This Spring, Oregon will enjoy two world premieres by composer Kenji Bunch. The Oregon Symphony will premiere Aspects of an Elephant on March 11-13, and the Eugene Ballet will premiere the full evening ballet The Snow Queen in April. Bunch’s first full-length ballet with orchestra, it’s an ambitious project undertaken by Eugene’s Artistic Director, Toni Pimble, based on the traditional Hans Christian-Andersen story.
The Oregonian interviews Bunch.
Michael Daugherty’s Tales of Hemingway earned three Grammy awards this year, “Best Classical Compendium” “Best Classical Contemporary Composition” and “Best Classical Instrumental Solo.” The album includes several Daugherty works besides Tales Of Hemingway; American Gothic and Once Upon A Castle. Featuring the Nashville Symphony conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, it was produced by Tim Handley. Order the CD here:
For a rental quote, please click here.
To order the full score or piano reduction, please click here.
To order the CD, please click here.
Glen Roven conducted the concerts for both of Bill Clinton’s inaugurations, and has set two of Hillary Clinton’s speeches for voice and piano. On 1/20/17 a film will be broadcast of The Hillary Speeches performed by the following singers:
Glenn Seven Allen, Dominic Armstrong, Jonathan Blalock, Lawrence Brownlee, Donna Lynne Champlin, Blythe Gaissert, Andrew Garland, Eve Gigliotti, Carin Gilfrey, Nathan Gunn, Michael Kelly, Chilina Kennedy, Kyle Ketelson, Isabel Leonard, Lester Lynch, Gilda Lyons, David Adam Moore, Sidney Outlaw, Matthew Polenzani, Patricia Racette, Daniel Sumegi, Laquita Mitchell, Camille Zamora, and Arianna Zukerman
Wikipedia has listed it as one of the major musical events of the season.
Read the New York Times feature on artists reckoning with the Trump inauguration.
The team that created the stunning new opera As One has reunited to create Some Light Emerges for Houston Grand Opera’s HGOCo. Premiering in March 2017, the opera celebrates the unique and enduring impact of Houston’s Rothko Chapel, which was created by painter Mark Rothko. A stunning octagonal structure that serves as a non-denominational chapel, the structure is filled with 14 paintings by Rothko, and was completed in 1971.
A review from the Houston Chronicle, following the premiere of the new Kaminsky-Campbell-Reed opera, writes:
“Some Light Emerges, the new opera commissioned by Houston Grand Opera through its community collaborative initiative, dives right into Rothko and de Menil’s shared spiritual vision with plaintive, purposefully meandering music by Laura Kaminsky and an audacious libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed. The 75-minute chamber piece–written for seven singers and seven instruments–just might be the best articulation of the Rothko Chapel’s purpose in modern times … it’s nothing short of a pronunciation of American ideals. The piece remained sublime, a testament to both the performers and the writing.”
View excerpts from the premiere production.
The nominees for the 59th Grammy Awards were announced this morning (Dec. 6), with last year’s Best New Artist winner Meghan Trainor unveiling the contestants for the marquee categories live on CBS. Bill Holab Music is proud to receive 5 nominations for works by Michael Daugherty, Joel Puckett, and Christopher Theofanidis.
Tune in on Feb. 12, 2017 for the ceremony.
Puckett’s Shadow of Sirius — Silas Brown & David Frost, engineers; Silas Brown,
Daugherty: Tales Of Hemingway — Zuill Bailey; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Nashville Symphony)
Daugherty: Tales Of Hemingway; American Gothic; Once Upon A Castle — Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer
Daugherty: Tales Of Hemingway — Michael Daugherty, composer (Zuill Bailey, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)
Theofanidis: Bassoon Concerto — Christopher Theofanidis, composer (Martin Kuuskmann, Barry Jekowsky & Northwest Sinfonia)
Sasha Cooke has championed many works by BHM composers, including Jake Heggie, David Bruce, and Kevin Puts, and of course the opera As One by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed. In the article here, she reflects on David Bruce’s unique vocal writing for the New York Festival of Song.
Nashville Opera gave the world premiere of Three Way by composer Robert Paterson, with a libretto by David Cote in January of 2017. Jointly produced with American Opera Projects, the New York premiere will be given in June of 2017 at BAM.
The piano/vocal score and aria excerpts are now available for purchase:
You can order the CD here.
From The Tennessean:
“An intriguing treatise on power, passion and human connection.”
“Highly accessible! Cote has an obvious gift for humor, yet there also are moments of genuine tenderness. Paterson’s music is mesmerizing, beautifully supporting the story.”
“Paterson’s music is rich and vibrant—and beautifully played by the Nashville Opera Orchestra, conducted by Dean Williamson. Cote’s libretto offers an unexpected blend of whimsy and wistfulness.”
From Schmopera:
“Rarely do we find a postmodern opera that builds in time for audiences to belly laugh, a postmodern opera that encapsulates the complexity and depth of evolving identity and sexuality, and a postmodern opera that is both elegant and accessible. In Nashville Opera’s production of Three Way, with music by Robert Paterson and libretto by David Cote, we find a postmodern opera with all of those things, simultaneously. This production levels the audience’s playing field in a sophisticated way: pairing common, yet updated, operatic tropes with relevant, topical humor and relatable music.”
BroadwayWorld.com has a feature about the composer, here.
Robert Paterson talks about research and the quest to create a new, original opera.
For additional information about the work, please click here.
In this highly charged election season, Austin Opera performs Kevin Puts’ and Mark Campbell’s The Manchurian Candidate. Originally premiered by the Minnesota Opera, the opera is part thriller, part satire, and is based on Richard Condon’s novel. Don’t miss the chance to see this second opera by the team that created the Pulitzer-winning opera, Silent Night.
Peter Boyer’s Silver Fanfare will open the Hollywood Bowl’s 2016 season, for the second year in a row, as the piece chosen to begin Opening Night at the Bowl with Steely Dan on June 18. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Wilkins, will perform Boyer’s work while a video montage from past Bowl Opening Nights is projected. Silver Fanfare also opened the 2015 Bowl season in the same fashion, at a sold-out gala concert headlined by iconic rock band Journey.
Hollywood Bowl – Opening Night 2015 – Show
Photo by: Greg Grudt/Mathew Imaging
Commissioned and premiered by the Pacific Symphony to celebrate its 25th anniversary season, Silver Fanfare has been performed by orchestras including the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, and Nashville Symphony, and Boyer’s recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra on Naxos has been broadcast extensively on American classical radio stations.
Martha Walvoord, violin and Jack Unzicker, double bass at the dress rehearsal of Michael Daugherty’s “The Diaries of Adam and Eve” (2016) inspired by the novella by Mark Twain. This dynamic duo, who commissioned the 30 minute work, will perform the world premiere this Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 PM at the university of Texas-Arlington School of Music.
