Steve Reich
photo by Jay Blakesberg

free two-day Steve Reich event happening in NYC

Legendary composer Steve Reich will be celebrated at the 2019 edition of New Sounds Live, a free annual music series curated by WNYC’s John Schaefer, which goes down October 15 & 16 at Brookfield Place at 7:30 PM each day. Reich will be in conversation with Schaefer on the 15th, and both days will feature Reich’s music performed by Ensemble Signal. On the 15th, they’ll perform Music for 18 Musicians with music director Brad Lubman, and on the 16th they’ll perform Piano Phase, My Name is, Four Organs, and New York Counterpoint. Again, admission is totally free, and no RSVP is required. More info here.

In other news, Chris Thile celebrated Steve Reich’s birthday during a Musician Birthdays segment of a recent edition of Live From Here with Chris Thile at Town Hall in NYC, the same venue where Reich premiered Music for 18 Musicians in April 1976. Music director Mike Elizondo and drummer Eric Doob performed Reich’s 1972 piece Clapping Music, and Chris Thile said, “As influential a composer as our country has ever produced. Thank you for everything you continue to do, Steve. You are an inspiration to all of us.” Watch below.

There are also other upcoming Steve Reich events, mostly in Europe and the UK, which are listed here.