Toi, Toi, Toi music by David Simons at Garner Art Center

Toi, Toi, Toi
music by David Simons featuring 3 ensembles: Toy Piano trio, Homemade Instruments Ensemble, and Rockland Angklung Gamelan

Free Admission | Donations accepted

A concert of musical compositions by David Simons will feature the premiere of “toi toi toi”, written for toy piano trio with gamelan accompaniment. This new work was commissioned by Arts Westchester in 2024. Other pieces by Mr. Simons on the program will be “Help Me Rangda” and “Cremation Music” for the newly reconstituted Rockland Angklung Gamelan, a 7 member ensemble of local musicians playing on Barbara Benary’s Indonesian inspired instruments. Featured soloists will be violinist Jason Kao Hwang, and Mr Simons performing his unique interactive Theremin, an update of the earliest electronic musical instrument.

The New York City based Homemade Instruments Ensemble, which plays original music on repurposed, recycled and homemade instruments will perform two exciting works from their repertory by Mr Simons – “I’ll See You in the Parking Lot” and “Honey Ant Song”. The concert will also include a work by Lisa Karrer for violin, voice and toy piano, written for a production of Alice in Wonderland. The event concludes with audience members invited to come up to the stage and examine the unusual instruments and music scores. Members of the ensemble will conduct a short workshop in learning to play a simple piece on the gamelan.

Support for this project is provided, in part, by ArtsAlive/Arts Westchester with funding supplied by NY State Council on the Arts, and Art4All/ACOR the Arts Council of Rockland, and with the generous support of Garner Arts Center.