The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) is an American ensemble dedicated to the performance of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

. Based in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, the group was established by composer David Stock in 1976. It has premiered over 200 works and is a major regional cultural attractio

Emphasis is placed on pieces by modern composers and recent past seasons have featured works by

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century" ...

Frederic Rzewski Frederic Anthony Rzewski ( ; April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2021) was an American composer and pianist, considered to be one of the most important American composer-pianists of his time. His major compositions, which often incorporate social an ...

George Crumb George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

, David Lang, Robert Black and others. In 2001, conductor Kevin Noe took over from the group's founder, becoming the new Artistic Director. The troupe quickly made radical changes and struck out in a new direction using an entirely new team of musicians and artists. Since that time, PNME programs are carefully structured to create thematic unity and theatrical continuity similar to that of drama or film. Set changes are minimized and carefully choreographed to eliminate the disruption between pieces. Non-musical elements such as video, projected images and spoken word are added to enhance continuity over the arc of a performance. Programs are often presented seamlessly without intermission or even pauses between works. Also, theatrical elements such as lighting, costuming, and blocking cohere into a dramatic musical experience. PNME Artistic Director Kevin Noe has dubbed this model the “Theater of Music.” Since 2001, the group's attendance has grown by more than 600%, and the number of concerts has more than doubled. PNME performances take place over a series of weekend concerts in the midsummer in Pittsburgh at the City Theatre. PNME is highly acclaimed for providing a highly stylized visual context for new musical pieces that include film, choreography, performance art and stage lighting. PNME commissions musical pieces including the Harvey Gaul Composition Competition. The group's Executive Director and Accessibility Coordinator is Pamela Murchison. The PNME artists include: Lindsey Goodman (Flute), Conor Llewellyn Hanick (Piano), Timothy Jones (Bass-baritone), Lindsay Kesselman (Soprano), Norbert Lewandowski (Cello), Ian Rosenbaum (Percussion), Eric Jacobs (Clarinet/Bass Clarinet), Nathalie Shaw (Violin), Chris McGlumphy (Sound Design) Andy Ostrowski (Lighting Design)

References

External links

Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble official site
{{Authority control Contemporary classical music ensembles Musical groups from Pittsburgh American classical music groups