Champions of the Avant-Garde
George Steel and Miller Theatre Breathe New Life Into New Music
For better or worse, New York is about discovering hidden treasures-—the quietest cafe, that next big band. And Columbia is no different. Whether it be roof hopping or tunnel diving, there persists that desire to experience something unique, if only to share it as your extended circle of closest cool-hunting friends. Unfortunately, this tendency to dig into Columbia’s nether-regions leads students to ignore some of the most prominent resources the university has to offer.
Proceeding north on Broadway, past the Columbia Bookstore, lies what many have come to consider a haven for New York City’s new music scene. New music, as ambiguous as any other wantonly applied genre distinction, is a predominantly unexplored realm of orchestral music that transcends the ill-founded preconceptions of classical music. “New music is medicine,” asserts George Steel, Executive Director of Miller Theatre and one of the rising champions of new and old music alike. “Occasionally people say ‘I don’t like new music,’ but just because you don’t like this piece doesn’t mean you won’t like another piece.” New music encompasses a musical realm beyond the scope of any group of composers or formula, a beautifully ambiguous genre that is continuously stretching and recreating its boundaries.
Steel, recognized in New York Magazine and Time Out New York as a trailblazer, has been running Miller since 1998. His mission, and that of the theatre, is to “develop the next generation of cultural consumers,” the precept behind Steel’s New Music Composer Portrait Series. The series, unique in its approach, stresses the educational value of becoming familiar with the various compositions of one single composer, providing a brief introduction to another facet of the limitless genre of new music.
“The truth is,” Steel admits, “nobody knows about new music. Everybody’s on a level playing field. There’s a real wonderful feeling of everyone learning it at the same time, which is a much more appealing invitation to everybody. Everybody has the same experience with discovery.”
It’s this yearning for discovery, a desire to inspire and create cultural consumers, that has culminated in Steel’s eclectic selection of composers for this semester’s Composer Portrait series. Steel certainly had a goal in mind: “We wanted to make Miller Theatre something unique in New York. It would make Columbia a player in New York’s cultural life, which means not producing concerts like everyone else. We focus on early music and new music, the music of contemporary composers—or slightly dead composers. No one else does Frank Zappa. It’s something that’s perfect for us.” With featured portraits of Zappa, John Zorn, and Steve Reich among others, Steel is most certainly setting Miller Theatre apart.
The musical experimentation doesn’t stop at the selection of composer. In order to execute the performance, Steel employs some of the most exciting, fresh musical groups New York City has to offer. In tomorrow night’s portrait of guitar virtuoso Frank Zappa’s compositions, Miller has commissioned the Fireworks Ensemble, a talented group of musicians in their own right, to interpret and perform the musical icon’s work.
“They [Fireworks Ensemble] are a young, small group,” Steel explains, “interested in blurring the lines between classical music and rock music and seemed like a natural fit for Zappa. It seemed appropriate to have an ensemble that could live in both worlds.” Expect a clash of identities at tomorrow night’s concert, a catastrophic musical explosion the likes of which only Frank Zappa could imagine.
Miller Theatre’s newfound role as pioneer of the avant-garde is hardly limited to the musical realm. The theatre is striving to include more modern dance productions, as well as expanding the theatre as a showcase for some of the most exciting and original play writing in New York. On Feb 23rd and 24th, Miller will be presenting an opera based on David Lynch’s film Lost Highway . “The opera,” as Steel describes it, “is an opera based on David Lynch’s movie of people singing, telling the story of the movie while roughly following its story line. There’ll be an ensemble in the orchestra pit, there will be electronics, and actors and singers on stage.”
With a fresh approach to the world of the avant-garde, Steel hopes not only to open up the ears and minds of the educated elite—the stereotypical theatergoers—but also to foster cultural growth regardless of academic affiliation or musical training. “We [Miller Theatre] are a place where Columbia meets the city. We’re one of the few doors on Broadway that is open.” g