Composer News
Michael Abels
The World Premiere recording of Global Warming is now available on Cedille Records 'African Heritage Symphonic Series' featuring the Chicago Sinfonietta under the direction of Paul Freeman.
Deborah Drattell
Glimmerglass Opera will perform an excerpt of Deborah Drattell's FESTIVAL OF REGRETS with their Young Artists Program and will screen the Emmy nominated broadcast from Great Performances of this opera for their tribute to Wendy Wasserstein on November 28th at the Colony Club in New York. For more information about this event, click here.
Susan Kander
On January 19-21, 2007, the Kennedy String Quartet (resident quartet for the National Symphony Orchestra) will present the World Premiere of a new work by Susan Kander for the NSO 'STRINGS & STORIES' program at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC.
Willian McGlaughlin
On March 18, 2006 Aunt Eva Suite (Surveying Lake Wobegon) was performed by the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra – Philip Brunelle, Conductor. Garrison Keillor, Narrator
Listen to a recent Tucson Citizen interview with the composer HERE.
Steven Mercurio
Many Voices, a new Sony Classical recording featuring a collection of works for voice and orchestra by Steven Mercurio, is now available online and at record stores everywhere. The recording includes performances by world-renowned singers Andrea Bocelli, Sumi Jo, Gino Quilico, Marcello Giordani, and Rolando Villazon.
E.J. Johnson of Barnes & Noble writes, "American-born Steven Mercurio puts his own compositions in the spotlight on Many Voices, his debut disc as a composer. The seven tracks form an unfailingly lyrical song collection of near-operatic reach that betrays a warm-hearted debt to the Italian tradition... The Serenade for Tenor and Orchestra with Villazon at times seems like something straight out of Broadway's golden era, revealing that Mercurio is well along the path to becoming a modern-day Leonard Bernstein. "
To review soundclips from this new release and to purchase a copy of the new CD click HERE.
Nancy Galbraith
The Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition (MQVC), a contest for young women bassoonists from the American continents, has listed Nancy Galbraith's Sonata for Bassoon and Piano as a required entrant work for its 2007 biennial competition. Over 100 students will submit audition recordings for a chance to be among five finalists competing for substantial prizes. This year, the final round for the competition will be presented in the form of a public concert in June, 2007 in Ithaca, NY, the site of the 36th Annual International Double Reed Society (IDRS) Conference, where the 1st prize winner will perform in recital.
Nancy Galbraith's music is already well known among members of the IDRS. In June 2003, the world premiere of her double reed quartet (2 oboes, 2 bassoons) "Of Nature" was presented by members of the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin (who commissioned the work for this event) at the 32 Annual IDRS Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The sonata was originally commissioned by bassoonist Eric Goldman at Carnegie Mellon University, who premiered the work in February 2004 with pianist Donna Amato.
To place an order for Nancy Galbraith's Sonata for Bassoon and Piano click here. For more information about the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Bassoon Competition visit their website at www.mqvc.org.
Paul Moravec
May 9, 2007—Santa Fe, NM— Paul Moravec, the Pulitzer-Prize winning composer, has been commissioned to write an opera for The Santa Fe Opera to be premiered in the 2009 season. Announcement of the commission was made today in Santa Fe by General Director Richard Gaddes. The commission is the first of two planned by the company.
Mr. Moravec has chosen the play entitled The Letter written in 1927 by W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965). Considered a Maugham masterpiece, The Letter is set in the Far East, and tells the story of an adulterous affair that leads to murder, blackmail, and revenge. It was made into a film in 1940 starring Bette Davis which has become a classic. Terry Teachout, the eminent critic and writer, is the librettist.
In making the announcement Gaddes commented: “When I first heard music by Paul Moravec I was immediately captivated. The great thing about him is that he’s found a musical language all on his own that is both pleasing to the ear and at the same time very contemporary. It is ground breaking and we are excited that this important American composer has agreed to write for The Santa Fe Opera. While Paul has written for voice, this is his first opera.”
“The Santa Fe Opera is especially grateful to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its generous support of this commission,” stated Gaddes. Read more...
Roberto Sierra
During the 2006-2007 season three new works by Roberto Sierra will have their world premiere. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has commissioned Sierra to write a symphonic work to be premiered in November 2006, and the Orchestra of Castilla y León commissioned a new guitar concerto to be premiered in May 2007 with guitar soloist Manuel Barrueco for the opening season of their new Hall in Valladolid, Spain. In addition, Music Accord has commissioned Sierra a new song cycle, Songs from the Diaspora, for soprano Heidi Grant Murphy, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and pianist Kevin Murphy. The group will take new piece on a nationwide tour during the 2006-2007 season.
Dan Locklair
Dan Locklair's Choral Music Performed by Three Groups in Two Days.
On Saturday, November 4th the Renaissance choral ensemble, Robert Pritchard, Music Director, performed In the Cross of Christ I Glory, along with Mr. Locklair's Ubi Caritas, as part of their subscription series concert in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Also on Saturday, November 4th, The Worcester Chorus, Andrew Clark, Music Director, with Frank Corbin, Organ and Richard Watson, Trumpet, performed St. Peter's Rock and Ubi caritas at United Congregational Church in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Then on Sunday, November 5th, Remembrance was premiered by the St. Paul's Choir, Barbara Beattie, Music Director in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Kenneth Frazelle
Ravinia Festival has commissioned Kenneth Frazelle for a new work for soprano and piano inspired by Robert Schumann's Scenes from Childhood, as part of the season's One Score, One Chicago selection.
Inventions to Marden (world premiere), Sonata for Cello and Piano, Blue Ridge Airs II, and music from the Frazelle's recent multi-media production STILL/HERE, was performed December 3, 2005 at the North Carolina School of the Arts in a program celebrating the composer's 50th birthday.
Edward Knight
Edward Knight's Sonata through Salt-Rimmed Glasses was premiered at the International Trumpet Guild Conference June 10, 2006 at Rowan University. The new work was performed by Oklahoma City Philharmonic trumpeter Michael Anderson and tells a story of romantic hopes raised and dashed in a cantina as the evening progresses. Anderson, and pianist Rebecca Wilt moved seamlessly between the more austere and serious trumpet sonata structure to something verging dangerously close to musical comedy as the protagonists worked out their tensions across a seemingly smoldering piano.