I’ve been accepted as one of 200 guitarists scheduled to perform at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park next month. It’s a volunteer position, but it will be really cool to be able to say I’ve played Lincoln Center. Let’s hope the weather doesn’t cancel it like last year.
Details:
In 2005, the New York composer Rhys Chatham was commissioned by the city of Paris to write a piece of music. The result was A Crimson Grail, a work for 400 electric guitars, which premiered at the basilica of Sacré-Coeur for La Nuit Blanche, an all-night arts festival. For its first U.S. performance, the work has been extensively revised by the composer for an outdoor performance at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park, to suit the dynamics of the park’s outdoor acoustics. A Crimson Grail will call on the talents of 200 guitarists (including 16 electric bassists), who will be selected from an applicant pool drawing on the many talents of musicians in New York City and beyond. The piece was rehearsed and soundchecked in August 2008, but inclement weather forced its cancellation. We are looking forward to its long-awaited World Premiere on August 8, 2009.
The link to Lincoln Center’s page is here. Warning: it doesn’t look good on my version of Firefox.
Congratulations! Do you have to bring your own guitar?
Congrats! I hate to put the idea in your head, but does this mean you’ll “need” to buy a new guitar for the occasion? I mean, you just can’t show up playing last year’s guitar!
Actually, Keath, my temptation will be to buy a smaller, more portable amp, as my Fender Deluxe is pretty heavy. I may just buy one from Guitar Center the day before rehearsal and return it 5 days later.
This is freakin’ awesome. Make sure someone gets good video so you can post this for us to see.