“‘Both Eyes Open' demonstrates the strength of opera as an art form and its contemporary relevance. The audience gets crushed by history throughout Duykers' and Gotanda’s opera. It hurts to think about it, and it is challenging not to feel ashamed. It is unusual to hear nothing at all when a show ends. So it was in the Flea Theater. Until the cast took their bows to resounding applause, it appeared like few in the crowd knew how to react."

-OperaWire

"Sharp juxtapositions abound. The music can move from one movement to another that’s a complete contrast. But somehow these shifts don’t sound arbitrary. They seem prepared, even if they are still surprising.”

-Fanfare

“It combines intellectual rigor with sheer physical pleasure as well as metaphysical transcendence. It is music that is deeply conscious of all the music that has come before it, but is very clearly music of our time while also offering some intriguing suggestions about where the music of the future might beckon.”

-Frank J. Oteri

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NOW AVAILABLE ON NEW WORLD RECORDS:

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Max Giteck Duykers
Ensemble Ipse
Folding Music

Track Listing:
1. Folding Music (13:06)
2. Scatterloop (8:52)
3. The Way In (8:47) - with guest soprano Zen Wu
4. Twilight for Adored and Breathless Moments (12:37)
5. Arborescence (10:54)
6. Dark Body (14:48)

I’m thrilled to announce the release of my album “Folding Music” on New World Records featuring Ensemble Ipse with guest soprano Zen Wu, and 9-time Grammy winning producer Judith Sherman.

Purchase here
•Liner notes by New Music Box’s Frank J. Oteri here.
•Review on Kathodik
•Review on Fanfare
•Review on Avant Music News


NEWS:

SAT/SUN-12/2/23 & 12/3/23 ~ NATIONAL SAWDUST, BROOKLYN,

World Premiere of Vapor/Blood, commissioned by the Tiffany Mills Company,
More info and tickets here:
https://www.nationalsawdust.org/event/tiffany-mills-company-ensemble-ipse-12-2-23
https://www.nationalsawdust.org/event/tiffany-mills-company-ensemble-ipse-12-3-23

August 2022:

My opera Both Eyes Open is selected for OPERA America’s New Works Forum, and will be given its NY Premiere in January 2023.

June 2022:

My opera Both Eyes Open is premiered at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco

June 2021:

My opera Both Eyes Open is awarded a grant from The JA Community Foundation for the upcoming premiere at the Presidio Theatre in June, 2022.

June 2020:

My opera Both Eyes Open is awarded a grant from California Humanities for the upcoming premiere at the Presidio Theatre in June, 2022.

May 2019:

New World Records releases my debut album “Folding Music” featuring Ensemble Ipse and guest soprano Zen Wu and producer Judith Sherman.

January 2019:

Ensemble Ipse awarded a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council for our September 2019 performance of my opera Both Eyes Open in Brooklyn.

OCTOBER 2018

Ensemble Ipse recently recorded an album of my music with producer Judith Sherman, at Oktaven Audio, for release on New World Records in May 2019. Watch for news of a CD release party soon.

AUGUST 2018

My opera “Both Eyes Open” has been selected for a generous grant from the National Parks Service, and will be premiered at Japanese-American Confinement Sites across the U.S. in 2020-21 with the Paul Dresher Ensemble. Also look for a NYC workshop presentation in September 2019.

January 2018

Ensemble Ipse awarded a recording grant from the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University for my forthcoming album “Folding Music” on New World Records.

September 2017

New World Records will be releasing a record of my music, featuring Ensemble Ipse for their 2018-19 cycle.

June 2017

Glass Blue Cleft for string quartet selected for the Charlotte New Music Festival (CNMF) and Beo String Quartet Composition Competition, and given a performance by the Beo String Quartet.

JULY 2014

The Potato King of Block 72 is awarded a commission from New Music USA, for a pending premiere with the Paul Dresher Ensemble.

MAY 2014

A Breath of Arches for string quartet and four MIDI foot controllers was commissioned by and awarded the grand prize for the Third Angle/Russell New Ideas In Music Competition.

FALL 2012

Glass Blue Cleft for string quartet chosen as the winner of the New York Composers Circle and Music Now Competitions.

FALL 2012

I have been chosen as the composer-in-residence for Ironworks on the Edge, a contemporary dance and dance-documentary production company run by long-time collaborator Amy Yopp-Sullivan. Ironworks has just commissioned The Table Where We Met, an evening-length piece for violin and processed string quartet samples.  Violinist Esther Noh will give the premiere in the Fall of 2012, featuring samples of her strinq quartet Praxis.

SUMMER 2010

I've been invited to spend the summer in Sardinia, Italy at the Le Ville Matte Music Residency, sponsored by the capital city of Cagliari.  A new piece, Sette Momenti for flute, violin, viola and piano will commissioned by the program, and visiting composers and performers will give lessons and masterclasses.  Sette Momenti will be premiered and professionally recorded.

FALL 2010

Apricots of Andjuar (a predecessor to The Potato King of Block 72) is awarded a commission from the Jerome Foundation's JFunds Commissioning Program.

SPRING 2010

Glass Blue Cleft recorded by the Escher String Quartet, is released on Bridge Records.

SUMMER 2008

Theatre Music: The Singles is now available on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, and eMusic. This is a collection of music I wrote for various theatrical productions from 1998-2006.