The Best New York Alt-Classical Concerts Of 2010

Based in New York City, Q2 is a 24/7 online music station dedicated to living composers, and to providing a 360-degree view of the city's frenetic contemporary music scene. Collaborating with some of most progressive venues in town, Q2 regularly presents a broad range of dynamic, forward-thinking live concerts.

These five performances show New York at its best: from the jazz-influenced sounds of Theo Bleckmann to the electronic samples of Matmos and the hardcore avant-gardism of the JACK Quartet. Each show featured here has done its part to shape NYC's diverse musical culture. With much difficulty, Q2 selected five of the best from the past year, all recorded live at that Greenwich Village hot spot, (Le) Poisson Rouge.

(Q2's Yuki Numata is a violinist who performs in and around New York.)