05/01/2012 Mikel Rouse announces the May 1, 2012 release of his first double album, Boost|False Doors (Exit Music 1015-1016), through iTunes and all major retailers.This is the 30th release in Rouse's prolific recording career. Boost|False Doors will be available via iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, CD Baby, CD Connection and CD Universe and on disc through All Major Retail Stores and through Exit Music Recordings on May 1. Both CDs will be available for Pre-Order from iTunes on April 15 (to commemorate the Hedge Fund theme of Boost) .“False Doors has been described as my Buddhist record, probably because of an impression of acceptance that pervades the recording,” explains Rouse. “And Boost was about the anticipation of a loss of love through the metaphor of hedge funds and banking. The recordings are a year apart, but somehow, they seemed to become bookends, so I thought I’d release them together.”

03/01/2011 Luminato Festival Announces 2011 Music and Celebrations Program. Mikel Rouse's Gravity Radio to be featured. Following the critical acclaim of Rouse's Gravity Radio at BAM's Next Wave Festival, Rouse's new work will be featured at the 2011 Luminato Festival in Toronto. From the Press Release announcement: "Gravity Radio In 2008, Mikel Rouse’s multimedia trilogy (Dennis Cleveland, Failing Kansas, The End Of Cinematics) mesmerized Luminato audiences. Now, in this live acoustic performance of Rouse’s latest work – inspired by the theoretical physics of gravity waves – a cycle of 14 songs intersects with shortwave frequencies and reports of the day’s actual news to create a richly poetic soundscape unique to each performance." Commissioned by Luminato. Wednesday, June 15, 8:00 PM Metro Square FREE Major Media Partners: Toronto Star, CBC Additional Support: L'Oréal Professionel

03/01/2011 Recent profiles on Mikel Rouse. A number of recent print and video profiles can be found through the following links: The New York Times, NewMusicBox, Pelime, Some Came Running and Oliver di Place. In addition, features and reviews of BAM performances of Gravity Radio can be found HERE. And recent reiviews of the new CDs Recess and Corner Loading (Volume 1) can be found HERE.

12/07/2010 The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center announces the acquisition of Mikel Rouse's Archive. The exhibition, Passport: 30 Years Drawn on the Road (in conjunction with the exhibit False Doors at the Margarete Roeder Gallery), celebrates the announcement of the acquisition of the Mikel Rouse Archive as part of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center’s permanent collection. The archive will include Rouse’s scores, manuscripts, digital media including audio, video, and film material, as well as art work, sketchbooks, diaries and correspondence. Materials featured in the exhibition will also be found in the archive. “The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is honored to have Mikel Rouse’s archive in the collection,” said Jacqueline Z. Davis, Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman Executive Director for the Performing Arts. “The rich and important work of this wonderfully diverse artist will be available for patrons to study and learn from for years to come.” Speaking with the New York Times, Ms. Davis said, “There’s a lot, but thankfully, not only is he creative, extremely talented and very successful — he’s also organized.” The collection, she explained, is arriving in four waves: analog master tapes; scores, manuscripts and programs; digital media; and, finally, sketchbooks, diaries, contracts and correspondence, some of which are in the exhibition.

12/25/2010 Mikel Rouse Fall Season Highlights. Mikel Rouse's fall season at BAM's Next Wave Festival concluded on December 11. See reviews HERE. Mikel's BAM season also included a post performance Artist Conversation with Evan and Andrew Gregory of the Gregory Brothers (best known for AutoTune the News). Both visual exhibits, Passport: 30 Years Drawn on the Road and False Doors at the Margarete Roeder Gallery were extending through February 2011. The CD releases of Corner Loading (Volume 1) and Recess continue to receive press as Rouse prepares for performances of Corner Loading. And the film retrospective at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center ran through December 15. The season ended with 3 performances of Ulysses Dove's Vespers with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at City Center (Quorum, music by Mikel Rouse).


Photo: Evan Gregory, Sarah Gregory, Mikel Rouse, Micheal Gregory and Andrew Rose Gregory.
Backstage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

10/07/2010 Mikel Rouse Fall Season includes 2 new CD releases, Performances at BAM, two exhibitions of his visual work and a film retrospective. To commemorate the 10 year anniversary of ExitMusic Recordings, Mikel Rouse will release 2 new CDs: Recess and Corner Loading (Volume 1). The release date will be Dec. 7, coinciding with the opening of Gravity Radio at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival. Recess and Corner Loading will be available via iTunes, Bandcamp, Amazon, CD Baby, CD Connection and CD Universe and on disc through All Major Retail Stores and through Exit Music Recordings on December 7. Both CDs will be available for Pre-Order from iTunes on November 2. 
In addition to Mikel’s season at BAM, there will be retrospective exhibitions of his visual work and screenings of his films. See Mikel Rouse Fall 2010 Season at a Glance Press Release. Click here to download the Full PDF Press Release. Also see Bookings Page for Performance and Reception times.

10/23/2009 Composer/performer Mikel Rouse Releases New Album, Gravity Radio, Worldwide November 3; Album Release Concert October 23 in NYC; Tour in 2010. Composer, filmmaker, director and solo performer Mikel Rouse will release his new album, Gravity Radio (Exit Music 1012) on Tuesday, November 3 on iTunes and at all major retailers. He will celebrate with a special album release performance at Galapagos Art Space (16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY) on Friday, October 23 at 8pm. Mr. Rouse will be joined onstage by his band, special guests ACME (American Contemporary Music Ensemble) and TONY nominated/OBIE Award winner Veanne Cox. New work by acclaimed video artist Cliff Baldwin will be projected throughout the performance. A live performance of Gravity Radio will tour to New Orleans, New York, Illinois, North Carolina, Toronto, Ireland, and Spain in 2010.Gravity Radio features music for string quartet, singers, guitarist, bass, drums and keyboard soaring above and intertwining with ethereal shortwave radio static. Through this texture, a voice (that of Veanne Cox) cuts intermittently with scattershot reports from the AP newswire. The result is familiar and comforting, yet oddly unsettling. (PRWeb Sep 16, 2009) Click here for details.

9/2/2009 The Second International Conference on Minimalist Music. In conjunction with the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, presents composer and artist Mikel Rouse in a discussion and screening of his films Funding (2001) and Music for Minorities (2004) on Wednesday, September 2, at 7 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library’s Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St. An alumnus of UMKC and the Kansas City Art Institute, Mikel Rouse has been hailed by The New York Times as “a composer many believe to be the best of his generation.” The films follow two very different narratives, yet are representative of the unique prism through which Rouse presents his amalgamation of musical, visual, and textual elements. Critic Mark Swed of The Los Angeles Times called Rouse’s work “pure sonic entertainment, lifting us all to a higher plane” and contended it “might rightly be called Opera Verité.” Rouse will deliver a brief introductory presentation prior to the screenings and participate in a Q&A session afterwards. Click here for details.

8/5/2009 Merce Cunningham 1919 - 2009. Having been among the last composers to collaborate with choreographer Merce Cunningham, Frank Oteri asked Mikel if he would write a memorial appreciation of Merce for NewMusicBox. Click here for the full article.

4/3/2009 youngARTS 2009. Mikel Rouse was a Guest Master Teacher for the youngARTS Gold and Silver winners. After attending the "In The Studio" Gala Performance hosted by Mikhail Baryshnikov at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Rouse hosted 15 young musicians at his studio in Times Square. Rouse also invited Sue Devine, Head of Film and Television Music for ASCAP's New York office, to speak to the students about job opportunities and music licensing issues. To learn more about the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) and the youngARTS program, click here: youngARTS.

3/29/2009 Earth Hour. Rouse was interviewed by the Associated Press as he joined thousands of New Yorker's in Times Square to observe Earth Hour. From the interview: Mikel Rouse, 52, a composer who lives and works nearby came to watch what he called "the center of the universe" dim its lights. "C'mon, is it really necessary? ... All this ridiculous advertising ... all this corporate advertising taking up all that energy seems to be a waste," Rouse said. The AP interview ran in numerous publications including the Huffington Post, Science News and AP International.

3/5/2009 National Consumer Protection Week. On March 5, Rouse spoke at a Press Conference for the Department of Consumer Affairs, TheFederal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau during National Consumer Protection Week. City residents have had it with debt collectors. The Department of Consumer Affairs says residents last year filed more complaints against debt collectors than any other type of business. The department says 70 percent more complaints were filed than in 2007 and most concerned debts not owed. This is the first time that gripes against home-improvement contractors did not top the annual list. Rouse was featured in the New York Times, and on New York 1 and Fox News.

10/2009 Center of the Earth Studios. On October 1, Rouse opened his new boutique studio Center of the Earth. Located in Times Square, the studio is equipped for both mixing and mastering. Rouse is currently at work on a new project called Poetry Clocks after recently completing the new radio concert Gravity Radio.

11/7/2008 Thomas Barefoot. In November, Rouse was in San Francisco for the Zellerbach performances of Merce Cunningham's eyeSpace, with iPod shuffle music, International Cloud Atlas, by Mikel Rouse. The highlight of the trip was stopping by Thomas Barefoot's studio to see how he puts together the most amazing monitors around. Rouse had Barefoot's MM27 MicroMain monitors on order for the anticipated opening of his new studio Center of the Earth. Hats off to Thomas for such a well designed product and his hospitality.

7/2008 Go Yankees. The first presentation of Mikel's Trilogy in repertory was a resounding success at the 2008 Luminato Festival. See the Press Page for all the news and reviews. After completion of the Trilogy Mikel took a well deserved rest with spouse Lisa Boudreau (who had just retired after an extraordinary 14 year run with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company). They were invited by their good friends Ed and Max Alstrom to hear Ed play the organ at Yankee Stadium. To their surprise, the photo below appeared on the Yankees Jumbotron. Thanks to Max and Ed and the New York Yankees for a spectacular welcome home!

6/5-15/2008 Luminato 2008. The Luminato Festival will be the first festival to present Mikel Rouse's epic opera Trilogy for the first time in repertory: Set your sights on Luminato's many visual spectacles. Mikel Rouse's multi-media musical trilogy includes The End of Cinematics, a video collage live on stage featuring sharp lyrics, heartbreakingly beautiful music and exceptional performances. In high contrast are Rouse's solo show Failing Kansas, and his talk show opera, Dennis Cleveland, a stunning fusion of pop, rock and innovative rhythmic structures that transforms a sordid TV formula into pure poetry. See Bookings for dates.

4/25-5/4//2008 Music For Minorities, Mikel Rouse will embark on a UK/Ireland tour of his solo media piece Music For Minorities. MFM mixes an urban aesthetic with Middle American surrealism in a unique approach to storytelling in the media age. - “a quirkily humorous and sometimes more serious take on America” - The Irish Times See Bookings for dates.

1/25/2008 The Stone, Mikel Rouse will present two live sets (at 8:00 and 10:00) of new material at John Zorn's The Stone. January at The Stone is curated by noted producer Hal Willner. Rouse will present Gravity Radio, a new work in progress, at 8:00. The 10:00 set will present songs from three recent recordings: International Cloud Atlas, House Of Fans and Love At Twenty. This will be Rouse's first concert performance in New York in more than a decade.

12/4-9/2007 Theatre de la Ville, PARIS, 12/12/2007 Le Mam, REIMS, FR Mikel Rouse will perform his score for iPods, International Cloud Atlas with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company's eyeSpace. Rouse's idea was to score the dance piece for the iPod shuffle so that each audience member can have their own unique version of his score. Rouse has called it "the Cage and Cunningham aesthetic on steroids". (Wired 5/21/07) John Rockwell, writing in The New York Times, called Rouse's score "the purest realization of Mr. Cunningham’s chance aesthetic, the ultimate in intimacy." (NYTimes 10/12/06)

11/17/2007 Mikel Rouse to perform Music For Minorities at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. Check out the Times-Picayune preview here.

10/19/2007 The End Of Cinematics will be performed this October in Costa Mesa at the Eclectic Orange Festival. Click here for the LA Times review

10/16/2007 Three New Re-Releases on iTunes: Mikel Rouse Broken Consort's first album Jade Tiger, engineered by legendary producer/musician James Mason. Jade Tiger features Phillip Johnston, James Bergman and Rob Shepperson. Mikel Rouse Broken Consort's second album A Lincoln Portrait features Ellery Eskelin and James Bergman. And at long last, Quorum, music for Ulysses Dove's Vespers is finally available. Both A Lincoln Portrait and Quorum were recorded by Martin Bisi at BC Studios in Brooklyn.

7/20-21/2007 Mikel Rouse to perform Music For Minorities at the Galway Arts Festival.

6/19/2007 Two New Re-Releases on iTunes: Music to the film Funding and Mikel Rouse Broken Consort's 1993 release Soul Menu .

6/1/2007 Mikel Rouse and Lisa Boudreau attend the opening of the Luminato Festival.


Photo: Arantxa Cedillo/For the Globe and Mail

On hand to celebrate the world premiere of the new Philip Glass work Book of Longing, inspired by Leonard Cohen's sardonic verse at the opening party for the Luminato Arts Festival in Toronto, were composer Mikel Rouse and wife, dancer Lisa Boudreau, Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul.
© Copyright 2007 CTVglobemedia publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

5/15/2007 ExitMusic Recordings to release International Cloud Atlas on CD. Get it now at CD Baby.

MIKEL ROUSE: International Cloud Atlas Music for iPods for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company

10/17/2006 Three new CD releases on iTunes. All releases include full color Digital Booklets.

INTERNATIONAL CLOUD ATLAS Music for iPods for The Merce Cunningham Dance Company 1. America's Secrets 2. How I Stayed Blind 3. Quando Este Lado Esta Vazio 4. Gaza Strip Mall (Get Happy) 5. Govern My Love (Quase Perdi     Meu Garfo) 6. Twin Minutes 7. My Love's Gone Remix 8. Como Eu Estive Cego 9. When This Side Is Empty 10. Clarion Hotel

HOUSE OF FANS 1. Anyways 2. Monsters 3. When I Got Old 4. That's Your Butt On My Hand 5. All That Time 6. I Changed My Mind 7. Where The Lights Are On 8. A Girl Named Jesus 9. Top This Ride 10. Shades Of Grey 11. All Around The World

LOVE AT TWENTY 1. Our Weight 2. I Loved That Too 3. M&R Blues 4. Yo Yo 5. My Love's Gone 6. Trio 7. Housewife 8. Love.Gov 9. The Law Of Love 10. Weather Was Lost 11. (Tell God That) I Saved You

05-2007 Wired Magazine's take on eyeSpace and International Cloud Atlas. Click here for complete eyeSpace press.



2006-2007 Merce Cunningham Dance Company tour of eyeSpace. Music by Mikel Rouse.
International Cloud Atlas See Bookings Page for tour dates!