ABOUT
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Located 70 miles north of New York City, New Paltz is a musically vibrant town nestled in the Hudson Valley. Discover and listen to some of the new music created by locals in the area.
New Music New Paltz was started by Dr. Phyllis Chen (composer, sound artist and SUNY New Paltz professor in music composition) to encourage the creation, performance and sharing of new music in the area. Phyllis' experience as a new music advocate is manifold. She was the founder/director of UnCaged Toy Piano, a 10-year competition and festival in New York City that was described by the New York Times as "meticulously whimsical," she was a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, a new music ensemble and collective that was described by The New Yorker as "the gold star of new music" and she was the former interim Artistic Director of Look & Listen Festival. Now settling in New Paltz, Phyllis is eager to continue promoting new music in her own community. With a passionate belief that musical expression is an embodiment of one's personal identity and learned/instinctive language, Phyllis has a desire to create dialogue through contemporary music regardless of genre or style. Phyllis hopes to use New Music New Paltz as a platform to promote local emerging voices by students, pre-labeled musicians and marginalized artists.