CMS Improvisors Orchestra Series at Kingston, NY

THE CMS IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA (CIO)

Visiting Artists at the Creative Music Studio in the 1970s have pioneered an innovative way of blending the sounds of improvising musicians in orchestral settings, guided by the first director of CMS Karl Berger. Many concepts of improvisational orchestras spread from there to New York and around the world. CMS cultivated the original concepts in hundreds of concerts featuring mostly veteran musicians from avant rock and world music as well as jazz and classical scenes in the greater New York area conducted by Karl Berger.

The CIO performances typically start with a rehearsal that is open to the public in which the conductor works with the group on sound, dynamics and deep listening, enabling audiences to listen in. Audiences can see how the conductor shapes the sound and feel of the group and how it inspires the musicians to harmonize and blend orchestral sounds in an improvisational setting.

CMS Improvisers Orchestra:

Brass: Chris Pasin, trumpet, Bill Cochran, french horn

Reeds: Peter Apfelbaum (tenor sax), Bill Ylitalo (baritone sax), Chris Knoche (clarinet, soprano sax)

Flutes: Bill Horberg (c-flute), Steve Gorn (bansuri flutes, clarinet)

Strings: Sana Nagano (violin)

Guitar: Wendy Eisenberg

Basses: Michael Bisio, Ken Filiano

Drums: Tani Tabbal

Voice: Ingrid Sertso

Melodica, conducting: Karl Berger

Percussion, conducting: Billy Martin

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MORE about CMS Improvisers Orchestra

CMS and its first artistic director, Karl Berger, have pioneered an innovative way of blending the sounds of improvising musicians in ensemble and orchestral settings. The groups are comprised of leading professional string, horn, reed, vocalists and percussionists who are conducted in live improvised performance. Using Karl Berger’s core ‘music mind’ principles. performances typically start with a rehearsal that is open to the public in which the conductor works with the group on sound, dynamics and deep listening, enabling audiences to listen in. Audiences can see how the conductor shapes the sound and feel of the group and how it inspires the musicians to harmonize and blend orchestral sounds in an improvisational setting. This ensemble of extraordinary improvising soloists explore original themes as well as melodies from the world’s folk traditions and compositions written by legendary improvisers such as Don Cherry or CMS co-founder and guiding spirit, Ornette Coleman. The emphasis lies on musical ideas that arise spontaneously during the performances. The groups can be small ensembles such as a septet or expanded to a chamber orchestra or larger 30 piece or more orchestras. For the 2022 season of concerts in Kingston NY the CIO will have 15 outstanding soloists (brass, reeds, strings, flutes, percussions and voice)

For the 2022 series of concerts in Kingston NY the CIO will not only be conducted by Karl Berger but also by the new director of CMS, percussionist/composer and visual artist Billy Martin.