Patricia Nicholson Parker
Patricia Nicholson Parker (born date) is a dancer, poet, and organizer of movement, music, and causes. She has developed her work within the aesthetic of Free Jazz with an attention to spiritual and social responsibility.
Early Life
Patricia Nicholson Parker was born in Providence, Rhode Island.
Career
As Dancer/Choreographer
In 1981, Nicholson Parker conceived, choreographed, co-organized, and produced “A Thousand Cranes Peace Opera”[1] for the opening of the UN Special Session on Disarmament. According to author Cisco Bradley, Nicholson: “recruited a thousand schoolchildren to each fold a paper crane; the results were presented on the stage for the performance in the United Nations building… The peace opera began with a piece titled ‘Ashes’ that functioned like an opening prayer. A series of other pieces followed that spoke to various forms of injustice and the social cost of violence and warfare.[2]"
The outdoor event, attended by thousands of people, took place at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza at the conclusion of the Buddhist Peace March. The Opera included 20 dancers, 20 musicians, and ended with a finale of 1,000 school children singing, aged 7 to 14, from schools in the New York area.
In response to 9/11, Nicholson Parker organized a small group of artists to clean up the largely abandoned C.U.A.N.D.O. and spearheaded a coalition with Arts for Arts, Dixon Place, Roulette, John Zorn, Jump Arts, Mutable Music, and 7 other artists and curators to present a creative response by more than 200 artists, musicians, filmmakers, and performers representing a range of ages, backgrounds, and sensibilities.
As Organizer
In 1984, Nicholson Parker collaborated with Peter Kowald and William Parker to curate and administrate the Sound Unity Festival[3] as a response to the lack of visibility of Free Jazz[4]. Performances for the festival took place at C.UA.N.D.O on 9 Second Avenue. The second edition, hosted in 1988[5], took place at the newly opened Knitting Factory on Houston Street, as well as Kraine Gallery on East 4 Street.
By 1994, Nicholson Parker founded the Improvisors’ Collective to bring together 50 creative jazz musicians, dancers, poets, and visual artists, providing opportunities for cross-fertilization among artists of different disciplines, as well as providing a venue for experimentation in composition and improvisation[6]. Nicholson Parker handled promotion for all events, including press releases and fliers, and scheduled performances with the input of the group.
Nicholson Parker joined the Board of Directors of Clemente, a multi-arts cultural institution in New York City’s Lower East Side, as a representative of Arts for Art in June 2018[7]. In November 2018, Nicholson Parker was elected Board Treasurer. From December 2018 to April 2019, Nicholson Parker became Clemente’s Acting Director during a leadership transition. During this time, Nicholson Parker worked with the Support Center to hire an interim Executive Director; identified a pro bono law firm to advise on membership issues plaguing the Center; and oversaw the hiring of an Audit firm to prepare past taxes and audits.
Nicholson Parker subsequently stepped in as Head of Operations and raised over $190,000 in rental income for The Clemente. By September 29, 2020, Nicholson Parker completed her term as Board Treasurer with 3 back years of audits and moved the organization away from a troubled membership structure.
Founder: Arts for Art
In 1996, Nicholson Parker inaugurated the first Annual Vision Festival, the world’s premier festival of experimental music, art, film, and dance, in partnership with the Learning Alliance and Open Pamphlet with funding from a donor and volunteer work by a team of artists[8]. Subsequently, Nicholson Parker founded the non-profit Arts for Art in 1997 to organize Vision Festival on an annual basis, along with other events and concert series throughout the year. Arts for Art established in all programming a continued commitment to Fair Pay for artists.
From 2002 to 2008, Nicholson Parker partnered with Sons d’Hiver, a jazz festival in Paris, to bring Vision Night in Paris.[9]
In 2008 Nicholson formed a coalition of music educators to teach improvisation in public schools and began presenting the work of students at the Vision Festival.
In the wake of the closing of The Tonic, Rise Up Creative Music and Art (R.U.C.M.A.) was founded. Initially, R.U.C.M.A. formed as a grassroots movement of artists and audience members responding to the marginalization of creative, non-commercial artistic endeavors. Eventually, R.U.C.M.A. became a part of Arts for Art advocating for affordable space and education programs.
In December 2008, Nicholson Parker initiated the Under_Line gala to bring attention to the need for a permanent space for innovative art.[10]
On January 17, 2020, Nicholson Parker began Artists for a Free World (AFFW) that participated as a band in 47 social justice demonstrations and is now focusing on a social media campaign.
Awards and Recognition
“Producer of the Year” award from the Jazz Journalist Association in 2003[11], 2006, 2008[12] and nominated in 2005. The JJA stopped this award in 2009. Arts for Art received in January 2012 an Award for Adventurous programming from ASCAP/CMA[13]
Choreographic and Improvised Performances
Select highlights include the dance and theater work, “Music and the Shadow People” performed at Theater for the New City, at the UnCool Festival in Poschiavo, Switzerland, and the Guelph Jazz Festival. In 2000 she collaborated with William Parker to perform “A Shadowed Light” in Sweden, working with four Swedish dancers and ten musicians. “Mass for the Healing of the World” with four dancers and William Parker’s Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra performed at the Verona Festival, Italy in 1998. She presented with William Parker “Vision Peace and Battle Cries,” for 15 dancers and 15 musicians at La MaMa in 1987. Ms. Nicholson performed “Desperate Women,” for 4 dancers and 2 musicians at the Second Sound Unity Festival, NYC in 1986. “A Thousand Cranes,” a peace opera with a chorus of 1000 school children singing the finale in June 1981 and an excerpt was performed at the First Sound Unity Festival in 1984.
- June, 2003 - Meditation On A Sunrise, at the Institute of Contemporary Art Theater, Boston.
- April, 2005 - Raining on the Moon solo dance w/ William Parker quintet and Cosmic Funk Will Save the World workshop & performance, with dancers & orch at Mediawave, Hungary. [14]
- September 2007 - premiere “The Celestial Moon Beams Funk for 4 dancers, 2 capoeiristas and 7 musicians at HOWL Festival.
- Nov 30, Dec 1, 2007 - Movement Research's FALL Festival with William Parker – Improv w/ Katie Duck, K.J. Holmes.[15]
- Jan 10, 2008 - Lights by Fragments of Lights Gathering duo with William Parker at Symphony Space.[16]
- March 26 2008 - Celestial MoonBeams with William Parker, Rob Brown, Sabir Mateen, Cooper-Moore, Jason Hwang, Miriam Parker at Roulette.[17]
- June 10 & 15, 2008 - Celestial MoonBeams Funk for 4 dancers and 6 musicians composition at The Vision Festival.[18]
- November 16, 2008 - duo with William Parker at Mutiny Republic, Naples, Italy.[19][20]
- Jan 31 – Feb 7, 2009 - Hurta Cordel with Wendell Wells, Raquel Sanchez, Sara Paniagua. William Parker leads orchestra FOCO at La Casa Encendida in Madrid & in Barcelona.
- February 21, 2009 - A State of Mind ll with Miriam Parker, Mariko Kumanimido, Jason Jordan, Cooper-Moore, and William Parker at Collaboration Festival at 14 Street Y.
- September 2009 - month residency in Wuppertal, Germany.
- January, 2010 - duo with William Parker, Evolving Music the Local 269 NYC.
- November 2009 - Choreography for 4 dancers with Jason Kao Hwang spontaneous orchestra.
- February 2010 - duo with Miya Masaoka, installation by Jo Wood Brown. Vision Nights, 14 Street Y, New York City.
- June 2010 - duo with Matthew Shipp at Vision Festival, Abrons Art Center NYC.
- June 2011 - Creative Mystery Collective – dance with 3 musicians at Abrons Art Center.
- September 2011 - text, songs with Jean Carla Rodea, Kyoko Kitamurra at From the Ashes, The Clemente.
- January 2012 - Last Call for voice,words, and dance with Kyoko Kitamurra, Fay Victor, Jean Carla, William Parker, TA Thompson at Evolving Music at Clemente Soto Velez, New York City.
- March 2012 - 4 Women with an Ax to Grind- voice/words/dance with Kris Davis, Mazz Swift, Tiffany Chang at Evolving series, Clemente Soto Velez, New York City.
- August 2012 - Residency in Nicola-Lenivetz Russia created a dance film poem and choreography for 5.
- September 2012 – text, dance with Sainkho Namtchylak voice, Parker bass in Moscow Theater.
- February 23, 2013 - ‘Open Artist Meeting / Dialogue through Art* with Raymond & Bastien Bon; Xavier Fassion; Stephanie Auberville – Marseille, France.
- June 2013 – I Am Dance with Amina Baraka (poetry), William Parker (bass).
- November 2013 – Vision in Handcuffs, duo with William Parker at Atlas Theater. Washington, DC.
- March 2014 – Studies In Freedom workshop and performance in Montreal and Ottawa.
- June 2014 – 4 Women with an Axe to Grind directed and danced at Vision Festival 19, New York City.
- January 2015 – Choreography William Parker. Martin Luthor King Project at Roulette, New York City.
- January 2015 – Challenge Listening Quartet at Black Lives Matter Series Clemente, New York City.
- April 2015 – because I am breathing – for 4 dancers - Our Earth Our World - at The Clemente.
- July 2015 – Revolution Resurrection [R&R] Quintet at Vision Festival 20, New York City.
- August 2015 – Revolution Resurrection [R&R] Quintet at Dissident Art Festival, Shapeshifter, Brooklyn.
- October 2015 – Critical InStance music, dance, rhythm, and text with William Parker at Roulette, NYC.
- October 2015 – Revolution Resurrection [R&R] Quintet for dance, art music at Roulette, NYC.
- December 2016 – Studies in freedom with William Parker: Hallwalls, Buffalo New York. Bop Stop, Cleveland Ohio. Trinosophes, Detroit, Michigan.
- April 2017 – Dead End, Hey! Women by Yoshiko Chuma at Cathy Weis on Broadway.
- April 2017 – Improvised Trio with Daniel Levin and Henry Fraser at Gallery 456.
- May 2017 – Dead End, Hey! Women by Yoshiko Chuma at La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival.
- June 2017 – Songs For a Free World, direction and choreography at Vision Festival, New York City.
- June 2017 – Hope Cries For Justice Tour with William Parker at Silence, Guelph, Ontario.
- July 2017 – Hope Cries For Justice Tour with William Parker and Hamid Drake at Constellation, Chicago.
- October 2017 - Revolution Resurrection [R&R] at First Street Garden, New York.
- November 2017 - at Happy Lucky Brooklyn, New York Hope Cries for Justice.
- April 2018 - at Tulane University, New Orleans– Hope Cries for Justice with William Parker.
- May 2018 - at Roulette Woman with an Axe to Grind with Joëlle Léandre, Nicole Mitchell, Melanie Dyer.
- June 2018 - Something Else! Festival @ HAMILTON, ON, Hope Cries for Justice with William Parker. And, THE THING IN THE SPRING Festival, Peterborough, / Aphodian Theatre, Portland Maine.
- October 2018 - What it Is at The Clemente, New York City. William Parker's band with text by Patricia Nicholson.
- January 24, 2019 - H0L0 in Brooklyn What it Is poetry/movement with music by William Parker.
- June 15 - Roulette BLUE, with music by Val Jeanty, Cooper-Moore, and visual art by William Mazza.
- September 2019 - dance & text with percussionist, Val Jeanty. What it Is Poetry movement with music by William Parker, James Brandon Lewis, Devin Waldman, Melanie Dyer, and Val Jeanty.
- October 19, 2019 - performed solo dance/poetry at Women Between the Arts.
- November 19, 2019 - evening of 4 original works for dance and music at The Clemente.
- July 3, 2020 - composed directed text, music for 2 voices accompanied by William Parker on bass.
- October 9, 2020 - Healing Force composed & directed music, text and dance at The Clemente.
- February 11, 2021 - collaborated with William Parker, Gerald Cleaver composed text & dance OnLine Salon.
- May 13, 2021 - dance and text improvisation in work by Ellen Christi with drummer, Francisco Mela.
- May 27, 2021 - Nicholson's group, Healing Force performing Knife & Rose composed & directed music, text and dance for OnLine Salon.
References
- ↑ Gebhardt, Nicholas; Whyton, Tony (2015-03-05). The Cultural Politics of Jazz Collectives: This Is Our Music. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-67270-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Bradley, Cisco (2021). Universal Tonality: The Life and Music of William Parker. Duke University Press. p. 139. Search this book on
- ↑ "THREE-NIGHT JAZZ FESTIVAL SET". The New York Times. 1984-06-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ↑ By. "Holding Space For The Music". Pioneer Works. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ↑ Gebhardt, Nicholas; Whyton, Tony (2015-03-05). The Cultural Politics of Jazz Collectives: This Is Our Music. Routledge. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-317-67271-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Gebhardt, Nicholas; Whyton, Tony (2015-03-05). The Cultural Politics of Jazz Collectives: This Is Our Music. Routledge. pp. 71–72. ISBN 978-1-317-67271-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Liscia, Valentina Di (2020-09-30). "In NYC, a Latinx Arts Center Dissolves Its Membership Program for a New Start". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ↑ Gebhardt, Nicholas; Whyton, Tony (2015-03-05). The Cultural Politics of Jazz Collectives: This Is Our Music. Routledge. pp. 72–75. ISBN 978-1-317-67271-5. Search this book on
- ↑ "William Parker invite ses amis à Sons d'hiver". Le Monde.fr (in français). 2002-01-18. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ↑ amNY. "Jazz greats, artists make a play for new L.E.S. venue | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ↑ "Jazz Awards 2003 Winners!".
- ↑ "Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards 2008".
- ↑ "Presenters and Ensembles Honored for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music" (PDF). 2011-12-13.
- ↑ Lopez, Rick (2014). The William Parker Sessiongraphy. Centering. p. 354. Search this book on
- ↑ Lopez, Rick (2014). The William Parker Sessionography. Centering. p. 356. Search this book on
- ↑ Lopez, Rick (2014). The William Parker Sessionography. Centering. p. 357. Search this book on
- ↑ Lopez, Rick (2014). The William Parker Sessionography. Centering. p. 359. Search this book on
- ↑ Lopez, Rick (2014). The William Parker Sessionography. Centering. p. 362. Search this book on
- ↑ Lopez, Rick (2014). The William Parker Sessionography. p. 368. Search this book on
- ↑ Lopez, Rick (2014). The William Parker Sessionography. p. 370. Search this book on
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