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*Abbey Art presents: Vienna Teng ft. The Founders

October 12, 2024 @ 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2024, in the cathedral nave

TICKETS | FACEBOOK

@ St Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle

6:30p doors, 7:30p show

All ages, some seating available

Bar w/ ID. Profits to local music & non-profits (thanks to the generosity of our local sponsors)

Abbey Arts and the Triple Door present:

Vienna Teng featuring The Founders

Vienna Teng returns to the Pacific Northwest with two very special shows featuring her fellow members of the genre-crossing chamber group Founders. Featuring virtuoso trumpeter and composer Brandon Ridenour (Canadian Brass, Julliard faculty); acclaimed violinist, vocalist and composer Ben Russell (Max Richter, American Contemporary Music Ensemble); Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Andrew Gutauskas (Brass Against, Matrix Resurrections); and renowned world and classical percussionist Yousif Sheronick (Yo-Yo Ma, Branford Marsalis), as well as Vienna’s piano and vocals, the ensemble will perform adventurous new arrangements of Vienna’s music as well as other selections from Founders wide-ranging repertoire.

VIENNA TENG: www.viennateng.com

“I was in a long-distance relationship with music for many years,” jokes songwriter Vienna Teng. “Now we’re finally moving back in together.”

Long-distance, perhaps, but long-running. In 2002, Vienna released her debut album Waking Hour, landing her on NPR’s Weekend Edition, The Late Show with David Letterman, and the top of Amazon’s music charts. Four more albums followed, most recently Aims in 2013, which became the first album to win four Independent Music Awards. She also composed the music for The Fourth Messenger by playwright Tanya ShaTer, which premiered in 2013 and was a featured production in the 2017 New York Musical Theater Festival. Together with Vienna’s captivating live performances and thoughtful online presence, her work has built a devoted following across generations and continents.

Still, other pursuits have always beckoned. A computer science major before she was a recording artist, Vienna is a nerd at heart, as comfortable in spreadsheets as the spotlight. She returned to academia in 2010 to study environmental sustainability, which led to a new career working on climate change, energy and waste issues. She also became a bonus parent to her partner’s two kids, and in early 2020 welcomed a newborn addition to the family – just in time for pandemic lockdown.

“I learned a lot about what it means to hold two truths in your head at the same time, as the saying goes,” Vienna says of that period. “The situation can be dire and full of possibility. Both kindness and fierceness are so very necessary.”

THE FOUNDERS: www.foundersmusic.org

“An idiosyncratic quintet featuring versatile chamber music players who double as singers and songwriters” (The New Yorker), Founders was awarded both First Prize and Audience Choice Award at the 2020 SAVVY Chamber Competition. Merging the talents of conservatory trained musicians in New York City, Founders is re-defining the role of the classical ensemble for the next generation.

Founders began in 2014 through the collaborative efforts of Ben Russell (violin/vocals) and Brandon Ridenour (trumpet/piano). From the beginning, they pioneered bringing the composer back onto the stage, assembling an ensemble of prize-winning performers, writers and arrangers. In 2015 they co-produced their first album, You & Who which the New York Music Daily stated, “Their excellent debut album… is like nothing else out there right now.” In 2018, Founders recorded selected works from their American Excursions program, highlighting composers, folk musics, and poets from American history. The program features the music of Samuel Barber, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, alongside the poetry of E. A. Poe, Gertrude Stein, Emily Dickinson, and Maya Angelou. This multifaceted project celebrates the rich diversity of American culture, while accentuating the unique strength of Founders as a composing ensemble.

Founders passionately advocates training the next generation of musicians to expand their breadth of creative possibilities. Founders are frequently artists in residence at schools where they present various workshops including Crucial Habits for Songwriters/Composers; Innovative Arranging; and The Classical Improvisor. Accentuating the synergy of classical music and everything after it, Founders enjoy sharing their unique take on music with students and audiences worldwide.

Details

Date:
October 12, 2024
Time:
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
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