Announcing the NYCC's First Composition Competition

For composers in the New York area, have a look at the attached competition! (Click for larger size.) The deadline is September 17, 2007.

Dinu Ghezzo at June 10 Salon

At our June Salon in the Ellington Room, our newest Honorary Member Dinu Ghezzo presented several pieces of his music. The NYCC was delighted to welcome him and his performers, his daughter Christine and flutist/composer Wendy Luck. (Click image for larger size.) This was our last Salon of the 2006-07 year -- keep posted for next year's start in September.

Dinu Ghezzo Our Next Honorary Member

As most of the NYCC community knows by now, DINU GHEZZO was recently elected to be an Honoary Member, a distinction now shared with our other NYCC Honorees: Ezra Laderman, Tania León, John Eaton and Paul Moravec.

All of our Honorary Members are asked to make at least one presentation, on a topic of his or her own choosing, to our members at one of our scheduled Salons, and to contribute a work for public performance at one of the NYCC's public concerts within the first year of membership. Thereafter, in subsequent seasons, further works of an Honoree, together with other Honorees' works, may be considered for possible selection and programming at other public concerts.

As with our other Honorees, we look forward to having a long and mutually beneficial association for the advancement of the cause of new music and the growth of its audiences in general, and for the growth and development of the NYCC and its members in particular.

We are most pleased to now include Dinu in our NYCC community of new musicmakers.

NYCC - In The Loop - June 15, 2007

Note from the editor: It is now much easier to subscribe to the RSS feed using various readers (there's a pushbutton for Google, Yahoo, etc. all on the right). There's also a little box for you to type in your email address if you prefer to receive really fancy-formatted email updates. And all the latest In The Loops editions and news will now be fed directly to the home page of the NYCC (nycomposerscircle.org). For instance, we've recently posted our first NYCC Composition Contest flier on the blog, which feeds in to the main page of the NYCC. 

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CESAR VUKSIC invites us to attend a Recital of the Brooklyn Conservatory Chorale conducted by his wife, Nelly Vuksic. He is participating, both as accompanist and soloist in a very exciting program that includes Piazzolla's "Balada para un Loco" (The Crazy Man's Ballad), "Misa Criolla" by Ariel Ramirez (The Mass set to Argentinean Folk rhythms and melodic styles) for Soloists,Chorus, Piano, Double Bass and Percussion, and compositions by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Vaughan Williams, Copland and Belisario Perez. This Ensemble wraps up its first season with this Program titled "World Music from the Earth to the Heavens".  Saturday, June 16 at 8pm at Saint Francis Xavier Church - 225  6th Avenue between President and Carroll Street. Park Slope, Brooklyn. Train Q to 7th Avenue Station, Brooklyn.

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RICHARD BROOKS sends along the following concert announcements from the American Composers Alliance. I spy the names of JOHN EATON, PATRICIA SONEGO, CHRISTOPHER OLDFATHER (and of course, RICHARD BROOKS) below, who are all composers or performers closely associated with the NYCC. I'm sure you will find many other names below who are well-known to you.

 

Programs on June 20th, 21st and 23rd will take place at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater at Symphony Space at 2537 Broadway in Manhattan. Ticket prices are as follows:

June 20:  $25 regular; $20 for students and seniors.

Jun 21:    $15 regular; $10 for students and seniors

June 21:   FREE

For tickets  please call the box office at (212) 864-5400 or order online at www.symphonyspace.org.

June 22nd is at the Tenri Cultural Institute of New York, 43A West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011, tel. 212 645 2800.  Tickets are $15/10. To reserve tickets call 212 362 8900 or email jasna@compsoers.com.

 

ACA Festival 2007

Celebrating ACA's 70 Anniversary

Wednesday, June 20, 8pm: Pumped Fiction

John Eaton: Pumped Fiction, a Pocket Opera*

 

Thursday, June 21, 8pm: Music for the Solstice

ACA presents the Laurel Leaf Award to Fred Sherry for

"distinguished achievement in fostering and encouraging American music"

Lewis Nielson: Iskra * (Alice Teyssier, flute, Jonathan Hepfer, perc., Gabrielle Athayde, cello)

Raoul Pleskow: On Lines form the Latin * (Patricia Sonego, soprano, Christopher Oldfather, piano)

Carmel Raz: Iola for Solo Flute * (Barry Crawford, flute)

Anthony Cheung: Enjamb/Infuse/Implode (The Second Instrumental Unit, Marc Williams, conductor) 
Elizabeth Bell: Soliloquy † (Loren Dempster, cello)

Margaret Fairlie-Kennedy: Spirit Man † (Laura Campbell, flute)

Christopher Adler: Signals Intelligence  † (Alexander C Lipowski, marimba)

Rolv Yttrehus: Sextet II † (Second Instrumental Unit, Marc Williams, conductor) 

Friday, June 22, 8pm: Piano Piano

(Idith Meshulam, piano, Eric Huebner, piano)

Aaron Copland: Danzon Cubano  

Elizabeth Bell: Duovarios for Two Pianos †

Elliott Schwartz: Test Drive for piano duet † 8 (Idith Meshulam and Elliott Schwartz)

Christopher Auerbach-Brown: Introspectio 3,4 *

John Cage: Experiences

Karim Al-Zand: Pattern Preludes †

Rob Redei: Capriccio

Robert Helps: Eventually the Carousel Begins

 

Saturday, June 23, 6pm-10pm: A New Music Marathon 

6PM

Charles Ives:  The Unanswered Question (The Second Instrumental Unit, Marc Williams, conductor)

Darleen Mitchell: Dakota † (Valerie Cisler pianist Anne Foradori soprano)

Gregory Hall: Clayton Run-Around * (Minghuan Xu, violin)

Michael S. Rothkopf: Songs of Light * (Patricia Sonego, soprano)

Jan Gilbert: Lady of the Broom * (Nancy Ogle soprano, Barry Crawford flute, Eric Nowlin

viola, Loren Dempster, cello)

7PM

Richard Brooks: Rhapsody for Violin and Piano (Minghuan Xu, violin, Winston Choi, piano)

Frederick Tillis: A Latin American Suite * (Second Instrumental Unit)

Beth Wiemann: A change in the weather * (Marilyn Nonken, piano)

Harold Seletsky: Apathy † (Patricia Sonego, soprano, David Fulmer, violin, Loren Dempster, cello, Christopher Oldfather, piano)

8PM

Hubert Howe: Symphony  No. 3, 1st movement *  (The Second Instrumental Unit, Marc Williams, conductor)

Robert Ceely: Extensions † (Shen Wen, pianist)

Elias Tanenbaum: Bring 'Em On * (Second Instrumental Unit)

James Beale: Woodwind Quintet † (Second Instrumental Unit)

9PM

Milton Babbitt: Little Goes a Long Way and An Encore † (Christopher Oldfather, piano, David Fulmer, violin)

Burton Beerman: Conversations * (Shiau-uen Ding, piano)

Joel Gressel: ShortStops (computer)*

John Melby: Concerto No.2 for Piano and Computer* (Winston Choi, piano)

 

* world premiere          † New York premiere

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Keep your announcements, concerts, and good news coming to your friendly In The Loop editor, Richard Russell, at InTheLoop@nycomposerscircle.org. (And let me know if you prefer to be removed from the list.) Until next time, let's keep each other In The Loop!

June 5, 2007 Concert pics

Click image for larger size.

Executive Director John de Clef Piñeiro works with Stanichka Dimitrova during the pre-concert runthrough.


Opening remarks


Jacqueline Thompson and Craig Ketter perform Frank Retzel's Daughter of Dawn.


Cesar Vuksic's Nana, with the composer on piano, joined by Sibylle Johner, cello and Anna Tonna, mezzo.


Sofia Dimitrova performs Richard Russell's Three Songs of Carl Sandburg.


John de Clef Piñeiro introduces Honorary Member Paul Moravec.


Tiffany DuMouchelle performs Paul Moravec's Vita Brevis.


Celebrating a great concert!

NYCC - In The Loop - June 6, 2007

Our last monthly salon of the 2006-07 season is this Sunday, June 10 from 2-5pm at the Ellington Room, Manhattan Plaza 400 W 43, enter 9th Avenue. The Ellington Room is on the second floor.

As we wrap up the current season, we appropriately look forward:Our new Honorary Member, DINU GHEZZO has offered a presentation of electro-acoustic works of his. This should be a great introduction of Dinu as we welcome him to the NYCC. Hope to see you there!
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Caution: The following announcement may not be suitable to all audiences -- RR.
Speaking of Honorary Members, JOHN EATON wants us to know about his new opera: "Pumped Fiction." He writes, "The first full length comic opera (with serious overtones) by Librettist Estela Eaton and her father, Composer John Eaton, about the world's leading inventor-maker of ... Penis Pumps. Sponsored by the Pocket Opera Players and the ACA, as the opening event of the latter's 70th year Festival of American Music. At the Leonard Nimoy Thalia of Symphony Space, 95th and Broadway, New York. June 20, 8 PM. Take the 2, 3, or 1 subway to 96th St. and Broadway (or the C subway to 96th St. and Central Park West.)

Tickets $25; $20 for students, members and seniors. For tickets call (212) 864-5400 or go to www.symphonyspace.com

Singers: Linda Larson, Jennifer Roderer, James Bobick, Ken Roht, Archie Worley, Craig Phillips; Instrumentalist-Performers: Jane Rigler, Meighan Stoops, Christopher Oldfather, Dennis Sullivan, Ana Milosavljevic, Jody Redhage, Sascha Von Oertzen (electronics); Conductor, Karl Kramer; Director, Beth Greenberg; Lighting, Brant Murray; Costume and Prop Creator, Brent Barkhaus; Producer, Cori Ellison; Stage Manager, Isabel Martin.

For further information, or to read reviews of previous operas by the creative pair or the libretto, go to www.pocketoperaplayers.org or www.composers.com

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MARTIN HALPERN's opera, The Well of Immortality, will be presented by the Theater for the New City, at the Community Theater Space (155 First Avenue) June 7, 8 and 9 at 8 P.M., June 10 at 3 P.M. Described as a chamber opera in the style of Japanese Noh Drama, the plot concerns two men – one old and withered (bass), one young and robust (baritone) – who pursue a dream of earthly immortality offered by the waters of a magic well guarded by a mute and mysterious woman. Two other singers (tenor and soprano) serve as both narrators and commentators, and a flute and cello accompany all the singing and all the action. Martin wrote the music and libretto, freely based on W.B. Yeats's play At the Hawk's Well. The cast includes Jacqueline Thompson, soprano; Aram Tchobanian, tenor; Chad Armstrong, baritone; Samuel Smith, bass; and Jeanette Stoner in a silent role. Jill Sokol, flute and Katherine Cherbas, cello make up the instrumentalists. Tickets $15; Seniors and Students $10

Buy tickets online at http://www.theatermania.com/ticketing/index.cfm/show/133064

Or phone Theater Mania at 212-352-3101

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Several of you who attended a recent Recorded Reading, and more of you who were introduced to the sisters Sofia and Stanichka Dimitrova at last night's concert, will be interested in knowing that RICHARD RUSSELL's Two Rilke Songs will be premiered Sunday, June 24, at 3pm. Joining this soprano/violin pair is pianist Tomoko Nakayama. The venue is Holy Name Church in Brooklyn, 245 Prospect Park West. Suggested donation is $15. More info at 718-499-3031 or at musicabella.com. (Also on the concert is Bach, Brahms and Vivaldi. Hmm. Where'd that Russell guy come from?)

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The NYCC congratulates our friend, tenor STEVEN EBEL, who was awarded 2nd place in the Montreal International Musical Competition. In recognition of his achievement, he performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in the Competition Gala, performing two of the works that earned him this prestigious award. A podcast of highlights from the semi-finals should is available at the website www.radio-canada.ca/cmim

There was also a review of the concert at:

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/arts/story.html?id=41478a5b-4692-4c86-8837-f5c56c2bc42d

Paul Moravec featured at Tuesday's Concert

New York Magazine has listed our Tuesday, June 5 concert, writing:

The group devoted to new music closes its concert season with a program featuring Paul Moravec’s Vita Brevis for soprano and piano, plus chamber works by six other innovative composers.

Paul Moravec was the 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner for his Tempest Fantasy. Soprano Tiffany DuMouchelle (pictured) will be performing this song cycle, accompanied by Julie McBride.

NYCC Concert | Tuesday June 5

(Click image for larger view.)

This Tuesday, June 5, 2007 8pm

Saint Peter's Church at the Citigroup Center

619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street

Many thanks to JACOB GOODMAN for preparing the attached, revised flier announcing our concert composers and performers for this Tuesday. Sure to be a highlight is the performance of Vita Brevis, composed by this year's Honorary Member PAUL MORAVEC. Please forward the flier to folks on your email list!

A reception will follow -- hope to see all of you there as we close out our 2006-07 season!