Julia Wolfe
US premiere of Julia Wolfe's With a blue dress on at the 2013 Bang on a Can Marathon 
photo: Monica and Julia acknowledging Frank after the US premiere
Monica Germino, violin/voice
Frank van der Weij, sound design
Frank and I were thrilled to give the US premiere of Julia Wolfe's relentless and ravishing With a blue dress on - for live violin/voice, 4 prerecorded violins & 4 prerecorded voices, performed by one player & one sound designer.
Preceding the Marathon, we also held a public workshop with Julia Wolfe at the Austrian Cultural Forum.
The New York Times described the piece as "...a gloriously free and wild fiddle tantrum in which virtuosity and mischief-making went hand in hand."
click for complete review "Monica Germino Puts Electronics and Violin Together, and Myriad Sounds Ensue"
- by Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, 16 June 2013
Chris McGovern, in his wonderful blog The Glass, honored me with comparisons to some of my favorite violinists out there:
"Performing the US Premiere of Julia Wolfe’s “With a blue dress on”, violinist Monica Germino basically reminded me of something that combines the homegrown primal music of Iva Bittova with the electro-acoustics of Todd Reynolds or Neil Dufallo. An amazing tour de force of progressive fiddling and paraphrasing."
Rob Deemer listed us as a highlight as well in his blow-by-blow BANG ON A CAN MARATHON 2013 LIVE BLOG on newmusicbox.org:
"...the beautiful solo violin performance of Monica Germino. I’ve seen a fair helping of works for solo instrument and electronics, but Julia Wolfe’s With a blue dress on may be my new favorite…a major work for solo violin (expecting the violinist to sing)…" "Germino was awe-inspiring in her performance of the work and the sound design by Frank van der Weij was just right…definitely one of the highlights of the concert so far."
icareifyoulisten: vine
Watch a fragment of the Bang on a Can Marathon performance here!
more about the Marathon: broadwayworld.com
"Enchanting American-born, Netherlands-based violinist Monica Germino gives the US premiere of Bang on a Can co-founder Julia Wolfe's With a blue dress on for solo violin/voice and pre-recorded violins, inspired by a plaintive field recording of a woman singing 'Pretty little girl with a blue dress on.'" -BroadwayWorld.com
The New York Times: click here for concert announcement
TimeOut New York: Critic's pick
Dutch Performing Arts events: click here to read more
"As part of the New York River to River Festival, violinist Monica Germino, based in Amsterdam, is coming to New York to perform as part of the Bang on a Can Marathon, in the US premiere of Julia Wolfe’s piece, With a blue dress on. The Bang on a Can Marathon is a new music extravaganza, which has become an annual, not - to - be - missed event in New York and beyond since it was first held in 1987. Together with Dutch sound artist / engineer Frank van der Weij she will also perform and present a workshop at the Austria Cultural Forum New York."
