Kicking off the four concert “€œNew Voices”€ series by the teen new music sensations Face the Music, the December 8th show brings no fewer than five world premieres to the newly renovated Queens Museum space. From the freshest young voices on the compositional scene the composer/player superstars of Face the Music we get the jazzy “€œModern Hieroglyphics”€ for large combo; the orchestral “€œContinuing Resolution”€ and the politically aware “€œThree Movements (Korea/USA).”€ Also on the program is the world premiere of Princeton-based composer Thomas Reeves’ stunningly lyrical String Quartet on Vietnamese and Cambodian Themes, as well as some raucous covers of tunes by the avantpunk jazz group Gutbucket.

Concerts will take place at 2pm and again at 4pm.

Called “€œa force in the new music world”€ by The New York Times, Face the Music is the country’s only ensemble for 18-and-under that is solely devoted to the music of living composers. In the space of nine years Face the Music has grown from an after-school club of eight kids to a massive group of over 135 students from all over the tri-state area who convene every week to write, rehearse, and perform music together. The ensemble advances Kaufman Music Center’s commitment to contemporary music and provides unparalleled performance and education experiences for the next generation of musical leaders.

Under the direction of Dr. Jenny Undercofler, Face the Music performs nearly 35 concerts each season in venues around the city ranging from schools to museums to concert halls. Highlights from recent seasons include performances at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the Bang On A Can Marathon, the Ecstatic Music Festival, and the River to River Festival, where Face the Music opened for the Philip Glass Ensemble. Face the Music has collaborated with many professional artists, including the JACK Quartet, with whom they performed Steve Reich’s Triple Quartet at the Baryshnikov Arts Center last spring. Recently, Face the Music launched “€œKronos at Kaufman,”€ a major collaboration with the Kronos Quartet for the 2013-14 season.