck and Stacy Rosenzweig Deborah and Chuck Royce Susan Savitsky Carol and Chuck Schaefer Hillary Schafer and Mark Shafir Claude Shaw and Lara Meiland-Shaw Dan Simkowitz and Mari Nakachi Lea Simonds Patricia Brown Specter Anne-Sophie Stern

Michael and Marjorie Stern

The Jay and Kelly Sugarman Foundation Robert Suiter and Debra Shuwarger Dave and Karen Thomas Michael Tuch Foundation L.F. Turner

Theodora Velys Anastasia Vournas and J. William Uhrig Saundra Whitney Isak and Rose Weinman Inc.

Peter and Beverly Orthwein Ouimette and Lee Hirsch and Carlos Palomares J. Papp and Lori Parks and Barbara Perlmutter and Rose Petrocelli Culinary Studio & Experiences Pollack Posnick and Paul Cohen

Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Kalliope Diana and Charles Revson and John Rice Rose Brand

Bruce and Alice Geismar David and Susan Getz Katja Goldman Mrs. Leila Govi Karen and Jeff Groeger M. Guifarro and Gerard Guillemot Yen Ha and Richard Tesler Haime

Judith and G Langer Mark and Taryn Leavitt Ralph Lemon Alexia and David Leuschen Edward Mafoud Ryan Marshall & Mary Herms Match65

Diane Max Larry and Mary McCaffrey Bella Meyer and Timothy Simonds John and Lisa Miller Larry Morse and Sharon Bowen Stephanie Neville and Alan Beller Arlena Olsten Dr. Catherine Orentreich Sanjay and Leslie Patel

Katherine Peabody Stefani Phipps Maya Polsky & Nicolas Bridon Prime Parking Systems Rajika and Anupam Puri David and Leslie Puth Jennifer Reardon Jill Reiter and Eric Riha Anthony and Susan Roberts David and Susan Rockefeller Thomas Rom Cye Ellis Ross David and Meg Roth

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Brown Spencer Brownstone Burns and Molly Duffy Matthew Buten and Beth Brownstein Cora Cahan

Thomas and Ann Charters Bradley A. Connor Alexander Cooper James and Krista Corl Andre Cornelius Marina Couloucoundis Sophie Coumantaros

Andrew and Mimi Crawford Abby and Andrew Crisses

L. Jay Cross Charles and Norris Daniels

Richard and Peggy Danziger R. Davis David desJardins & Nancy Blachman Thomas and Elizabeth Dubbs Eleanor and Jack Dunn

Frederick & Diana Elghanayan Patricia Ellis Barry Ellsworth and Nathalie Pierrepont Patricia Falkenberg Femenella & Associates, Inc. Walter and Judith Flamenbaum Gail Flatto

Kara Gaffney Ross Kristin Gamble Gargiulo

List of Deceased