Lost Dog

Founded in 1995 by conductor Silas Huff, Lost Dog New Music Ensemble has performed in New York, California, Texas, Spain, and Germany. In 2003 Lost Dog became the resident new music ensemble of the Astoria Music Society (AMS). The core ensemble is comprised of flute (Christine Perea), clarinet (Thomas Piercy), piano (Laura Barger), violin (Miranda Cuckson) and ’cello (Emily Brausa), with occasional guest artists, and is led by Artistic Director Garth Edwin Sunderland (composer). Lost Dog presents 3-4 programs every season, performing in both Manhattan and Queens. Lost Dog is the only new music ensemble operating in the borough of Queens, and regularly reaches audiences that have no other exposure to contemporary music. Funding for Lost Dog comes from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and private donations from new music-lovers.

Lost Dog has a special focus on supporting American composers – the entirety of the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons were comprised of American works (including 16 world premieres), almost all written in the past 20 years. In the current 2007-08 season 70% of Lost Dog’s programming consists of new American music, with 7 world premieres, and 3 of the 4 programs in the 2008-09 season will be entirely American music, with at least 9 world premieres.