Graveyard Shift: Colin Stetson & Deradoorian

Experimental musician and film composer (including Hereditary and The Menu) Colin Stetson & versatile multi-instrumentalist Deradoorian will present unique solo performances at The Historic Green-Wood Cemetery. Rain date on May 11.

About the Artists

Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson’s recorded output, not to mention studio and live collaborations – with, among others, Lou Reed, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Chemical Brothers, Bon Iver and Bill Laswell – has proven as prolific as it’s praiseworthy. Since the 21st century’s early years, he’s gained a well-deserved reputation as an exceptional musician, his devotion to craft consummate, his commitment to innovation indisputable. Known for assertive, powerhouse performances on the saxophone – chiefly bass and alto, but also soprano, tenor and baritone – for many years he was a wrestler, a sport whose “insane physical extremes” he credits with his style, alongside, among other things, a love for acts like Pixies and Fugazi. He’s similarly at home, though, whatever the musical context, on clarinet, flute, French Horn and cornet. One might even say he operates in a field all his own.

It was at university that Stetson first began playing regularly, “searching, reaching, and exploring the instrument” with Transmission (later Transmission Trio), before heading to San Francisco after graduating and, six years later, Brooklyn. Contributions were made to other artists’ recordings, not least Tom Waits’, and he made his own lowkey records too. It wasn’t, though, until 2007 that his breakthrough album, New History Warfare Vol. 1, was released, and this coincided with his drafting by Arcade Fire, with whom he’d play until 2010. That year he moved to Montreal to join his future (but now ex-) wife, the band’s Sarah Neufeld, with whom he recorded 2015’s Never Were The Way She Was, and the following year he released Sorrow, an extraordinary reimagining of Gorecki’s legendary Symphony of Sorrow. In-between he completed the New History Warfare trilogy, a virtuosic illustration of the “world-building”, as he calls it, that’s critical to much of his solo work, while 2017’s All This I Do for Glory consolidated his reputation, earning multiple nominations for critics’ Album of the Year lists.

Stetson’s nature is defiantly single-minded, and his dogged focus is always evident, his swooping, circling and soaring motifs displaying as much sensitivity as strength. This is something to which his striking – and diverse – contributions to film, TV and game scores also powerfully attest, including, most recently, 2018’s Hereditary and Red Dead Redemption 2, 2021’s Among The Stars, and 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Menu. As distinguished broadcaster Mary Anne Hobbs once observed, Colin Stetson is “an artist that can change the way you actually think about music.”

Deradoorian

Deradoorian is the solo project of Angel Deradoorian, a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Los Angeles and New York City. Deradoorian enjoys exploring many realms of sonic palettes often using flutes, percussion, and analog synthesizers. Their practice revolves around constant invention and improvisation in live performance due to a curious mind. The most recent release by Deradoorian titled 'Disembodied Improvisation 3" focuses on returning to the simplicity of experimenting with flutes solely through a delay pedal.

About The Green-Wood Cemetery:

Founded in 1838 as one of America’s first rural cemeteries, The Green-Wood Cemetery soon developed an international reputation for its magnificent beauty and became the fashionable place to be buried. By 1860, it was attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, a popularity helped inspire the creation of public parks, including New York City’s Central and Prospect Parks. Green-Wood’s diverse set of public programs include arts and cultural events, walking and trolley tours, workforce development programs in masonry restoration, a new range of Social Studies-aligned school programs, environmental justice workshops, an artist residency and much more. For more information, visit www.green-wood.com.

Please read this important information:

  • Doors and check-in open at 7:00 PM.
  • Arrive at the Cemetery’s main entrance at 500 25th Street, right on the corner or 5th Avenue.
  • The performance site is in front of the Green-Wood Chapel, which is a short (less than 5 minutes) walk from the main entrance where you are checking in. Green-Wood staff will be present to guide you to the performance location.
  • There is no onsite parking for cars or bikes.
  • If planning to purchase alcoholic beverages, attendees must show proof of age with a valid ID.
  • The bar onsite will sell beer, wine, and water. Drinks can be purchased with either cash or credit card. No outside food or alcohol is permitted.
  • Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs, as the viewing area for the performance is mixed materials (including asphalt and grass).
  • No seating will be provided by the venue, unless requested in advance for special needs.
  • This is a historic site, please do not sit or lean on any of the monuments or gravestones.
  • Follow all health and safety protocols as directed by staff. Masks must be worn in restrooms, and are strongly encouraged in all other locations.
  • Feeling Sick? Stay home if you are feeling sick or running a temperature. Please use good judgment if you have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19. For more information about COVID-19, please check the CDC website.
  • Follow us on Instagram at @pioneerworks for additional information and updates.