The realtor's mantra -- location, location, location -- appears to ring true in this successful installment of the Mannes College's Institute and Festival for Contemporary Performance. While previously housed entirely at the College's auditorium, this year Mannes chose to move some concerts to the trendy and amplified club, (Le) Poisson Rouge, resulting in an electrifying atmosphere at this TimeTable Percussion performance on June 20.

In celebration of their second Sony Classical release, New Worlds, The Knights perform at (Le) Poisson Rouge in this May 3 concert, with a program including the contemporary sounds of Ljova and Erik Satie, coupled with the traditional harmonies of Antonin Dvořák and Franz Schubert.

In this June 29 performance, the long-standing and famously accomplished International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) joins forces with the explosive and progressive JACK Quartet as a send-off to their performances at the the International Summer Course for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany. The two new music giants perform works by Earl Brown, Caleb Burhans, Jason Eckhardt and Yoshiaki Onishi.

SIC inC (Student Independent-Classical Interdisciplinary Collective)--also known as Yale College New Music--is a collective of chamber musicians with the raw talent and creativity that only young college students can muster. In this February 3 concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge, we hear original music by the ensemble's award-winning student composers Stephen Feigenbaum and Ellis Ludwig-Leone.

On Friday, the 13th, Q2 asked New York's community of adventurous music lovers to react to and document, via Q2's Facebook and Twitter accounts, a visceral and cerebral performance that took place at the Whitney's Christian Marclay: Festival. The concert was led by the seminal downtown guitarist/composer/saxophonist Elliott Sharp, who performed and conducted Marclay's Graffiti Composition with the electric guitar quartet, Dither.

The Chiara Quartet proves that they know what chamber music is all about by respecting its roots. As a part of their own back-to-basics series, Chamber Music in any Chamber, the Chiaras performed at (Le) Poisson Rouge, bolstering a program that bypasses concert hall for clubs and galleries, returning chamber music to its rightful birthplace in intimate settings.

On April 30, Icelandic artist Jóhann Jóhannsson kicked off his two-week, 13-city North American tour with a performance at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Joined by new music stalwarts ACME and percussionist Matthias Hemstock, Jóhannsson performed songs from his popular records including Fordlândia, Englabörn, IBM 1401, A User's Manual and The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black.

Native New Yorker and award-winning composer Martin Bresnick celebrated the release of his newest album, Every Thing Must Go, with a little help from musicians Lisa Moore, Ashley Bathgate, Abigail Nims, Wei-Yi Yang and the Preludio Saxophone Quartet in this May 11, 2010 concert recorded live at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

Though a relative newcomer to New York, composer/pianist Timo Andres has already taken to the city's New Music scene with the same youthful fervor and energy that can be found in his compositions and virtuosic performances.

The young and daring Crash Ensemble has been around for 13 years, and like any teenager coming of age, has a rebellious streak. Showing off their wild side at (Le) Poisson Rouge, the group performs works of Terry Riley, David Lang, Steve Reich and their own artistic director Donnacha Dennehy in this May 10 performance.

New York City is a community of locals and immigrants from near and far, so it's no surprise that Canadian conductor and pianist Justin Bischof chose this city as the home for the Canadian Chamber Orchestra of New York City (CCO/NYC), a showcase for the growing Canadian artistic community in town.

Childhood is a magical time when imaginations run freely and we create to our hearts content. Fortunately for musicians, the fun doesn't end in kindergarten art class. In celebration of the release of their collaborative album, Treasure State, So Percussion and Matmos take the stage on June 8 at (Le) Poisson Rouge, proving that uninhibited creativity can go a long way toward making music -- and that even cactus needles can be used as evocative instruments.

Organist Cameron Carpenter has made a name for himself as much for his flashy, colorful presentation off-stage as for his dazzling diplays of virtuosity on-stage. There is never a question, however, of any sacrifice in artisty or humility before the music. From the now legendary Youtube-sensation recital of Chopin's Revolutionary Étude to the behind-the-scenes look into the crafting of his recent DVD performances, what resonates is a craftsman at the peak of his powers, meticulous in his execution and convinced of his mission.

On Thursday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m., Q2 presents a live Webcast of New Songs with Elizabeth & the Catapult, Ed Pastorini and Gabriel Kahane. The concert at Merkin Concert Hall will be hosted by WNYC's John Schaefer.

Q2 is pleased to offer for on-demand streaming the iconic 6-hour String Quartet No. 2 by Morton Feldman, performed and recorded live on April 11, 2010 from ISSUE Project Room's future second home in Brooklyn.

The American Contemporary Music Ensemble, known by it's clever acronym ACME, promises listeners Grade-A music and they never let an audience down. This young, New-York based 'indie-band' has been in high demand throughout the city and beyond, bringing their energy and passion for avant-garde programming and high-level performance everywhere they go. Though often paired with rock bands as the opening act, this concert on March 14 features ACME all on its own at (Le) Poisson Rouge performing a dual composer portrait of Kevin Volans and John Luther Adams.

In this January 17 show at (Le) Poisson Rouge, virtuoso pianist and New Yorker Inon Barnatan performs an eclectic, song-and-poetry-based program of music by Felix Mendelssohn, John Dowland, Thomas Adès, and Maurice Ravel. A pianist of diverse musical interests, he can be found regularly touring the globe with everything from the established classical canon to music fresh off the press.

Already a rising star in the contemporary music world, young Icelandic composer and conductor Daníel Bjarnason is constantly on the search for new musical territory. Conducting a 20-piece orchestra in this March 3 performance at (Le) Poisson Rouge, he celebrates the release of Processions, his debut album on the Bedroom Community label. Already receiving rave reviews for Processions from the likes of Boomkat and Popmatters, it's clear that Bjarnason's exploration into new sound worlds is paying off well.

The versatile, 20-piece chamber band Alarm Will Sound led by Alan Pierson is made up of many stellar musicians who also perform double-duty as accomplished composers and arrangers. In this February 23 show at (Le) Poisson Rouge, Alarm Will Sound performs the music of singer, multi-instrumentalist, and ensemble member Caleb Burhans -- the inaugural featured artist on Q2's Composer Introduction series.

Featured artists in the 2010 Unsound Festival New York include electronic music producer, Jacaszek, and the exciting, avant-garde ensemble ACME, together exploring the evocative sound world of contemporary Polish music. In this February 11 concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge, ACME opens with the music of Henryk Górecki and joins Jacaszek in his own set using electronic techniques paired with acoustic sounds.