(Le) Poisson Rouge (often referred to as LPR) is a music venue and multimedia art

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

founded in 2008 by Justin Kantor and David Handler on the former site of the Village Gate at 158

Bleecker Street Bleecker Street is an east–west street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightlife, nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood popular today for music venues and comedy as well as a ...

. The performance space was designed and engineered by John Storyk/WSDG. It has become known for its focus on artistry, bringing

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is Western art music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st-century classical music, 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 Modernism (music), post-tonal music after the death of ...

into the club setting, and offering a variety of set ups so that a seated classical performance can be followed by a standing set by a rock band or a DJ. Responding to a performance of Olivier Messiaen's '' Quartet for the End of Time'' featuring pianist Bruce Brubaker at LPR, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' reported: "The crowd – many of whom wouldn't even have known who Messiaen was – sat in rapt silence, and roared their approval at the end." Kantor and Handler, both graduates of

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

, founded LPR with the stated desire of creating a venue that would foster the fusion of "popular and art cultures" in music, film, theater, dance, and

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

. The venue is home to a myriad variety of genres focusing on classical, new music, avant garde music,

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, but also playing host to readings, comedy, film, DJs, parties, theater, and

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

. A number of live albums have been recorded at (Le) Poisson Rouge, including an improvised album by J. Spaceman and Kid Millions and Grand Valley State University's New Music Ensemble recording of

Terry Riley Terrence Mitchell Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist music, minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his work became notab ...

's ''

In C ''In C'' is a composition by Terry Riley from 1964. It is one of the most successful works by an American composer and a seminal example of minimal music, minimalism. The score directs any number of musicians to repeat a series of 53 melodic fr ...

''.

Awards

* 2013 Guest of a Guest's Best NYC Venues to Discover New Musicians * 2012 & 2013 ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' magazine's Great Jazz Rooms of the World * 2012 Foursquare: New York's Best Music Venues 2012 * 2012 iRockaes Top 50 Live Streaming Sources * 2011 ASCAP's Victor Herbert Award for excellence in programming * 2011

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History 20th century Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...

Best of NYC * 2011 Village Award from Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation * 2011 New York Jazz Record Venue of the Year * 2010 ''

Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

'' magazine Best Party in NYC (The Freedom Party) * 2010 Club Planet Venue of the Week * 2009 '' New York'' magazine's Best High Brow Venue * 2009 ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

''s Best Rock Venue * Listed in Flavorpill's Best Venues of the 21st Century * Multiple nominations for ''Paper'' magazine's best club in New York City

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poisson Rouge, (Le) Nightclubs in Manhattan Music venues in Manhattan Drinking establishments in Greenwich Village Event venues established in 2008 2008 establishments in New York City