This is America III
This performance is part of the This is America series package. Click here for details and savings!
Violinist and producer Johnny Gandelsman developed This is America in 2020, out of a time of rupture and disconnection. Thinking about ways that one person could make a small difference, he brought together commissioning partners across 11 states and territories to commission 22 new works. He invited the composers, all US-based, to reflect on the time we’re all living in. Since that initial burst of creativity, This is America has been performed throughout North America and grown to encompass 28 compositions for solo violin.
“This is America celebrates America’s rich cultural tapestry and its myriad perspectives, thoughts and ideas, offering a vivid counterpoint to the idea that this land can be understood through a singular, dominant point of view. Each composition reflects on the current state of American society in a personal and intimate way, looking through an unflinching lens at universal topics like separation, loneliness, hope and love.” – Johnny Gandelsman
This performance, featuring Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna, and Kinan Azmeh & CityBand, is the third in a five-part series. Gandelsman is serving as our first Curator-in-Residence for the 24/25 season. Read more about his involvement with the season, This is America, and his two season performances with Brooklyn Rider.
TICKET & DISCOUNT INFORMATION
Tickets available starting from $29.
$11 STUDENT TICKETS
For UNC-Chapel Hill students (with valid UNC One Card) and all Triangle-area students K-college (with valid student ID)
- Current UNC-Chapel Hill students: Use promo code UNCST2425 and select the price type “UNC Student”
- Non UNC-Chapel Hill students: Use promo code GENST2425 and use the price type “Student”
15% DISCOUNT
Seniors, Active & Retired Military / First Responders, and Carolina Alumni save on regular price tickets with promo codes:
- Seniors: Use promo code SENIOR2425
- Active & Retired Military / First Responders: Use promo code SERVICE2425
- Carolina Alumni: Use promo code GAA2425
25% DISCOUNT
UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff / UNC Health Employees save on regular price tickets with promo codes:
- UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff and UNC Health Staff: Use promo code UNCFS2425
- Retired UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff: Use promo code UNCRET2425
Watch our video on applying discount codes when checking out!
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EVENT DETAILS
- Runtime: 135 minutes, including intermission
- Intermission: 15 minutes
- Additional information: Visit our FAQ page
ABOUT JOHNNY GANDELSMAN
Called “A violinist who can do anything” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Grammy-winning violinist and producer Johnny Gandelsman integrates a wide range of creative sensibilities into a style unique amongst today’s violinists. Richard Brody of The New Yorker has called Johnny “revelatory” in concert, placing him in the company of “radically transformative” performers like Maurizio Pollini, Peter Serkin and Christian Zacharias. As a founding member of Brooklyn Rider and a former member of the Silkroad Ensemble, Johnny has worked closely with such luminaries as Bela Fleck, Martin Hayes, Kayhan Kalhor, Yo-Yo Ma, Mark Morris, Anne Sofie Van Otter, Alim Qasimov & Fargana Qasimova, Joshua Redman, Suzanne Vega, Abigail Washburn and Damian Woetzel. He has appeared with Bono, David Byrne, Renée Fleming, Rhiannon Giddens, I’m With Her, Christian McBride, and many others.
Learn more about Johnny Gandelsman and This is America here.
ABOUT DANA LYN & KYLE SANNA
Hailed as “first-rate, versatile musicians” by The New Yorker and “a top-notch fiddle-and-guitar duo” by The New York Times, Dana Lyn and Kyle Sanna connect the dots between their experience as composers and improvisers in New York City’s rich musical community and their deep admiration for traditional Irish music.
Rooted in this tradition, the branches of Lyn and Sanna’s collaboration extend to include projected animations, augmented reality, dance, video, and orchestral compositions. The duo has collaborated with some of the greatest interpreters of Irish music, including Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Cillian Vallely, Kevin Burke, and Mick McAuley, and with choreographers Darrah Carr Byrne and Seán Curran. They have received commissions from New York’s Irish Arts Center and from Palaver Strings. Their projects “The Great Arc”, “The Coral Suite”, and “Under the Sea-Wind” are focused on themes of environmental fragility.
Learn more at www.danalynkylesanna.com.
ABOUT KINAN AZMEH
Hailed by critics and audiences alike, winner of Opus Klassik award in 2019 clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh has gained international recognition for his distinctive voice across diverse musical genres. Originally from Damascus, Syria, Kinan Azmeh brings his music to all corners of the world as a soloist, composer and improviser. Notable appearances include the Opera Bastille, Paris; Tchaikovsky Grand Hall, Moscow; Carnegie Hall and the UN General Assembly, New York; the Royal Albert Hall, London; Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires; Philharmonie, Berlin; the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, Washington DC; the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie; and in his native Syria at the opening concert of the Damascus Opera House.
Learn more at www.kinanazmeh.com.
ABOUT KINAN AZMEH’S CITYBAND
Formed in 2006 in New York City, the Kinan Azmeh CityBand immediately gained recognition for their virtuosic and high energy performance, receiving praise from critics and audiences alike. With this New York ensemble, Azmeh strives to reach a balance between classical music, jazz, and the music of his homeland, Syria. Azmeh’s expressive clarinet meets Kyle Sanna’s rustic guitar, soaring at times over the dynamic and volatile backdrop of John Hadfield’s percussion and Josh Myers’ double bass. Each band member has come from varied backgrounds to add their personal flair to this ensemble, resulting in a thoroughly exciting and rewarding listening experience. The quartet has toured the US, France, England, Germany, Holland, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey.
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