International Contemporary Ensemble Announces New Board Member, Oscar Gerardo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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International Contemporary Ensemble
Announces New Board Member, Oscar Gerardo

www.iceorg.org

New York, NY (October 20, 2021) – The International Contemporary Ensemble welcomes Oscar Gerardo to their Board of Directors. Board President Claude Arpels says, “Oscar Gerardo is the most dedicated music lover I have ever met. He has displayed a strong commitment to new and adventurous music by commissioning work with the Ensemble over the last few years. That combined with his vast experience in technology and programming makes him an ideal board member for the International Contemporary Ensemble.”

Oscar Gerardo is a native of Los Angeles. He has worked as a software engineer/architect for the entertainment industry for over twenty years. He has worked for Universal Studios, NBC and DirecTV designing, developing and enhancing b2b applications, consumer facing apps, metadata systems, and video streaming systems. He enjoys experiencing music (not limited to opera, classical music, punk, and ska), riding his motorcycle, spoiling his kitties, and cooking and baking everything from scratch.

A fierce advocate for radical new work, Oscar has commissioned works and provided major funding support for projects with the Ensemble, including the LA premiere of Ann Cleare’s teeth of light, tongue of waves at the 2019 Noon to Midnight Festival which was described as “especially gripping” by the LA Times. Most recently, he co-commissioned Dai Fujikura’s Gliding Wings for clarinet duo and strings which premiered at Miller Theatre in March 2020. He also commissioned Nicole Mitchell’s Inescapable Spiral which premiered at Ojai Music Festival 2017 and had its remote version premiered with the Chicago Civic Orchestra in December 2020.

Executive Director Jennifer Kessler says, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Oscar join our Board of Directors. The new music field is lucky to have such a passionate advocate in Oscar, and I’m especially excited to welcome Oscar as a thought partner and leader for the International Contemporary Ensemble as we approach our 20th year. With Oscar's unique expertise in digital technologies and his deep commitment to artists, the International Contemporary Ensemble is now even better positioned to create a thriving musical ecosystem that honors the diversity of human experience and expression.”

About the International Contemporary Ensemble
The International Contemporary Ensemble is an artist collective that is transforming the way music is created and experienced. The Ensemble’s 39 members are featured as soloists, chamber musicians, commissioners, and collaborators with the foremost musical artists of our time. Works by emerging composers have anchored the Ensemble’s programming since its founding in 2001, and the group’s recordings and digital platforms highlight the many voices that weave music’s present.

A recipient of the American Music Center’s Trailblazer Award and the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, the International Contemporary Ensemble was also named the 2014 Musical America Ensemble of the Year. The group currently serves as artists-in-residence at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Mostly Mozart Festival, and previously led a five-year residency at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The International Contemporary Ensemble was featured at the Ojai Music Festival from 2015 to 2017, and at recent festivals abroad such as gmem-CNCM-marseille and UNAM’s Festival Vértice in Mexico City. Other performance stages have included the Park Avenue Armory, ice floes at Greenland’s Diskotek Sessions, and boats on the Amazon River.

OpenICE, made possible with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, offers free concerts and interactive, educational programming wherever the Ensemble performs. The International Contemporary Ensemble advances music technology and digital communications as an empowering tool for artists from all backgrounds. Curricular activities include a residency and coursework at the New School College of Performing Arts, along with a summer intensive program, called Ensemble Evolution, where topics of equity, diversity, and inclusion build new bridges and pathways for the future of creative sound practices. Yamaha Artist Services New York is the exclusive piano provider for the Ensemble. Read more at www.iceorg.org and watch over 350 videos of live performances and documentaries at www.digitice.org.

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Photo Credit: Pinguino Kolb