Maya Beiser performs at Big Ears
Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 7pm
Soloist in Philip Glass’ Cello Concerto No. 2 “Naqoyqatsi”
with the Knoxville Symphony
Tennessee Theatre | 604 S Gay St. | Knoxville, TN
Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 2pm
Solo Show
U.S. Cellular Stage, Bijou Theatre | 803 S Gay St. | Knoxville, TN
Tickets & Information: www.bigearsfestival.com
Maya Beiser online: www.mayabeiser.com
“Maya Beiser was a force of nature . . . Wielding her instrument like a lightning rod, she careened through virtuosic passages, grafting angular, dark edges onto her phrases . . . the kind of experience that will likely prove almost impossible to replicate with any other performer.” – The Boston Globe
Watch Maya’s TEDTalk featuring Cello Counterpoint: https://youtu.be/R6X_IhgJLzA
Watch Maya’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring Just Ancient Loops: https://youtu.be/UO0kGdxeQvU
Watch Maya in Kashmir: https://youtu.be/C6KMcwR43FE
Knoxville, TN — “Cello goddess” (The New Yorker) Maya Beiser will perform twice at this year’s Big Ears Festival. On Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 7pm, she is the featured soloist in Philip Glass’ Cello Concerto No. 2 “Naqoyqatsi” with the Knoxville Symphony at the Tennessee Theatre (604 Gay St.).
On Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 2pm at the Bijou Theatre (803 Gay St.), Maya will play a solo show featuring music written specifically for her including Steve Reich’s iconic Cello Counterpoint (with film by Bill Morrison), Osvaldo Golijov’s haunting Mariel, Michael Harrison’s otherworldly Just Ancient Loops (with film by Bill Morrison), plus David Lang’s visceral take on Lou Reed’s Heroin and Maya’s own signature interpretation of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir. Kashmir is part of her latest solo album Uncovered, a collection of re-imagined and re-contextualized classic rock, which was described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “bringing genre-defining music into modern global music consciousness.”
Cellist Maya Beiser defies categories. Passionately forging a career path through uncharted territories, she has captivated audiences worldwide with her virtuosity, eclectic repertoire, and relentless quest to redefine her instrument’s boundaries. The Boston Globe declares, “With virtuoso chops, rock-star charisma, and an appetite for pushing her instrument to the edge of avant-garde adventurousness, Maya Beiser is the post-modern diva of the cello.” The Washington Post calls her, “The reigning queen of the avant-garde cello.”
Maya has dedicated her work to reinventing solo cello performance in the mainstream classical arena. A featured performer on the world’s most prestigious stages including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, London’s South Bank Centre, Sydney Opera House, and the Beijing Festival, she has collaborated with a wide range of artists across many disciplines, including Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Shirin Neshat, Steve Reich, David Lang, Tan Dun, Robert Woodruff, Bill Morrison, Evan Ziporyn and Osvaldo Golijov, among many others.
Maya’s 2012 production, Elsewhere: A CelloOpera, premiered at Carolina Performing Arts followed by a sold-out run at the BAM Next Wave Festival. Her latest project All Vows explores the dichotomy between the physical, external world and the inner landscape of our secret selves and premiered at the Yerba Buena Center in 2014. Beiser is currently touring All Vows worldwide. Recent and upcoming performances include the BAM 2015 Next Wave Festival, London’s Barbican Hall, and the Ojai Music Festival.
Maya Beiser is a United States Artists (USA) Distinguished Fellow in Music for 2015. Invited to present at the prestigious TED main stage in Long Beach, CA, Maya’s 2011 TEDtalk has been watched by close to one million people and translated to 32 languages. In 2013, she was a featured guest alongside such luminaries as Yoko Ono, Marina Abramović, and Isabella Rossellini at ICASTICA, a festival celebrating women working in artistic fields in Arezzo, Italy.
Maya is a graduate of Yale University and a founding member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars. Her vast discography includes eight solo albums and many studio recordings and film music collaborations. Her 2010 album Provenance topped the classical and world music charts on both Amazon and iTunes, and her album Time Loops was selected among NPR’s top 10 recordings of 2012. Her latest album Uncovered, a collection of re-imagined and re-contextualized classic rock masterpieces, was in the top 10 on the Billboard Classical Chart upon release in August 2014 and has been garnering rave reviews.
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