String quartet Crucible (Cornelius Dufallo and Chris Otto, violins; John King, viola; and Alex Waterman, cello) will perform music from composer John King’s new CD “10 Mysteries” at NYC’s Roulette on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 8:30 pm.

Roulette is located at 20 Greene Street, NYC, between Canal and Grand. Tickets are $15/$10 and can be reserved at 212.219.8242. Admission is free to Roulette members.

Earlier this year, John King released his second CD, “10 Mysteries” on John Zorn’s Tzadik label. King has 2 previous CD releases of music for string quartet; AllSteel (Tzadik) and Ethel (Cantaloupe). Featuring passionate and inspiring performances by the remarkable quartet Crucible with King himself on viola, the music on 10 Mysteries jumps from moment to moment with lightening speed and an organic sense of form. In his second CD on Tzadik he again embraces rock, jazz, blues and other popular styles in an energetic and colorful program for string quartet.

TILT Brass

Crucible will also be joined by the TILT Brass project’s quartet (Rachel Drehmann, horn; Joe Exley, tuba; Russ Johnson, trumpet; Chris McIntyre, trombone) and Charlotte Dobbs, soprano, for the world premiere of SAPPHO presto chango. These 12 short arias are based on the poem fragments of Sappho which are to be performed as an independent layer to the instrumental ensemble. To end the evening, pianist Jenny Lin will perform King’s petite ouverture en forme de mErCE CunninGHAm, a piece written for Merce in honor of his 90th birthday.

Crucible features New York string luminaries Cornelius Dufallo, Chris Otto and Alex Waterman, who perform with such groups as Ethel, the JACK Quartet and the Either/Or Ensemble.

Led by trombonist and composer Chris McIntyre, Brooklyn-based TILT Brass is a versatile collective of brass and percussion artists that present works ranging from the historical avant garde to commissioned works by composers such as James Tenney, Anthony Coleman, and Lois V. Vierk.

Soprano Charlotte Dobbs maintains an active opera performance and concert career. In 2008, she appeared in recital with Mitsuko Uchida at the Marlboro Music Festival, performing Schoenberg’s Book of the Hanging Gardens. Miss Dobbs made her Kimmel Center and Carnegie Hall debuts in Nielsen’s Third Symphony with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and Alan Gilbert in 2008.

Jenny Lin is one of the most respected young pianists today, admired for her adventurous programming and charismatic stage presence. Her ability to combine classical and contemporary literature has brought her to the attention of international critics and audiences alike.

Composer, guitarist and violist John King has received commissions from the Kronos Quartet, Red {an orchestra}, Ethel, the Albany Symphony, Bang On A Can All-Stars, Mannheim Ballet, New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, the Ballets de Monte Carlo and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, with whom he worked closely for more than 20 years. He has written three operas (his most recent opera Dice Thrown was recently performed at CalArts in Los Angeles) and has composed for orchestra, chamber ensembles, rock bands, dance, film and theater. He was Music Curator at The Kitchen from 1999-2003. King won the Alpert Award in the Arts for Music in 2009. This award, initiated and funded by the Herb Alpert Foundation, provides unrestricted, annual prizes of $75,000 to five artists.