George

Ars Nova Workshop is pleased to present GEORGE, a new quartet featuring John Hollenbeck, Anna Webber, Aurora Nealand and Chiquita Magic.

The name GEORGE may be an unassuming one, but it has deep roots. As this newly-formed quartet — made up of leading lights of the NYC avant-garde, New Orleans traditional and Canadian electro-pop scenes — points out, it is derived from the Greek name “Georgios,” itself stemming from the term for “farmer” or “earthworker.” And if the group’s sole released effort to date, a single remotely-recorded track entitled “Proof of Concept,” is any indication, this is indeed a collection of artists committed to digging deep and bearing fruit.

Ars Nova Workshop presents a live performance by GEORGE at PhilaMOCA (Philadelphia), on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

About the Artists

Genre-crossing composer-percussionist John Hollenbeck, renowned in both the jazz and new-music worlds, has gained widespread recognition as the driving force behind the unclassifiable Claudia Quintet and the ambitious John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, groups with roots in jazz, world music, and contemporary composition. He has earned six Grammy nominations and has worked with many of the world’s leading musicians in jazz including Bob Brookmeyer, Fred Hersch and Tony Malaby, and is well known in new-music circles for his long-time collaboration with Meredith Monk.

Anna Webber is a flutist, saxophonist, and composer whose interests and work live in the aesthetic overlap between avant-garde jazz and new classical music. She was recently named a 2021 Berlin Prize Fellow and was voted the top “Rising Star” flutist in the 2020 Downbeat Critic’s Poll.

Aurora Nealand is most recognized for her performance on saxophones, clarinet and vocals and has been at the forefront of the revival of New Orleans with her band, the Royal Roses. Nealand is also the leader of New Orleans’ premier rockabilly band, Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers, and performs frequently with her solo project The Monocle. In 2010 and 2011 she appeared frequently as herself in the HBO TV series, Treme.

Isis Paola Giraldo AKA Chiquita Magic is a latinx artist-producer hailing from Colombia and based in Canada. She uses microtonal synthesizers, her voice, and a drum machine to create a unique sound that can be described as futuristic electro pop with elements of EDM, hip hop, cumbia, funk, reggaeton, choirs & jazz.