"I believe James Tenney to be one of the most significant composers of our time. Just look at his music, his writings, and his history. And look at his influences, his teachers, and his peers - Varese, Cage, Ruggles, Brakhage, Reich... the list goes on. I first came across Tenney when researching for my Ruth Crawford Seeger CD (his Diaphonic Toccata for Violin and Piano is dedicated to Crawford Seeger). Then I discovered his connection to New York and was shocked that there has not been any substantial presentation of his work in the city in the last 10 years. I knew I had to do something. I knew it was very important to bring his music back to New York. I began to reach out to people for help. There was a lot of enthusiasm and support but little action. So I took on the project on my own for a while. When the curator for Whitney's Performance on 42nd Series agreed to host a concert, people started to approach me instead. So now, after one year, things finally materialized - just in time for Tenney's 70th year."