MUSIC

From classical to experimental and jazz, the fourth season of the Impulse Artist Series again will provide a symphony of musical talent as varied as the venues when the artists take the stage throughout Houston for the 2010 Alter Ego Season, Nov. 5 – 14, at Wade Wilson Art (4411 Montrose Blvd.) and various Houston hotspots.

The 2010 Alter Ego Season will showcase an electrifying rising star lineup of hot, up and coming artists leading double artistic lives, including Houston’s own Kris Becker (multi-genre pianist/composer), as well as Suresh Singaratnam (trumpet), Phyllis Chen (toy pianist/multi-media artist) and Brandee Younger (harpist). They have won accolades on the world stage in the field of classical music, while simultaneously moonlighting successfully in nightclubs, playing in rock bands and working with world-renowned artists of other genres. Each concert will feature music from various genres, revealing the melodic ?Alter Egos? of each performing artist.

Wade Wilson Art is the home of the Impulse Artist Series and this partnership allows for the unique fusion of music and art. During the Impulse festival, the work of Pulitzer-Prize nominated author, essayist and social critic Peter Sacks will be on display.

Impulse Artist Series - The Houston-based Impulse Artist Series provides performance opportunities and career building assistance to proven up and coming concert artists who have come to the end of their academic endeavors and are in the midst of embarking on their professional journeys.

For more information about the Impulse Artist Series: www.impulseartistseries.org.

Club Concert #3 – Phyllis Chen – Piano | Toy Pianos | Multimedia
Friday, November 12 at 9:30pm

Phyllis Chen (pictured) brings an element of fantasy to her concerts, complete with the stunning artistry of video artist Rob Dietz. Catch her and her battery of toy pianos, electronics and even the occasional frying pan in this up-close-and-personal concert in the cozy setting of Avant Garden.

“…her captivating performance was animated by unbridled inventiveness, the kind of joyous creativity that playing with toys is meant to inspire.” –by James McQuillen from The Oregonian-June 5,2010

About the 2010 Artists:

KRIS BECKER has appeared in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall as concert pianist and composer to House of Blues as rock artist. He plays weekly as pianist at Second Baptist Church of Houston–the United States’ largest Christian denominational congregation–and tours and records as keyboardist for the critically acclaimed rock band The Literary Greats, while further collaborations include Glenn Leonard of The Temptations and Sara Van Buskirk.

A versatile musician who has been proven to defy genres and labels, BRANDEE YOUNGER has created a unique niche in both traditional and non-traditional harp arenas. Best-known for her limitless drive, Ms. Younger remains in high demand and attracts the attention of today’s most well- known artists, producers and ensembles. Younger has performed with an array of orchestras including the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, Waterbury Symphony, Soulful Symphony, Ensemble Du Monde, Camerata New York and the Red Bull Artsehcro, a “non-conformist” orchestra.

PHYLLIS CHEN’s artistic pursuits take her in numerous directions as a toy pianist, pianist, composer and performance artist. Named a New Music/New Places Fellow at the 2007 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Ms. Chen creates original multi-media compositions, often in collaboration with video artist Rob Deitz, using toy pianos, music boxes, electronics and video, and she offers these works in concert alongside those by prominent 20th century composers such as John Cage and Julia Wolfe. The Chicago Reader confirms Phyllis Chen’s status as a trailblazer commenting: “…she’s become one of the world’s leading proponents of the toy piano.”

SURESH SINGARATNAM is a trumpeter of uncommon breadth- unique not only for the small crowd he inhabits as a virtuoso of both classical and jazz styles but also for the continuity and clarity of his voice across both idioms. Torontonian by way of Zambia (where he was born) and the U.K., Singaratnam boasts a background that defies classification as nimbly as his artistic taste. In 2009 he launched a dual album release that spoke to his classical mastery and his jazz innovation.