Bill Holab Music

Home | About Us | FAQs | Contact Us
You are here: Home / Archives for Bill

Bill

Gil Shaham premieres David Bruce’s Violin Concerto

by

Gil Shaham gave the premiere of David Bruce’s new Violin Concerto “Fragile Light” with the San Diego Symphony in three performances over 12-14 December, with a further performance already scheduled for Palm Springs in January.

Jahha Ling (conductor), Gil Shaham (violin), and David Bruce

Jahha Ling (conductor), Gil Shaham (violin), and David Bruce

The performance had a profound effect on Garrett Harris from SanDiegoReader.com who said about the piece “It took me deep… I’m not sure where I was headed but it was a place I’ve never been to before with music… How can you like something that changes your perception of what music is capable of?… It’s beyond ‘like,’ it’s beyond ‘love.’ ” and Ken Herman at San Diego Story said “this Violin Concerto has a future,” calling it a “serious, probing accomplishment.”

 

Kahane THE AMBASSADOR at BAM

by

Gabriel Kahane’s astonishing tour of THE AMBASSADOR comes to Brooklyn’s BAM this week for 3 performances at the BAM Harvey Theater. You can view the Ambassador Atlas here.

#TheAmbassadorLA opened last night at BAM and Josh Goleman is real good at taking pictures. Tickets are still available tonight through Saturday. 

Purchase the album here.

View the BAM Trailer:

You can read more and listen to excerpts here.

AS ONE

by

With music and concept by Laura Kaminsky, libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, the opera As One was given its premiere by American Opera Projects at the BAM Fisher Theater in September of 2014. The production featured a film by Kimberly Reed, and was universally praised for its honesty and originality.

A rich addition to the repertoire … formidable on all fronts … As One is everything that we hope for in contemporary opera: topical, poignant, daring, and beautifully written.”
– New York Classical Review

“Artistically distinguished, socially important … says so much with relatively modest means.”
– WQXR

14953852627_d604755e92_z(1)

As One, … satisfies in an entertaining and delicately moving way.”
– New York Observer

A piece that haunts and challenges its audience with questions about identity, authenticity, compassion and the human desire for self-love and peace.”
– Opera News

As One forces you to think, simultaneously challenging preconceptions and inspiring empathy…[with] winning humor and a satisfying emotional arc.”
– The New York Times

“Perfect Boy” from As One [excerpt] from American Opera Projects on Vimeo.

Instrumentation

Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone, String Quartet (requires a conductor, who plays a small role in the piece).

Materials

Purchase scores

Order the CD

For additional information, visit the AS ONE website here.

Licensing

To obtain a quote on licensing As One for performance, please fill out a request here.

Opera News Interview with Laura Kaminsky on Premiere of Musical Opera As One

Mezzo soprano Sasha Cooke and Baritone Kelly Markgraf share the role of “Hannah,” the transgender protagonist in “As One”

Kaminsky One of Eight Recipients of Opera America’s Grant for Female Composers

“A Christmas Story” [excerpt] from As One from American Opera Projects on Vimeo.

“Out of Nowhere” [excerpt] from As one from American Opera Projects on Vimeo.

Performances

  1. World Premiere: American Opera Projects; Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sept. 2014
  2. Caine College of the Arts, Utah State University, April 2015
  3. West Edge Opera, Oakland Metro Opera House, July-August 2015
  4. UrbanArias, Atlas Center for the Performing Arts, October 2015
  5. International Opera Projects, Ballsaal Studio, Berlin Germany, July 2016
  6. Seattle Opera, November 2016
  7. Pittsburgh Opera, February 2017
  8. Opera Colorado, March 2017
  9. Long Beach Opera, May 2017
  10. New Orleans Opera, June 2017
  11. San Diego Opera, Nov. 2017
  12. Chicago Fringe Opera, Nov. 2017
  13. Des Moines Metro Opera, Nov. 2017
  14. Lyric Opera of Kansas City, January 2018
  15. Boston Opera Collaborative, January 2018
  16. Hawaii Opera Theatre, January 2018
  17. Anchorage Opera, February 2018
  18. Skylark Opera Theater, March 2018
  19. AEPEX Contemporary Performance, April 2018
  20. Opera on the Avalon, May-June 2018
  21. Cincinnati Opera, July 2018
  22. Chautauqua Opera, August 2018
  23. Peabody Opera, Nov. 2018
  24. Alamo City Opera, Jan. 2019
  25. Portland Opera, March 2019
  26. Opera Idaho, May 2019
  27. Eugene Opera, May 2019
  28. Merkin Concert Hall/American Opera Projects/New York City Opera, May/June 2019
  29. Opera Memphis, August 2019
  30. Bay Chamber Concerts, August 2019
  31. Boston University, October 2019
  32. Alchemical Studios (NYC), November 2019
  33. Opera Columbus, November 2019
  34. Pensacola Opera, November 2019
  35. EarSpace, Feb. 2020
  36. Gertrude Opera (Australia), Feb. 2020
  37. Shenandoah Conservatory, April 2020
  38. University of South Carolina, April 2020
  39. Teatro Espanol, Madrid, Sept.-Oct. 2020
  40. Utomjordiska, October 2020
  41. Orchestre Classique de Montreal, November 2020
  42. Servicios Especializados en Distribucion Artistica, Madrid, March 2021
  43. University of Kansas, April 2021
  44. Opera Orlando, May 2021
  45. Painted Sky Opera, May 2021
  46. Opera Maine, July 2021
  47. Lontano Trust, London Premiere, Sept. 2021
  48. Sacramento State School of Music, Nov. 2021
  49. Lowell Chamber Orchestra, Nov. 2021
  50. Opera Santa Barbara, March 2022
  51. Universidad de los Andes, March-April 2022
  52. Atlanta Opera, June 2022
  53. Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, July 2022
  54. Satakunnan musiikkijuhlat (Finland), August 2022
  55. Opera Steamboat (CO), September, 2022
  56. Lyric Opera of the North (MN), October 2022
  57. Boston Conservatory at Berklee, February 2023
  58. Florida State Opera, May 2023
  59. Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera, June 2023
  60. Washburn University, October 2023
  61. Theater Regensburg, December 2023-March 2024
  62. Kentucky Opera, April 2024
  63. NUOVA Vocal Arts, June 2024
  64. HOPERA, November 2024
  65. Piteaa Kammaropera, October 2025
  66. Union Avenue Opera, October 2025

Press

Denver Post, 2/25/2017

“As One” is the hottest title in opera right now, at least among the titles written in the last 100 years. The musical tale of a transgender woman’s personal evolution is somehow right on time–an accomplished bit of art-making, with considerable entertainment value, that thrusts itself smack into the current political and social discourse.

It’s in Denver this week week. Pittsburgh last. Seattle produced it in November and folks in New Orleans and Los Angeles get to hear it this spring. The chamber piece, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in late 2014, has a rare vitality in a business where new works–including the good ones–have to fight for even a second show.

Opera companies love it. One reason is that it’s relatively inexpensive to present: no chorus, orchestra or big sets. Composer Laura Kaminsky’s creation has just two singers, a string quartet and a couple of temporary screens that show films in the background.

But that’s why audiences seem to like it, too. It’s intimate. All the complaints so frequently lodged against the art form–that it can be distant, formal and out-of-touch, aren’t a factor for “As One.” Nor is length; it clocks in at just 75 minutes.

December 19, 2014 – Excellence in Opera (“Freddie”) Award
Operavore

December 18, 2014 – Slate
The Uses of “Trans” in Art

October 2, 2014 – GAY CITY NEWS
Opera review: “New Starts”

September 11, 2014 – OUT MAGAZINE
Opera review: “A Transgender Woman’s Operatic Path to Self-Acceptance”

September 10, 2014 – NY OBSERVER
Opera review: “An Emotional Before-and-After Opera of Gender Transformation Premieres at BAM”

September 9, 2014 – Q ON STAGE
Opera review: “Magnificent ‘As One'”

September 9, 2014 – THE FILM EXPERIENCE
Opera review: “Stage Door: ‘As One’ by Kimberly Reed”

September 2014 – OPERA NEWS
Opera review: “As One BROOKLYN American Opera Projects”

September 5, 2014 – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Opera review: “The Arc of a Transgender Life”

September 5, 2014 – NEW YORK CLASSICAL REVIEW
Opera review: “Kaminsky’s transgender opera “As One” makes a poignant and remarkable premiere”

September 5, 2014 – WQXR: OPERAVORE
Opera review: “Opera As One Explores Gender Change, Identity Struggles”

September 5, 2014 – PARTERRE.COM
Opera review: “outskirts”

September 4, 2014 – WWFM: CADENZA
Opera profile: “As One”

September 4, 2014 – HUFFINGTON POST
Opera profile: “‘As One’ Opera Brings Husband And Wife Stars Together For Heartfelt Transgender Role”

September 3, 2014 – GAY CITY NEWS
Opera profile: “The Voyage to Oneness”

September 2, 2014 – BK LIVE
Opera profile: Video Interview: “As One”

September 2, 2014 – BROOKLYN DAILY
Opera profile: “Husband and wife share role of transgender woman in new opera”

September 2014 – OPERA NEWS
Composer/Opera profile: “Hearing Both Sides”

Fall 2014 – OPERA AMERICA MAGAZINE
Composer/Opera profile: “Are Women Different?”

July 17, 2014 – THE ADVOCATE
Opera profile: “Husband and Wife to Share Role in Trans Opera”

July 10, 2014 – WQXR: OPERAVORE
Opera profile: “What to Hear in NYC Opera and Vocal Music”

15140392315_b512c7a69e_z

Minnesota Opera commissions Joel Puckett

by

Black-Sox-750x400

One of the most notorious scandals in American history comes to life in this world premiere opera by celebrated composer Joel Puckett. The 1919 Chicago White Sox were arguably the best team in the history of the game–they were also the most poorly paid, always at odds with their penny-pinching owner. Resentment, revenge, and ambition gone awry were the motivating factors that led eight players to conspire with gamblers and throw the World Series to the Cincinnatti Reds. Rich with characters such as Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ring Lardner, and Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, The Black Sox Scandal is a tragic tale of mythic proportions, ripe with greed, power, romance, and redemption, all set against the backdrop of America’s favorite pastime.

Composer Joel Puckett says, “I am thrilled to tell this incredible American story of deception, heartbreak, and disillusionment with an establishment. I am even more thrilled to be bringing this story to life with the amazingly supportive team at Minnesota Opera.”

About Joel Puckett

Named as one of National Public Radio’s favorite composers under the age of 40 by their listeners, Joel Puckett is a composer who is dedicated to the belief that music can bring consolation, hope, and joy to all who need it. The Washington Post has hailed him as both “visionary” and “gifted” and the Baltimore Sun proclaimed his work for the Washington Chorus and Orchestra, This Mourning, as “being of comparable expressive weight” to John Adams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning work.

Mr. Puckett is currently on the full-time faculty of the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University where he teaches courses in music theory, co-teaches the composition seminar, and recently finished a term as the composer-in-residence for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras.

About Eric Simonson

For Minnesota Opera, Eric Simonson recently directed The Dream of Valentino (2014), Silent Night (2011) and Wuthering Heights (2011); and Rusalka for Colorado Opera. Other credits include The Grapes of Wrath at Minnesota Opera, Pittsburgh Opera and Carnegie Hall; numerous plays for Steppenwolf Theatre; and productions at The Huntington Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Primary Stages in New York, Court Theatre in Chicago, l.a. Theatre Works, The Kennedy Center, City Theater in Pittsburgh, Seattle Rep and San Jose Rep. His production of The Song of Jacob Zulu played on Broadway and received six Tony Awards including Best Director. Mr. Simonson is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ensemble Pi Premieres Kaminsky Deception

by

Ensemble Pi’s Ninth Peace Project Concert
“Word Interpretations”
World Premieres by Laura Kaminsky and Susan Botti
Works by Jason Eckardt, Bryant Kong, Penderecki, and Shostakovich

Language gets appropriated, translated, and sometimes “reformed” by culture and politics. For their annual Peace Project’s ninth installment, music collective Ensemble Pi performs new commissions and other works which examine the relationship of language, truth and politics – and how words change meaning when used in contexts different than the ones intended.

Clarinetist Moran Katz then joined the trio for another world premiere,  Laura Kaminsky‘s strikingly intense diptych, Deception. Katz’s moody, richly burnished low register in tandem with the cello built an air of mystery and foreboding, occasionally punctured by the piano. The second movement worked clever variations via individual voices in a very Debussy-esque arrangement that also offered a nod to Shostakovich and possibly Penderecki as well.

Read the review of the concert here.

Laura Kaminsky’s Deception, for b-flat clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (2014) – a work exploring the manipulation of language in situations such as reconsidered statements, solo pronouncements, intertwined dialogue, and that which is unspoken. Musical gestures and interruptions are used to symbolize two ways of creating language, then using it in a different context to create new meaning.

Performers include Idith Meshulam, piano; Airi Yoshioka, violin; Katie Schlaikjer Schlaikjer, cello; Moran Katz, clarinet; Kristin Norderval, voice; with guest artist Rachel Rosales, voice.

Ensemble Pi, a socially conscious new music group founded in 2002, features composers whose work seeks to open a dialogue between ideas and music on some of the world’s current and critical issues. For the last ten years, Ensemble Pi has presented an annual Peace Project concert, praised by The New York Times as “gracefully played…a fiery and emotive performance.” The Ensemble has commissioned new works and collaborated with visual artists, writers, actors, and journalists, among them South African artist William Kentridge and American journalist/writer Naomi Wolf, Frederic Rzewski, and Philip Miller. The ensemble was in residence for four American music festivals presented by the American Composers Alliance and now collaborates with the APNM. Ensemble Pi has also created artistic and educational programs in response to major exhibitions at Chelsea Art Museum, The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. Gramophone wrote of the Ensemble’s first CD, Keep Going, “a touching tribute to Ellias Tanenbaum, played with conviction and verve”.  A second CD featuring Laura Kaminsky’s music was released by Albany Record this year and was described as “played with warmth and variety… in effective fashion” (American Record Guide). www.ensemble-pi.org

 

Sparr Houston Grand Opera Premiere

by

On This Muddy Water: Voices from the Houston Ship Channel

Wednesday, December 10, 5:30 p.m.
Tudor Gallery, Julia Ideson Library
550 McKinney Street, Houston

HGOco presents the world premiere of On This Muddy Water: Voices from the Houston Ship Channel by D. J. Sparr and Janine Joseph—a 30-minute song cycle for voices and chamber ensemble commissioned to celebrate the Ship Channel’s centennial. Sparr and Joseph combed through hours of oral histories collected by the Houston Arts Alliance to create this compelling portrait of the men and women at the heart of one of Houston’s most vibrant centers of industry.

For more information, click here.

Mason Bates’ Orchestra Performances at All-time High

by

The Baltimore Symphony surveyed the 2014/15 season and prepared some fascinating statistics on programming. Mason Bates soars to the top as the second most performed living composer. Among the information they collected is the news that works by living composers amount to 11.4% of all works performed.

You can view the complete statistics here.

Beethoven still gets more performances, but he’s had quite a head start.

Mark Grey’s THE SANDS OF TIME released by Other Minds

by

Other Minds releases works by Joan Jeanrenaud & Mark Grey as a part of the Other Minds Live series

Other Minds Records is pleased to announce a new series of digital download releases, Other Minds Live. OM Live is a collection of live recordings from past Other Minds Festivals, released to coincide with the landmark 20th anniversary of the Other Minds Festival. Widely regarded among contemporary music fans as a worldly intersection for non-commercial, challenging, and beautiful music, Other Minds has unflinchingly championed the work of composers and musicians committed to advancing our understanding of what constitutes serious music. This collection spans the wide variety of work presented at Other Minds Festivals in the first decade of the 21st century. From lush classical to stark minimalism to the outer limits of free improvisation and all points between, the Other Minds Live series represents a culminating experience from 20 years of tireless musical pursuit.

In keeping with OM’s artistic vision, OM Live includes work from some of the most renowned composers to appear at the Festival and places them alongside under-recognized composers of equally venerable talent. Highlights include Alvin Curran’s piano solo, Inner Cities 8, during which performer Eve Egoyan lulls listeners with sparsely scattered and gauzy piano impressions only to flare up unexpectedly in flourishes of quick moving, continuous sound; an engaging improvisation from Fred Frith & Sudhu Tewari that roams a sprawling soundscape where lush electronic thickets devolve into thorny scrapes and stabs; and a rare performance of John Cage & Michael Bach Bachtischa’s meditation on F#, One13, a posthumous Cage “number piece” that weaves live cello into a tapestry of pre-recorded drones.

Today marks the release of the first two pieces in the series, Joan Jeanrenaud’s Hommage and Mark Grey’s The Sands of Time, performed by Jeanrenaud. The Other Minds Live series is distributed by Naxos and will be available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon, and can be heard streaming on Pandora and Spotify. Take a listen and be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of the series, to be released monthly.

Kahane’s THE AMBASSADOR released on Sony Masterworks

by

From Die Hard to the architecture of Richard Neutra and R.M. Schindler, from Blade Runner to the fiction of James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler, and from fires, riots, and earthquakes to the lives of so many Americans who have looked to Southern California as a panacea, Gabriel Kahane’s The Ambassador draws its inspiration from a multitude of sources to tell intimate, human stories against the backdrop of Los Angeles architecture and popular culture.

Order the CD here.