Interview: Classical TV
CLASSICAL TV, April 2014
"Germino and La Giro" : interview about La Girò
AN EXCHANGE WITH MONICA GERMINO
CTV: Louis Andriessen wrote this marvelous concerto for you. Can you tell us a bit about how you and the composer came to know each other and then how he created this work for you?
MG: "La Girò is a dramatic piece with many elements at play - storytelling, a nightmare, singing and playing, even shrieking and whispering. The piece took certain twists and turns as a direct result of a long and treasured collaboration...." click here to read more about La Girò
Hear La Girò live:
April 12, 8 PM
Armstrong Concert Hall, Shenandoah Conservatory
Winchester, VA (USA)
Monica Germino, violin/voice; EDGE Ensemble; Damon Talley, conductor. Frank van der Weij, sound
music by Louis Andriessen, Derek Bermel, Ruby Fulton, Alexandra Gardner. Series curated by David T. Little. Part of the inaugural season of Shenandoah New Music.
USA concerts
pictured: Monica Germino and Frank van der Weij. photo credit: Elisabeth Melchior
6 - 13 April 2014, Washington D.C. area: Louis Andriessen Festival
an initiative of Armando Bayolo/Great Noise Ensemble, the Strathmore, Shenandoah Conservatory & University
7 April, 8 PM, Atlas Performing Arts Center
Frank van der Weij and Monica Germino present ROADMAPS & DIARIES II
music by Michael Gordon, Louis Andriessen, Julia Wolfe, Donnacha Dennehy & a world premiere by Kate Moore
Get tickets here
Washington City Paper, Best of DC
Caroline Jones, Arts Desk: ToDo ToDay: “Roadmaps and Diaries II”
"Despite her degrees from Yale and the New England Conservatory, classically trained violinist Monica Germino wasn’t content performing centuries-old orchestral works. So, like Dylan at Newport in 1965, she went electric, commissioning her own model of electric violin and working with experimental Dutch composer Louis Andriessen. Tonight at Atlas, she’ll present “Road Maps and Diaries II,” a program that started as a one-night showcase of new music, improvisation, and installations with frequent collaborator (and fellow Netherlander) Frank van der Weij and has evolved into a touring production of unconventional performance and feats of sound design. Monica Germino and Frank van der Weij perform at 8 p.m. at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. $20–$28.50. (202) 399-7993. atlasarts.org.
The Washington Post, GoingOutMusic
Roadmaps & Diaries II
Classical
Sound designer Frank van der Weij joins violinist, vocalist Monica Germino in a concert that features "electroacoustic innovations" of compositions by Louis Andriessen, Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon and more. Part of Andriessen75. At the Lang Theatre.
Broadwayworld.com, Classical Music News Desk, Monday, April 7 (8:00 PM): ROADMAPS & DIARIES II (Washington, D.C.)
"Monica Germino (violin) and Frank van der Weij (sound design), Amsterdam-based collaborators whose paths have intertwined with Andriessen's for decades, perform a revolutionary take on the solo violin recital in a raucous and reflective evening for violin, electric violin, adapted violin, voice, electronics, installations, images, & sound design. ROADMAPS & DIARIES began as a single show in Amsterdam and has evolved into an ever-changing tour..."
"This presentation features Andriessen's XENIA, a three-movement piece for violin and voice, Julia Wolfe's with a blue dress on, Michael Gordon's INDUSTRY for adapted violin and electronics (2008), and Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy's Overstrung (2010). Presented by Atlas Performing Arts Center."
8 April, 7:30 PM, The Mansion at Strathmore
Cristina Zavalloni, voice; Monica Germino, violin; Andrea Rebaudengo, piano music by Louis Andriessen, John Cage & Igor Stravinsky
12 April, 8 PM, Armstrong Concert Hall, Shenandoah Conservatory
Monica Germino, violin/voice, EDGE Ensemble in Louis Andriessen's violin concerto La Girò. Damon Talley, conductor.
music by Louis Andriessen, Derek Bermel, Ruby Fulton, Alexandra Gardner. Concert curated by David T. Little. Part of the inaugural season of *Shenandoah New Music.***
Get tickets here
Check out the entire festival for a range of great concerts, including Andriessen's La Commedia on 6 April & Bang on a Can on 11 April
READ AND WATCH: The Washington Post's Preview about the Festival
New Music Festival, Boston Conservatory
February 3-9, 2014: New Music Festival, Boston Conservatory (USA)
Guest artist in residence at The Boston Conservatory, teaching and performing with faculty and students.
Please see the Boston Conservatory website for more details about concerts, classes and seminars.
Held annually, The Boston Conservatory New Music Festival is a multi-day celebration of music’s evolution throughout the ages and is dedicated to recognizing exceptional compositions by modern composers. This year’s festival honors Louis Andriessen by performing 35 of his works over four days, including La Girò, which Andriessen wrote in 2011 for Monica Germino and which she will perform for the first time ever in Boston.
pictured: Eric Hewitt, Monica Germino, Boston Conservatory Orchestra. photo: Eric Antoniou
Concerts:
Thursday, February 6 at 8 p.m. – Ensemble and Solo Works
Guest artists Monica Germino (violin) and Tony Arnold (voice) join Samuel Z. Solomon and The Boston Conservatory Percussion Ensemble to perform small ensemble and solo works of Andriessen, including Bells for Haarlem, Xenia, Image de Moreau, Zilver, Hout, Passeggiata in Tram in America e Ritorno, and more.
Friday, February 7 at 8 p.m. – Chamber and Electronic Music
The Boston Conservatory Honors String Quartet and Conservatory voice, dance and saxophone students perform Andriessen’s Tuin van Eros, In Memoriam, Woodpecker and Facing Death, along with Stravinksy’s Three Pieces for String Quartet and The Owl and the Pussycat.
Saturday, February 8 at 8 p.m. – De Staat/La Girò
Guest soloist Monica Germino (violin) performs Andriessen’s La Girò with The Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble and The Boston Conservatory New Music Festival Orchestra, conducted by Eric Hewitt.
Sunday, February 9 at 8 p.m. – The Memory of Roses
works from The Memory of Roses, plus Letter from Cathy. The Boston Conservatory Chorale, along with students, faculty and guests of The Boston Conservatory
SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL: Best Musical Events of 2013
photo: Michael Nagle for The New York Times
Our Reviewers’ Choices for Best Musical Events of 2013
Monica Germino and Frank van der Weij in SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL's top picks for 2013.
"In a program for violin and electronics at the Austrian Cultural Forum, Amsterdam-based Monica Germino showed the power of savvy programming, with Frank van der Weij using technology about as perfectly as it gets (June 13)."
-Bruce Hodges
The show included US premieres by David Dramm, Karlheinz Essl, Annie Gosfied, and Arnoud Noordegraaf, plus works by Louis Andriessen and Donnacha Dennehy. The composers introduced their pieces in short video clips.
Click here to read more about the top 2013 choices!
& check out Bruce Hodge's complete review of the show in the September issue of The Strad magazine
The Strad: Sophistication and showmanship
- by Bruce Hodges
"…Monica Germino gave a veritable masterclass on the use of violin and electronics, packed with sophistication and showmanship."
"a violinist who leaves no elements to chance"
"electronics wizard Frank van der Weij"
New York
Monica Germino, violin/electric violin/voice
Frank van der Weij, sound design
US premieres at the ACFNY: David Dramm, Karlheinz Essl, Annie Gosfied, Arnoud Noordegraaf
BANG ON A CAN MARATHON: US premiere Julia Wolfe's With a blue dress on 
June 13, 7:30 PM
DEVIATION, a program for violinist and sound designer, presented by the Austrian Cultural Forum, New York
June 14, 2 PM
Workshop with Julia Wolfe, Austrian Cultural Forum
June 16, 1-10 PM
Bang on a Can Marathon, Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts
"Monica Germino Puts Electronics and Violin Together, and Myriad Sounds Ensue" - by Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, 16 June 2013
'...an arresting duality of sound and image...psychologically dark and unsettling...earthy and sharp pizzicati...snapping brain synapses...tapped, stomped, played, hummed and sang...a gloriously free and wild fiddle tantrum…virtuosity and mischief-making...digitally processed harmonics...emotional highlight...sonic mayhem...astonishingly rich...virtuosic violin line...rock ’n’ roll moment...binary fire-engine siren...constantly changing sonic environment...juicy double-stopped glissandi...electronic fireworks...affecting vulnerability…'
The New York Times: click here for entire event listing
Events»Classical & Opera
Monica Germino and Frank van der Weij
The Dutch duo of the violinist Monica Germino and the sound engineer Frank van der Weij present a multimedia program of contemporary works for solo violin and electronics by the composers Karlheinz Essl, Louis Andriessen and more.
TimeOut New York: Critic's pick
"This very enticing free program brings together two trailblazing Holland-based musicians, violinist Monica Germino and punk-rock bassist turned sound designer Frank van der Weij, for electroacoustic innovations composed by Louis Andriessen, Annie Gosfield, Donnacha Dennehy and others. You'll need a reservation, and you can make one at acfny.org." click here for TimeOut listing
SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL
Reviewers’ Choices for Best Musical Events of 2013
"In a program for violin and electronics at the Austrian Cultural Forum, Amsterdam-based Monica Germino showed the power of savvy programming, with Frank van der Weij using technology about as perfectly as it gets."
The Strad Magazine
Sophistication and showmanship - by Bruce Hodges
"…Monica Germino gave a veritable masterclass on the use of violin and electronics, packed with sophistication and showmanship."
"a violinist who leaves no elements to chance"
"electronics wizard Frank van der Weij"
US premiere of Julia Wolfe's With a blue dress on at the 2013 Bang on a Can Marathon
Frank van der Weij 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.
The piece was described by The New York Times as "...a gloriously free and wild fiddle tantrum in which virtuosity and mischief-making went hand in hand."
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."
more about the Marathon: broadwayworld.com
Watch a fragment of the Bang on a Can Marathon performance here!
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." 
photo: Julia Wolfe and Monica Germino
US premiere of La Girò
28 February, 20.00
USA premiere of La Girò (2011)
by Louis Andriessen
Monica Germino, violin/voice
Cristina Zavalloni, voice
Conductor
Reinbert de Leeuw
L.A. Philharmonic New Music Group
Green Umbrella Series
Walt Disney Hall
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Cornish College of the Arts Residency
6 –10 March
Residency at the Cornish College of the Arts
Seattle, WA, USA
Seminars, classes, rehearsals
Concert
Wednesday 9 March, 8:00 pm
PONCHO Hall
Cornish College of the Arts
Other Minds Festival Residency
27 February – 5 March
Residency at the Other Minds Festival
San Francisco CA, USA
Concerts 3, 5 March
Cristina Zavalloni, voice
Monica Germino, violin
Music
Louis Andriessen
Zeltsman Marimba festival
Monica Germino Masterclass: ‘Violinist's perspective on Bach's string music'
Amsterdam Conservatory, Zeltsman Marimba Festival, NL
La Commedia: a film opera
La Commedia: a film opera
Music
Louis Andriessen
Film
Hal Hartley
Asko|Schoenberg Ensemble
Conductor
Reinbert de Leeuw
Claron McFadden, Cristina Zavalloni, Jeroen Willems & Marcel Beekman
13 April, 20:00
Synergy Vocals & the Los Angeles Children's Chorus
Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, CA
15 April, 20:00
Synergy Vocals & the Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Carnegie Hall New York City, NY
Resident Artists Series
25 February, 20.00
**Violin, voice
Monica Germino
A multi-media solo program program for violin, electric violin, voice, soundtrack, effects, movement, film & installation with music by David Dramm, John Rea, Louis Andriessen, Jacob TV, J.S. Bach & more
Theater 2, University of South Florida
Tampa, FL, USA
Get ready to get wild… at a violin recital
St. Petersburg Times
Robert Helps Festival
Robert Helps Festival
In commemoration of the distinguished legacy of the eminent pianist and composer Robert Helps, the University of South Florida is pleased to announce the fifth annual international composition competition and festival.
15 February, 22.00
Late Night with Louis
Music
Louis Andriessen, Igor Stravinsky
Conductor
William Wiedrich
Soloists
Patricia Green, voice
Monica Germino, violin/electric violin
USF faculty & student performers
Theater 2, University of South Florida
Tampa, FL, USA
14 February, 16.00
USF Symphony Orchestra
Soloists
Monica Germino, electric violin
Kim McCormick, flute; Amanda Lyon
Michael Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony
Ciro Scotto: Tetrology
Palladium Theatre
St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Tickets available at the Palladium Theater box office
http://calendars.usf.ed
University of South Florida
September 2009 - May 2010
Visiting Professor of Violin at University of South Florida
Tampa, USA
University of South Florida
September 2009 - May 2010
Visiting Professor of Violin at University of South Florida
Tampa, USA
plugged & unplugged US Tour
Monica Germino: plugged & unplugged
A solo program for acoustic, amplified adapted acoustic, and electric violins, plus soundtrack, effects, samples, voice, film, movement, and installations
Violin/electric violin, adapted violin, voice
Monica Germino
Sound
Frank van der Weij
8 November, 20.00
The Prestige Concert Series
Performing Arts Center
Adelphi University (NY, USA)
10 November, 19.30
Followed by a show by the NY-based band Electric Kompany
Le Poisson Rouge/The Village Gate
NYC, USA
Tickets: lepoissonrouge.inticketing.com
www.lprnyc.com
www.electrickompany.com
Grand Teton Music Festival
14-28 July
Performances at the Grand Teton Music Festival
Jackson Hole
Wyoming
USA
ELECTRA & FILM
6 July, 21.00
ELECTRA
Program
ELECTRA & FILM
MASS MoCA (MASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART)
North Adams, MA; USA
Tel. +1 413 662 2111
Boston Tour
19 - 27 March
Boston, MA, USA
23 March, 20:00
Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP)
Conductor
Gil Rose
Cristina Zavalloni, voice
Monica Germino, violin
Works by Louis Andriessen, Gunther Schuller.
Presented by the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard.
John Knowles Paine Hall
Cambridge, MA, USA
Info: Harvard University, Department of Music
www.bmop.org
24 - 26 March
Recording with BMOP
Works by Louis Andriessen
Grand Teton Music Festival
7 - 27 August
Performances at the Grand Teton Music Festival
Jackson Hole Wyoming, USA
Andriessen: La Passione
Andriessen: La Passione for voice, violin and ensemble
Cristina Zavalloni, voice
Monica Germino, violin
Eastman Philharmonia
Conductor
Brad Lubman
Eastman Theatre
Eastman School of Music
Rochester, NY, USA
Eastman School of Music
19 - 23 February
Performances, coachings of works by Louis Andriessen, composer-in-residence
Guest artist
Eastman School of Music
Rochester, NY, USA
Works by Louis Andriessen: XENIA
17 February, 8 PM
Guest Composer Recital: Louis Andriessen venue: E.V. Moore Building, Britton Recital Hall
Post-concert talk with the composer and performers.
Monica Germino, violin
Cristina Zavalloni, vocals Andrea Rebaudengo, piano
Contemporary Directions Ensemble
Works by Louis Andriessen: XENIA (2005) for violin solo, Le Voile du Bonheur, Tuin van Eros, Beatles songs, Letter From Cathy, Passeggiata in tram in America e ritorno, and more
Event Sponsor/Contact: School of Music
Contact : Rachel Francisco; rachaf@umich.edu
M is for Man, Music, Mozart
15 February, 7:30 PM
Louis Andriessen: La Passione for voice, violin and ensemble
M is for Man, Music, Mozart
Cristina Zavalloni, voice
Monica Germino, violin
Symphony Band & Contemporary Directions Ensemble
Power Center
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor
MI, USA
Contact : School of Music
Reserved seating: 734-764-2538
University of Michigan
Guest artist at the University of Michigan, School of Music Ann Arbor MI, USA
Performances, coachings of works by Louis Andriessen, composer-in-residence
Grand Teton Music Festival
18 July - 7 August
Performances at the Grand Teton Music Festival
Jackson Hole Wyoming, USA
The Last Days of St Petersburg
CONCERT AND FILM SHOW
Asko Ensemble
Conductor
Stefan Asbury
Great Performers series
Music by
Alfred Schnittke
The Last Days of St Petersburg (for Pudovkins ‘The Last Days of St Petersburg’)
Lincoln Center, Rose Theater
New York, USA
Louis Andriessen: La Passione
Great Performers Series
London Sinfonietta Louis Andriessen: La Passione (2002)
Soloists
Cristina Zavalloni - voice, Monica Germino - violin
Alice Tully Hall
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
NYC, USA
Great Performers Series
Conductor
Orkest de Volharding, Jurjen Hempel
Soloists
Cristina Zavalloni, voice
Monica Germino, violin
Tatiana Koleva, percussion
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
NYC, USA
