Gotham Arts: Vesna Duo: "Constellations" Recital & Album Launch Party

Flatiron

Fri, May 20, 2022 7:00 PM, EDT

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Capacity: 23 of 70 tickets still available
: Don't bring your own drinks
: Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks provided
Wheelchair access: Wheelchair Accessible

This is a groupmuse

A live concert in a living room, backyard, or another intimate space. They're casual and friendly, hosted by community members.

Host

Jonathan D. Superhost

7 PM Doors & Pre-Reception
8 PM Recital
9 PM Post-Reception

Vesna Duo: Constellations Recital & Album Launch Party

Gotham Arts in collaboration with Groupmuse is delighted to invite you to join Vesna Duo — brilliant marimbist Ksenija Komljenović and pianist Liana Pailodze Harron — and a crowd of fellow music lovers for their private recital and pre-release album launch party celebrating the duo's debut album Constellations showcasing a star-studded contemporary music program of the most exciting transcriptions for marimba and piano.

All audience members will receive an exclusive complimentary ($20 value) pre-release CD copy of Ksenija's & Liana's album that will only go public the following day. Ksenija & Liana will kindly autograph copies during the post-reception.

An array of wine and snacks will be served.

Program:

The Rite of Spring (1913) by Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) arr. Komljenović
La Muerte del Ángel (1959) by Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) arr. Komljenović
The Ever Evolving Etude (2008) by Avishai Cohen (b. 1970) arr. Komljenović

Watch trailer: Ksenija & Liana discuss performing Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring"

About Vesna Duo

Vesna [ˈvɛsna] / — a goddess associated with youth and springtime in early Slavic mythology

Vesna Piano/Percussion Duo devotes its passion to bringing new and reimagined works to life. Their performances span a fiery new arrangement of The Rite of Spring, to premiering works by trailblazing international composers, to re-envisioning pieces by jazz musicians Avishai Cohen and Tigran Hamasyan.

Hailing from The Republic of Georgia and Serbia, Dr. Liana Pailodze Harron (piano) and Dr. Ksenija Komljenović (percussion) embrace their dynamic backgrounds while exploring a diverse blend of musical traditions, cultures, and styles. Beyond arranging existing works, the ensemble seeks to transform the boundaries of what it means to be a pianist/percussionist, interpolating theatrical percussion works in their already vibrant repertoire. Between them, Dr. Harron and Dr. Komljenović share multiple international solo and chamber music awards.

Ksenija Komljenović

Dr. Ksenija Komljenović (Belgrade, Serbia), a prizewinner of the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg, is a percussionist, educator, and composer. Throughout her career, she has performed, taught, and studied across Europe, the United States, and Asia. Ksenija is the first woman from Serbia with a Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Degree. She holds the Assistant Professor of Percussion position at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Ksenija’s devotion to percussion is shaped by her advocacy for contemporary/chamber music, as well as intercultural collaboration. Her chamber ensembles (PNEUMA, Vesna Duo, Balkan Percussion Duo) unite some of the finest young performers from across the world. Vesna Duo's debut album (to be released in May 2022) will feature Ksenija's arrangement of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring for marimba and piano.

In 2019, the same year she made her Hong Kong debut, Ksenija was selected to be a co-principal for the World Percussion Group with whom she toured England, Spain, and Portugal. In 2021, she performed at the XXI International Conservatory Week Festival (Russia) and the 31st International Young Laureate Music Competitions Festival (Poland).

Ksenija serves on boards of the Tierras Percussion Competition and the SoundWaves Music Festival. Her initiative resulted in pioneering cultural-exchange projects between the U.S. and her home country, including the first drumline camp and contemporary percussion workshop in Serbia. Ksenija is a producer/co-host on the At Percussion Podcast. She holds degrees from the University of Miami, Illinois State University, and Faculty of Music in Belgrade, Serbia.

Liana Pailodze Harron

Georgian-American pianist Dr. Liana Pailodze Harron is a bold performer, recognized for her passionate and striking interpretations of contemporary classical music. She has appeared at leading venues across the United States and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Benaroya Hall, Arsht Center, Lincoln Center, the New World Center, and the United Nations. Musical collaborators include Maestro Zubin Mehta and Maestro Leon Botstein, as well as Joshua Bell, Julian Rachlin, Sting, and Steven Tyler.

A champion of contemporary music, Liana cultivates diverse collaborations guided by artistic curiosity. As a soloist, Liana has performed with the Shilakadze Chamber Orchestra, the Georgian Television Orchestra, the Georgian Symphonic Orchestra, the Frost Symphony Orchestra, and the Frost Wind Ensemble. Most recently, she has worked with saxophonist Dr. Thomas A. Giles, honing works of Györgi Ligeti and Olivier Messiaen among others, with an album Mysteries of the Macabre released in spring 2022. Liana’s work in Vesna Duo with percussionist Dr. Ksenija Komljenović garnered rave reviews at the 2022 Chamber Music America Conference. Their recording of Igor Stravinky’s The Rite of Spring for marimba and piano arranged by Komljenović will be released in spring 2022.

A prolific recording artist, Liana has embodied contemporary works by composers such as Alexej Gerassimez and Archil Giorgobiani, beloved classics of Hindemith and Respighi, and modern repertoire from John Adams and Ólafur Arnalds, the latter of which she arranged for piano and Loopstation. Her most recent solo album Light-Year is a heart-rending collection of intimate pieces, cast from cinematic and contemporary composers Jóhann Jóhannsson, Max Richter, Philip Glass, Ólafur Arnalds, and Kris Lennox.

Currently a faculty member of the prestigious 92nd Street Y School of Music, Liana teaches applied music lessons and groups classes to a wide array of students. She is also an in-demand clinician, holding masterclasses and workshops at universities around the United States. She holds her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.