MIDTOWN — A music festival with more than 100 participating composers descends on Manhattan Friday.
SONiC - Sounds of a New Century - is a nine-day festival celebrating a wide variety of musical genres from composers under 40 years old. From electronic to classical, jazz to indie rock, the festival aims to sample the diverse sounds that today’s musicians are exploring.
"We are hoping to shine an honest light on the spirit of the times," said co-curator and pianist Stephen Gosling.
The festival will feature music from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and The National's Bryce Dessner. While some tickets sell for up to $50, these are also free events, including a concert on Oct. 22 at the World Financial Center Winter Garden, where Dessner will perform. The 11 venues for the festival are as diverse as the music, from Carnegie Hall in Midtown to Joe's Pub in NoHo.
The festival is drawing an international contingency from countries such as Australia, Portugal and China. For Gosling New York is the ideal city for a festival such as SONiC.
"I think that the music is richer here then anywhere else, certainly than any other American city," he said.
Richard Carrick is a Manhattan-based composer who will perform a piece inspired by Islamic mosaic art and North African culture called "the Flow Trio:'à cause du soleil.'"
"There is something there that is happening, so rather then making a specific statement I just let it exist,” said Carrick, 40, about piece, which is for a string ensemble.
Carrick moved to New York City to study at Columbia University in 1989. After he graduated he moved to Europe, only to return here in 2004 when he sensed the city's atmosphere had changed. It had become a place were Carrick felt he could really experiment with his music.
"I absolutely love New York,” he said. “It is so vibrant all the time. There is no other city that keeps you going in such an intense way.”
Normally composers seek solitude to create their masterpieces, according to Carrick. But he prefers the noise of the city.
"That is not the type of composer I am," he said. "[My work] gets fueled by all the experience of living in the city."
A Tudor City resident, Carrick said SONiC and his music would most likely appeal to an audience which don’t shy away from something new.
"We are asking a lot from the audience and the audience is going to get a lot out of it in return,” said Carrick.
For more information on the SONiC visit the festival's website.
