Arthur Russell: City Park
Overview
Presented by the New York City AIDS Memorial in partnership with the Arthur Russell Estate and the Music Department at Wesleyan University, City Park was a free public outdoor concert of a controversial, long-lost early masterwork by maverick American composer, cellist, and singer Arthur Russell (1951–1992). Unheard for half a century following its 1973 premiere, this radical site-specific performance—directed by Nick Hallett—brought together primary Russell collaborators alongside a younger generation of experimental musicians to perform a newly arranged edition of the score.
Project Context & Curatorial Role
As Commissioner, I directed the site presentation and institutional partnerships for this landmark performance, transforming the Memorial's plaza into a resonant soundscape bridging avant-garde classical composition, modern rock, turntablism, and concrete poetry.
Conceived while Russell was studying under modernist Charles Wuorinen and apprenticing with Fluxus artist Jackson Mac Low, City Park served as the manifesto that launched Russell's career. Galvanized by Christian Wolff's chance-based scores, the work's 1973 premiere featured Wolff on electric bass and Mac Low reading poetry—prompting Wuorinen to famously call it "the most unattractive thing I've ever heard."
Directed and arranged from archival manuscripts by Nick Hallett, the Memorial's performance united original 1973 ensemble members David Van Tieghem and Peter Zummo with contemporary artists Nat Baldwin, Lea Bertucci, Parsa Ferdowsi, Shawn O’Sullivan, and Alex Waterman.
Occurring over thirty years after Russell’s death from AIDS-related complications at age 40, the performance re-contextualized City Park as a piece far ahead of its time, showcasing how Russell's early avant-garde experiments laid the groundwork for his legendary contributions to disco, minimalist pop, and downtown art music.
Role: Commissioner
Directed by Nick Hallett, with Nat Baldwin, Lea Bertucci, Parsa Ferdowsi,Shawn O’Sullivan, David Van Tieghem, Alex Waterman, and Peter Zummo
Partners: The Arthur Russell Estate & Wesleyan University Music Department, Part of West Side Fest 2023
Date: September 30, 2023
Location: New York City AIDS Memorial, New York, NY
