WELCOME
We are proud to close out our 2024 season with the world premiere of Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful, a Park Avenue Armory commission of one of today’s most sought-after figures in dance Kyle Abraham in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall. The resulting evening-length work explores his personal journey through the growing sensitivities of life and transition, and a delicate interplay of nature and humanity in our ever-changing world.
As Armory audiences have come to expect, this large-scale production bridges a range of genres and disciplines, layering Kyle’s choreography atop a heart-stirring original Armory-commissioned score composed and performed live by the acclaimed new music ensemble yMusic and a captivating digital nature-based scenic design by visionary new media artist Cao Yuxi (JAMES).
Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful is a striking odyssey that offers audiences a unique opportunity to not only experience Kyle’s signature choreographic style—a blend of modern techniques ranging from ballet to hip hop—but also to see him perform alongside an incredible ensemble of dancers from his past and present collaborators. This work pushes his creative limits and expands on his distinct and layered choreographic vocabulary to interrogate ideas like the fragility of time and the anxiety of contemporary life.
Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful continues our mission to bring New York audiences groundbreaking, important works that cannot be realized anywhere else. We hope you find intimacy, empathy, and connection in this beautiful new work.
Rebecca Robertson
Adam R. Flatto Founding President and Executive Producer
Pierre Audi
Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director
WORLD PREMIERE – AN ARMORY COMMISSION
DEAR LORD, MAKE ME BEAUTIFUL
DECEMBER 3 – 14, 2024 WADE THOMPSON DRILL HALL
Kyle Abraham Direction and Choreography
yMusic Composition
Cao Yuxi (JAMES) Visual Design
Dan Scully Lighting Design
Karen Young Costume Design
Sam Crawford Sound Design
Jessica Tong Rehearsal Direction
Jintong Yang, Yuke Ding Associate Visual Design
Dan Stearns Associate Lighting Design
Dianela Gil Associate Costume Design
Company
Dancers
Kyle Abraham, Jamaal Bowman, Amari Frazier, Mykiah Goree, Tamisha Guy, Alysia Johnson, Catherine Kirk, Faith Mondesire, Riley O’Flynn, William Okajima, Morgan Olschewsche, Jai Perez, Donovan Reed, Keturah Stephen, Stephanie Terasaki, Gianna Theodore, and Olivia Wang
yMusic
Alex Sopp Flutes, Voice
Mark Dover Clarinets
CJ Camerieri Trumpet, French Horn
Rob Moose Violin, Guitar
Nadia Sirota Viola
Gabriel Cabezas Cello
other happenings
Artist Talk: Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 7:30pm After Hours
Join us after select performances for libations with fellow attendees at a special bar in one of our historic period rooms.
Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful is made possible with support from Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, Denise Littlefield Sobel, Sarah Arison, a commissioning grant from the O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance.
Support for Park Avenue Armory’s artistic season has been generously provided by the Thompson Family Foundation, Charina Endowment Fund, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, The Shubert Foundation, Wescustogo Foundation, 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 Marc Haas Foundation, Mary W. Harriman Foundation, the Reed Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Armory’s Artistic Council. Public support is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature as well as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council under the leadership of Speaker Adrienne Adams. Cover image by Gioncarlo Valentine.
A NOTE FROM KYLE ABRAHAM
Where will you be in 5 years?
The question asked in most job interviews meant to garner the sensibilities and visions of the people I might spend the next several years sharing my hopes, dreams, vulnerabilities, and insecurities with, feels all the more weighted these days as I ponder that same question for myself.
I’m questioning and noticing my growing sensitivities to the world and environmental change around me. Where will this world be in 5 years?
The work of Octavia Butler seems all the more omnipresent, as her apocalyptic narrative of Black American Futures grows nearer.
The words of Richard Powers’s The Overstory resonate where a textured relationship between nature and humanity live in the crux of my personal and creative space.
The writing and concept for Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful began in 2021. Its themes and questions have lingered in my heart for some time and mutated all the more in recent times.
The score, projections and choreography alike are heavily inspired by themes of life, transition, nature, and empathy. The 17-member cast also includes my return to performing in ensemble works.
Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful (DLMMB), marks my first time collaborating with Cao Yuxi (JAMES) and yMusic. Although I’ve used their music in the past for works in the past, this is the first time we’ve collaborated on a new work with a newly commissioned score.
With DLMMB, I’m challenged with creating a sense of intimacy, while utilizing a larger ensemble of dancers with layers of repetition and counterpoint to evoke ideas of empathy and constant change.
I’m saddened by delayed positive progressive change in this world and frightened by the chaos of pandemic debris.
I’ve never felt so deeply inclined to make something so attached to how I feel in the present.
I notice my ever changing body, a memory that isn’t as sharp or confident as it was 20 years ago, and a growing likeness to my father who developed an early onset of dementia in his early fifties.
I move through this world full of fear and a newfound fragility.
My steps are steady, but with new caution.
My words and thoughts stammer where they used to sing.
With DLMMB, I’m processing what it means to age and what it means to change… or to pray for a change… personal change, and explore (in the most present way) what those transitions feel like and physically look like. I dance in remembrance of the innocence in of my younger self.
And I dance in the present day, with sadness and fear of an unknown future, and a fading hope and prayer for imaginable change.
—Kyle Abraham
THE CYCLE OF FINDING A BETTER PLACE: ARTS EDUCATION AT PARK AVENUE ARMORY
Where do you see yourself in five years? This question that kickstarted Kyle Abraham’s creation of Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful is a familiar one. We are asked it in college applications and in job interviews, as filler in moments of awkward conversation and in moments of high-stakes pressure. At its heart is a note of presumptive optimism; the assumption that you have dreams that you are confident in achieving and hope that the world will support you in them. But on the flip side of that optimism can lie fear. Fear that time will not be on your side or that the world will not see the beauty of your dreams. Contemplations of the future can and should inspire joy, yes, but lived experience also demands the acknowledgment of uncertainty. The poignant exploration of this question in Kyle Abraham’s Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful offers audiences space to navigate their own relationship with this duality through dance, music, and visual artistry. Almost 800 New York City public school students are engaging with Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful through Park Avenue Amory’s Arts Education programs, which offer young people the opportunity to explore connections between their own experiences and the artistic projects presented at the Armory, highlighting the creative process as a vital path for personal reflection and action. The Armory’s Production-Based Programming invites school groups to experience the Armory’s unconventional works of music, theater, dance, visual arts, and more in conjunction with workshops co-facilitated by multi-disciplinary Teaching Artists—all free of cost to schools. We are excited to welcome middle and high school students from 22 public schools to experience this remarkable work and directly engage with Abraham through a post-show Q&A session. Held in the expansive Wade Thompson Drill Hall, the work’s exploration of the profound relationship between the passage of time, nature, and healing promises an immersive experience for students with its signature choreography, original score and performed live by yMusic, and dynamic video projection design by Cao Yuxi (JAMES). Prior to the performance, students attend inschool workshops introducing techniques for viewing non-narrative dance and familiarizing them with key choreographic vocabulary and thematic questions to enrich their experience. Following the show, our teaching artists meet with students back at their schools to delve deeper into the complex themes presented, guiding reflective discussions and artistic creations relating to the production’s emotional and artistic impact.
Additionally, select schools are participating in an onsite pre-show Student Summit—titled Wither and Bloom—that is imagined and enacted by the Armory’s Youth Corps Advisory Board, a year-long opportunity for select posthigh school Youth Corps to be involved in educational planning and advise on keeping programs student centered. With the theme “revisiting the past and planting seeds for our future,” the event takes over the head house Armory spaces to provide student matinee attendees with drop-in activities centered around themes of identity, memory, and connection. Participants engage with these themes through multiple artistic mediums, meet other students from all over the city, and get additional entry points into the matinee later that day.
The Armory’s Partner School Program offers long-term, customized residencies that support school curriculum and community goals at eight partner schools. At partner schools Bronx Envision Academy and International High School at Prospect Heights, six dance classes are participating in residencies rooted in Kyle Abraham’s choreography, with students creating their own movement pieces inspired by his work and the singular genre of dance that has now become synonymous with his name. Additionally, the students from Bronx Envision Academy had the opportunity to kick off their residency by participating in a master class led by Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful dancer Stephanie Terasaki. At Claremont International High School, four visual arts classes are exploring the design aspects of the production, examining through their own creations how visual settings can be expressive of feelings and abstract narrative.
The Armory’s Youth Corps Program offers paid and closely mentored internship programs for students ages 16 to 25+. In our Fall 2024 High School Youth Corps Semester, participants are exploring themes of transition, identity, nature, and connection. Youth Corps are taking inspiration from the movement piece and creating their own art through the lens of photography. The multidisciplinary approach within this exploration allows participants to understand lighting, fashion, and movement as key elements of both art forms. Their culminating project is comprised of an interactive photography installation displayed at the Student Summit. Following the Summit, they are adding new pictures from the student-led event to their installation and presenting it to Armory staff, friends, educators, and family during the last week of the program.
Where do you see yourself in five years? It’s a challenging question, and the experience of Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful and its surrounding Arts Education programs offers students a different, creative way to face it. Because despite the linear and individual world that the question implies, nature reminds us that we live in a world of cycles and relationships, and those can feel both comforting and inescapable. Time is both vast and limited. The future is not something that can be tackled alone, and art—the experience of it and the creation of it—always reminds us of that. So perhaps the answer to that inescapable question doesn’t lie in the individual response, but in the collective determination to reclaim optimism and hope and confidence so that our concepts of beauty, aging, and time are redefined, ensuring that no matter where we are in the cycle that is life when that question is posed, the answer is “in a better place.”
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
KYLE ABRAHAM DIRECTION, CHOREOGRAPHY, DANCER
(Founder and Artistic Director, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham) He/Him/His. Kyle Abraham has been profiled in Document Journal, Vanity Fair, Ebony, Harper’s Bazaar, Kinfolk, O Magazine, PAPER, Surface, Vogue and Vogue UK, W Magazine, among many other publications. He is the proud recipient of a National Dance Critics Award for Choreography (2024—Are You in Your Feelings? / Alvin Ailey Dance Theater); Dance Magazine Award (2022); Princess Grace Statue Award (2018); Doris Duke Award (2016); and The MacArthur Fellowship (2013). In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Abraham has been commissioned by a wide variety of dance companies, including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The National Ballet of Cuba, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, and The Royal Ballet. He holds a BFA, SUNY Purchase; MFA NYU Tisch; honorary doctorate, Washington Jefferson; and currently serves as the Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professor in Dance at The Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the inaugural Black Genius Brain Trust, and the inaugural cohort of the Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab, a partnership between the Prada Group, Theaster Gates Studio, Dorchester Industries, and Rebuild Foundation.
YMUSIC COMPOSITION, ENSEMBLE
yMusic: Alex Sopp (flutes, voice), Mark Dover (clarinets), CJ Camerieri (trumpet, French horn), Rob Moose (violin, guitar), Nadia Sirota (viola), Gabriel Cabezas (cello), is a genre-leading American chamber ensemble. Now in its 17th season, the group is renowned for its innovative and collaborative spirit. yMusic has a unique mission: to work on both sides of the classical/popular music divide, without sacrificing rigor, virtuosity, charisma or style. They have been praised in international and esteemed publications such as The New York Times, NPR, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and others. Named for “Generation Y,” yMusic and their cohort of composer-collaborators, who include Andrew Norman, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Marcos Balter, and Caroline Shaw, have come to represent the vanguard of American Contemporary Music. Simultaneously, yMusic has been tapped to lend their orchestral sound and instantly recognizablestyle to recordings and concert projects by a dizzying array of popular artists from ANOHNI to John Legend to Paul Simon.
CAO YUXI (JAMES) VISUAL DESIGN
Cao Yuxi AKA James Cao (he/his—China, 1990), an astute practitioner of new media art, is distinguished by his multifaceted oeuvre that spans sound visualization installations, live performances, creative coding, data visualization, and contemporary art employing artificial intelligence as a ready-made artistic method. His public art, manifested through lighting or projection, and all forms of crossover art produced or circulated through digital mediums, underscore his role as a trailblazer in the digital art realm. In 2018, he founded the new media art team Caoyuxi Studio and start to work as group. His works, often showcased as installations or performances, are featured in contemporary art museums and new media art festivals around the globe, including Today Art Museum in Beijing, Minsheng Art Museum, He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen, OCAT Shenzhen and Chengdu, New York’s MOMA PS1, and various others. In 2022, Cao Yuxi took on the prestigious role of visual effects director for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
DAN SCULLY LIGHTING DESIGN
Dan Scully is a New York-based lighting and projection designer, working in all forms of live performance. Dance work includes designs for New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey / American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, LA Dance Project, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Notable theater credits include Rocky (Broadway), Jedermann (Salzburger Festspeile), and If/Then (US National Tour). Concert designs include video content for Phish, as well as multiple projects with the New York Pops and Carnegie Hall (New York). Scully is the resident designer for A.I.M by Kyle Abraham. He has a MFA from NYU Tisch School of Arts.
KAREN YOUNG COSTUME DESIGN
Karen Young is a costume designer and artist who has designed for numerous dance, experimental theater, and video art projects. She has designed many of Kyle Abraham’s works, including for his company A.I.M and ballets he has created for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theater, the Royal Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Wendy Whelan’s Restless Creature. Other recent work in dance includes costume design for the Martha Graham Dance Company, Pacific Northwest Ballet, New York City Ballet, Czech National Ballet, Ballet Basel, Acosta Danza Cuba, and Miami City Ballet, as well as creations with choreographers Pontus Lidberg, Lucinda Childs, Alejandro Cerrudo, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Brian Brooks, Richard Move, and Sonya Tayeh. Theater highlights include Third Rail Projects’ immersive show Then She Fell and Geoff Sobelle’s Home. Work in video art includes costumes for artists Eve Sussman, Michelle Handelman, Matthew Barney, and Toni Dove.
SAM CRAWFORD SOUND DESIGN
Sam Crawford’s compositions and sound designs have included works for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (Venice Biennale, 2010), A.I.M by Kyle Abraham (Untitled Love, 2022), Camille A. Brown and Dancers (BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, 2016), and David Dorfman Dance (A(Way) Out of My Body, 2022). Recent film works include: 32 Sounds, directed by Sam Green, for which Crawford acted as the headphone experience designer; the film was Oscar short-listed for Best Documentary Feature in 2024; and La Medea, a live film collaboration with director Yara Travieso for which Crawford composed the music and wrote the libretto, premiered at P.S.122’s Coil Festival in 2017. Since 2020, Crawford has taught sound design at the University of Maryland’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. He became Co-Director of UMD’s Maya Brin Institute for New Performance in 2023.
JESSICA TONG REHEARSAL DIRECTION
Raised in Salt Lake City, Tong attended the University of Utah dancing as a member of Utah Ballet. She went on to dance with BalletMet Columbus, Ballet Tech, and Hubbard Street 2 before dancing in the main company for 11 years. She later became Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Rehearsal Director and then its Associate Artistic Director in 2020. Named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2009, Tong has served on the Ambassador committee for Dance for Life Chicago, on national grants panels, and in mentorship programs, including 92NY’s Future Dance Festival, Rhode Island Women’s Choreographic Project, and TU Dance: CULTIVATE. Tong is an accomplished teacher, leading movement classes nationally and staging works for such companies as Pacific Northwest Ballet and Dutch National Ballet. Tong is a founding board member of Gold Standard Arts Foundation and has served as rehearsal director for A.I.M by Kyle Abraham since 2022.
JINTONG YANG ASSOCIATE VISUAL DESIGN
Jintong Yang is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York City, specializing in motion design and new media art. By blending traditional art forms with emerging media and advanced technology, her work spans 3D design and fabrication, AI generative art, immersive experiences, and motion graphics. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Computer Arts from the School of Visual Arts in 2023, and has contributed to diverse projects, including interactive installations, live performances, and promotional videos. Her work has been showcased at prestigious exhibitions and venues, such as the Romanian Cultural Institute, Miami Art Basel 2022, and the Global Design Graduate Show 2023. In 2024, she started work at Caoyuxi Studio as art associate and technical artist. Constantly experimenting with new techniques and materials, Jintong seeks to seamlessly integrate digital art with physical spaces. Her art explores themes of therapy, self-discovery, and education, inviting viewers on introspective journeys.
YUKE DING ASSOCIATE VISUAL DESIGN
Yuke Ding is a new media artist currently based in New York, originally from Shanghai. She is passionate about the integration of cutting-edge technology with physical and interactive art. Yuke holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Fudan University and later pursued further studies at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Interactive Media Arts. Throughout her career, Yuke has worked on various innovative projects, including a synesthetic experience for Chanel, which combined real-time motion capture and EEG technology. She also presented a mixed-reality project at the Yale Forum, envisioning future possibilities for architecture. In 2024, she started work at Caoyuxi Studio as art associate and technical artist. Yuke is deeply interested in themes like home, separation, friendship, and dreams, especially exploring the emotions and experiences of modern young people who leave home. Her work focuses primarily on real-time technology, as she aims to further explore the potential of real-time new media art.
DAN STEARNS ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGN
Dan Stearns is a lighting designer for theater and dance. He has worked with Kyle Abraham and Dan Scully since 2014, and at Park Avenue Armory, he was the associate for Meredith Monk’s Indra’s Net. Other collaborations include Bebe Miller, Bill Young/Colleen Thomas & Co., Jane Comfort & Company, Tami Stronach, LeeSaar The Company, Pavel Zuštiak/Palissimo, Paul Bedard/ Theater in Asylum, Scott Ebersold, Tara Ahmadinejad/Piehole, and Sanaz Ghajar/Built for Collapse. He is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
DIANELA GIL ASSOCIATE COSTUME DESIGN
Dianela Gil is a New York-based costumer and a Point Park University 2020 alumni. Currently working on Broadway and off-Broadway productions as a designer, assistant and/or dresser. Some credits include Stereophonic, Illinoise at Park Avenue Armory and the St. James Theatre, Paramount’s Nickelodeon NFL Slime Time, Buena Vista Social Club at the Atlantic Theater Company, and Wardrobe Supervisor at Ballet Hispánico. She is grateful to be a part of such an incredible group of creators and back at the Armory. She would like to thank her partner Frances, friends, and family for all their constant love and support.
RISA STEINBERG CHOREOGRAPHIC ADVISOR
Risa Steinberg is active in many facets of the dance community as a performer, teacher, re-constructor, rehearsal coach, and choreographic mentor. Steinberg attended the High School of Performing Arts. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Juilliard School, where she has served as full-time faculty since 2004 and held the position of Associate Director of Juilliard Dance from 2008-2016. Steinberg has been a guest teacher worldwide. In 2022, she received the Dance Teacher Magazine Award of Distinction. Steinberg was a principal dancer with the José Limón Dance Company and was a cast member of Sleep No More from 2015 to 2020. Her critically acclaimed solo concert, A Celebration of Dance, featured a repertory from Isadora Duncan to contemporary choreographers. As a choreographic advisor, she has mentored many choreographers, including Kyle Abraham, Brian Brooks, Kate Weare, and Michelle Dorrance. Steinberg is Co-Director of the Ann and Weston Hicks Choreography Project at Jacob’s Pillow.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
JAMAAL BOWMAN DANCER
Jamaal Bowman began his dance training at the age of 14 in Maryland, where he was born and raised. In 2021, he graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a Director’s Scholar, under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. He has collaborated with artists like Nora Chipaumire, Tommie Waheed-Evans, Jesse Zaritt, Helen Pickett, Fana Fraser, Nacera Belaza, and Sidra Bell. Before joining A.I.M, Bowman performed as a company member with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers. His personal practices are centered around queer Black joy, theater, improvisation, and comedy. Bowman joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2022.
AMARI FRAZIER DANCER
Amari Frazier is a Chicago native and graduate of the Chicago Academy for the Arts. He earned his BFA in dance from The Juilliard School, where he immersed himself in the works of renowned choreographers like Ohad Naharin, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Medhi Walerski, Spenser Theberge, and Jermaine Spivey. He has attended summer programs at Jacob’s Pillow, Springboard Danse Montreal, and Nederlands Dance Theatre. In 2023, he received the Outstanding Performer Award at the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition and is a 2024 Princess Grace Award winner. Frazier joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in April 2023.
MYKIAH GOREE DANCER
Mykiah Goree (he/him), a native of Houston, Texas, received his early dance training from Houston Ballet Academy and Kinder HSPVA under the direction of Melissa Bowman and Janie Carothers, respectively. He has attended summer programs with Ballet Austin, BodyTraffic, and Peridance. While at Juilliard, he has performed works by Tiler Peck, Rena Butler, Jamar Roberts, Ohad Nahrin, Trisha Brown, Camille A. Brown, and Omar Román De Jesús. Goree is very grateful to all who have built him into the human being and artist that he is today. He joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in January 2024.
TAMISHA A. GUY DANCER
Tamisha A. Guy, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, studied at Ballet Tech under Eliot Feld, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, and SUNY Purchase. She joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2013. Awards include the 2016 Princess Grace Award and 2022 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance. She was named one of Dance Magazine’s 2016 “Top 25 to Watch” and Dance Europe’s 2017 “Best Dancers of the Year.” Guy currently dances with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, is a Lecturer in Dance at Barnard College, and is the Founder of HUETAPE, a skin-toned kinesiology tape brand celebrating the unique needs of melanated individuals.
ALYSIA JOHNSON DANCER
A native of Dallas, Texas, Alysia Johnson began her training at Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Booker T. Washington HSPVA under Lily Weiss. Johnson launched her professional career with Bruce Wood Dance Company before attending The Juilliard School, earning her BFA. She has since taught and choreographed for institutions including Princeton University, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Jacob’s Pillow. In 2021, Johnson received the Princess Grace Honoraria Award for Dance through Hubbard Street, where she was a company member. Known for her versatility, Johnson has been featured in campaigns with Tory Burch and Adidas. Johnson credits her success to the support of her community and her mother, Galen Johnson.
CATHERINE KIRK DANCER
Catherine Kirk is a performing artist, yoga teacher, choreographer, dance educator, and marketing manager. She cultivated a passion for the arts growing up on the unceded land of the Kiickaapoi and Wichita peoples, known as Dallas, Texas and continued her research and education at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Kirk has created works as an artist-in-residence at Art Cake and Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation and has performed works by Sharon Eyal, Bebe Miller, Doug Varone, Jasmine Hearn, Kyle Marshall, Burr Johnson, and Keerati Jinakunwiphat. She is in her second season with Trisha Brown Dance Company and has danced for 11 years in A.I.M by Kyle Abraham.
FAITH JOY MONDESIRE DANCER
Brooklyn-born dancer Faith Joy Mondesire joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2023. Her roots in dance started as a liturgical dancer at her local church. Later on her professional training career she worked with choreographers such as Joseph Hernandez, Sidra Bell, Kristen Foote, Melanie Gambino, Doug Varone, and Abdel R. Salaam and Dyane Harvey (Forces of Nature Dance Theater), among others. She has performed at Dance Africa BAM, NJPAC, The Apollo, and elsewhere. Dance Magazine published her feature, “I’ll Never Forget My First Pair of Flesh Tone Tights” in 2020. Training: Edge School of The Arts, Brooklyn Dance Project, Restoration Youth Arts Academy, LaGuardia High School, SUNY Purchase, Alonzo King Lines Ballet Summer Intensive.
RILEY O’FLYNN DANCER
Riley O’Flynn, a San Francisco native, received his BFA from The Juilliard School. He was honored as a 2016 Princess Grace Award recipient, nominated by Juilliard. Between 2017 and 2024, O’Flynn danced with GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. While in Göteborg, O’Flynn collaborated with choreographers including Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Hofesh Shechter, Sharon Eyal, Maxine Doyle, Paul Blackman & Christine Gouzelis, Alexander Ekman, Imre & Marne van Opstal, Tom Weinberger, and Emma Portner, among others. Currently, he is working as a guest artist with Kidd Pivot for the 2025 tour of the production Assembly Hall. He is thrilled to join Kyle Abraham at the Armory.
WILLIAM OKAJIMA DANCER
William Okajima is a professional dancer originally from Irvine, California. His passion for music and dance blossomed in a creative household. Okajima trained at the Orange County School of the Arts, Westside Dance Project, and Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. At age 13, he made his professional debut in Sia’s “The Greatest” music video, igniting his interest in commercial dance. Since then, he has worked on national campaigns for brands like Honda and Apple and was recently featured in Dubai’s tourism film. A recent graduate of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Okajima holds a BFA in Dance and a minor in entrepreneurship.
MORGAN OLSCHEWSCHE DANCER
Morgan Olschewske is a Korean-American movement artist raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She began her training at the Florida Ballet Conservatory under the direction of Linda Reifsnyder-Jenkins. She graduated with her BFA in Dance from George Mason University in 2024. Throughout her career, she has had opportunities to perform works by Doug Varone, Rena Butler, Robert Battle, Manuel Vignoulle, Kyle Abraham, and Sidra Bell. Her passion for learning and moving has led her to study at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival as a part of their Contemporary Dance Ensemble in 2022. Olschewske joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2024.
JAI PEREZ DANCER
Jai Perez started his dance journey at the National Dance Institute where he cultivated a love for dance. He continued his training at the Alvin Ailey Junior Division and is now an Alumni of the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. He has performed works by Ronald K. Brown, Baye and Asa, Jamar Roberts, and Hofesh Shechter. Perez is a current member of the Martha Graham Dance Company and Buglisi Dance Theater. This is his first performance with A.I.M.
DONOVAN REED DANCER
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Donovan Reed attended college at The University of the Arts where they received their BFA in Dance. During their time in college, they participated as an Artist in Residence at Die Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany. In addition, Reed participated in an independent artist program with the Philadelphia Ballet. They have been a guest artist in collaboration with Bare Dance Company, Helen Simoneau, Limón Dance Company, Mayte Natalio, Gallim, and Kimberly Barosik. In 2024, Reed was selected as one of Dance Magazine’s “Top 25 to Watch.” Reed joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2018.
KETURAH STEPHEN DANCER
Keturah Stephen is a Brooklyn native, who began her dance journey at Restoration Youth Arts Academy. Stephen received her training from Brooklyn Arts High School, The Ailey School, and MOVE|NYC|Young Professionals Program. Stephen currently holds a BFA from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College where she graduated Cum Laude. Throughout the course of her career, Stephen has performed works by Earl Mosley, Ronald K. Brown, Loni Landon, Roderick George, Trisha Brown, Rena Butler, Paul Singh, Andrea Miller, Ebony Williams, Antonio Brown, and Kyle Abraham. Stephen is currently a dancer with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
PRODUCTION STAFF
Risa Steinberg Choreographic Advisor
Meredith Belis Stage Manager
Cassey Kivnick Assistant Stage Manager
Kanako Morita Company Manager
Janneurys Colon Assistant Company Manager
Naomi Santos, Eden Battice, Blue Price, Imani Arias Production Assistants, Programming
Ruby Carmel Production Assistant, Production
Carl Whipple Production Carpenter
Justin Hill Deck Carpenter
Nicholas Houfek Lighting Supervisor
Alexis Josephine Durso Production Electrician
Taylor Jensen Lighting Programmer
Zach Benton Board Operator
Andrew Carey Deck Electrician
Mark Grey Audio Supervisor
Andrew Lulling Audio Engineer
Jeff Rowell Production Audio
Max Helburn A2
Daniel Santamaria Production Video/Programmer
Victoria Bek Wardrobe Supervisor
Olivia Rivera Dresser
STEPHANIE TERASAKI DANCER
Stephanie Terasaki was born and raised in southern California. She began her formal training at Inland Pacific Ballet Academy while also attending the Orange County School of the Arts. She then received her BFA from The Juilliard School under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. She currently freelances and is based in New York City. In recent years, she has also been working as a creative assistant for Kyle Abraham in his newly commissioned works for The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, American Ballet Theater, and Vail Dance Festival.
GIANNA THEODORE DANCER
Gianna Theodore fostered her love for dance in West Palm Beach Florida, at her hometown studio, Ballet East. She later went on to graduate from A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts and soon after, moved to New York City, and obtained her BFA in Dance with the Ailey School/Fordham University. Throughout her training, Theodore has worked as a freelance artist, performing with Helen Simoneau Danse, Mark Caserta, Ebony Williams, Maleek Washington, and many more. In 2019, she joined Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M and has been touring and performing with the company since.
OLIVIA WANG DANCER
Olivia Wang (she/her), originally from Queens, New York, is a first generation, Chinese-American artist. Wang joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in January of 2024, and received a BFA in dance at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. She has trained at The Ailey School, French Academie of Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and was a part of the inaugural class at MOVE|NYC|. Wang has had the opportunity to perform works by Kyle Abraham, Rena Butler, Nigel Campbell, Roderick George, Martha Graham, Keerati Jinakunwiphat, and Andrea Miller. Wang is also an Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA member.
PRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BNW Rigging
Five Ohm Productions
Odeum Labor Services
Premier Stagehands
Lighting, Rigging, and Video Equipment by 4Wall Entertainment
Audio Equipment by Masque Sound
Sprung Floor by BalletCollective
Scenic Elements by Tom Carroll Scenery
ABOUT PARK AVENUE ARMORY
Part palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory supports 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—reminiscent of 19th-century European train stations—and an array of exuberant period rooms, the Armory provides a platform for artists to push the boundaries of their practice, collaborate across disciplines, and create new work in dialogue with the historic building. Across its grand and intimate spaces, 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.
The Armory both commissions and presents performances and installations in the grand Drill Hall and offers more intimate programming through its acclaimed Recital Series, which showcases musical talent from across the globe within the salon setting of the Board of Officers Room; its Artists Studio series curated by Jason Moran in the restored Veterans Room; Making Space at the Armory, a public programming series that brings together a discipline-spanning group of artists and cultural thought-leaders around the important issues of our time; and the Malkin Lecture Series that features presentations by scholars and
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairman
Co-Chairs
writers on topics related to Park Avenue Armory and its history. In addition, the Armory also has a year-round Artists-in-Residence program, providing space and support for artists to create new work and expand their practices.
The Armory’s creativity-based arts education programs provide access to the arts to thousands of students from underserved New York City public schools, engaging them with the institutions artistic programming and outside-the-box creative processes. Through its education initiatives, the Armory provides access to all Drill Hall performances, workshops taught by Master Teaching Artists, and in-depth residencies that support the schools’ curriculum. Youth Corps, the Armory’s year-round paid internship program, begins in high school and continues into the critical post-high school years, providing interns with mentored employment, job training, and skill development, as well as a network of peers and mentors to support their individual college and career goals.
The Armory is undergoing a multi-phase renovation and restoration of its historic building led by architects Herzog & de Meuron, with Platt Byard Dovell White as Executive Architects.
Avant-Garde Chair
Adrienne
Directors Emeriti
Harrison M. Bains
Angela E. Thompson*
Wade F.B. Thompson* Founding Chairman, 2000-2009
Pierre Audi
Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director
PARK AVENUE ARMORY STAFF
Rebecca Robertson Adam R. Flatto Founding President and Executive Producer
Pierre Audi Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director
ARTISTIC PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING
Michael Lonergan Senior Vice President and Chief Artistic Producer
Chris Greiner General Manager
Rachel Rosado Producer
Samantha Cortez Producer
Darian Suggs Associate Director, Public Programming
Kanako Morita Company Manager/Associate Producer
Oscar Peña Programming Coordinator
ARTISTIC PRODUCTION
Paul E. King Director of Production
Claire Marberg Deputy Director of Production
Nicholas Lazzaro Technical Director
Lars Nelson Technical Director
Mars Doutey Technical Director
Rachel Baumann Assistant Production Manager
ARTS EDUCATION
Cassidy L. Jones Chief Education Officer
Monica Weigel McCarthy Director of Education
Aarti Ogirala Associate Director of Education, School Programs
Biviana Sanchez School Programs Manager
Nadia Parfait Education Programs Manager
Ciara Ward Youth Corps Manager
Bev Vega Youth Corps Manager
Milen Yimer Youth Corps Assistant
Drew Petersen Education Special Projects Manager
Emily Bruner, Donna Costello, Alexander Davis, Asma Feyijinmi, Hawley Hussey, Larry Jackson, Drew Petersen, Leigh Poulos, Neil Tyrone Pritchard, Vickie Tanner Teaching Artists
Shar Galarza, Daniel Gomez, Nancy K. Gomez, Maxim Ibadov, Amo Ortiz
Teaching Associates
Arabia Elliot Currence, Victoria Fernandez, Sebastian Harris Teaching Assistants
Shatisha Bryant, Delisha James, Melina Jorge, Oscar Montenegro, Adriana Taboada Teaching Apprentices
Joseph Balbuena, Eden Battice, Teja Caban, Koralys De La Cruz, Fatou Diallo, Melina Jorge Youth Corps Advisory Board
Imani Arias, Terrelle Jones, Blue Price, Naomi Santos Youth Corps, Post High School Advanced Interns
Phee Acevedo, June Bottex, Jordan Busey, Kaylani Ellington, Moon Emigli, Leah Fernandez, Chelsea Garcia, Mya Garcia, Jennifer Guevara Reyes, Besa Hasanovic, Azrael Hernandez, Anabella Martinez, Armaan Pabey, Hennsy Pena, Love Surlin, Kendra Velasquez Youth Corps, High School BUILDING OPERATIONS
Karen Quigley Vice President of Capital Projects and Facilities
Marc Von Braunsberg Director of Operations and Security
Samuel Denitz Director of Facilities
Xavier Everett Security/Operations Manager
David Burnhauser Collection Manager
Emma Paton Administrative and Office Coordinator
Williams Say Superintendent
Olga Cruz, Leandro Dasso, Mayra DeLeon, Jeferson Avila, Felipe Calle, Jose Campoverde, Edwin Fell, Jacob Garrity, Jonathan Mays, Tyrell
Shannon Castillo Maintenance Staff
Jason Moran Curator, Artists Studio Tavia Nyong’o Curator, Public Programming
DEVELOPMENT
Patrick Galvin Chief Development Officer
Alan Lane Director of Development
Caity Miret Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer
Jessica Pomeroy Rocca Major Gifts Officer
Chiara Bosco Manager of Individual Giving
Angel Genares Director of Institutional Giving
Hans Rasch Manager of Institutional Giving
Margaret Breed Director of Special Events
Séverine Kaufman Manager of Special Events
Michael Buffer Director of Database and Development Operations
Maeghan Suzik Development Coordinator
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Lori Nelson Executive Assistant to the President
Nathalie Etienne Administrative Assistant, President’s Office
Simone Elhart Rentals and Project Manager
FINANCE, HR, AND IT
Judy Rubin Chief Financial Officer
Khemraj Dat Accounting Manager
Zeinebou Dia Junior Accountant
Oku Okoko Director of IT
Jorge Sanchez IT Helpdesk Administrator
MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, AND AUDIENCE SERVICES
Tom Trayer Chief Marketing Officer
Nick Yarbrough Associate Director of Digital Marketing
Dileiny Cruz Digital Marketing Coordinator
Allison Abbott Senior Press and Editorial Manager
Mark Ho-Kane Graphic Designer
Joe Petrowski Director of Ticketing and Customer Relations
Monica Diaz Box Office Manager
John Hooper Assistant Box Office Manager
Jordan Isaacs Box Office Lead
Victor Daniel Ayala, Fiona Garner, Meghan Lara Hrinkevich, Sarah Jack, Matthew Kamen, Emma Komisar, Michelle Meged, Caleb Moreno, Arriah Ratanapan, Ester Teixeira Vianna, Miciah Wallace Box Office Associates
Caitlin O’Keefe, Anne Wolf Tour Guides
Natasha Michele Norton Director of House Management
Clayton McInerney, Dawn Clements, Nancy Gill Sanchez, Terrelle Jones House Managers
Becky Ho, Cody Castro, Rachel Carmona, Tayler Everts Assistant House Managers
Adonai Fletcher-Jones, Aiyana Greene, Arriah Ratanapan, Beth Miller, Christina Johns, Christine Lemme, Dorsen Sween, Eboni Greene, Edwin Adkins, Eileen Rouke, Elijah Tejeda, Eliza Goldsteen, Gloriveht Ortiz, Janelyne DeVoe, John Summers, Joseph Balbuena, Kathleen Rodriguez, Kathleen White, Kedesia Robinson, Kin Tam, Lana Hankinson, Mariel Mercedes, Melina Jorge, MJ Ryerson, Naomi Santos, Neda Yeganeh, Nephthali Mathieu, Regina Pearsall, Sandra Kitt, Sarah Gallick, Sebastian Harris, Tess Kondratiev, Yanitza Ordonez, Yao Adja, Yenupaak Konlan, Zoe Rhinehart Ushers
Resnicow + Associates Press Representatives
NEXT AT THE ARMORY
IN WAVES
JANUARY 9 – 12
Forward-thinking beatmaker, producer, and Mercury Music Prize-winner Jamie xx returns to the Armory following his unforgettable residency with the xx in 2014 after 25 sell-out performances to kick off the world tour of his new release In Waves, his first solo album in 10 years. Reflecting the life- and world-changing events of the past decade—waves everyone has experienced both together and alone—the album encapsulates fun, joy, and introspection all at once in a way that can best be experienced on the dance floor. Co-presented with Bowery Presents WISH TREE
FEBRUARY 14 – 17
Yoko Ono is a groundbreaking and influential artist and activist, with a multidisciplinary career spanning conceptual art, film, and performance. A trailblazer of participatory work, a celebrated musician, and a formidable campaigner for world peace, her practice centers on ideas over objects, often expressed in poetic, humorous, profound, and radical ways. The Armory presents the largest installation to date in North America of Ono’s ongoing work Wish Tree for her 92nd birthday, inviting visitors to contribute by tying personal wishes to the trees, creating a large scale, civic activation of her social practice work.
DOOM
MARCH 3 – 12
WORLD PREMIERE – AN ARMORY COMMISSION
Radical art world superstar Anne Imhof takes hold of the entirety of the Armory for her largest performative work in the US to date. Utilizing the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, this all-encompassing work fuses space, bodies, sound, and sculpture in response to our present in which anxiety and hope find a fragile balance between apathy, activism, and resistance. This sequential durational performance takes audiences on a journey to ultimately find a sense of community through our own shared experiences. The culminating happening serves as a seismographic meter of our times, while projecting into our own possible futures to find a new form of hope.
CONSTELLATION
JUNE 5 –AUGUST 17
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Diane Arbus’ stark, documentary style of capturing people outside the boundaries of ordinary society has influenced countless artists with iconic images that seem to reflect Arbus’ restless attraction to the unfamiliar in all its guises. These dynamic pictures are given an evocative new life at the Armory in an immersive installation that brings together all of the photographs—some still unpublished—from the set of more than 450 prints. Marking the largest and most complete showing of her works in New York to date, this unprecedented collection of Arbus’s works provides a diverse and singularly compelling portrait of humanity. Co-presented with LUMA Arles
MONKEY OFF MY BACK OR THE CAT’S MEOW
SEPTEMBER 9 – 20
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Centered on a stunning Mondrian-like colored grid spanning the length of the Drill Hall, choreographer, dancer, and Guggenheim fellow Trajal Harrell’s dancing runway show is turned on its head with iconography that juxtaposes everyday gestures and artificial poses with historical references, pop culture, and political rhetoric. And while drawing on the Declaration of Independence as a foundation for the US and its urgent call for freedom, this vivid mosaic of a double-edged paradigm also explores the resulting inequalities to the forebearers of the land affected by those actions while celebrating the unifying power of community.
11,000 STRINGS
SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 6
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Surrounding audiences with 50 micro-tuned pianos playing simultaneously alongside a chamber ensemble, maverick composer Georg Friedrich Haas’s spatial masterpiece, performed by Klangforum Wien, unleashes a cascade of sound that transcends traditional tonality while focusing on the human dimension in music experimentalism and creating a new way of listening. This sonically adventurous spatial work is realized as a concert installation in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, howcases Haas’s focus on the human dimension in his experimentalism while creating a new way of listening.
THE FAGGOTS AND THEIR FRIENDS BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS
DECEMBER 2 – 14
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
This cult book of fables and myths serves as the starting point for a new music theater adaptation from the creative minds of composer Philip Venables and director Ted Huffman. Together they conjure up a world that takes the original text on a kaleidoscopic journey that ignores boundaries just like the characters on stage do, drawing on theater, dance, and song from the Baroque to Broadway and beyond. The performers serve as actors, storytellers, and musicians all rolled into one, continually swapping roles while doing away with gender and genre norms and replacing them with unapologetic individuality and a lust for life. The resulting cabaret-like spectacle is both vulnerable and daring, a fantastic parable hiding a political manifesto for survival that gives voice to the marginalized and oppressed everywhere.
MAKING SPACE AT THE ARMORY A DREAM YOU DREAM TOGETHER: A SYMPOSIUM CELEBRATING YOKO ONO
FEBRUARY 15 & FEBRUARY 16
Explore the multidisciplinary career of trailblazing artist Yoko Ono and her enduring legacy of arts activism for peace and creativity in this two-day symposium. This convening assembles a host of scholars, artists, writers, and activists for a series of panels and performances that explore and highlight Ono’s message to think globally and act locally. Visitors can activate the imagination through realizations of other performative works from Grapefruit and her Wish Tree installation in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall as a collective call to action to change the world, one wish at a time.
LENAPEHOKING: AN EVENING WITH BRENT
MICHAEL
DAVIDS
MAY 30
Marking the 400th anniversary of the start of construction of New Amsterdam on what is now lower Manhattan, this evocative evening of chamber music and storytelling considers the myth of Manhattan’s purchase while celebrating the enduring presence of Lenape and other Indigenous nations. Featuring captivating compositions by Brent Michael Davids, this memorable musical journey, incorporating unique Native American instruments as well as a string quartet and chorus of singers, engages audiences with Indigenous cultural expressions to envision decolonial futures through the power of music and narrative.
BLACK THEATER ADVANCE
SEPTEMBER 6
Building on a multi-year initiative to catalyze growth and permanence for Black theaters across the nation, this dynamic salon tackles the issues facing us all in reimagining the future of American theater as a space for bold artistic expression and social change. Through conversations, activations, and manifestos, the event manifests the vision and voices of Black theater makers, with innovative approaches to storytelling, amplifying diverse voices, community engagement, and institutional transformation.
Co-presented with National Black Theatre
CAFTAN: STYLE AS LIBERATION AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE
SEPTEMBER 28
Inspired by the legendary fashion icon André Leon Talley, his iconic caftans, and his role in the world of fashion, this vibrant, multifaceted program explores fashion’s role in self-expression, freedom, and diasporic encounter. The day includes a panel discussion with industry historians, designers, educators, and community activists that examines the role of fashion as a tool for resistance, cultural preservation, and cross-cultural dialogue; an interactive workshop engaging participants in creating wearable art pieces; as well as pop-up exhibitions, runway shows, and more.
RECITAL SERIES KONSTANTIN KRIMMEL & AMMIEL
BUSHAKEVITZ
FEBRUARY 22 & 24
Capturing several competition prizes early in his career as well as being named a BBC New Generation Artist, baritone Konstantin Krimmel has graced some of the finest concert and operatic stages in Europe with a richness of nuance schooled in lieder singing and a naturalistic interpretive approach. Krimmel makes his North American recital debut with a program of lieder by Schubert and Loewe.
ERIN MORLEY & GERALD MARTIN MOORE
APRIL 11 & 13
One of today’s most sought-after lyric coloratura sopranos, Erin Morley has stepped into the international spotlight with a string of critically acclaimed appearances in the great opera houses of the world. A recipient of the Beverly Sills Award and a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Morley comes to the Armory with an artfully curated program of works from her recent album Rose in Bloom, including repertoire connected to flowers, gardens, and nature from Schumann and Berg to SaintSaëns and Rimsky-Korsakov and a song cycle by Ricky Ian Gordon.
PENE PATI & RONNY MICHAEL GREENBERG
SEPTEMBER 24 & 26
The first Samoan tenor to perform on Europe’s top opera stages, Pene Pati has made a name for himself on both sides of the Atlantic with an exceptional versatility in repertoire that showcases his luminous timbre, a seductively natural singing style, and perfectly nuanced articulation. Pati makes his North American solo recital debut in the Board of Officers Room with a varied program of songs traversing eras and continents that beautifully showcases his caressing colors and amber high notes.
JEREMY DENK, PIANO
OCTOBER 8 & 10
Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists, receiving acclaim from audiences and critics alike for his nuanced performances on both the recital and orchestral stage. Denk will give a marathon performance of what is considered the most famous and challenging collection of suites in music history—Bach’s Six Partitas—large musical canvases that follow the basic form of the Baroque dance suite and beautifully showcase virtuosic playing.
SASHA COOKE & MYRA HUANG
NOVEMBER 13 & 15
Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke comes to the Board of Officers Room for an updated take on her ongoing exploration of the theme Love Letters, an artfully curated program of works by Debussy, both Alma and Gustav Mahler, and New York premieres of a song cycle by Scott Ordway and an Armory-commissioned work by American composer Jasmine Barnes.
ATTACCA QUARTET
DECEMBER 16 & 18
Two-time Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet are recognized as one of the most versatile and outstanding ensembles of the moment, gliding through traditional classical repertoire to electronica, video game music, and contemporary collaborations. They come to the Armory with a wide-ranging program of classic quartets by Bartók and Felix Mendelssohn, quartet-arranged interpretations of signal works for other instrumentation, and the North American premiere “Daisy”—a new Armory-commissioned composition by David Lang.
ARTISTS STUDIO
ROBERT AIKI AUBREY LOWE
MARCH 22
Adventurous artist, curator, and composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe creates hypnotic sound worlds that blur the boundaries between live performance and installation. His signature style builds upon the call-and-response tradition in African American music that can be traced from sacred hymnals to the secular work songs that inform the 20th century continuum of the blues, jazz, and soul. This veteran sound artist comes to the Veterans Room with a modular synth and vocal performance in the realm of spontaneous music, blending analog synthesizers with organic vocal expression to create auditory passageways with trancelike suspensions.
SOFIA JERNBERG & SPECIAL GUESTS
TUESDAY, MAY 20
Swedish experimental singer, improviser, and composer Sofia Jernberg harnesses unconventional techniques and sounds with a focus on the human acoustic voice in durational performances that freely mix between improvisation and composed song. She has developed a broad repertoire ranging from overtone singing to guttural lutes, including childlike wailing and soft, intimate melodies that touch on themes of identity, internationality, origin, and belonging. This singular talent is joined by some additional musicians and guests for a unique performance of some of her own pre-existing and new compositions that embrace her creative practice of communion and collaboration.
GUILLERMO E. BROWN
OCTOBER 11
Drummer, composer, and creator Guillermo E. Brown pushes music performance to new heights through musical collaborations, sound installations, and singular theatrical works. Brown comes to the Veterans Room with a cast of collaborators for an insightful overview of the past, present, and future of his work, including some of his Creative Capital projects and new compositions played on a new audio-visual musical instrument he is building as part of the Doris Duke Foundation Performing Arts Technology Lab.
SANDRA MUJINGA
NOVEMBER 20 & 21
Norwegian artist and musician Sandra Mujinga uses speculative fiction in the Afrofuturist tradition to investigate economies of visibility and disappearance, in which she typically reverses established identity politics of presence. After recent exhibitions at the Kunsthalle Basel, the Guggenheim, and the Venice Biennale, the multifaceted creator comes to the Veterans Room to broaden and expand her practice in the performative spectrum by creating an otherworldly sonic environment that plays off the architecture of the room.
JOIN THE ARMORY
Become a Park Avenue Armory member and join us in our mission to present unconventional works that cannot be fully realized elsewhere in New York City. Members play an important role in helping us push the boundaries of creativity and expression.
FRIEND $100
$60 is tax deductible
• 10% discount on tickets to all Armory tours and performances*
• 20% discount on member subscription packages*
• Invitations to member preview party for visual art installations
• Complimentary admission for two to visual art installations
• Access to the Membership Hotline for ticket assistance
• Discounts at local partnered restaurants
SUPPORTER $250
$190 is tax deductible
• All benefits of the Friend membership plus:
• Fees waived on ticket exchanges*
• Two free tickets to Armory Public Tours***
• Invitation to annual Member event
ASSOCIATE $500
$340 is tax deductible
All benefits of the Supporter membership plus:
• Complimentary admission for two additional guests (total of four) to visual art installations and member preview party
• Two free passes to annual fairs held at the Armory, such as TEFAF, The Art Show, Salon Art + Design, etc.**
• Access to the Patron Lounge at select productions
BENEFACTOR $1,000
$816 is tax deductible
All benefits of the Associate membership plus:
• Recognition in the Armory printed programs
• No-wait ticket pick up 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 Malkin Lecture 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 are provided 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 adventurous art enthusiasts in their 20s to early 40s. Members enjoy an intimate look at Armory productions, as well as invitations to forward-thinking art events around New York City.
*Subject to ticket availability **Certain restrictions apply ***Reservations required For information on ticketing, or to purchase tickets, please contact the Box Office at (212) 933-5812 or visit us at armoryonpark.org. For more information about membership, please contact the Membership Office at (212) 616-3958 or members@armoryonpark.org. Each membership applies to one household, and one membership card is mailed upon membership activation.
ARTISTIC COUNCIL
The Artistic Council is a leadership group that champions and supports groundbreaking “only at the Armory” productions.
Chair
Anne-Victoire Auriault/Goldman Sachs Gives Abigail and Joseph Baratta
Jeanne-Marie Champagne
Hélène and Stuyvesant
Caroline and
The
LEGACY CIRCLE
Founding
Andrew
John and
Amanda
Ben
Members The
Ginette Becker
Wendy Belzberg and Strauss Zelnick
Emme and Jonathan Deland Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
Adam R. Flatto
Roberta Garza
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart
Anita K. Hersh* Ken Kuchin
McWilliams Michelle Perr
Amanda J.T. Riegel
Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief
Susan and Elihu Rose
Francesca Schwartz
Joan and Michael Steinberg
Angela and Wade F.B. Thompson*
PATRONS
Park Avenue Armory expresses its deep appreciation to the individuals and organizations listed here for their generous support for its annual and capital campaigns.
$1,000,000 +
Charina Endowment Fund
Citi
Empire State Local Development Corporation
Adam and Abigail Flatto
Marina Kellen French
Barbara and Andrew Gundlach
Anita K. Hersh Philanthropic Fund
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter L. Malkin and The Malkin Fund, Inc.
Richard and Ronay Menschel
New York City Council and Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York State Assemblymember Dan Quart and the New York State Assembly
Pershing Square Foundation
Susan and Elihu Rose
The Arthur Ross Foundation and J & AR Foundation
Joan Smilow and Joel Smilow*
Sanford L. Smith*
The Thompson Family Foundation
Wade F.B. Thompson*
The Zelnick/Belzberg Charitable Trust
Anonymous (3)
$500,000 to $999,999
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
Almudena and Pablo Legorreta
Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan
Marvin and Donna K. Schwartz
Emanuel Stern
Anonymous
$250,000 to $499,999
American Express
Abigail and Joseph Baratta
Jessie Ding and Ning Jin
Michael Field and Doug Hamilton
Roberta Garza
Kim and Jeff Greenberg
Samhita and Ignacio Jayanti
Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan
The Rockefeller Foundation
Marshall Rose Family Foundation
Mrs. Janet C. Ross
Anonymous
$100,000 to $249,999
The Achelis and Bodman Foundations
R. Mark and Wendy Adams
Linda and Earle Altman
Blavatnik Family Foundation
Booth Ferris Foundation
Hélène and Stuyvesant Comfort
Caroline and Paul Cronson
Courtney and Jonathan Davis
Caryn Schacht and David Fox
Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
Joan Granlund
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Morse
New York State Assembly
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Donald Pels Charitable Trust
The Pinkerton Foundation
Slobodan Randjelović and Jon Stryker
Amanda J.T. and Richard E. Riegel
Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Daniel and Joanna S. Rose
Matthew and Stephanie Sharp
Jennie
Andrew
Jane Kober
Lazarus Charitable Trust
Chad A. Leat Julia Ledda
and Alan Levenstein David and Simone Levinson Charles and Georgette Mallory
Martinez James and Margo Nederlander Benjamin
Robert Gregory
George and Patty Grunebaum
Shujaat Islam and Fay Sardjono Gregory James
Laura and Gerald Rosberg
Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation
Marjorie P. Rosenthal
May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. Jane Fearer Safer Beatrice Santo Domingo Susan S. Savkitsky Philip Schmerbeck, Herzog & de Meuron USA
