Few Of A Kind - EP Release Show
City Winery NYC presents Few Of A Kind - EP Release Show live on Tuesday, March 24th, at 7:30 PM!
Few Of A Kind is a thrilling new group featuring beloved indie singer-songwriter Vienna Teng (piano, vocals), trumpet virtuoso Brandon Ridenour (Canadian Brass), master collaborative violinist and vocalist Ben Russell (Max Richter), acclaimed percussionist Yousif Sheronick (Philip Glass), and adventurous baritone saxophonist Andrew Gutauskas (Brass Against). Blending classical finesse with jazz, improvisation, folk storytelling, and bold original compositions, this genre-defying ensemble invites comparison with The Silk Road Ensemble while forging a path all their own.
Vienna Teng (piano, vocals) has been featured on NPR's Weekend Edition and CBS’s The Late Show, released albums on Rounder/Universal Records, and toured across the world. Beyond her supple, delicate vocals and intricate pianism, she is beloved for her adventurous, deeply empathetic songwriting, with lyrics that have been analyzed by high school classes and epigraphed in published novels, songs covered by countless a cappella ensembles and played at conferences as well as weddings. That kind of devotion has poured forth since her debut album Waking Hour in 2002, which landed her at the top of Amazon’s music charts, and grown steadily across the releases that followed: the chamber folk of Warm Strangers, the jazz-inflected Dreaming Through the Noise, the indie epic Inland Territory, the bright electro-pop in Aims, New York Musical Theatre Festival favorite The Fourth Messenger, and most recently, her intricate interweaving of two songs in We’ve Got You. Together with her captivating live performances and thoughtful online presence, she has built a loyal following across generations and continents. In the 2010s, Vienna took a professional detour to work on climate solutions, first in McKinsey & Company’s Sustainability practice and then at Delterra, an environmental NGO. She returned to creative life in 2022, building a network of fans who advance climate solutions and democracy in their own communities, and hosting workshops that participants have described as “rocket fuel” and “the perfect antidote to despair.”
Brandon Ridenour (trumpet, composer and arranger) gained acclaim for his innovative approach at an early age. Recognized as “heralding the trumpet of the future” (Chicago Sun-Times) and for his “full-bodied, atmospheric arrangements” (New York Times), he began learning about the wonders of music at age 5, studying piano under the tutelage of his father. This morphed into “tootelage” when he picked up the trumpet in 5th grade band class in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Upon graduating from the Juilliard School, he immediately began touring with the Canadian Brass and embarked on a solo career. Brandon has won competitions ranging from the International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition to the American Composers Forum. In 2014, he was a winner of the Concert Artist Guild competition, becoming the first trumpeter to win the competition in 30 years and join their artist roster. He’s the co-creator of Brassology and the song-writing collective, Founders. His solo-collaborative album "Come Together" transformed Beatles classics into an initiative for social cohesion and environmental consciousness. Through inventive arrangements, Ridenour has expanded the trumpet's horizons, weaving genres in solo and collaborative works. In 2023, Brandon came full circle joining the American Brass Quintet and the faculty at his alma mater The Juilliard School of Music. He also teaches at The New School (Mannes) and the Manhattan School of Music, where he is passionate about developing a new model of education for a well-rounded, progressive musician of the future.
Ben Russell (violin, vocals) has played all over the world with all sorts of people. He has toured and recorded with several artists including Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, The National, Blonde Redhead, Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson and has appeared on stage with Björk, Jonny Greenwood, and Paul McCartney. He is a member of American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) and co-creator of the songwriting collective Founders. Ben began his career in 2005 by winning the Principal 2nd Violin chair of Portland Symphony Orchestra in Maine which he held for 8 years. In 2006 he co-founded Bryant Park Quartet, a classical string quartet dedicated to teaching chamber music to high school and college students around the country. In 2008 he became a member of ACME, a daring new-music group focused primarily on the work of living American composers. In 2017, ACME released its first portrait album containing nearly all original music composed by members of ACME. In the past 10 years, Ben has performed with several ensembles including International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Talea, A Far Cry, Wordless Music Orchestra and Mark Morris Dance Group. Ben studied violin performance at BIOLA and Amsterdam Conservatory and received his Masters from New England Conservatory.
Andrew Gutauskas (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet) is a Grammy Award winning saxophonist, film composer, music director, arranger and educator. He has recorded on over 40 albums and has performed on Broadway, television, film and live around the world with a variety of artists ranging from jazz to rock to hip-hop to Bollywood. He is music director, arranger and saxophonist for Brass Against, and is a member of several projects including; Charlie Rosen’s Broadway Big Band & 8-Bit Big Band, the Dan Pugach Nonet, Kyle Saulnier’s Awakening Orchestra, Lucas Pino’s No-Net Nonet, Manuel Valera's New Cuban Express Big Band, Miho Hazama’s M_Unit, the Terraza Big Band, the Uptown Jazz Tentet, Tim & the Space Cadets, The Skivvies and many others. He has scored music for two award winning short films written and directed by Christopher Piazza. His original soundtrack, Longing, can be heard on the award winning short film, Hermit (2020), written and directed by Aimiende Negbenebor Sela. His first EP, Look Up! (Outside in Music) was released in 2017 and his second album, Look Out! (Outside in Music) is available everywhere.
Yousif Sheronick (percussion) is on a mission to promote the amalgamation of “World Music” and chamber music. This has come through work with ensembles and composers such as Philip Glass, duoJalal, Lark Quartet, and Ethos Percussion Group (who has commissioned composers from Palestine, India, Israel, Korea, Argentina, and Italy). Of Lebanese descent, Yousif was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, IA. His first exposure to Arab music came from his mother singing over the drone of the vacuum cleaner. As with many first generation Americans there was a separation between the house (Arab) and the outside (American) world. Yousif grew up on the “outside” playing with his neighbors’ rock band and the local drum corp. His high school band director and student teacher (who happened to be a percussionist) convinced him to audition for the University of Iowa. The audition resulted in a full scholarship to UI where he studied with Tom Davis. In his four years at Iowa Yousif concentrated on contemporary music and jazz. He went on to get his masters at Yale University where he studied with Gordon Gottlieb. Mr. Gottlieb had a unique teaching method of combining Western and Eastern musical practices. Through Mr. Gottlieb, Yousif was introduced to instruments from around the world he never knew existed. In 1990 Yousif traveled to musically rich Brazil. This was an enlightening trip for Yousif and at that point he moved his focus towards world music. After moving to New York in 1991 Yousif connected with master frame drummer Glen Velez. For the past twenty-three years Yousif has been a member of Glen Velez and Handance. Glen’s music and playing techniques have been a major influence on Yousif's work.
🍽️ We provide food and beverage service directly to your table in the venue. Or, for an expanded menu and more relaxed experience, arrive early and enjoy a meal in our restaurant before the show. When dining in the restaurant, reservations are encouraged and can be made via Resy starting one month before the show. View Our Concert Dining Menu.(opens in a new tab)
Reserve your preferred wine by filling out this form(opens in a new tab) and have a bottle waiting at your table when you arrive at your show. No more waiting for your first drink! We will save your wine preference and have a bottle at your table for all future shows. When you want to change your wine, come back to this form and update your preference.
🎶 Kindly note there is a 2-item per person food & beverage minimum in the concert venue. Food and beverages ordered in the restaurant also count towards the minimum.(opens in a new tab)
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