The Black Sheep Contemporary Ensemble, a collective exploring unconventional and unexpected music based out of Manhattan, will bring “From the Sea to the Stars: Music of the World” to Our Saviors Atonement Lutheran Church from 7:30-9 p.m. on Dec. 4. This will be the ensemble’s first concert of the 2026–2027 season.
The concert will feature the clarinet in an array of styles with performances from clarinetists Nicole DeMaio and Bradley Frizzell and pianist Jixue Yang. Pieces like “Sea of Reeds” by Gerald Cohen, “In a Deep Funk” by Daniel Dorrif, “AdZel” by Mohammed Fairouz, “The Solitude of Stars” by Stacy Garrop and more will be performed.
What started as a tuba and bass clarinet duo expanded into a large collective of musicians that became the BSCE. The BSCE was founded in Boston in 2016 and has since created collaborative and educational events for people and artists of many mediums and ages. The group relocated to New York City in 2019, giving performances across the New York and New Jersey area since.
BSCE collaborates on projects with artists of different genres and disciplines beyond music. Dancers, visual artists and poets are encouraged to collaborate as equal partners with BSCE through projects that emphasize experimentation.
DeMaio, a woodwind specialist, composer and music educator originally from Bogotá, Colombia will perform alongside Frizzell and Yang at the concert. DeMaio plays the flute, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, oboe and other world flutes. She most recently appeared in Off-Broadway production “My Joy Is Heavy” at New York Theatre Workshop as an actor and musician. DeMaio has also recently performed at “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” a sold-out show at King’s Theater with Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts and has appeared with artists like Gloria Gaynor, Bruce Springsteen and more.
New York City-based clarinetist and educator Frizzell specializes in Bb, Eb and bass clarinet. Most recently, Frizzell toured the county as the clarinetist for the national tour of “Fiddler on The Roof.” He started a studio for clarinet students of all ages and abilities after teaching at Woodwinds at Wallowa Lake, Summer Camps at UO and the Boston Woodwind Studio. Frizzell has also been the clarinetist and Community Outreach Coordinator for BSCE since 2017.
Pianist, educator and producer specializing in classical and contemporary classical music, Yang was born in China and is currently based out of New York City. Yang is the first Chinese citizen admitted to the Contemporary Performance Program at Manhattan School of Music. She has performed across the US, China, Germany and the Netherlands, fostering dialogue between Eastern and Western artistic traditions.
Yang is also a founding member of Apply Triangle, an electroacoustic ensemble aimed towards collaborative creation and the development of new works. The ensemble released a three-volume album Oxalis Triangularis, a thirty-three composition project. She also created imUnsure, a project featuring six works by East Asian women composers. Presented in New York, Houston and Indiana, the project received support from Houston Arts Alliance, Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival and THE BLANC Gallery.
Tickets can be purchased here and will be available at the door.
Bluesky Discussion
View on BlueskyNo replies yet. Be the first to comment on Bluesky!
Comments are closed.