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OPERA America Songbook features several BHM Composers

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Believing that the creation of art should mark every special occasion, OPERA America commissioned the OPERA America Songbook in celebration of the opening of the National Opera Center in September 2012. Composers with strong ties to the organization were invited to write a song for voice and piano on the theme of opening a new home, the joy of singing or the excitement of new beginnings. This collection of songs represents the distinctive voices of some of today’s most important established and emerging opera composers. Produced by OPERA America, the Songbook was recorded, edited and mastered at Gurari Studios in New York City in the summer of 2012.

Both audio recordings and a published collection are available for the Songbook.songbookCover

Purchase recordings from ITunes.

Purchase sheet music from Hal Leonard.

Bruce NIGHT PARADE

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The San Diego Symphony will premiere David Bruce’s Night Parade, a 12 minute work for full orchestra, this October 4th, in San Diego’s Copley Hall, before bringing the work to Carnegie Hall on 29th Oct and to Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts on November 8th as part of their first ever international tour.

Heggie HERE/AFTER double cd

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A double-CD of recent music and songs performed by tenor Stephen Costello, mezzo Joyce DiDonato, baritone Nathan Gunn, soprano Talise Trevigne, with flutist Carol Wincenc, The Alexander String Quartet, and many others.

More than two hours of music, including Camille Claudel, Pieces of 9/11, Friendly Persuasions, Rise & Fall, A Question of Light, Fury of Light, Soliloquy.

Puts HOW WILD THE SEA premieres with the Miro Quartet

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The world-renowned Miró Quartet and The University of Texas Symphony Orchestra present a program featuring the world premiere of How Wild the Sea, written for string quartet and chamber orchestra by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. Puts, a former Butler School of Music faculty member and long-time colleague of the Miró Quartet, composed the work as part of a year-long celebration of the centennial of The University of Texas School of Music which begins with this December 2013 concert.

Commissioned by a consortium of orchestras, How Wild the Sea, moves on to Naples Philharmonic for performances the week of February 4, 2014, followed by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra March 31, City Music Cleveland, October 2014, and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in the 2014-15 season.

Quad City Symphony premieres Torke’s Oracle

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michael-torkeOn October 5, the Quad City Symphony gave the premiere of a new concert opener by veteran orchestra composer, Michael Torke. Led by music director Mark Russell Smith, the concert was followed by a second performance in Augustana College’s Centennial Hall a day later. According to Torke:

Oracle was composed in a burst of creative energy from mid-June to mid-July. “I think this is going to be one of the best pieces I’ve ever written,” Torke predicted the day after the five-minute composition was completed. “I am so jazzed up about it. It starts off with this kind of ‘Pines of Rome’ thing, with one variation of the melody warm and juicy, and another noble.”

He said the short duration of the commission allowed him to “obsess over the orchestration, help the audience focus on what I’m doing with the music, where every detail is clearly heard.” Torke described the result as “very thematic, based on melodic intervals” as opposed to a 12-tone row, or static tones with varying rhythms. Fundamentally, he wanted the music “grounded in American sounds, [similar to] the pandiatonicism” found in the music of Aaron Copland.

When asked about the title, Torke said, “Titles are something I agonize over. They can help a piece live or die.” As a springboard to naming the work, Torke imagined “the audience just settling into their seats and the conductor walks out … the opening piece of the concert and the season.” Inspired by the Oracle of Delphi, the ancient Greek priestess known for her prophecies, Torke realized his mission was musically foreshadowing both the concert and the season.

Torke also said color informs the title. He experiences music as a synesthete, someone who, in his case, “involuntarily sees colors” when he hears music. In Oracle, Torke said he “sees an off-white, creamy color … travertine” that recalls marble – another link to ancient Greece, but also to the rock’s use in concert halls across the country. The composer originally considered using “Travertine” as the title but rejected the idea because “it didn’t really tell you the emotions involved in the music.”

The Memphis Symphony commissions Brantley in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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The Board of Directors of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra announced The Dream Project; an original commission and elementary school educational curriculum inspired by the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King. Following a nationwide search through the American Composer’s Forum, Paul Brantley has been selected to compose the work called The Rebirth of the Dream which will be performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra on May 16, 2014, at the Cannon Center. Brantley has been challenged to capture a symphonic narrative that will reflect the pain and hope of the Memphis experience through a series of movements that are meant to evoke the community’s dreams for the future.

The idea of the Dream Project began with Mei-­‐Ann’s Circle of Friends, a women’s philanthropy initiative envisioned by MSO consultant, Ellen Rolfes. The group’s mission is to be an instrument of inclusion through the symphony and to honor Music Director Mei-­‐Ann Chen’s passion for deeper community engagement by the organization. The Circle’s membership has grown to nearly 150 diverse women and is co-­‐chaired by community leaders Mary McDaniel, Ritchie Bowden and Becky Wilson.

“The creation of the Dream Project vision was an authentic process. For months, small groups of over 70 women from the Circle engaged in deep dialogue about our collective memory of the MLK assassination and the impact it had on our community, then we explored our collective imagination about what we want Memphis to be for the next generation. It was very honest and powerful. The concert and companion educational curriculum will support this vision,” said McDaniel on behalf of the co-­‐chairs.

“The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is known nationally for its innovation,” stated Gayle S. Rose, Chairman of the MSO Board. “The Dream Project’s symphonic commission and elementary school educational curriculum is an outgrowth of nearly eight years of investment in community engagement by the MSO. We believe that projects like the Dream Project represent the future of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and of orchestras in general. We strive to be an organization that is fully engaged, relevant, and an indispensible part of the community’s cultural landscape.”

Following a nationwide competition, Brantley was selected as the composer for The Rebirth of the Dream from 282 composer candidates from 35 states. A committee from Mei-­‐Ann’s Circle made the final selection through a blind evaluation in which the competing artists were asked to express their vision for the score and to provide samples of their work that they felt captured the passion and emotions required to compose The Rebirth of the Dream. There were no criteria for age, sex, race, national prominence or geographic background, nor were any of these items known to the committee.

Paul is a Georgia native who currently resides in New York City where he free-­‐lances as a composer and cellist, and teaches conducting at the Manhattan School of Music. He has 16 published titles through Bill Holab Music and Oxford University Press. More information on Paul’s background and work can be found here.

“I am honored and rather humbled to have received this wonderful commission from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra,” said Brantley. “I have for a very long time been moved by the universal and active spirituality of Dr. King and his vision for a better world. My first major commission, years ago, came from my hometown symphony to compose a piece in 1986, not only to commemorate Augusta, Georgia’s then 250th anniversary, but also the first Martin Luther King Day -­‐ which I was able to attend. Now, the idea of creatively encountering Dr. King’s words and spirit, the tragedy of his assassination, then moving the score into a vision for a better community is rather daunting, but also deeply inspiring. I look forward to offering the Memphis community my heart and soul.”

The Symphony’s impact will extend well beyond the concert hall. The Dream Project’s educational curriculum to be developed in the 2014-­‐2015 school year will provide an ensemble to perform in the fifth grade civics classrooms as a pilot in the Charter Schools. In addition, it is hoped that the vision of this project could quickly expand to other communities with orchestras playing an adaptation of The Rebirth of the Dream that captures their own communal story shaped by the MLK legacy.

The co-­‐chairs Bowen, McDaniel and Wilson believe The Memphis Symphony Orchestra has a unique opportunity to be an instrument of dialogue, storytelling, visioning, teaching and healing both on stage and in schools by using the power of its extraordinary art form to tell an iconic part of Memphis history through The Rebirth of the Dream. The Dream Project concept is not to be about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., rather it will be a documentation about how the horrific event of his assassination took our city on a different trajectory than its sister cities in the South. The Dream Project can ultimately teach the next generation the importance of how history molds any community, but more particularly, the importance of having a dream – both personally and collectively – in order to create a meaningful life and live in a thriving, just place for all citizens. It is hoped that the vision of this project could quickly expand to other communities with orchestras playing an adaptation of The Rebirth of the Dream that captures their own communal story shaped by the MLK legacy.

For more information about The Dream Project, visit www.rebirthofthedream.org. The Dream Project is still seeking a wide range of sponsorship opportunities for The Rebirth of the Dream concert. For more information contact Ellen Rolfes at Ellen.rolfes@memphissymphony.org.

About Memphis Symphony Orchestra: The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, under Music Director Mei-­‐Ann Chen, strives to enrich the lives of our diverse community through exceptional music and dynamic programs. More than 400 musicians, staff and volunteers make up the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Chorus and the Memphis Symphony League, operating educational programs, organizing community engagement events and performing concerts. Find information about all upcoming performances, watch videos from select concerts, get details on the Symphony’s involvement in the Memphis community, and find out how to support MSO by visiting www.memphissymphony.org.

Colina THREE DANCES FOR CELLO AND ORCHESTRA premieres at Chautauqua

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On August 20th, 2013 at the Chautauqua Institute in New York, esteemed conductor Jaime Laredo will lead the Chautauqua Symphony alongside his wife, featured cello soloist Sharon Robinson, in a world premiere of Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Colina’s Three Dances for Cello & Orchestra.

Winner of the Avery Fisher Recital Award, the Piatigorsky Memorial Award, the Pro Musicis Award, and a Grammy Nominee, cellist Sharon Robinson continues her streak of premiering new works, a testament to her artistic breadth as a performer.

The concert marks the continuation of Michael Colina’s successful inroads into the contemporary classical scene.  Colina, a legendary composer and producer known for his jazz fusion productions which incorporate Latin elements, has won multiple Grammy Awards.  Recently, he has successfully incorporated the Latin and jazz elements into what has now become his own unique musical canon. Having turned his attention in recent years to orchestral writing, Colina has made his mark with admirable rapidity with numerous works recorded for the Naxos label being commissions. As Gramophone Magazine  noted recently, “Michael Colina’s latest recording reveals the jazz and pop composer also to be a master craftsman in classical composition.” Adding to his achievements, Colina has had two world premieres at New York’s Carnegie Hall and London’s Cadogan Hall.

In the trusted hands of the Laredos, the work will come to life on the stage at the Chautauqua Institute.

Approaching Ali debuts at Washington National Opera

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Photo by Scott Suchman.

 

In two premiere performances, composer D.J. Sparr and librettists Mark Campbell and Davis Miller‘s hour-long opera tells the story of a reporter’s transformative meeting with the boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Approaching Ali features Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Soloman Howard (Joe in Show Boat) as Muhammad Ali, David Kravitz as Davis Miller, Aundi Marie Moore as Odessa Clay, and Ethan McKelvain as Young Davis. The opera will be performed with a chamber orchestra conducted by Steven Jarvi, and receive a complete staging by director Nicole Watson and a design team with mentorship provided by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello.

“’Approaching Ali’…features an imaginative score by Baltimore School for the Arts alum D.J. Sparr. His harmonic style is nicely spicy, but fundamentally tonal, and he reveals a good sense of propulsion; like Ali in his prime, the score is nimble on its feet.” –Baltimore Sun

“…Sparr knows how to send a vocal line soaring vividly, and how to extract a great deal of color from a 10-member orchestra…” –Baltimore Sun

“…”Approaching Ali” makes a worthy calling card for the American Opera Initiative. It also demonstrates Sparr’s considerable potential; his first attempt in this tricky genre lands some very solid punches.” –Baltimore Sun

“Creating a modern opera work without alienating audiences seems to be no small feat.” –Maryland Theater Guide

“The audience obviously wanted more after the world premiere of Washington National Opera’s Approaching Ali. The 50 minute work… received a standing ovation from an enthusiastic crowd whom over ninety percent actually stayed for a 15 minute Q&A, an awesome feat for any Modern Opera production…The show is a contemporary human story set to a 21st century score, and polished with an accessible finish.” –Maryland Theater Guide

“Some of the most alluring music was written for the character of Odessa Clay, Mr. Ali’s mother, beautifully enacted by Aundi Marie Moore. She spun out the bluesy humming with a honeyed tone, one of several Americana elements of the score.” –The New York Times

“In a genre dominated by four-hour behemoths, it’s pleasantly rare to feel that a work is too short, with the somewhat abrupt conclusion here leaving you wanting more.” – The New York Times

“… Miller’s well-respected book—reduced to a simple yet surprisingly deep libretto by everyone’s favorite American librettist, the skillful Mark Campbell and set to music by D. J. Sparr, a composer we had previously not encountered—has been transformed into a compact, intensely emotional work of musical theater that explores the tragedies and triumphs of the human inscape in unexpected and at times powerful ways.” –Washington Times

“Some of the best vocal writing, however, fell to Domingo-Cafritz alumna Aundi Marie Moore … who had a coffee-rich tone as Odessa, full of maternal savvy and bluesy vernacular touches.” –Washington Post

Read more about the premiere here.