Monday, June 02, 2008

NY Times: Christina Courtin's "Soulful, Atmospheric Sound" Recalls Mitchell, Nyro, Joplin

Christina_courtin_2 This past Saturday, Christina Courtin, whose Nonesuch debut is slated for next year, joined the Knights, the chamber orchestra in which she plays violin, in a concert at New York's Washington Irving High School. The evening's program paired Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony with Courtin's own works. The New York Times's Allan Kozinn had this to say about the latter:

Ms. Courtin's music and her unaffected vocal style call to mind the soulful, atmospheric sound of the late 1960s: early Joni Mitchell at times, with an occasional touch of Laura Nyro and the vaguest hint of Janis Joplin. Her most striking songs are not simply strophic: her melodies tend to expand and develop (and send her voice higher in its range) rather than merely repeat. And she arranged her set with a sensible dramatic arc, moving from the quiet introspection of "Bundah" and "Rainy" to the more melodically wide-ranging, extroverted "February" and "Photograph."

To read the complete review, visit nytimes.com.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Celebrate Brooklyn! Announces 30th Season

Celebrate_brooklynPhilip Glass and Christina Courtin will be among the artists participating in the 30th season of Celebrate Brooklyn!, the series of free concerts at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, New York. The season kicks off June 12 with an opening-night performance by Isaac Hayes. The Glass concert is scheduled for July 25; Courtin shares a bill with The Knights on August 1.

BrooklynVegan reports that also included among the broad range of artists scheduled to perform this summer are Gilberto Gil, Feist, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cold War Kids, Brazilian Girls, Beth Orton, and Deerfhoof. Check in with briconline.org/celebrate for more information throughout the season.