Clarinetist Marcus Eley - CD release features a stunning performance of Night Fantasy by Dorothy Rudd Moore

Date: 
Monday, July 9, 2012

Marcus EleyMarcus EleyPast and present come together in this vibrant release from Sono Luminus, But Not Forgotten: Music by African-American Composers for Clarinet & Piano, as clarinetist Marcus Eley, and pianist Lucerne DeSa display the timeless class and musical stylings of composers whose music runs rich with knowledge.

The composer offers high praise for this performance of her Night Fantasy for clarinet and piano.  Other works on the CD feature the music of Alvin Batiste, Scott Joplin, Clarence Cameron White, Undine Smith Moore, Samuel Akpabot, Quincy Hilliard, William Grant Still, and Todd Cochran.


Marcus Eley writes, “For many years, I have had the privilege of performing recitals featuring African-American composers for clarinet and piano. I have felt these composers needed an advocate, a champion, to make certain their compositions for my instrument were not ignored. In current classical or “art music”, there is little representation in mainstream recorded music of these composers for clarinet. This recording, although reflective of the collection of works for clarinet and piano by African-American composers, is merely a sample of the total body of material that has remained largely untapped. I want this CD of clarinet and piano music to celebrate these worthy composers. Further, it is my desire that their unique voices are heard, and not forgotten.”

Marcus Eley is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Music in clarinet, and studied at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria. Eley has performed as a soloist with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra (Germany), the Louisville Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Edmonton (Canada) Wind Sinfonia and the National Army Military Band of the People’s Republic of China (Beijing). He has also given numerous recitals in major cities of the United States. On his New York debut recital in Weill Recital Hall, The New York Times cited his performance as “ ...expert, songful, and straightforward.” As a special honor, Eley was chosen to perform on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Sunday morning [Un] Classical broadcast on www.krza.org 11AM ET with host Richard Cameron-Wolfe

Date: 
Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 11:00am

Richard Cameron-Wolfe will present his monthly radio show "Sunday Morning [Un]Classics" on the web this Sunday, June 17, broadcasting from 9:00AM to 12:00 Mountain time (11:00AM to 2:00PM Eastern time), 16:00-19:00 in the UK. The program offers a "gourmet table" of familiar and unfamiliar music - with a special emphasis on works composed in the past 100 years. The website is www.krza.org , where one clicks on the "Listen Live" button. Playlist for the June 17 program includes music by [hour 1] Gustav Mahler – Das Lied von der Erde; [hour 2] Johann Christian Bach, ***American composers Ryan Homsey and Jonathan Chenette, plus Johann Hummel; [hour 3] Beethoven, Ysaye, Sergey Yarunsky, and a surprise.

THE STRANGE LIFE OF BEN WEBER - Article by Roger Tréfousse

[Article #2 in a series of writings published on this website in celebration of ACA's 75th anniversary year.]

 

Roger Tréfousse        
THE STRANGE LIFE OF BEN WEBER (2012)

 

When ACA Director Gina Genova asked me to write an article about Ben Weber in honor of ACA's upcoming 75th anniversary celebration, I spent a lot of time staring at my computer, wondering how to begin.  Should I start with a description of the highly eccentric man who rarely left his apartment, yet played a major role in New York’s musical life in the 1940s and 50s? Or with some words about the music; or perhaps with stories about my study with him in the four years before his death in 1979? As Ben’s life was full of contradictions and ambiguities, not easily encapsulated in a few catch phrases or sound bites, I decided the best strategy was just to plunge in, do some of each, and hope that what emerged would be a portrait of this unique artist that gives a sense of his true place in American music.

***

Ben WeberBen WeberBen Weber was born in St Louis, Missouri in 1916 and died in New York City in 1979. A self-taught composer, he was the first American to adopt the twelve-tone technique of Arnold Schoenberg. Musicologists consider him one of the most important and influential composers of his generation, and the list of performances and recordings is long and impressive. Orchestral works include pieces premiered and recorded under the batons of Leopold Stokowski and Leonard Bernstein; his chamber and piano works were performed by the instrumental virtuosi of the day, artists and ensembles such as Alexander Schneider, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Joseph Fuchs and the Juilliard Quartet.

Among his contemporaries, he gained the admiration of composers from vastly different musical camps —for example, a retrospective concert of his music at the Miller Theater in 1999 included musical tributes written for the occasion by composers as diverse as Ned Rorem, Lou Harrison and Milton Babbitt. Although almost all his works are written with reference to a twelve-tone row, his music has none of the austerity of Schoenberg and his later acolytes. When I mentioned to the critic Edwin Denby that I was studying with Ben, he remarked, “Ben is the only twelve-tone composer with a sense of humor!”

Henry Cowell: A Man Made of Music - Book by Joel Sachs just published

After nearly 24 years of work, Joel Sachs announces the publication of his book on Henry Cowell, now available from Oxford University Press. The author notes: "A life story that would never be believed if it were a novel - all 615 pages of it!" Cowell was ACA's second President, after Aaron Copland. Congratulations to the professor, ensemble director, and author Joel Sachs, from ACA.

The ACA Story - as explained by Francis Thorne in 1984, or "Back to the Future with Francis Thorne"

The ACA Story 

Francis Thorne: ACA director, 1975-78Francis Thorne: ACA director, 1975-78by Francis Thorne, Executive Director, American Composers Alliance [1975-78]
Reprinted from BMI: The Many Worlds of Music, Issue No. 1, published in 1984

(Article 1 in a series of articles highlighting the history of ACA, in celebration of ACA's 75th anniversary)

***
In 1984 it is difficult to believe, that as late as 1937, composers of concert music in the United States were not paid performance royalties. With a considerable body of American symphonic music already in existence at that time, it seems, in hindsight, the most natural thing in the world for 48 composers to have gathered in the rooms of the Beethoven Society in New York City in December, 1937 to discuss their mutual problems. It was, in fact, a revolutionary step that was to have far-reaching consequences. Among other things, it led to the formation of the American Composers Alliance.  The original organization committee consisted of Aaron Copland, Wallingford Riegger, Roger Sessions, and Edgard Varèse. Copland, who was elected Chairman, became the first President of ACA, a job he held for seven years. These composers were not just exploring methods of securing just remuneration for their labors but, more importantly, they were seeking a far wider recognition for American concert music in general.

 

ACA Bulletin excerpt, 1938ACA Bulletin excerpt, 1938

First published list of ACA members, 1938First published list of ACA members, 1938By mid-1938, the ACA roster of members consisted of 184 composers from around the country. Still, there remained some doubters; those who adopted an attitude of watchful waiting. They seem to have been guided by fear that they might lose an occasional performance if they dared ask for a performance fee. Although not disputing their rights to an opinion, they apparently lacked the courage to take a hand in the positive aspects of collective action.

Sonata for Violin and Doublebass by Elliott Schwartz, performed June 17 by NY Phil Chamber Ensembles

Date: 
Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 6:00pm
On June 17, Elliott's "Sonata for Violin and Doublebass"  will be be performed by members of the New York Philharmonic Chamber Ensembles at Merkin Hall (3 pm), as part of the NYPE Merkin Hall Sunday afternoon chamber series. The full program: Handel - Trio Sonata in G Major, Op. 5, No. 4; Elliott Schwartz - Sonata for Violin and Double Bass; Cras - Quintette; Gaubert - Divertissement grec; Ravel - Piano Trio.

Sunday morning [Un] Classical broadcast on www.kzra.org 11AM ET with host Richard Cameron-Wolfe

Date: 
Sunday, May 27, 2012 - 11:00am

Richard Cameron-WolfeRichard Cameron-WolfeRichard Cameron-Wolfe will present his monthly radio show "Sunday Morning [Un]Classics" on the web this Sunday, May 27, broadcasting from 9:00AM to 12:00 Mountain time (11:00AM to 2:00PM Eastern time), 16:00-19:00 in the UK. The program offers a "gourmet table" of familiar and unfamiliar music - with a special emphasis on works composed in the past 100 years. The website is www.krza.org , where one clicks on the "Listen Live" button. Playlist for the May 27 program includes music by [hour 1] Yuri Yukechev (Novosibirsk), W.F. Bach, Albeniz, and Harry Bulow; [hour 2] Debussy, Joel Gressel (ACA), Faure, and Roberto Sierra; [hour 3] Beethoven, Louis Karchin (ACA), Franz Liszt, and a surprise.

Albert Glinsky to pen authorized biography of Robert Moog

Robert Moog and Albert GlinskyRobert Moog and Albert Glinsky Albert Glinsky, an esteemed professor, composer, musician, and author of the award-winning biography, Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage, for which Robert Moog wrote the foreword, is currently writing Moog's authorized biography. Glinsky's  Leon Theremin biography earned Moog's highest respect and praise, and the electronic music pioneer's Moog Foundation has formally announced that Glinsky is set to author the definitive biography of Robert Moog (1935-2005).

Glinsky has begun the process of interviewing  Bob’s friends, associates, and family members, and his research is taking him to far reaching locations in pursuit of the ultimate Moog legacy. More details about this incredible endeavor will follow soon.

The American Composers Alliance celebrates 75 years!

Date: 
Saturday, June 23, 2012 - 8:00pm

THE AMERICAN COMPOSERS ALLIANCE

Saturday, June 23, 2012  8:00 pm
Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th St. New York City (1,2,3 Subway to 96th St.)

"To encourage the inclusion of American works in the programs of performers and performing organizations.”
                -- #4 Aims of the Alliance, from ACA Bulletin, Vol 1, No. 1, April 1938

Program:

George Edwards, Parallel Convergences (1988)
Miriam Gideon, Bömischer Krystall (1990)
Dorothy Rudd Moore, Transcension (1986)
Elliott Schwartz, Chamber Concerto VI: Mr. Jefferson (2007) New York Premiere
Ben Weber, Concerto, Op. 32 (1950)

Featuring the Orchestra of the League of Composers, with soloists Jo Ellen Miller,
Fred Sherry, Peter Sheppard-Skaerved, and Orion Weiss
with Oliver Hagen, conductor

Tickets $25/$20/$15
Box office: 212.864.5400 

To purchase tickets online: click here
www.symphonyspace.org

 

The historic Laurel Leaf Award, given by ACA over the years to such artists/entities as Martha Graham, George Szell, WBAI Radio, and the American Composers Orchestra, will be given this year to Innova Recordings, for its excellent support of the full range of contemporary American music.

Elizabeth Austin's Mass of Thanksgiving featured in Mother's Day services at St. John's Episcopal Church in Brooklyn

Date: 
Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 11:00am

 

Mother's Day Mass, on  May 13, 2012, 11 AM service, to be celebrated with a solemn choral Mass at St. John's Episcopal Church in Park Slope, with Cryder Bankes, music director. Sunday's service will feature original music by Elizabeth Austin, from her Mass of Thanksgiving, based on the hymn "We Gather Together." Other sacred service music planned for the Mass will include works by Beth Anderson, Heather Seaton, Anne Phillips, and Mary Ann Joyce-Walter.   St. John's Episcopal Church in Park Slope, Brooklyn, 139 St. John's Place near 7th Avenue.

BLOWN AWAY by Lawrence Dillon to be performed May 8 by the Piedmont Wind Symphony

Date: 
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - 7:30pm

Piedmont Wind SymphonyPiedmont Wind SymphonyThe Piedmont Wind Symphony performs BLOWN AWAY by Lawrence Dillon on May 8 at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as part of A Celebration of Winston-Salem on Tuesday, May 8 at 7:30 PM at Brendle Recital Hall on the campus of Wake Forest University, 1834 Wake Forest Road in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Blown Away was written for wind ensemble in 2005. Hear the piece here. Other works on the program are by composers from the Winston-Salem area.

Conducted by Jeff Whitsett, the concert will also feature Guest Conductor Dr. Kevin Bowen and and a performance by the Winston-Salem Youth Chorus, directed by Barbara Beattie.

For tickets ($15/$12) and more information about the May 8 concert, call 336-722-9328 or visit http://www.piedmontwindsymphony.com/.

David Gamper Memorial Concert at Roulette, June 30

Date: 
Saturday, June 30, 2012 - 3:00pm

David Gamper (1945-2011)David Gamper (1945-2011)Saturday, June 30 at 3pm -  Elliott Schwartz will be performing as piano soloist in the premiere of his "Hearing David" for piano and electronic sounds, at a concert in memory of David Gamper (1945-2011), Bowdoin class of 1967, who was a leading figure in the new-music world.  The composer-performer-sound artist Gamper was a member of the highly influential Deep Listening Band along with Stuart Dempster & Pauline Oliveros.

Schwartz, Professor Emeritus of music at Bowdoin College, where he began teaching in 1964, notes that his work for this concert makes use of sound sources created by Gamper during his student years at Bowdoin and Dartmouth. The concert will take place at Roulette (Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn).

Look and Listen Festival returns - May 12-14th at Pratt Manhattan Gallery

Date: 
Saturday, May 12, 2012

 

Look & Listen Festival: new music in art gallery spacesLook & Listen Festival: new music in art gallery spacesAnnouncing the 2012 Look and Listen Festival!

Please join us for three concerts of new music in art galleries
Saturday, May 12th · Sunday, May 13th · Monday, May 14th
Pratt Manhattan Gallery, 144 West 14th Street

Tickets available online or at the door
Single tickets $15 · All-Festival Pass $35

Festival highlights:

Three world premiere performances, one per festival concert, of the 2012 Look & Listen commission, Orbit Design, by composer Derek Bermel. The work is a tribute to 20th century radical John Cage. The score combines notation, improvisation, and chance elements that will come alive uniquely when realized by a trio of percussions on May 12th, a trio of flutists on May 13th, and Brooklyn Rider on May 14th.
Look & Listen regular since 2012 So Percussion will curate the opening concert.

Bard College Conservatory players will tour China with multiple concerts in June, including a work by Jacob Avshalomov

Date: 
Thursday, June 7, 2012 - 8:00pm

"The Egg" in Beijing"The Egg" in BeijingFor three weeks in June 2012 the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, will tour greater China, performing in Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, and Guangzhou.

In Taipei, the Orchestra’s performance will feature pianists Lina Yeh and Rolf Peter-Wille in the Mozart Concerto in E flat, KV 365, along with the Symphony No. 5 of Gustav Mahler. All other performances of the tour will be part of a collaboration with the Bard Music Festival, including a revisiting of “Tchaikovsky and World,” “Mahler and His World,” and a special illustrated lecture/concert curated by Leon Botstein on the topic “Shanghai Refugees.”

For his lecture concert, Dr. Botstein has chosen "Evocations" for viola and piano, by Jacob Avshalomov, ACA composer, born in 1919, in Tsingtao, China. Jacob celebrated his 93rd birthday on March 28 this year, with family and friends in Oregon.

 

Hubert Howe and Friends – A concert of (mostly) premieres, Tuesday May 1st

Date: 
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 - 7:30pm

Hubert HoweHubert HoweRaoul PleskowRaoul PleskowJohn MelbyJohn MelbyA concert of mostly premieres, by HUBERT HOWE AND FRIENDS, Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 7:30 PM at LeFrak Concert Hall on the campus of Queens College, Kissena Blvd. At the Long Island Expressway (65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing NY 11367).  Admission free.  For more information, call 718-997-3800.  For directions to LeFrak Concert Hall, link here.

The program will include world premieres of Emergence (Timbre Study No. 8) and Chimera for solo cello by Hubert Howe, Music for Four Instruments by Raoul Pleskow, “For Milton” for soprano and computer by John Melby, and Nocturne for solo piano by Nina Siniakova.  It will also include the U.S. premiere of Hubert Howe’s Trio for clarinet, cello and piano and a performance of 19-tone Clusters, an electronic tape piece synthesized using Csound, with a dance interpretation by Linda Past.

Performers will include Patricia Sonego, soprano, Andrew Borkowski, cello, Nina Sinkakova and Aiko Imaizumi, piano, Sara Aratake, clarinet, Yu-Hsuan Lin, bassoon, and Hsiang-Lin Wang, flute.

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