David Byrne hosts and curates an evening of music and performance in celebration of his book How Music Works , his incisive and enthusiastic look at the musical art form.
Byrne explores how music shapes the human experience, examining how we create it, distribute it and consume it, and adds a new chapter on the subject of Digital Curation. âTo celebrate this new edition, I will act as impresario at a music-related variety show - human curation in action. Iâll introduce you to some amazing performers that inspire me! This event will include all sorts of performance:Â music, of course, but also theater, dance, science and humor... and more.â
First published in 2012, How Music Works has inspired a number of staged events hosted by Byrne. The Town Hall showcase for the 2017 edition will be the first since the bookâs original publication to feature live performances.
THIS IS HOW MUSIC WORKS
FEATURING
B ATAL ĂĄ N E w Y ORK
B ATTLEFE s T F LE x DANCER s
N ORTH C OA s T I MPRO v G ROUP
B ROOKLYN T ECHNICAL H IGH sCHOOLâs
L ADY D RAGON s sTEP TEAM
F LOYD L ITTLE âs D OUBLE D UTCH
PAUL L AZAR âs C AGE sHUFFLE
P EACE I NDU s TRY M U s IC G ROUP
ALEx HAWTHORNE, Sound Engineer
LILA NEUGEBAUER, Director
LEEANN ROSSI, Producer
STEPH SMITH, Assistant Stage Manager
KEN TRAVIS, Sound Design
MEGHAN WILLIAMS, Stage Manager
GABE WOOD, Monitor Engineer
THE TOWN HALL 123 W 43rd st nyc
LARRY ZUCKER, Executive Director M.A. PAPPER, Artistic Director
CINDY BYRAM, Publicity
BILL DEHLING, technical director
CHUCK DISHIAN, Production coordinator
B ATAL ĂĄ N E w Y ORK
BatalĂĄ is an all woman afro percussion group based in the Bronx. The music of BatalĂĄ originates in Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil. The first representation of BatalĂĄ in New York City was born in 2012.
batalanewyork.love |
B ATTLEFE s T F LE x DANCER s
Battlefests are events in which flex dancers compete and the audience votes. Flex dancing is choreographed drama: guns battle, bones break, and hearts are ripped from chests. Battlefests feature a wide variety of dance styles from dancers of all races, ages and genders. They use dance to illustrate their everyday lives and their inner aspirations. Dancers jump into beautiful and imaginative dream logic and feats of daring: monsters roam train cars, young lovers meet, souls fly from bodies.
battlefestleague.com |
N ORTH C OA s T I MPRO v G ROUP
North Coastâs performances are based around a single suggestion from an audience member, from which the showâs improvised scenes escalate into full-blown hip-hop songs. North Coast frequently blurs the line between comedy show and concert, drawing audiences from the comedy, hiphop, and theater communities for an experience that has been hailed as âmind-blowingâ and ânext levelâ by critics and audiences alike.
northcoastnyc.com | Photo c/o skaorimprov
B ROOKLYN T ECHNICAL H IGH sCHOOLâs
L ADY D RAGON s sTEP T EAM
The Lady Dragons Step Team epitomizes class, style and ferocity. This so-sweet group of Lady Dragons consists of warm and loving young ladies from various backgrounds, cultures and neighborhoods, but they all come together to keep the beat in the heart of Brooklyn Technical High School. Donât confuse them with dancers or cheerleaders! Theyâll show you EXACTLY who they are; âWe Are the Steppers of Brooklyn Tech!â.
bths.edu | Photo c/o New York Social Diary
Photo c/o BatalĂĄ New York
Photo c/o John Harrison
F LOYD L ITTLE âs D OUBLE D UTCH
FloydLittleâs Double Dutch Inc. has developed world-class and award-winning jumpers and garnered thousands of followers. With over twenty years in the sport of double dutch these dedicated founders, Laila Little and Shaquannah Floyd, have started a movement. Their mission is to use double dutch as a tool to empower youth through education, healthy living and personal development.
fldoubledutch.com | Photo c/o Jessica Naudziunas and Gareth Smith
PAUL L AZAR âs C AGE sHUFFLE
In Cage Shuffle , Paul Lazar speaks a series of one-minute stories by John Cage from his 1963 score Indeterminacy while simultaneously performing choreography by Annie-B Parson. The stories are spoken in a random order, with no predetermined relationship to the dancing. Chance serves up its inevitable blend of strange and uncanny connections between text and movement.
bigdancetheater.org | Photo c/o Ian Douglas
P EACE I NDU s TRY M U s IC G ROUP
Peace Industry Music Group is headed by John Boyd, accomplished singer, composer, and music director. Peace Industry Music Group is a unique ensemble of singers and musicians from different nationalities. The music performed by Peace Industry Music Group is a diverse blend of gospel, classical, opera, standards, jazz, spirituals and pop. The ensemble performs mainly in the Minton Tile Arcade, next to Bethesda Fountain in Central Park.
peaceindustrymusicgroup.com | Photo c/o Peace Industry Music Group
A BOUT H ow M usic works
How Music Works is David Byrneâs incisive and enthusiastic look at the musical art form, from its very inceptions to the influences that shape it, whether acoustical, economic, social or technological. Utilizing his incomparable career and inspired collaborations with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and many others, Byrne taps deeply into his lifetime of knowledge to explore the panoptic elements of music, how it shapes the human experience, and reveals the impetus behind how we create, consume, distribute, and enjoy the songs, symphonies, and rhythms that provide the backbeat of life. Byrneâs magnum opus uncovers ever-new and thrilling realizations about the redemptive liberation that music brings us all.
How Music Works is published by The Crown Publishing Group | Penguin Random House Photo: CATALINA KULCZAR
sUsTAINING MEMBERs
Anonymous Donor*
Mr. & Mrs. Louis R. Aidala*
Robert Altschuler*
Sofia Annunziata
Jody & John Arnhold**
Phyllis Putter Barasch**
Howard Berman**
Nancy & Evan Berman*
Susan Bershad, MD**
Jane Eisner Bram*
Pat Brown & Steven Rifkind*
Colin Burns
Ralph Buultjens**
Alexander Callender**
Marcy & Leona Chanin Fdtn.**
Gloria & Irwin Cohen*
Marvin Cohen*
Judith & Michael Cohn**
William Costigan
Shaun Denkensohn*
Robert Dwyer
Betty Ellerin*
Robert E. Evanson**
Scott Evenbeck*
Hazel & Russel Fershleiser*
Eugene J.T. Flanagan**
Carol Foti
Dr. Charlotte Frank & Marvin Leffler**
Matthew Frank**
Michael & Anne Frank-Shapiro*
Adrienne Frosch*
David Fuchs*
Carmen Gaito
Yvette Geary & Robert Astrowsky*
Michele Gerstel
Carol & Arthur Goldberg**
Eileen Goldblatt
*$500-999 **$1,000 +
Goldfarb & Fleece*
Dori Fromer & Harley Frank*
David Fuchs*
Michele Gerstel
Barbara Gottlieb*
Patricia Green**
Susan & Neil Greenberg**
Agnes Gund**
Fran & Richard Habib*
Jill Handelsman Foundation*
Dina Merrill & Ted Hartley*
Elizabeth & Dale Hemmerdinger**
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald E. Hoffman*
Sandy & Alfred Horowitz*
Cathy Hull & Neil Janovic*
Fern Hurst**
Dr. Elizabeth Iannizzi**
The IV Fund**
Henry Johansson*
Robert M. Kaufman*
Elbrun Kimmelman**
Eric Krasnoff*
Paul Kronish*
John Kuehn
Theodore C. Lambert*
Jacqueline & Bruce Leffler**
Daniel Lewis**
Jay Lewis**
Paul Libin**
Local One, IATSE*
Arthur L. Loeb*
Colleen Lynch
Richard Maidman**
Carol Marks & Tom Wirtshafter**
Karl Marquardt
Pamela Milam*
Paul Z. Miles**
Andrew Miltenberg*
Isaac Mizrahi*
Alfred L. Morse & Annette S. Morse Fdtn.*
Nobuko Narita*
Warren Nicholson*
Dorinda J. Oliver**
Betsy & Stanley Parman**
Catherine Patterson
Doris & Martin Payson*
Catherine Randolph*
Robert Rene*
Kenneth Rock & Roberta Glenn*
Rita Robbins**
Kathleen Rosenberg**
Zita Rosenthal*
Rhoda Rothkopf*
Robert Safron**
Roberta Schechter*
Roberta Schleicher*
Howard Schliff
Linda Senat*
Brian T. Shea**
Susan & Victor Shedlin**
Melanie Shorin**
Connie Silver*
Clarissa Singer*
Shamina Singh*
Robie Spector*
Paige & Nevin Steinberg**
Judy & Michael Steinhardt Foundation**
Ruth Unger**
Nancy Whitson-Rubin
Christine Williams
Robert F. Wright**
David Zaza
Zegar Family Foundation*
Susan Zohn**
MAJOR GIFTs, CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & GOvERNMENT sUPPORT
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with The City Council. We would like to thank the following foundations, corporations, and government institutions for their support:
Achelis and Bodman Foundation
The Actors Fund
Affiliated Advisors
Bank of America
Bruce Weber and Nan Bush Foundation
Charina Endowment Fund
Cohn Foundation
Consolidated Edison Company of New York
Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation
Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation
Ernst & Young
Robert Evanson
Ford Foundation
Dr. Charlotte K. Frank
Garber Atlas Fries & Associates
Anne and Gordon Getty Foundation
New York City Council Member, Daniel Garodnick
John Gore/Key Brand Entertainment
William T. Grant Foundation
Harkness Foundation for Dance
The Hearst Foundations, Inc.
Hurst Foundation
Hyde and Watson Foundation
Israel Consulate
Jewish Communal Fund
JP Morgan Chase
Jujamcyn Theaters
Edythe Kenner Foundation
Lewis QVC Trust
Local One
S&P Global
Mex-Am Cultural Foundation
Morgan Stanley
Nash Family Foundation
Nederlander Organization
Nelson Foundation
Nesenoff & Miltenberg, LLP
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council
New York State Council on the Arts
Henry Nias Foundation
Pinkerton Foundation
PwC
Reed Foundation
Rudin Foundation
Shubert Foundation
The Shubert Organization, Inc.
John Ben Snow Memorial Trust
Theatre Refreshments
Ticketmaster
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
Joyce and George Wein Foundation, Inc.
Wenner Foundation
West New York Restoration Project
Zegar Family Foundation
Susan Zohn
John Ben Snow Memorial Trust
Theatre Refreshments
Ticketmaster
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
Joyce and George Wein Foundation, Inc.
Wenner Foundation
West New York Restoration Project
Zegar Family Foundation
Susan Zohn
Pamela and Richard Rubinstein Foundation
Town Hall has played an integral part in the electrifying cultural fabric of New York City for more than 90 years. A group of Suffragistsâ fight for the 19th Amendment led them to build a meeting space to educate people on the important issues of the day. During its construction, the 19th Amendment was passed, and on January 12, 1921 The Town Hall opened its doors and took on a double meaning: as a symbol of the victory sought by its founders, and as a spark for a new, more optimistic climate. In 1921, German composer Richard strauss performed a series of concerts that cemented the Hallâs reputation as an ideal venue for musical performances. Since, Town Hall has been home to countless musical milestones: The US debuts of strauss, and Isaac stern; Marian Andersonâs first New York recital; in 1945, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker introduced bebop to the world; Bob Dylanâs first major concert in â63; and much much more.
THE TOwN HALL FOUNDATION
The Town Hallâs mission is to provide affordable world-class entertainment by new and established artists to a diverse audience; to inspire the youth of our community to appreciate and participate in the arts at The Town Hall and in schools through our Educational Outreach Program; and to preserve and enhance The Town Hall as a historic landmark venue for the enjoyment and cultural enrichment of generations to come.
BOARD OF TRUsTEEs
President
Tom M. Wirtshafter
vice President
Alfred H. Horowitz
vice President
Bruce S. Leffler
TRUsTEEs
Phyllis Putter Barasch
Robert E. Evanson
Anne Frank-Shapiro
Alfred H. Horowitz
Henry Johansson
Ted Lambert
Bruce S. Leffler
Marvin Leffler
Walter Melvin
Andrew T. Miltenberg
Honorable Milton Mollen
Rita Robbins
Nevin Steinberg
Tom Wirtshafter
Susan Zohn
LIFE TRUsTEEs
Leona Chanin
Eugene J.T. Flanagan
Claire G. Miller
Robert F. Wright
THE TOwN HALL sTAFF
Executive Director
Lawrence C. Zucker
Artistic Director
M.A. Papper
Director of Administration, subscriptions & Membership
Helen Morris
Director of Development
Jacqueline Maddox
Arts Education Program Director
Emma Klauber
Publicist
Cindy Byram
Publicist, Broadway by the YearÂź
Sam Morris
Treasurer
Andrew T. Miltenberg
secretary
Phyllis Putter Barasch
President Emeritus
Marvin Leffler
ADvIsORY COUNCIL
Kathleen Rosenberg, Chair
Nancy Berman
Shauna Denkensohn
Sandy Horowitz
Fern Hurst
Elizabeth Iannizzi
Claire Miller
Zita Rosenthal
Rhoda Rothkopf
ARTs IN EDUCATION ADvIsORY COUNCIL
Dr. Charlotte K. Frank, Chair
Michael Fram
Dr. Sharon Dunn
Gary Hecht
Ernest Logan
Dr. Lisa Mars
Dr. Eloise Messineo
Dr. Pola Rosen
Leona Shapiro
Manuel Urena
George Young
Digital Media Manager
Maya Shanker
Development Assistant
Sara Minisquero
Administrative Assistant
Britni Montalbano
Chief Engineer
Steve Franqui
Box Office Manager
Angel Rodriguez
House Manager
Richard Looney
Technical Director
Bill Dehling
Designer
Leia-lee Doran
wARNING
The photographing or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographing or sound recording inside the theatre without the written permission of the management is prohibited by law. Violators may be punished by ejection and violations may render the offender liable for monetary damages.
FIRE NOTICE
The exit indicated by a red light and sign nearest to the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of fire or other emergency please do not run, WALK TO THAT EXIT. Thoughtless persons annoy patrons and endanger the safety of others by lighting matches or smoking in prohibited areas during the performances and intermissions. This violates a city ordinance and is punishable by law.
-FIRE COMMIssIONER
DIRECTORY OF THEATRE sERvICEs
ADMINIsTRATIvE OFFICEs: 212.997.1003
Mon-Fri 9:30 am to 5 pm, for rental & membership info BOx OFFICE: 212.840.2824
Mon-Sat 12 noon to 6pm. 24/7 Recording
TICKETMAsTER: 800.982.2787 to charge tickets by phone.online Ticketmaster.com
LOsT AND FOUND: 212.997.0113
CELL PHONE POLICY
Cell phones should be silenced prior to the performance as a courtesy to the performers and audience.
Lobby Refreshment by Theatre Refreshment Company of NY
