JOY BOY, A tribute to Julius Eastman

Discover New York City's downtown music scene of the 1970s.

Julius Eastman, who died in 1990, was an influential composer in the post-minimalism era. Although he was one of the pioneers of the downtown music scene in New York, he left behind very few scores or recordings. However, he has recently received recognition for his boundary-pushing and often provocative compositions. As a black gay man, Eastman made his life the subject of his art. De Singel commissioned pianist and Eastman expert Daan Vandewalle to conceive a full-evening tribute show to Eastman, featuring flautist Petr Kotik and pianist Joe Kubera (both of whom were friends and colleagues of Eastman’s in the 1970s), soprano Lieselot De Wilde, countertenor Arturo den Hartog, pianist Djuwa Mroivili, and members of New York’s legendary S.E.M Ensemble. Eastman's greatest hits – such as Evil N*, Gay Guerilla, Joy Boy and Our Father – will be performed in a unique setting with new cinematic interventions by Collectif Faire-Part, house artists at DESINGEL.

Credits

• Music concept | Artistic direction • Daan Vandewalle
• Soprano • Esther-Elisabeth Rispens
• Countertenor • Arturo den Hartog
• Musical performance • S.E.M. Ensemble (led by Petr Kotik)
• Piano • Joseph Kubera / Djuwa Mroivili / Emi See / Daan Vandewalle
• Mise-en-scène • Ferenc Balcaen
• Visual concept | Video • Collectif Faire-part
• Production manager • Annik Laruelle
• Lighting design | Coordination technics • Anne Van Es