Andrew discusses Death of Classical with the Brooklyn Rail
Andrew discusses the history of The Crypt Sessions and The Angel's Share in his conversation with George Grella of the Brooklyn Rail
Andrew Ousley is not an artist or a musician: he’s, in truth, a businessman. His firm, Unison Media, represents classical musicians for marketing and promotion. But he has another organization, Death of Classical, through which he has become an impresario, presenting concerts in two of the most beguiling locations in New York City; the crypt under the Church of the Intercession (The Crypt Sessions), and the catacombs in Green-Wood Cemetery (The Angel’s Share).
A cool location is one thing, the concert experience another. What Ousley puts in front of the audiences is mostly new music, including the world premiere of David Hertzberg’s opera The Rose Elf, directed by R.B. Schlather, in the catacombs, and the Attacca Quartet playing the string quartet music of Caroline Shaw in the crypt (their Nonesuch recording, Caroline Shaw: Orange, won the 2020 Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance). And the audiences he gets represent the kind of broad spectrum of age and cultural demographic that most classical music institutions are obsessed with drawing into their own venues. In January, we sat down near his office in Long Island City to talk about how he makes this work.
