Friends of the Erben Organ

Fantini Futuro
2022-11-10 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral, 261 Mott Street, New York, NY, 10012, United States
One Night Only!
Get Tickets Here >> http://bit.ly/fantini22
Fantini Futuro is an electronic opera by Ben Neill for the Mutantrumpet, his self-designed electro-acoustic instrument, countertenor, Baroque keyboards, and interactive video projections. The immersive piece is based on the music and life of early Baroque trumpeter/composer Girolamo Fantini, who was responsible for bringing the trumpet indoors from the hunt and the battlefield to the realm of art music. Using an array of interactive technologies, Fantini is depicted as a traveler through space and time through a synthesis of early music, minimalism, and digital media performance. Fantini’s translocation of the trumpet from outside to inside is mirrored and reimagined by Neill’s Mutantrumpet, which extends the acoustic instrument into the virtual realm.
Neill joins forces with NYC early music ensemble ARTEK for this production; countertenor Ryland Angel performs the vocal part, and both the 1868 Henry Erben organ and the 1859 Hall & Labagh chancel organ will be played by Gwendolyn Toth, ARTEK’s Artistic Director, who is recognized as one of America’s leading performers on early keyboard instruments. Fantini Futuro was awarded a New York State Council on the Arts grant in Film and New Media in 2022. A 2020 demonstration video of the Mutantrumpet V4 which made its debut in Fantini Futuro received over 800,000 views on social media and was shared thousands of times.
TICKETS: http://bit.ly/fantini22

Fantini was a musical celebrity in his time, and his magnum opus includes the outdoor music written for trumpet alone, as well as the indoor pieces with keyboards. He pioneered the use of mutes to expand the dynamic range of the instrument for indoor use along with numerous other playing techniques, mirroring Neill’s focus on timbral manipulation. Fantini Futuro transforms Fantini’s material both compositionally and in real time during the performance. The work draws connections between the dynamic energy of early Baroque musical and architectural vocabularies and minimalist patterns and processes, reinterpreting them through current techniques of live sampling, spatialization, and interactive visual media. The improvisatory quality of the piece references the original performance practice of music in Fantini’s era using futuristic technologies. The Italian texts are taken from poems written in tribute to Fantini and reflect on his unique ability to “tightly tune, with noble art, the warlike strains to the softer songs.”
The visual component is comprised of architectural imagery, artworks, and environmental video from places where Fantini lived and performed. The material was captured by Neill during two Visiting Artist Residencies at the American Academy in Rome. The animated images are controlled live from Neill’s Mutantrumpet, situating the performers in virtual sets created from the historical elements. Fantini Futuro is directed by Obie award winning director Bob McGrath of Ridge Theater, with whom Neill collaborated on the 2010 Persephone at the BAM Next Wave Festival.

TICKETS: http://bit.ly/fantini22
This performance is a fundraiser for Friends of the Erben Organ (“FREO”). FREO is a non-profit dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and presentation of the 1868 Erben organ through concerts and educational programs. For more info: http://erbenorgan.org

Victorian Carol Sing-Along with Two 19th Century Pipe Organs!
2022-12-15 18:30 - 20:00
Victorian-era carols, and seasonal music and readings, featuring two historic pipe organs! Plus: See and hear the 1868 Erben up-close!
>> TICKETS: http://bit.ly/erbencarols22

One Night Only!
Join us for a merry evening of Victorian-era carols, and seasonal music and readings. Prior to the carol sing, there will be an opportunity to see and hear the historic 1868 Erben organ up close with the Director of Music, Jared Lamenzo.
* Festive treats and libations are included with the Victorian Carol Sing!
* 19th-century attire is encouraged.
This event is a collaboration with The Victorian Society New York.
The Victorian Carol Sing-Along starts at 6:30 PM.
There are two Erben Organ Tours available to purchase separately:
* 5:30 to 6 PM
* 6:00 to 6:30 PM
For Erben Organ Tours tickets prior to the Carol Sing, click here: http://bit.ly/erbentours22

$20K Matching Grant!
All donations on top of ticket price will be matched with our $20K Fall Matching Grant! Thank you for your support!

An Afternoon with Lorenzo Da Ponte
2023-09-24 15:00 - 16:00
The world-renowned Teatro Carlo Felice from Genoa, Italy presents an exclusive one-time performance to close out the San Gennaro festival on Sunday, 09/24 at 3PM. Featuring musicians from Italy performing handpicked pieces written by Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart’s close friend and librettist, this is a performance you won’t want to miss.
Sunday September 24th at 3:00PM, inside the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral (the corner of Mott and Prince Streets, Little Italy). Tickets: $20 General Admission, $30 VIP first three rows.
>> Tickets: Click Here
Proceeds from ticket sales go to Friends of the Erben Organ (“FREO”), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization formed in 2017 with the mission of restoring, preserving and presenting the historic 1868 Henry Erben organ located in the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, corner Prince and Mott Streets in Little Italy, NYC.
Sponsored by The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, Opera Carlo Felice Genova, Lorenzo Da Ponte Institute, Friends of the Erben Organ, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council, The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and The New York State Legislature

This event is made possible in part with funds from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Creative Engagement program, a regrant program supported by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council, and The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the LMCC.

Victorian Carol Sing-Along with Two 19th Century Pipe Organs! Dec. 6, 2023
2023-12-06 19:00 - 21:00
Victorian-era carols, and seasonal music and readings, featuring two historic pipe organs! Plus: See and hear the 1868 Erben up-close!
>> TICKETS: http://bit.ly/erbencarols23

One Night Only! Join us for a merry evening of Victorian-era carols, and seasonal music and readings. After the carol sing, there will be an opportunity to see and hear the historic 1868 Erben organ up close with the Director of Music, Jared Lamenzo.

* Festive treats and libations are included with the Victorian Carol Sing!

* 19th-century attire, while not required, is strongly encouraged!

* Special guests: Some members from the award-winning youth choir, Konzertchor Rutheneum from Gera, Germany! They will join in singing with the Basilica Schola and the audience.

This event, a fundraiser for the Erben’s restoration, is made possible with the kind cooperation of the Victorian Society New York and the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. The Victorian Carol Sing-Along starts at 7:00 PM.

$25K Matching Grant!
All donations on top of ticket price will be matched with our $25K Fall Matching Grant! Thank you for your support! Video from last year’s Victorian Carol Sing-Along: https://vimeo.com/783434175

>> TICKETS: http://bit.ly/erbencarols23
Performers in FREO’s Victorian Carol Sing-Along are sponsored in part with a grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Creative Engagement program (LMCC,) The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council, The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and The New York State Legislature. The concert is part of FREO’s “Erben Renewal Concerts” series, which explores historic repertoire heard here in the 19th century, with the magnificent 1868 Henry Erben organ often alongside the choir and instrumentalists. It is a fitting way to celebrate the instrument before it heads off for its historic restoration, due to begin in February 2024.
