ALTERED STATES, Concert for Peace and more Set for Fulcrum Point New Music Project's 15th Anniversary Season

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Marking its 15th Anniversary this year, Chicago's Fulcrum Point New Music Project has grown into a critically acclaimed ensemble performing adventurous contemporary classical music programs in a variety of Chicago area venues. In 2013, Fulcrum Point continues this tradition with a wide ranging season including a performance with 100-member orchestra of the John Corigliano film score, "Altered States," accompanying the film screening, April 23, in honor of the composer's 75th birthday year, along with presenting a free Concert for Peace in the Pritzker Pavillion at Millennium Park with special guest artists, sarod virtuoso Soumik Datta and the Chicago Children's Choir, September 11.

"Our 15th season features the complete spectrum of new art music from emerging young composers, international jazz and contemporary artists, the best of film sound tracks, and electro-acoustic music with contemporary dance. Celebrating our partnerships with the City of Chicago, The Poetry Foundation, The Merit Music School, Thodos Dance Chicago and The Peace School, our 2013 season is brimming with collaborations, multi-media events, and educational programs," said Stephen Burns, Founder & Artistic Director of Fulcrum Point New Music Project.

Expanding on its popular Movie Music programs, featuring live orchestration of film scene scores, Fulcrum Point is proud to present, with 100-member orchestra, the complete film score and screening of Ken Russell's 1980 science fiction classic, "Altered States," scored by modern master John Corigliano as part of a special citywide 75th birthday celebration for the composer. Corigliano, who was nominated for a Best Music, Original Score Academy Award for his work on "Altered States," is expected to be in attendance for this special one-night-only event at the Harris Theatre for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Street, Tuesday, April 23, at 7 pm.

John Corigliano, who officially turned 75 on February 16, 2013, is one of America's most widely acclaimed composers. Among his many distinctions are the Pulitzer Prize in Music, awarded in 2001 for his Symphony No. 2; the Academy Award for his score to the 1999 film "The Red Violin," four Grammy awards (including three for Best Contemporary Composition) and the Grawemeyer Award for his Symphony No. 1. Among his notable works are seven Concerti, three Symphonies, and his 1991 opera The Ghosts of Versailles (commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera).

The Fulcrum Point performance is the centerpiece of a citywide celebration of Corigliano's work, which also includes programming by Chicago Chamber Musicians and PianoForte. This concert is presented in part thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts, the Elizabeth Cheney Foundation and Columbia College Chicago.

Fulcrum Point continues its annual Concert for Peace programming themed around international music written about and/or for peace, this year at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. As part of an international exchange collaboration, the works on this program will showcase compositions by South Asian composers, including the World Premiere of "Shanti," a commission by Indian-born, Chicago-based percussionist Kalyan Pathak for Fulcrum Point with special guests, young pop British sarod artist Soumik Datta and the Chicago Children's Choir. Pathak's work will conclude the program and invite the audience to participate utilizing dozens of tuned gongs positioned throughout the Pavilion. A sampling of work by acclaimed contemporary Indian composer Param Vir will also be on the program, providing a "sneak preview" of a Vir commission Fulcrum Point will debut in 2014, blending Indian and contemporary classical music. The composer will be in Chicago working with Datta and other Birmingham-based artists for ten days in September as part of a MacArthur Foundation International Connections grant, also incorporating public workshops.

The 'Altered States' film score presentation and Concert for Peace are but two of Fulcrum Point's programs in 2013. Following, in chronological order, is the season to date, including the company's important outreach activities:

· Fulcrum Point Goes Ivy League: Princeton is the second annual concert in a three-year series celebrating music and poetry from artists with affiliations to Ivy League universities. The free concert takes place at the Poetry Foundation, 61 West Superior Street, Wednesday, February 27, at 7 p.m. and showcases the works of four composers and poets with ties to Princeton University: Steven Mackey, Paul Lansky, Andy Akiho, and Andrea Mazzariello, and poetry by Paul Muldoon, Susan Wheeler, Michael Dickman, and this year's Pulitzer Prize winner, Tracy K. Smith.

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