A new ecosystem for flute music.
DENSITY 2036
ABOUT
Density 2036 is a 24-year project begun by Claire Chase in 2013 to commission a new body of repertory for solo flute each year until the 100th anniversary of Edgard Varèse’s groundbreaking 1936 flute solo, Density 21.5. Chase will commission and premiere a new program of flute music every year until 2036. Each piece in the project will expand the boundaries of the instrument. For the ten-year anniversary of Density 2036, Chase performs all Density commissions up to the present in a series of concerts at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and in free performances at The Kitchen’s Westbeth Loft as part of Carnegie Hall Citywide. The final two programs will be the world premieres of Density 2036: part ix, an evening-length piece by Craig Taborn performed in collaboration with the composer, and Density 2036: part x, an evening-length piece by Anna Thorvaldsdottir performed with a small ensemble, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall.
Central to the Density 2036 project is a commitment to supporting an international, multigenerational community of flutists who will take the Density repertoire in new interpretive and performative directions. The Density Seeds program makes possible the performance of
miniature works adapted from the Density catalog that are playable by flutists of all ages; the “seeds” are freely downloadable on the density2036.org website. The Density Fellows program, launched this year in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the project, will provide ten exceptional emerging flutists with the resources to intensively study Density repertoire of their choosing. Fellows will receive mentorship from Claire Chase and the Density composers, as well as support for their own performances and recordings. The Density Roots initiative is an open, community-controlled interactive map that will archive performances of Density repertoire by flutists worldwide over the 24-year span of the project. Density 2036 is supported by The Pnea Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to advance the flute and its repertoire in the 21st century.
CLAIRE CHASE
Recently described by The New York Times as “the North Star of her instrument’s ever-expanding universe,” Claire Chase is a musician, interdisciplinary artist, and educator. Passionately dedicated to the creation of new ecosystems for the music of our time, Chase has given the world premieres of hundreds of new works by a new generation of artists.
Photo: Walter Wlodarczyk.
Artwork: Polly Apfelbaum.
COMPOSERS A-Z
COLLABORATORS
SUPPORT
Density 2036 and its educational offshoots are made possible by a robust, diverse community of supporters whose contributions grow and sustain a new ecology for the creation of new music. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Pnea Foundation, the 501 (c)(3) organization that funds Density 2036, we would be so grateful for your generosity.