“James Lee III has one of the most distinctive and compelling voices in all of music.” On the eve of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society’s (BCA) March 20 world premiere of the composer’s new work Hallelu Yah!, music director Tom Hall offers some insight into the first performance. Hall continues. “In 2010, the Baltimore Choral […]
Archives for March 2016
Abels: Inventiveness and Drive
On March 19 and 20, the Spokane Symphony performs Michael Abels’ classic work Global Warming, as music director Eckart Preu leads the orchestra in its “Symphonic Dances” program. Inspired by the historic events of the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War era, Global Warming was commissioned and premiered by […]
Sierra: Color, Energy and Nuance
“I am drawn to Roberto Sierra’s music because of many things, but mostly [to] his use of color, energy and nuance.” Mark Scatterday — conductor (Eastman School of Music) and clinician — explains Sierra’s appeal as he highlights the composer’s music in his March 12 clinic “Transcribing for the 21st-century Wind Ensemble.” The session is […]
Frazelle: A Cool Piece!
“Ever since the first time I heard Kenneth Frazelle’s The Swans of Pungo Lake, I’ve always thought it was a cool piece!” On the eve of the Society of Musical Arts’ (Maplewood, NJ) March 6 concert, music director Stephen Culbertson shares some insight into programming Frazelle’s six-minute work. The Swans of Pungo Lake was commissioned […]
Moravec: Hauntingly Original
From March 3 – 20, the Carolina Ballet revives artistic director Robert Weiss’ setting of Paul Moravec’s Pulitzer Prize-winning score Tempest Fantasy. Weiss’ ballet originally premiered in 2006, and this is Carolina Ballet’s third reprisal. This season’s production is part of the company’s “Shakespeare Festival” commemorating the quadricentennial of The Bard’s death. Weiss was introduced […]
