Philadelphia, PA. (Top40 Charts/ Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission) - Rock musician and composer Bryce Dessner, of the band The National, will perform at the Rosenbach Museum & Library on Thursday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. Dessner and a group of instrumentalists will share the results of a project called "Lincoln Shuffle' - commissioned by the Rosenbach for 21stCenturyAbe.org, an interactive website celebrating Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.
Merging old and new, Dessner has created a series of musical pieces for acoustic instruments that are inspired by popular music of Lincoln's day. The short compositions are designed to be layered, remixed, and reconfigured and act as inspiration for website visitors to create their own remixes or original compositions.
The April 2 concert will provide a unique opportunity, in an intimate setting, to discover how Dessner has interpreted history through his own artistic lens. Compositions include a piece inspired by Lincoln's first inaugural address; a piece for trombones using elements of the original 'Dixie,' Lincoln's favorite song; and a work that includes a recording of a former slave singing songs he learned in the fields.
Seating for this one-night-only concert is extremely limited, and tickets must be reserved in advance. Tickets are $12 for members and $20 for non-members. To RSVP, email [email protected] or call (215) 732-1600. The Rosenbach Museum & Library is located at 2008-2010 Delancey Place in Philadelphia.
Bryce Dessner is the guitarist for The National (Beggars Banquet label) and Clogs. Dessner has performed/and or recorded with some of the world's most creative musicians, including songwriters Antony Hegarty and Sufjan Stevens, Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo, and composers Michael Gordon, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich. In addition to touring with The National, Dessner's upcoming projects include a new commission for the Kronos Quartet and a new work for BAM's Next Wave Festival in 2009.
The Rosenbach Museum & Library's 21stCenturyAbe.org invites site visitors to celebrate Lincoln's life, work and words through creative interpretations of 30 documents from the museum's collection of rare and significant Lincoln materials, such as speeches, letters and notes. The innovative website encourages visitors to participate in the conversation about the 16th President of the United States, view the handwritten Lincoln documents (along with transcripts) digitally and contribute responses in words, songs, videos, photos, drawings, web links and other media.
21st-Century Abe sheds light on Lincoln's views on race, his patterns of thought and rhetoric, and his role as a celebrity, both in his own day and ours. The 30 featured documents, many rarely seen by the public, range from the Baltimore Address to Lincoln's attempt to explain his family history.
The site features creative interpretations of the Lincoln materials by scholar Douglas Wilson, artist/illustrator Maira Kalman, musician Bryce Dessner of the band The National, Philadelphia comedy theater company 1812 Productions and multimedia artists Archive (Anne Walsh and Chris Kubick).
In addition to 21st-Century Abe, the Rosenbach Museum & Library (2008-2010 Delancey Place) will present a physical exhibition in two of its galleries from May 27 - August 30, 2009. The exhibition will include the Lincoln materials as well as contributions from the project artists and website visitors.
21st-Century Abe is designed by the Philadelphia firm Night Kitchen Interactive. The project has been funded by The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, through the Heritage Philadelphia Program with additional support from the Marketing Innovation Program. Additional support has come from the Samuel S. Fels Fund and The Raab Collection.
About the Rosenbach
The Rosenbach Museum & Library, located at 2008-2010 Delancey Place in Philadelphia, PA, seeks to inspire curiosity, inquiry and creativity by engaging broad audiences in exhibitions, programs and research based on its remarkable and expanding collections. The museum was founded by legendary book dealer A.S.W. Rosenbach and his brother and business partner Philip. With an outstanding collection of rare books, manuscripts, furniture and art, the Rosenbach is a museum and world-renowned research library, set within two historic 1865 townhouses, that reflects an age when great collectors lived among their treasures.
