CHIRON Performing Arts is dedicated to presenting the evolutionary visions of contemporary artists. Via powerful, exciting performances of new music, artistic collaborations and by touring local communities we reach out to new audiences and demonstrate that The Arts are among the most vital of human endeavors.

Though centered firmly in the classical music tradition, we stimulate diversity and include in our concerts and festivals other artistic disciplines and styles of music making, including multicultural approaches and the talents of artists from local communities and from afar.

In ancient Greek Myth the God Cronos came to earth and ravaged a Sea Nymph. CHIRON was born of this union. He was in the form of a Centaur and became the teacher of the God's and Heroes of the Mythological world of Greece. He taught all of the arts of civilization, with an emphasis on music. There are a number of tales of his manner of death, but when he died Zeus reached down and rewarded his service by making him the constellation Sagittarius.

This is our fifteenth season as CHIRON Performing Arts. Founded by our Artistic Director Christopher Kaufman (shown at left), we had previously presented festivals and concerts centered in Ithaca, New York. We toured the surrounding areas, performed regularly at the WBFO Opus: Live Radio series in Buffalo and presented the work of hundreds of artists of all disciplines. Some of our guest artists in these years included internationally known composers and artists, younger and lesser-known artists as well as established masters of the twentieth century. We also presented workshops for young people such as composition master classes, which included students 4 through 17 years of age. CHIRON's concert events featured creative 'theatrical' presentation, a mixture of as many artistic disciplines as possible, the inclusion of 'classical music improvisation', relevant themes, and powerful performances by world-class musicians.

CHIRON previously received annual grants from the Community Arts Partnership in Ithaca, New York as well as Meet The Composer grants and grants for the 'creative presentation of visual art'. CHIRON's director received CAP's 'individual artists award' for his work with CHIRON. 9O% of our programming has been devoted to presentation of contemporary American music. Many of the pieces presented on our programs have been world premieres and/or pieces written for the events.

Last year (November 9, 2003) we presented our first show in New York City here at The Flea - From Shadow to Light: The Phoenix: dedicated to the City of New York. This show included a work for nine trombones by Christopher Kaufman, a work for piano and dancer by Kaufman dedicated to Georgia O'Keefe, Robert Dick's Late Life for contrabass flute (performed by the composer), Stravinsky's Elegy for solo viola, Elliot Schwartz's Reading Sessions for piano and clarinet (with the composer performing) a complete Chamber Ballet of Kaufman's titled The Phoenix (dedicated to New York City) and his Brass Quintet which features a theme and variations on Thomas 'Fats' Waller's 'ain't misbehavin'.

CHIRON is now centered here in New York City. This is our second season in New York, where we begin our year of concerts at the Flea Theater in November. Throughout the rest of the year we will take the show around the New York area and beyond into Upstate New York and surrounding regions.

Tonight we present Art of the Americas: the Transforming Power of Imagination. For more information about some of our wonderful performers and composers, please visit the following websites:

Mirian Conti - http://www.concertartists.com/MConti.html
Robert Dick - http://www.robertdick.net/
John Eaton - http://www.bmv.org/bios/john-eaton.html
Robert Rene Galvan - http://www.springfieldsymphony.org/detpages/about155.shtml
Alberto Ginastera - http://members.tripod.com/~ostinato/ginas.html
Christopher Kaufman - http://www.chkaufman.com

For more information about this event and CHIRON Performing Arts, you can visit our webpage at http://www.chkaufman.com or contact Christopher Kaufman at ckaufman5@nyc.rr.com.