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Upcoming Gigs
The Respect Sextet
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Biography
"Amazing!"
Red Wierenga is a pianist/accordionist/respectronicist/improviser currently based in New York City.
Wierenga received his Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music, where his teachers included Harold Danko and Ralph Alessi. During his time at Eastman, Wierenga appeared as soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Eastman School Studio Orchestra and Ossia. He also performed in duo and small group settings with Dave Holland, Wycliffe Gordon, Ben Monder and others. While at Eastman, Wierenga researched several lesser-known historical jazz pianists, including Richard Twardzik and Herbie Nichols, transcribing, arranging and performing their music. After graduating from Eastman in 2002, Wierenga served as on-air host on Jazz90.1, Rochester’s jazz radio station, while maintaining an active performance schedule, playing as a soloist and with the Respect Sextet, the Dave Rivello Ensemble, the Red Wierenga Unit, and others. In 2004 Wierenga moved to the Netherlands, where he studied electronic and computer music at the Institute of Sonology at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. There he studied with Joel Ryan and designed and built the first Respectron, a novel physical interface for gestural control of electronic music. Since moving to New York City in 2005, Wierenga has established a vigorous performance agenda while composing for the Respect Sextet and the Wierenga Maneuver and continuing development on the Respectron. |
He performs regularly with the Respect Sextet, Airbox: The Andrew Shapiro Ensemble, SPIN, and others, and as the leader of his own groups, including The Wierenga Maneuver.