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Phyllis Chen, Anthony De Mare, Pam Goldberg & Blair McMillen
in
John Cage and Today ? “Sonatas and (New) Interludes”

Saturday, June 25, 2017 at 1pm & 3pm
Nolan Park, Governors Island

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Rite of Summer Music Festival continues its seventh stellar season with John Cage’s prepared-piano
masterpiece “Sonatas and Interludes,” featuring pianists Phyllis Chen, Blair McMillen, Anthony De
Mare, and Pam Goldberg performing two free shows at 1pm & 3pm on Sunday, June 25th. Rite of
Summer has commissioned 4 Interludes for the occasion, written by composers Angelica Negron,
Justin Hines, Daniel Felsenfeld, and Eleonor Sandresky. Taking place at Nolan Park on
Governors Island, Rite of Summer presents free outdoor concerts through August curated by CoArtistic
Directors Pam Goldberg and Blair McMillen. In a locale The New York Times has called a
“Playground for the Arts,” the aim of the Festival is simple: to present the highest quality live
performances, and to bring free contemporary classical music to as many people as possible in a
relaxed, fun, outdoor setting.

Next up on Saturday, July 8th, Pamela Z performs a program of Works for Voice & Electronics. And
on Saturday, August 12th, Contemporaneous presents The Two Halves, music by Ian Gottlieb, Emma
O'Halloran, and Finnegan Shanahan.

Rite of Summer shows will be presented twice the same day, at 1pm and 3pm, 
for each respective date. Audiences should feel free to walk by, stop and listen, lay down a picnic blanket and relax, eat
lunch, mingle, and take in these engaging live performances.

Governors Island is a short 5-minute ferry ride from South Ferry, in lower Manhattan and a 3-minute
ride from Brooklyn Bridge Park. Concerts are free; ferries are $2 after 12pm (free from 10am-12pm
on weekends). For a full ferry schedule, please visit www.govisland.com.
For more information, visit www.riteofsummer.com. Digital Photos are available upon
request.

Upcoming Shows:
Pamela Z (Nolan Park) July 8, 2017 1pm & 3pm
Contemporaneous (Nolan Park) August 12, 2017 1pm & 3pm


Program:
Sonatas and Interludes (1946-48) John Cage
(1912-1990)
I. (Cage)
II.
III.
IV.
(Interlude) “Always 1984” Daniel Felsenfeld
Blair McMillen, piano
V. (Cage)
VI.
VII.
VIII.
(Interlude) “1982” Angelica Negron
Anthony deMare, piano
(Interlude) “Caged Interlude” Eleonor Sandresky
IX. (Cage)
X.
XI.
XII.
Pam Goldberg, piano
(Interlude) “Be Prepared” Justin Hines
XIII. (Cage)
XIV/XV (“Gemini” - after the work by Richard Lippold)
XVI.
Phyllis Chen, piano


Saturday, June 24 ? John Cage and Today ? “Sonatas and (New) Interludes”
Phyllis Chen, Anthony De Mare, Pam Goldberg & Blair McMillen (Rain date: June 25)

Phyllis Chen, Pianist
Praised by the Los Angeles Times as "a bold pianist with an
excellent sense of color," Phyllis Chen is a pianist, toy pianist and
composer whose musical interests have led in numerous directions
as a soloist and collaborative artist. As a composer, her music has
been described as "spellbinding" (NY Times) and "mesmerizing"
(Chicago Reader), focusing on the use of toy pianos and miniature
objects. She has been commissioned by ensembles and
organizations such as the ICElab Series, the Boston-based string
ensemble A Far Cry, Baryshnikov Center, Opera Cabal Opera
SHOP, the Roulette-Jerome Commission and the Singapore
International Festival of the Arts. She has received grants from New
Music USA, Foundation for the Contemporary Arts, NYSCA (via
Concert Artists Guild and Look & Listen Festival) and Fromm
Foundation. She is also one of the founding members of the International Contemporary Ensemble
(ICE). With a passion for promoting the toy piano, Phyllis founded the UnCaged Toy Piano Festival
and competition in 2007 to promote new works for unusual instrument. She has released five albums,
three solo albums on such labels as Concert Artists Guild, cerumenspoon, New Focus Recordings and
a fourth collaborative album with Cuddle Magic on fyo records. Her most recent recording, a joint
album with ICE composer and percussionist Nathan Davis, The Nature of Thingness, won the 2016 
Independent Music Award for Best Classical Contemporary Album. www.phyllischen.net

Anthony De Mare, Pianist
Anthony De Mare is one of the world’s foremost
champions of contemporary music. Praised time and
again by The New York Times, his versatility has
inspired the creation of over 60 new works by some of
today’s most distinguished artists, especially in the
speaking-singing pianist genre, which he pioneered over
25 years ago with the premiere of Frederic Rzewski’s
groundbreaking De Profundis.
As creator, performer and co-producer of Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano he has
brought together many of today’s most highly esteemed composers spanning the classical
contemporary, jazz, film, theater and indie worlds to bring the work of Stephen Sondheim into the
concert hall, adding another 27 composers to the list of those he has commissioned, and another 36
compositions to the contemporary piano repertoire.
He currently is Professor of Piano at Manhattan School of Music and New York University. He also
serves as new music curator for the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in NYC.
Mr. de Mare is a Steinway Artist. www.anthonydemare.com

Pam Goldberg, Pianist
Acknowledged by many to have created the blueprint for places like (le)
Poisson Rouge and The Stone, Pam Goldberg is an interesting combination
of professional pianist and entrepreneur. Having concertized in New York
in varied venues, Pam decided to create a different environment for both
performer and audience ? distinctly different from the concert halls. The
first was Classical Cafe, under the auspices of the 92nd Street Y where the
highest level musicians played in a subterranean cafe to young audiences,
who were able to enjoy classical music in a relaxed informal, setting where
they could even, alas(!) eat and have a drink. The results were so satisfying
that Pam decided to expand to an even larger audience, and Governors
Island became the perfect venue. Again, top flight musicians but this time
playing not to an audience of 80-100 but to perhaps, several hundred.
Pam’s work as Founder & Artistic Director at Classical Cafe was praised in
an article by The New York Times. Performing has been a major part of
Pam’s musical career; she has given numerous solo and chamber music recitals in the NY
Metropolitan area. In 1999, she released a solo album featuring Schumann’s Kreisleriana and
 Mozart’s 
Sonata in Bb Major, K.570 and in 2013 she completed a recording of Mozart piano and violin sonatas
with violinist, Christine Sohn. www.pamgoldbergpianist.com

Blair McMillen, Pianist
Blair McMillen has established himself as one of the most versatile and
sought-after pianists today. He leads a multifarious musical life as soloist,
chamber musician, conductor, and pedagogue. The New York Times has
described him as “riveting,” “prodigiously accomplished and exciting,”
and as one of the piano’s “brilliant stars.” Highlights from recent seasons
include concertos with the American Symphony in Carnegie Hall, solo
appearances with the St Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Albany
Symphony, and a 3-week solo tour of Brazil sponsored by the US State
Department. Comfortable in an immense variety of musical styles,
McMillen has delved into music well beyond the traditional classical
canon. His concerts often include medieval keyboard manuscripts next
to improvisation-based music, and Classical/Romantic-era solo piano
repertoire with music of today’s younger composers. Blair is the co-director of the Rite of Summer
Music Festival, an indie-classical concert series held on New York City’s Governors Island. He lives in
New York City, and has served on the music faculty at Bard College and Conservatory since 2005. In
2017-18 he will join the Piano Faculty at the Mannes School of Music. Photo: Daniel d'Ottavio
www.arielartists.com/artists/blair-mcmillen