16 YEARS O F V I S I O N F E S T I V A L take a stand 7 DAYS – June 5 – June 11, 2011

Vision Festival/Arts for Art – http://www.visionfestival.org

PressContact: Celine Craipeau  — celine@artsforart.org 212-254-5420

16 YEARS

O F

V I S I O N 

      F E S T I V A L

take a stand

7 DAYS – June 5 – June 11, 2011

WHAT’S NEW:        

Peter Brötzmann – Lifetime of Achievement, June 8th

            A week of All Stars: including Tchicai,Bluiett, Cyrille, Grimes, Ribot, Evan Parker, Ware…

            FREE performance at Campos Plaza Playground – June 10

Plus a Monday Evolving at Vision night – June 6

Special FONT Festival night – June 7

Music of the Future – Afternoon of June 11

Tributes to the Legendary Violinist Billy Bang  – June 11

DANCE Performances: Emily Coates & Dancers with Charles Burnham etc.

Panel Discussions: on Organizing, Education and Art and Politics – June 5/6/8

Art Installations: Jeff Schlanger, Jorgo Schaeffer, Jackson Krall,

Photo Exhibit: Gannushkin, Luciano Rossetti, Mark Sheldon, Michael Wilderman

After Hour Conduction at Clemente Soto Velez – June 9

WHEN/WHERE:

Sunday June 5th – Saturday June 11^th @ Abrons Art Center (466 Grand Street)

Monday, June 6^th Evolving Vision at Abrons Art Center (466 Grand Street)

Tuesday June 7^th FONT at Vision – Abrons Art Center (466 Grand Street)

Friday, June 9^th at Clemente Soto Velez  Cultural/Educational Center (107 Suffolk Street)

Friday, June 10^th FREE Out Doors at Campos Plaza near (611 East 13 Street)

TICKETS:         

            • Abrons Admission:  $30 per day / $20 students & seniors

            • June 11 Afternoon Youth Performance – $10 / June 9 @ CSV conduction – $10

            • Festival Passes are $160

            • VIP Passes/ preferred seating for donation $260   

www.visionfestival.org or call (212) 254-5420

Talking Points

TRIBUTE TO A LIVING LEGEND

• Peter Brotzmann – Celebrating A Lifetime of Achievement

Each year, the Vision Festival honors the achievements of one living artist who has greatly influenced the world around them and paved the way for other innovators to move forward. On Wednesday, June 8^th, 2011 Arts For Art and The Vision Festival will celebrate a Lifetime of Achievement by Peter Brotzmann. This great improviser was one of the first practitioners of the Free Jazz movement in Europe.  Brotzmann has programmed his own evening in such a way that it would reflect his ongoing pursuit of musical innovation. This 70 year old artist is not interested in looking back – only in looking forward and being as creative as possible in the present time. 

FALLEN HEROES

• Billy Bang – Honored

Billy Bang was honored in 2010 VF with a special award for his leadership, vision, and musical genius. This year we have suffered the loss of this irreplaceable violin legend Billy Bang – his spirit, his music, his presence.  Now he has joined with other angels of music.  He was scheduled to perform on the last night of the festival.  The Festival Finale will feature a 25 Piece String Ensemble plus special guests under the direction of William Parker. They will perform Bang’s Mystery of the Mekong.

• Marion Brown Tribute

We have suffered the loss of another Giant of Jazz, the great alto saxophone legend, visual artist and ethnomusicologist, Marion Brown. His passing must not go unacknowledged.  On the opening night of the Festival, June 5 The GROUP an all-star collective featuring Andrew Cyrille, Hamiet Bluiett, Ahmed Abdullah, Charles Burnham, Bob Stewart will perform a special tribute to Marion Brown.

On Community

• June 10, 2011 – FREE OUTDOOR SHOW 

  @ Campos Plaza Playground  (East 13th Street btw Ave B and Ave C)  

On Friday, June 10^th, Vision Festival 16 returns to Campos Plaza, a NYCHA Housing Development to present a Free Outdoor Vision Festival Performance.   This performance is an opportunity to reengage the kind of community that fostered some of NY’s most innovative artists. Gerald Cleaver Sextet with the Campos Youth Band will perform a special concert for this event. This will be followed by Michael Wimberly’s percussion ensemble, AFRAZZ.

• Take A Stand – Arts and Community

Arts For Art maintains a commitment to understand what is at play in our creative community. We are leading the way in building opportunities for uniting the spectrum of creative arts. The Vision Festival draws people from around the world, who are interested in what is great, creative and innovative. AFA has been working to strengthen the artistic communities by holding town meetings, panel discussions and creating opportunities for artists to perform and come together – to build a power through unity.

This year’s festival features 3 Public Discussions:

June 5 – Opening the Festival – Music and Politics – A Black Perspective- Amiri Baraka

Ed Bullins, Woodie King, Marvin X, William Parker, Louis Reyes Rivera, moderator

June 6 – Organizing today/unions/artists/social action – Marc Ribot,

Jo Wood Brown, Andrew Schwartz, Patricia Parker, Fay Victor Mike Heller moderator   

June 9 – Innovative Music in Education – Gerald Cleaver, Daniel Levin, Tom Zlabinger,

Nicole Federici, Juan Pablo Carletti, Mike Heller moderator        

• The Future of Jazz / 80 youth – 4 NYC schools

One of the goals of the Vision Festival is to re-energize the link between the communities that fostered the growth of America’s jazz music, to help ensure that they will be a part of it’s future. This is why we are proud to feature the York College Big Band, the Mott Hall High School Percussion Ensemble, and the Achievement First MS Orch and the Sonic SmithyYouth Orchestra. These bands are part of AFA’s Create A Musical Reach program and are committed to innovation and to the future of Jazz.