Chamber Choir The Crossing Premieres David Lang's 'Statement to the Court'

Philadelphia, PA -- Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang's Statement to the Court will receive its world premiere performance by the Philadelphia-based chamber choir The Crossing on Sunday, June 27 at Philadelphia's Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. The piece, commissioned by the performers as part of The Levine Project, is the first of a three-part cycle of new works based on or inspired by the work of American poet Philip Levine. Statement to the Court serves as the featured piece in a program including works by Bo Holten, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Arvo Pärt, and John Tavener. It is based on Eugene Debs' statement to the court after he was convicted of violating the Sedition Act in 1918.

Prolific, enthusiastic and complicated, David Lang embodies the restless spirit of invention. Lang is deeply versed in the classical tradition while simultaneously determined to make music that resists categorization, constantly working with new forms. In the recent words of The New Yorker, "With his winning of the Pulitzer Prize for the little match girl passion (one of the most original and moving scores of recent years), Lang, once a postminimalist enfant terrible, has solidified his standing as an American master."

Many of Lang’s pieces resemble each other only in the fierce intelligence and clarity of vision that inform their structures. His catalogue is extensive, and his opera, orchestra, chamber and solo works are by turns ominous, ethereal, urgent, hypnotic, unsettling and funky. Gaining popularity as a film composer as well, Lang recently completed the score for C. Scott Willis' documentary feature The Woodmans, which premiered and won top honors at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival in the World Documentary Feature Competition.

The concert is the first in the Month of Moderns festival presented by The Crossing. Conducted by Donald Nally, The Crossing is the winner of the 2009 ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventuresome Programming and was singled out as "Philadelphia's Best Chorus" by Philadelphia Inquirer critic David Patrick Stearns. For more information, visit www.crossingchoir.com.

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For additional information about David Lang or to receive press tickets, please contact:

Amanda Ameer

First Chair Promotion

e. amanda@firstchairpromo.com

ph. 212.368.5949



For additional information about The Crossing, please contact:

Jeff Dinsmore

The Crossing

e. Jeff@Crossingchoir.com

t. 609.828.2877