Berlin: Sound of Cities
Lauten was chosen to represent New York in the Sound of Cities Internet project (www.soundofcities.com) based in Berlin, an interactive collaboration between artists from around the world, initiated by Henry Matic. Each artist contributed original music, which was then processed by other artists and finalized into an Mp3 CD to be sold as a benefit for UNICEF and The International Campaign for Tibet and other charities.

Woodwinds Premiere
Lauten's Ecocity for woodwind quintet and percussion was premiered at the American Festival of Microtonal Music 2007, performed by master microtonalists Johnny Reinhard on bassoon and Ron Kozak on oboe, in one of the recently opened downtown hangouts, the Bowery Poetry Club.

In the Company of Wendy Carlos
The American Festival of Microtonal Music label, Pitch, has released a CD entitled Electronical, which includes Lauten's Double X for synthesizer, voice, and bass flute performed by Andrew Bolotowsky. It is a live recording from the 1999 AFMM festival at NYU. The CD also features a piece by electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos and works by Pehrson, Mandelbaum, Glazier and Stefanou. The CD is available from http://www.afmm.org.

4Tay's First DVD Release: Orfreo
The June 2004 premiere of Orfreo at Merkin Hall is now available on DVD. It is 4Tay's first DVD release and Lauten's fourth release on this label, following The Deus Ex Machina Cycle (1999) Waking in New York (2003), and Piano Soundtracks (2005). 4Tay recordings are available at: http://www.classicalcds.net and http://www.amazon.com. The DVD features a stellar performance by The Queen's Chamber Band, With librettist Michael Andre, Lauten revisited the mysterious suicide of artist Ray Johnson as a point of departure for this new Orfeo (Orf-Ray-o) archetype, with appropriate strangeness of mood and twice-removed 60s Soho hipness. This exciting documentary was edited and produced by Ludi Askins.

Seattle: Icebreaker IV-The American Future
Lauten was invited to participate in the Seattle Chamber Players' Icebreaker IV - the American future festival, curated by leading critics Kyle Gann and Alex Ross. The performance scheduled for January 26 will be the first installment of Lauten's work-in-progress, "0.02-The Two-Cents Opera" with excerpts scored for audio and four performers. This presentation is included in Kyle Gann's "Classics of Downtown" along with pieces by John Luther Adams, Janice Gitek, Kyle Gann, Eve Beglarian and William Duckworth. Lauten will also give a presentation on her work.

The Death of Don Juan Reissue
on Unseen Worlds
The new label Unseen Worlds planning a release of Lauten's 1987 opera The Death of Don Juan for the spring 2008. The 20-year old opera has received quite a bit of attention lately. The recent Wikipedia entry reads: "Her 1987 opera The Death of Don Juan-feminist tract and Zen meditation combined-was one of the major postminimalist works of the 1980s". This piece is also listed as #3 of the Minimalist Top Ten by Alan Licht.

Spring Premiere at St Marks
On May 18, 2008, at St Marks Church, Downtown Music Productions will premiere Lauten's The Five Petal Proportion, a commission, to be included in a program of pieces about flowers. http://www.downtownmusicproductions.org.

Lower East Side Performing Arts Launch 2007 saw the kick-off of a new organization, Lower East Side Performing Arts (LESPA), brainchild of Lauten and friends Carolyn Ratcliffe and Jeffrey James. LESPA's goal is to respond to the current crisis for artists in Lower Manhattan: they can no longer perform and present their work in the neighborhood, as many spaces have closed their doors to them because of escalating rents and property values. In this context, LESPA aims to create exciting new venues and stimulate audiences' interest for fresh music compositions and new forms of art. In June 2007,

a garden party took place at the 9C community garden; a candle-lit dinner celebrated the birth of the organization, gathering performers, directors, composers, choreographers, artists and presenters interested in LESPA, who were also invited to discover the new web site designed by Lauten at: http://www.geocities.com/lesperformingarts

LESPA Launch - Photos: Milton Fletcher
Left to right: Julianne Klopotic (violinist), Joseph Pehrson (composer), Linda Past (performer), Carolyn Ratcliffe (LESPA president), Mimi Stern-Wolfe (presenter), Lauten, Michael Comlish (director)

Op on Screen Festival: Creating a New Venue
In six events from October 6 through November 17, the Hamilton Fish Park New York Public Library on Houston Street hosted LESPA's screening festival of alternative opera documentaries, free and open to the public. Op on Screen, curated by Lauten, presents the kind of musical theater that effectively addresses the complexity of the modern world. The works presented are 'neo-operas' by some of the most creative New York composers - many of whom are internationally known - and by some award-winning American poets. This years' Op on Screen included: Frank J. Oteri & Lucio Pozzi's Machunas, Barbara Benary's Karna, Lisa Karrer's The Story of Roro Mendut, Elodie Lauten & Michael Andre's Orfreo, Anna Rabinowitz & Stefan Weisman's Darkling, Johnny Reinhard's Odysseus, Harry Partch's Potion Scene, Ilsa Gilbert & Marshall Coid's The Bundle Man. LESPA is planning to continue Op on Screen next year. If you have material on DVD please forward it...

Why we need your support
LESPA focuses on strategies to counteract the reduction of venues downtown and the escalating cost of tickets in order to serve the artist community and the general public by producing unique, enlightening as well as affordable programs in the downtown neighborhood. LESPA is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit, tax-exempt New York organization. But in order to continue to exist as an organization, we need to show public support of the form of donations in any amount (small is better than none), which are entirely tax-deductible. So please give a hand and send your check to:
Lower East Side Performing Arts
268 East Broadway #A-1102
New York NY 10002
Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Best wishes to all!

Elodie Lauten
Carolyn Ratcliffe
Jeffrey James