Thursday, November 6, 2008, at 7:00 pm

Manhattan Theatre Club Creative Center, Studio 1 (on the 8th Floor)
311 West 43rd St. between Eighth and Ninth Avenues (see map)
New York City

Duo LiveOak:
Nancy Knowles, mezzo-soprano, poet
Frank Wallace, baritone, guitarist/lutenist, composer

Outside the Box in the 21st Century: Creator/Performers in a New Era
A Lecture-Demonstration

Nancy Knowles and Frank Wallace will share the secrets of their fruitful collaboration as poet and composer in their contemporary guitar song duo as well as the lessons they bring to their compositions from decades of performing ancient music.

In the Renaissance era, easier access to written music brought by the printing press contributed to the greatest flowering ever of art song with plucked strings, culminating in the works of John Dowland. As then, the classical music world today is in a period of transformation, fueled also by unprecedented access to music of all kinds. The magical musical union of voice and guitar has captured listeners' hearts since time immemorial. In the 21st century it still dominates in all genres of the popular music world. After centuries of preeminence of the piano as accompaniment in the art song world, the time is ripe for a rediscovery of singing to the guitar.
The music of tomorrow is being created today by performers and composers willing to take risks, championing their own creativity and flexibility. With live examples, Duo LiveOak will share a remarkable thirty year journey through ten centuries of music as pioneers in singing to the guitar.

NYCCGS Meetings are free and open to all members and first-time guests.