WQXR’s Q2 Presents “ENO Does Nico” – Festival Devoted to Composer Nico Muhly – on June 20-24

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Classical 105.9 FM WQXR’s webstream dedicated to new music – will raise a glass in celebration of American rising star Nico Muhly and the June 24 world premiere of his opera Two Boys at the English National Opera in London.


“ENO Does Nico,” a five-day festival showcasing the short (to date) but already impactful career of the 29-year-old Muhly – dubbed “the planet’s hottest composer” by the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph – will feature exclusive New York concert recordings with Muhly performing, plus behind-the-scenes videos and introductions by the composer to many of his key works. These include music from his new album, Seeing is Believing, which is due for American release on June 21. Until then, a sneak listen of Seeing is Believing is available for on-demand streaming at www.wqxr.org/seeing-believing.

An erstwhile boy soprano, Muhly has an abiding passion for choral music. “ENO Does Nico” will feature “Obsessive Choral,” which interweaves Muhly’s look back on his days as a chorister with his choral obsessions from past centuries. The series will stream on Q2 as four individual programs from June 20 through June 23 at 7pm, with an encore presentation of all four shows on June 24 from 7-11pm. The composer’s love of the genre is also reflected on his 2010 Decca album, A Good Understanding, which is devoted to his recent choral works, while Seeing is Believing includes instrumental arrangements of some of his favorite vocal pieces by William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons.

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