World premiere of Island Music by Michael Tilson Thomas

April 11, 2003

Sunday April 13th sees the world premiere of Island Music, the latest composition by famed conductor and composer, Michael Tilson Thomas. The piece for two marimbas and percussion ensemble will be broadcast worldwide via the internet and illustrates the commitment Tilson Thomas and his acclaimed orchestral academy in Miami have to technological access to music and art. The broadcast can be heard at 2pm EST on Sunday April 13th 2003 at www.nws.org. Theatre Projects Consultants are currently working closely with MTT and the New World Symphony to create a unique rehearsal and performance venue in the heart of South Beach, Miami.

As well as celebrating the ongoing collaboration of TPC and architect, Frank Gehry, which will see the Walt Disney Concert Hall opening in Los Angeles later this year, the project extends the TPC design ideals for intimacy and immediacy to a global audience by facilitating New World Symphony's ground-breaking use of Internet2 for highest quality live broadcast of performances and interactive masterclasses and workshops. New World Symphony's foresight in bringing together Gehry, the acclaimed Japanese practice of Nagata Acoustics and the TPC team lead by Richard Pilbrow and David Taylor will result in a signature building in Miami which offers unrivalled facilities for young musicians, music technologists and creators of non-traditional performance styles in music and the arts.

"This amazingly creative space offers opportunities to work with a dream team", suggests David Taylor, "and enables us to build on the success of our buildings for music and our relationships with the great musicians of the world such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Seattle Symphony and others. Michael's vision and the incredible imagination of the New World faculty, staff and fellows have been inspiring and thought-provoking. This building will extend the excitement of their performances beyond the South Florida venue, literally to the world".