Program and PErformer Bios for New Music at the Green MIll, 5/4/25

Hello friends! I'm excited to host another New Music at the Green Mill concert on Sunday, May 4, 2025, 4:00 pm. All concert details, including performer bios, are below!

Sunday, May 4, 2025

4:00 PM

New Music at the Green Mill

4802 N Broadway

Chicago, IL 60640

$10 cover at the door

Facebook Event Page

Concert Program:

Flannau Duo Music for Amplified Toy Pianos John Cage

Jonathan Hannau, piano

Kyle Flens, percussion

Jonathan Hannau, piano Soundings George Flynn

Wurtz-Berger Duo The Maloik* Amos Gillespie

Alyson Berger, cello

Amy Wurtz, piano

Shi-An Costello, piano Etudes, Op. 10 (selections) F. Chopin

The Occident, a world in decline Shi-An Costello

      (selections, work in progress)

Mo Ryan, soprano An April Pastoral Eleanor Everest Freer

Amy Wurtz, piano Greyday B.E. Boykin

Stars Samuel Coleridge Taylor

I’m a Person Too Leonard Bernstein

Alex Reyes, piano Cycles 5: Tango Amy Wurtz

Ballroom Suite: Tango Amy Wurtz

Duma-Tango Alex Reyes

Airan Wright, bassoon Weaving (Grieving, Believing) Daniel Thatcher

Daniel Thatcher, bass

Marianne Parker, piano Arôme Musical Grifants

Pages intimes, II. Melancholie Edmund Saintonge

Amy Wurtz, piano and still it drips Whitney E. George

Marianne Parker, piano Postcards of Dreadlock Marc Mellits

Amy Wurtz, piano       III. Chicago, October, 2013

PERFORMER BIOS:

The Flannau Duo ( Flens+Hannau ) is a dynamic, new music loving, tour-de-force ensemble combining piano, percussion, electronics, improvisation, and absurdism. Flannau Duo is: pianist Jonathan Hannau and percussionist Kyle Flens. Jon and Kyle first performed together as part of the 2021 Thirsty Ears Festival. Shortly after they schemed to create an official identity for themselves solely out of puns and hybrid names. The duo takes pride in eclectic programming, not adhering to any specific musical aesthetic. Flannau Duo performs in the Chicago area and beyond exploring a multitude of sounds, styles, and moods from composers and artists from every musical corner. The duo is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas and is endorsed by Pearl Drums & Adams Percussion Instruments. Flannau Duo was funded in 2023 by a DCASE Individual Artist Grant.

George Flynn  has performed and organized concerts of new music in a variety of New York City and Chicago venues.  He has composed works in all media, from solos to orchestral works,  and has recorded for Turnabout, ATCO, Finnadar, Titanic, Wounded Bird and Southport labels.  LP recordings include his own music as well as works by John Cage, Charles Ives, Olivier Messiaen and Jan Akkerman (a member of the Dutch group Focus), and CD recordings include many works of his own.   Flynn received his academic degrees from Columbia University, New York City, and taught at Columbia and Lehmann College (CUNY) as well DePaul University (Chicago).  As a pianist Flynn has performed and recorded new music for many years in the US and Europe.

Amos Gillespie's music has been described as “well-crafted work in the vein of American Classical” by Chicago Classical Review and “upbeat and modern, with accessible accents” by Jazz Weekly. His music has been heard on WFMT and WDCB in Chicago, WQXR in New York City and on PBS. His work spans a wide range of genres including chamber and orchestra concert music, jazz, as well as music for film, theater and dance. His music has been commissioned and performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Black Oak Ensemble, Kaia String Quartet, Attacca Woodwind Quintet, Yarn/Wire, Lakeshore Rush, Barkada Saxophone Quartet, Access Contemporary Music (ACM) and the Chicago Composers Orchestra, among others. He was recently awarded a Fulbright Specialist grant to teach and perform at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary. During this visit he performed music from his recent album, “Unstructured Time”, along with other faculty originals and standards. Additionally, music he wrote that was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Emil Bach House is now included in the PBS series, Songs About Buildings and Moods. As a saxophonist he has performed with artists like Gustavo Cortinas, Angelo Hart, Joel Styzens and Taimur Sullivan, and has performed live on WFMT, WGN, the Pritzker Pavilion and the Green Mill among others. He has two minors in piano performance, a MM in composition and a BM in saxophone performance. He currently teaches at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Shi-An Costello

Described as “steely and granitic… dreamy and sensitive …a tour de force…” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), pianist Shi-An Costello has trailblazed a path truly unique with repertoire that spans the aesthetic sensibilities of four centuries, from J.S. Bach to Morton Feldman, from Frederic Chopin to Brian Ferneyhough. In recent years, Mr. Costello has appeared in recital with members of Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Toronto, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Winnipeg, Honolulu, and Thunder Bay Symphonies, the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, and the Musical Pathways Initiative of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In his youth, Costello was a piano and theory student under Vladimir Leyetchkiss, one of the last pupils of the legendary Heinrich Neuhaus, and a trombone student under Richard Schmitt, former principal of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. A versatile musician-composer, Shi-An's music has been described as “in such spare textures and hushed dynamics, the smallest development seems seismic” (Chicago Classical Review) and “...unafraid of deep ambiguities.” (The Reader) Costello's music tends towards the idea of ‘transcription,’ real and imaginary, and the failed attempts to recover lost or forgotten sound, touching on thematic ideas like existentialism, race/ethnicity, and the natural world.  Former faculty of Boston Conservatory at Berklee and New Music School, Costello currently teaches a small private studio in Chicago.

The Wurtz-Berger Duo, Alyson Berger and Amy Wurtz, have been part of Chicago's new music community for over a decade.  After years of crossing paths on various concerts they decided to combine their talents to perform the contemporary music of this classic duo of instruments. Their mission is to expand the repertoire for cello/piano and to support living composers through performing and recording their works.  

Alex Reyes is a pianist and aspiring archivist. As a musician he has performed throughout Chicago at venues such as Fourth Presbyterian Church, the Chicago Public Library, and now the Green Mill! His repertoire highlights a wide variety of styles including tangos, jazz, Ukrainian folk music and new classical music. His interests in history and preservation have led him to complete a seasonal internship at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as volunteer work at the Leather Archives and Museum. He recently moved to Champaign-Urbana and is hoping to pursue a Masters Degree in Library Science.

Mo Maceluch goes by many names and many genres. This vocalist is primarily a soprano trained in the 20th century style, with a BA in Commercial Music, and an MA in Vocal Pedagogy as of May 16th this year, this musician has fallen for Chicago. Working closely with the NEIU opera department as well as teaching voice with the Chicago School of Bandura in the Ukrainian Village, Mo is busy in bands and ensembles throughout the city. You can see Mo perform at venues with the funk band Boomerangatang and/or the psychedelic rock band Mystic Mulberry this Summer.

Airan Wright is an accomplished woodwind doubler and visual artist based in Evanston, Illinois. He studied music at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, receiving performance degrees in both bassoon and saxophone, before moving to the Midwest with a rock band. He performs and records regularly with an eclectic range of groups including Mucca Pazza, Big Shoulders Brass Band, and Origin of Animal. His woodwind quintet Ravenswood Winds prominently displays his cross-genre approach to composition and performance in their show “Ravenswood Winds Play Radiohead” by fusing classical sensibilities with modern rock techniques. Outside of musician life, Airan is an illustrator, filmmaker, and sushi chef — his sushi is edible, not beautiful.

Daniel Thatcher is a bassist/composer/improviser based in Chicago. His versatility and wide range of musical sensibility has lead him to be a mainstay in Chicago's diverse music scene for nearly 20 years. Equally comfortable in the realms of jazz and improvised music, classical, musical theater, pop/rock, and experimental music, he floats freely.

He thrives as a bandleader, composing and presenting his ensembles Waterwheel and Storytime Trio, as well as his continuously evolving solo work. The latter is represented by his recording Playing Favorites, released on ears&eyes Records. As a sideman he has worked with a wide array of Chicago's luminaries, performing locally on stages small and large.

Daniel's broad interests also include extensive training in the healing arts, such as Tai Chi, Yoga, and massage therapy, practicing and/or teaching them alongside keeping a busy performance schedule.

Always seeking to draw parallels between the arts and wellness, Daniel is also trained as a Certified Music Practitioner, providing therapeutic music in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Marianne Parker

Praised for her “sympathetic fingers offering well-sculpted phrases and impassioned pealing” (Chicago Classical Review), pianist Marianne Parker is known for her vibrant interpretations and commitment to contemporary music. A dedicated collaborator and educator, she curates innovative projects that highlight underrepresented voices and currently serves on the faculty at the Chicago Academy for the Arts.

Composer Marc Mellits is one of the leading American composers of his generation, enjoying hundreds of performances throughout the world every year, making him one of the most performed living composers in the United States.  From Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, to prestigious music festivals in Europe and the US, Mellits’ music is a constant mainstay on programs throughout the world.  His unique musical style is an eclectic combination of driving rhythms, soaring lyricism, and colorful orchestrations that all combine to communicate directly with the listener.  Mellits' music is often described as being visceral, making a deep connection with the audience.  “This was music as sensual as it was intelligent; I saw audience members swaying, nodding, making little motions with their hands” (New York Press).  He started composing very early, and was writing piano music long before he started formal piano lessons at age 6.  He went on to study at the Eastman School of Music, Yale School of Music, Cornell University, and Tanglewood.  Mellits often is a miniaturist, composing works that are comprised of short, contrasting movements or sections.  His music is eclectic, all-encompassing, colorful, and always has a sense of forward motion.

Amy Wurtz

A fervent advocate for new music and the community that surrounds and supports it, Amy Wurtz is a vibrant performer, composer, and curator of new music.

Amy developed a program for Women's History Month, performing 31 pieces on each day of March, to celebrate women composers. Her 2024 album, Touching Rapture, with the Wurtz-Berger Duo and supported by Chicago's DCASE IAP grant, features Amy’s work Chambers alongside works by 3 other American women composers. Originally from California, Amy has lived and worked in the Bay Area, Southern California, throughout the Midwest, South America and Europe. In addition to composing and curation, she is in demand as a solo pianist, chamber and choral musician, teacher, and collaborative pianist. She has won support from the Illinois Arts Council, New Music Chicago, and Ravinia's Breaking Barriers Festival.

Amy performs regularly with the Wurtz-Berger Duo, Access Contemporary Music, the Calumet Chamber Musicians, and as former President of New Music Chicago and current Curatorial Director of the Ear Taxi Festival, is an active force in the new music community. She curates New Music at the Green Mill and the Impromptu Fest, and performs regularly at the Thirsty Ears Festival and the Sound of Silent Film Festival in Chicago. She conducts and performs with the Sounds Good and Good Memories choirs where she works with singers age 55 and better who experience memory loss.