Press Kit

Contact: Jade Simmons
832.247.6647
[email protected]
www.impulseartistseries.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2009 Best Non-Profit Arts Series
“Replacing the image of a stuffy, staid collection of dead guys in white wigs with
fresh, young, cutting-edge artists.” --Houston Press
2010 ALTER EGO SEASON
Impulse Artist Series Presents the 2010 Alter Ego Season, Nov. 5 to 14
8 Days of Music Celebrate Modern-Day Concert Artists Leading Double Lives
Houston, Texas, September 2010 —From classical to experimental and jazz,
the fourth season of the Impulse Artist Series again will provide a symphony of
musical talent as varied as the venues when the artists take the stage throughout
Houston for the 2010 Alter Ego Season, Nov. 5 – 14, at Wade Wilson Art (4411
Montrose Blvd.) and various Houston hotspots.
The 2010 Alter Ego Season will showcase an electrifying rising star lineup of hot,
up and coming artists leading double artistic lives, including Houston’s own Kris
Becker (multi-genre pianist/composer), as well as Suresh Singaratnam
(trumpet), Phyllis Chen (toy pianist/multi-media artist) and Brandee
Younger (harpist). They have won accolades on the world stage in the field of
classical music, while simultaneously moonlighting successfully in nightclubs,
playing in rock bands and working with world-renowned artists of other genres.
Each concert will feature music from various genres, revealing the melodic ʻAlter
Egosʼ of each performing artist.
Wade Wilson Art is the home of the Impulse Artist Series and this partnership
allows for the unique fusion of music and art. During the Impulse festival, the
work of Pulitzer-Prize nominated author, essayist and social critic Peter Sacks
will be on display.
Impulse Artist Series
The Houston-based Impulse Artist Series provides performance opportunities
and career building assistance to proven up and coming concert artists who have
come to the end of their academic endeavors and are in the midst of embarking
on their professional journeys. For more information about the Impulse Artist
Series:
www.impulseartistseries.org
About the 2010 Artists
KRIS BECKER has appeared in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall as
concert pianist and composer to House of Blues as rock artist. He plays
weekly as pianist at Second Baptist Church of Houston–the United States’
largest Christian denominational congregation–and tours and records as
keyboardist for the critically acclaimed rock band The Literary Greats, while
further collaborations include Glenn Leonard of The Temptations and Sara
Van Buskirk.
A versatile musician who has been proven to defy genres and labels,
BRANDEE YOUNGER has created a unique niche in both traditional and
non-traditional harp arenas. Best-known for her limitless drive, Ms. Younger
remains in high demand and attracts the attention of today’s most wellknown artists, producers and ensembles. Younger has performed with an
array of orchestras including the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, Waterbury
Symphony, Soulful Symphony, Ensemble Du Monde, Camerata New York and
the Red Bull Artsehcro, a “non-conformist” orchestra.
Phyllis Chen’s artistic pursuits take her in numerous directions as a toy
pianist, pianist, composer and performance artist. Named a New Music/New
Places Fellow at the 2007 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Ms.
Chen creates original multi-media compositions, often in collaboration with
video artist Rob Deitz, using toy pianos, music boxes, electronics and video,
and she offers these works in concert alongside those by prominent 20th
century composers such as John Cage and Julia Wolfe. The Chicago Reader
confirms Phyllis Chen’s status as a trailblazer commenting: “…she’s become
one of the world’s leading proponents of the toy piano.”
Suresh Singaratnam is a trumpeter of uncommon breadth- unique not only
for the small crowd he inhabits as a virtuoso of both classical and jazz styles
but also for the continuity and clarity of his voice across both idioms.
Torontonian by way of Zambia (where he was born) and the U.K.,
Singaratnam boasts a background that defies classification as nimbly as his
artistic taste. In 2009 he launched a dual album release that spoke to his
classical mastery and his jazz innovation.
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2010 Impulse Artist Series Festival Schedule
The Alter Ego Season
November 5th-14th, 2010
* purple events denote club concerts
About our Concerts
Impulse Preview Concert
Friday, November 5th, 7:30pm
The Woodlands Salon Series
90 Winward Cove
Spring, TX
Advance: $25, $15 students
At the door: $30, $20 students
www.woodlandssalonseries.org
Impulse Career Seminar
in partnership with Spacetaker
Saturday, Nov. 6th, 10am-4pm
Winter Street Studios
2101 Winter Street
*For Local Musicians & Artists
Free
Kris Becker, Frozen Heat &
The Literary Greats
Saturday, November 6th
10pm
Last Concert Café
$12
Brandee Younger, Harpist
Tuesday, November 9th, 7pm
Wade Wilson Art
4411Montrose Blvd, Ste. 200
$25
Phyllis Chen, Pianist/
Toy Pianist/Multimedia Artist
Wednesday, November 10th
7pm
Wade Wilson Art
4411Montrose Blvd, Ste. 200
$25
Signature Jazz Concert feat.
Brandee Younger (Harp) &
Suresh Singaratnam (Trumpet)
Thursday, November 11th
6:30pm
The Tasting Room, Uptown Park
1101-18 Uptown Park Blvd.
$30
Kris Becker, Pianist/Jazz & Rock
Artist/Composer
Friday, November 12th, 2010
7pm
Wade Wilson Art
4411Montrose Blvd, Ste. 200
$25
Phyllis Chen, Pianist/Toy
Pianist/Multimedia Artist
Friday, November 12th, 2010
9:30pm
Avant Garden
311 Westheimer
Free
Suresh Singaratnam, Trumpet
Saturday, November 13th
7pm
Wade Wilson Art
4411Montrose Blvd, Ste. 200
$25
& Events
Preview Concert
An appearance on the
Woodlands Salon Series features
all of the Impulse Artists plus a
bonus performance by Impulse
founder Jade Simmons. Win
gorgeous jewelry from Impulse
Artist Series sponsor Donoho’s
Jewelers, a Woodlands institution.
Solo Recitals
The 2010 Impulse Artists show off
mostly their Classical and
Contemporary Classical sides in
these solo concerts at Wade
Wilson Art.
Club Concerts
These concerts allow our artists to
reveal their musical alter egos in
Jazz, Pop and Experimental
genres. They’ll be showcased in
cool nightspots across Houston.
Young Artist Showcase &
Family Concert
Featuring Houston-area young
pianists and a special
performance by a guest artist from
the award-winning Young
Audiences of Houston.
Career Seminar
Sunday, November 14th
Young Artist Showcase & Family
Concert
3pm
Wade Wilson Art
4411Montrose Blvd, Ste. 200
Free
Vital information for today’s emerging
artists presented by expert panelists in
the arts. Open to Houston artists of all
mediums.