Congratulations to Leanna Primiani who has been chosen as a recipient of this year’s Women Composers Readings and Commissions Program.
An initiative of the League of American Orchestras, the commissioning program is administered in partnership with the American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. “This vital program,” notes Jesse Rosen, League President and CEO, “provides an extraordinary career boost and professional opportunity for so many women composers while introducing the orchestra community to this rich reservoir of talent.” ACO President and CEO Ed Yim adds, “The body of exciting and excellent new work generated by this program is genuine cause for celebration during these difficult times. As a partner of the League, ACO is proud to support and share these important women creators’ work with the field.” Primiani will compose a new work for The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) in Houston, TX, which will premiere in an upcoming season.
Alecia Lawyer, ROCO Artistic Director & Founder, comments. “What a gift to have a commission underwritten by the League, ACO, and Toulmin, and to be able to choose from an already highly curated list of talented women composers. When I saw Leanna’s name on the list, I knew I wanted to work with her on an impactful and innovative piece. Her work in film music tells its own story, and she crafts her music in deep collaboration with the subject matter and the group premiering it. ROCO will be able to continue our commitment to access and innovation while giving voice to a community that desperately needs a megaphone.”
“I can’t tell you how surprised I was,” Primiani shares, “when I heard the news about being awarded this commission from the Toulmin Foundation, League of American Orchestras and the American Composers Orchestra! To be chosen among so many talented composers who applied is still overwhelming. It is an honor and an incredible opportunity to write a piece for The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. It is an organization that I have admired since its inception; and Alecia Lawyer is a remarkable advocate for new music in the US.”
Primiani’s orchestral music was also recently recognized by The American Prize. Her work 1000 (written as a side-by-side, companion piece to Rimsky Korsokov’s Scheherazade) was commissioned and premiered by The Seattle Collaborative Orchestra who received Second Place in Orchestral Performance for its “…prodigious achievement of style, rhythm, and articulation [of the score] throughout.”
During the COVID pandemic, Primiani’s been composing for films. She just completed a 12-minute score for string quartet and electronics, along with music for a documentary featuring string orchestra and electronics. When asked how she’s doing, Primiani replies, “When I’m not writing music, I’m a homeschooling housewife that writes music in between virtual math camp and Ancient Greek and Latin classes! Calculus for fun, anyone?”