Four Seasons of New York
Here it is, Doug Balliett's wonderful “Winter” from his
double bass concerto
Four Seasons of New York, commissioned by
Experiential Orchestra (EXO) and performed by the superb Rob Nairn, recorded at
Oktaven Studios.
The piece takes Brad Balliett's poetry as part of its
inspiration; this poetry is shown and spoken by our Winter bard himself the
beginning of the video. All of the many images are from friends and fans, and
feature the city we love so much – in all of its glory and more.
Listen and watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy9E1q66FAA&feature=youtu.be
The amazing performers on this recording are Rob Nairn,
double bass soloist; Francis Liu, violin; Elizabeth Derham, violin; Edwin
Kaplan, viola; Serafim Smiguelsky, cello; Stuart Breczinski, oboe; David
Byrd-Marrow, horn; Brad Balliett, bassoon; and James Blachly, conductor.
Recorded at Oktaven Studios, Ryan Streber, producer.
We hope this finds you warm and well.
For more about EXO, visit
https://experientialorchestra.com/
--James Blachly, Experiential Orchestra
Jeunesses Musicales Canada Continues Its Digital Shift
Eager to continue its mission of bringing music to young
audiences and to find new ways to reach them, JM Canada launched this fall
their Digital Ballads, aimed at children and their teachers. A necessary
transition and a great challenge, as the performing arts have been at a
standstill for several months now.
Alongside passionate artists, the JM Canada team succeeded
in this tour de force by adapting for the screen 4 concerts and 3 complementary
workshops in record time. Fun, educational and entertaining, this 100% digital
program has already attracted more than 17,500 students aged 4 to 12 in 12 of
Canada's 13 provinces and territories, in addition to being offered to clients
of Place des Arts in Montreal, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and Palais
Montcalm in Quebec City.
Carried away by this great success, JM Canada is
experiencing a threefold achievement: providing teachers with content-rich
tools to vary their teaching activities, exporting itself from coast to coast
to coast in just a few months thanks to this digital offering, and, ultimately,
providing work and support to several artists, artisans and musicians.
Through several themes, including percussion, opera or
song writing, children explore many aspects of music alongside enthusiastic
artists and our two musical mediators Aurélie Négrier and Gabriela Iznardo. JM
Canada also offers the possibility of live virtual mediation sessions to
complement the pre-recorded concerts and workshops.
The Digital Ballads 2020-2021 season offers a real
alternative to the activities usually offered, and JM Canada brilliantly
continues its mission by accompanying teachers in the musical pedagogical
monitoring of their students.
For complete details, visit
https://www.jmcanada.ca/en/promoters/digital-ballads/
--France Gaignard
Pianist Min Kwon Announces “America/Beautiful”
Korean-born American pianist Min Kwon announced today
“America/Beautiful,” a new project in which more than 70 composers have written
individual variations for solo piano on the theme of “America the Beautiful.”
Each interpretation offers a different vision of America during this critical
moment, as filtered through the lens of America’s leading compositional voices
across a broad spectrum of age, race, gender, and personal experience.
The works will be premiered over the course of six days,
beginning July 4, with a series of free streamed video performances by Kwon
followed by Q&A sessions with the composers, culminating in two evenings of
live performances by Kwon in the Catacombs of The Green-Wood Cemetery in
Brooklyn, NY on July 8 and 9.
For more information, visit
https://www.america-beautiful.com/
--Andrew Ousley, Unison Media
Music, Math, and Mind: The Physics and Neuroscience of
Music
Columbia University Press announces
Music, Math and
Mind: The Physics and Neuroscience of Music by David Sulzer.
Written for musicians & music lovers with any level of
science and math proficiency, including none, this book demystifies how music
works while testifying to its beauty and wonder. David Sulzer is Professor of
Neurology, Psychiatry, and Pharmacology at Columbia University and the New York
State Psychiatric Institute (and composer Dave Soldier by night). Publication
date: April 27, 2021.
David Sulzer's debut book,
Music, Math, and Mind,
offers a lively exploration of the mathematics, physics, and neuroscience that
underlie music in a way that readers without scientific background can follow.
Dr. Sulzer, also known in the musical world as Dave
Soldier, explains why the perception of music encompasses the physics of sound,
the functions of the ear and deep-brain auditory pathways, and the physiology
of emotion.
For more information, visit
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/music-math-and-mind/9780231193795
--Aleba Gartner, Aleba & Co.
Joshua Bell on Vanguard Concerts
The Violin Channel’s Vanguard Concerts series’ initial
episode, premiered February 11, received over 600K views in less than a week
across Facebook, YouTube and Instagram in more than 50 countries. The kickoff
showcase featured all artists on the series - Joshua Bell with pianist Alessio
Bax; the Dover Quartet; Junction Trio, violinist Philippe Quint with pianist
Jun Cho; violinists Nathan Meltzer and Kevin Zhu with pianist Rohan de Silva;
violist Jordan Bak; violinist Charles Yang with pianist Peter Dugan; violinist
Tessa Lark with pianist Amy Yang and guitarist Frank Vignola; cellist Sophia
Bacelar with pianist Noreen Cassidy-Polera and dancer Jamaii Melvin.
On Thursday, February 18th at 5pm ET, longtime
collaborators violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Alessio Bax presented a recital
of Bach, Schubert, and Weiniawski, in an hour-long program featuring Creative
Director David Katzive’s customized LED Wall imagery and an interview with the
artists where they share their experiences during the COVID pandemic.
For complete information, visit
https://theviolinchannel.com/vc-live-the-violin-channel-vanguard-concert-series/
--Amanda Sweet, Bucklesweet
What's Streaming: Classical (Week of February 22–28)
Thursday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. MT;
Jennifer Koh’s “Alone Together” in recital for Aspen Music
Festival and School.
https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/virtual-stage/
and
https://www.facebook.com/aspenmusic/?ref=bookmarks
Sunday, February 28 at 3:00 p.m. PT:
Wu Man rings in Chinese New Year with New West Symphony.
https://newwestsymphony.org/2020-21-virtual-season/tour-of-china/
In Case You Missed It:
Minnesota Orchestra presents Musical Menagerie, a young
people's concert in partnership with the Minnesota Zoo.
https://mnorch.vhx.tv/young-people-s-content/videos/musical-menagerie
--Shuman Associates
Orchestra of St. Luke’s Presents Two World Premieres by
Anna Clyne
On Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 6:30pm ET, Orchestra of
St. Luke’s presents “Sounds & Stories: Anna Clyne and Jyll Bradley,” a live
streamed performance that features two world premieres by composer Anna Clyne –
“Strange Loops” for Clarinet Quintet and “Woman Holding a Balance” for String
Quartet with a film by artists Jyll Bradley and David Ward. The program,
curated by Clyne and narrated by Bradley and Clyne, also includes selections
from J.S. Bach’s
Three Part Inventions and
Art of the Fugue and
Steve Reich’s
New York Counterpoint.
Clyne’s 17 minute “Strange Loops for Clarinet Quintet” is
based on a concept developed by cognitive science scholar Douglas Hofstadter in
his book
I am a Strange Loop, where he explores his own sense of “I.”
Hofstadter writes, “In the end, we are self-perceiving, self-inventing,
locked-in mirages that are little miracles of self-reference.” In “Strange
Loops,” Clyne explores musical loops – motifs and gestures that repeat, morph,
modulate, and recapitulate in various guises. At the heart of this piece is a sense
of playfulness and yearning – inspired by the creative process in isolation.
The world premiere of artist Jyll Bradley’s seven-minute
film, “Woman Holding a Balance,” features new music for string quartet composed
by Clyne. The film centers upon a performance work artist David Ward made in
response to Bradley’s sculpture Dutch/Light. Ward revisited his first love as a
young art student – the paintings of Dutch artist Joannes Vermeer (1632-1675),
who is well known for his use of light as a framing device for ideas around
time, human interiority, and space. In the film, shot over one sun-filled day,
Ward loops in and out of the sculpture performing gestures from the subjects of
Vermeer's paintings. This film brings together three artists from different generations
and times whose work shares the languages of light and space.
Program Information:
Sounds & Stories: Anna Clyne and Jyll Bradley
(Livestream)
Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 6:30pm ET
Tickets: Pay what you can from $1-$100 ($40 suggested
price)
Link:
https://oslmusic.org/event/sounds-stories-anna-clyne-and-jyll-bradley/
--Katy Salomon, Morahan Arts and Media
American Lyric Theater Offers Free Virtual Opera
Writers Symposium
American Lyric Theater (ALT) is inviting artists from all
backgrounds to participate in its free, virtual Opera Writers Symposium as part
of the organization’s ongoing commitment to mentoring the next generation of
operatic writers. The eight-week series of mini-seminars and online workshops
will run from February 27 – April 24, 2021 and will provide practical tools for
both first-time and experienced artists with an interest in developing new
works for the operatic stage. The courses will offer artists a glimpse into
American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP) – the
country’s only full-time mentorship program for emerging opera composers,
librettists and dramaturgs – a two-year, tuition-free professional training
program for writers interested in creating new operas that includes extensive
mentorship and direct financial support.
The CLDP Opera Writers Symposium is free and open to
artists from all genres of music and literature including poets, playwrights,
novelists, composers, songwriters and rap artists who may be curious about
writing for the operatic stage. Artists with no previous experience in the
operatic art form are encouraged to attend.
Details here:
https://www.altnyc.org/cldp-opera-writers-symposium
--Rebecca Davis PR
Update from Festival Mozaic
I know many of you look forward to the announcement of our
summer season around this time of the year. We are excited to announce that
Festival Mozaic will take place this year, and we’ll share the details with you
in early April. This delay will allow us to see how public health policy progresses
in the coming months and plan our events accordingly.
Our plan for the 2021 Summer Festival includes:
A shorter 8-day festival, July 24 – 31
A smaller number of your favorite musicians working
together under strict health and safety protocols
Indoor and outdoor venues that will ensure your health and
safety
Concerts performed live, twice per day, if permitted
Concerts attended by smaller, socially-distanced, masked
audiences
Concerts will be live-streamed online, so you can enjoy
them at home
This summer festival will be nimble, flexible, and even
portable so that it will occur regardless of where we stand in terms of
infection rates, immunization, and health and safety requirements. Our Music
Director, Scott Yoo, our outstanding Board of Directors, our remarkable
musicians, and our dedicated staff and volunteers all are committed to making
wonderful music for you this summer.
For more information, visit
https://www.festivalmozaic.org/
--Lloyd Tanner, Executive Director
Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes in Recital
What: Spivey Hall Presents celebrated Norwegian pianist
Leif Ove Andsnes in a streaming recital of music by Beethoven, Grieg, and
Dvorák captured at Norway’s Troldhaugen concert hall, the home of Nina and
Edvard Grieg. The concert honors Spivey Hall’s 30th season and is presented in
partnership with OurConcerts.live.
When: Sunday, February 21, 3pm ET, video-on-demand
available February 22 through 24.
Price: Tickets for the initial stream are $15 plus $3.50
access fee and local sales tax when purchased from spiveyhall.org by February
17 at 5pm, and include video-on-demand. From February 18 to 24, tickets may be
purchased solely from OurConcerts.live and are $20 plus $3.50 access fee.
Where:
https://spiveyhall.org/events/event/leif-ove-andsnes-piano
--Allison Van Etten, Ravenscroft PR
Michael Tilson Thomas on Talking Beats
Michael Tilson Thomas is the latest guest on the podcast
Talking Beats with Daniel Lelchuk, which has released an hour-long,
wide-ranging discussion between MTT and cellist and host Daniel Lelchuk via
TalkingBeats.com and major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple
Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and YouTube.
This conversation offers a wealth of insight into MTT’s
musical thinking, his personality, and the many fascinating experiences that
have shaped him. This discussion was recorded on December 3, 2020, and was
released Tuesday, February 16, 2021, as the podcast’s 81st episode.
To learn more about Talking Beats with Daniel Lelchuk,
visit
https://www.talkingbeats.com/
--Shuman Associates
Bang on a Can Announces Upcoming Virtual Performances
Bang on a Can announces a dynamic slate of new virtual
programming taking place from March through May 2021, all streaming at
live.bangonacan.org. All shows are free to watch, but viewers are encouraged to
consider purchasing a ticket to help support the performers and commissioned
composers. March performances include:
First Fridays with Robert Black on March 5, 2021 at 12pm
ET, a monthly performance series launched in October 2020, which continues with
music for solo bass by James Tenney, Stuart Saunders, and Rifat Komachkov; the
live-from-Berlin viewing of Berlin-based dance company Sasha Waltz &
Guests’ performance to In C on March 6, 2021 at 2pm ET, based on Terry Riley’s ground-breaking
score and featuring Bang on a Can’s critically acclaimed recording; Bang on a
Can Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director Michael Gordon and Bang on a Can
All-Star pianist Vicky Chow host a watch party on March 7, 2021 3pm ET for the
video premiere of Sonatra, a fiendishly and infamously difficult piano work by
Gordon, with a Q&A moderated by pianist/music critic Ethan Iverson; and a
special edition Bang on a Can Marathon Live Online as part of MaerzMusik,
presented by the Berliner Festspiele and featuring live performances from both
sides of the Atlantic, on March 21, 2021 from 3-7pm ET.
April and May performances include First Fridays with
Robert Black on April 2 and May 7; another Bang on a Can Marathon live online,
featuring all commissions and all world premieres on April 18; the next virtual
OneBeat Marathon on May 2; and Steve Reich and Amy Sillman in a co-presentation
with The Jewish Museum and BOMB Magazine on May 13.
Details here:
https://live.bangonacan.org/
--Maggie Stapleton, Jensen Artists
La Calisto: A Virtual Opera
The students who signed up to participate in the
Department of Music’s Fall 2020 Opera Performance course expected to perform a
staged version of
La Calisto, Francesco Cavalli’s 17th-century opera, in
Richardson Auditorium at the end of the term. The arrival of the pandemic
quickly necessitated a change in plans as students returned home for a semester
of virtual learning. The result: the creation of a virtual opera, recorded with
phone cameras from students’ homes scattered across the world, in a production
conducted by Performance Program Director Michael Pratt, directed by
Christopher Mattaliano (Portland Opera, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco
Opera), edited by videographer Christopher McDonald, and with dramaturgy by Department
Chair Wendy Heller.
La Calisto will premiere on Saturday, March 6, 2021
as a three-episode series on the Department of Music’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE03_6jE29C_5d61Lwm51WA
For a full announcement, please visit this page:
https://music.princeton.edu/news/students-participate-creation-virtual-opera
--Dasha Koltunyuk, Princeton University Concerts
News from PARMA Recordings
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Astor Piazzolla’s
birth, PARMA has teamed up with Fundación Astor Piazzolla and the composer’s
family, including his widow, Laura, and grandson, Daniel, to present the first
annual Piazzolla Music Competition. Proceeds from this year’s contest will
benefit music education charities.
Headed by Grammy-winning musician Gary Burton, the
competition’s aim is to find and elevate top undiscovered talent through
performances of Piazzolla’s work. The Grammy-packed jury is led by pianist and
composer Pablo Ziegler and includes bandoneonist Héctor del Curto and bandoneonist/composer
Daniel Binelli.
Where does PARMA fit into all of this? The grand prize
winner of the competition will be awarded an album release on our Navona
Records label and a subsequent concert tour in China facilitated by PARMA.
For details, visit
https://www.parmarecordings.com/piazzolla-music-competition/
--Patrick Niland, PARMA Recordings
The Atterbury Sessions Continue
The Atterbury House Sessions free livestreams continue on
February 20th and 27th with the Ulysses Quartet and Xavier Foley. All concerts
are live at 5 PM from the gorgeous mahogany Atterbury Hall and available for a
week.
Saturday Feb. 20: Ulysses Quartet
Saturday Feb. 27: Bassist Xavier Foley
Upcoming Performances (All Performances at 5:00 pm EST)
February 20 – Ulysses Quartet
February 27 – Xavier Foley, bass
March 13 – PUBLIQuartet
April 3 – The Westerlies
April 17 – Imani Winds
April 24 – Baroque Violinist Aisslinn Nosky and Friends
May 8 – Brentano Quartet
May 15 – Augustin Hadelich, violin
June 5 – Lara St. John, violin
Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Ancalagon33?gl=SG&hl=en-GB
--Lara St. John