Composer Updates November 2017 Edition We feel so fortunate to we've had the opportunity to get to know 42 composers through the FNMC Composition Contest between 2014 and 2016. This year, we’ll add nine new (and two returning) composers to the group. We’ve been able to feature 38 of the 42 in composer spotlights and we’ll begin featuring the 2017 composer very soon!
But, of course, their work doesn’t stop with their first composer spotlight! They are a very productive group of individuals and we thought it would be a great idea to check in with them and share their major activities since we featured them. Today, we share the first round of composer updates. We’re sure you’ll also be pleased to see that they are busy and achieving great success (and producing more works for flute!) There are lots of premieres, recordings, awards, new positions, and other exciting projects! Oliver Caplan (Finalist 2014, My Elephant Cloud for Pierrot ensemble) Oliver was recently appointed the Artistic Director of Juventas New Music Ensemble, a Boston-based ensemble which focuses on supporting the work of emerging composers. The Juventas New Music Ensemble also sponsors the Boston New Music Festival. A new album of his works, entitled You Are Not Alone, will be released December 12. The album includes several chamber works: Connect All. We All Connect for soprano, horn, and piano, Love Letters for flute, clarinet, 2 violins, viola, and cello, To the Sea for 2 violins, viola, and cello, and You Are Not Alone for violin, cello, and piano. Nicole Chamberlain (second place 2014 French Quarter for flute quartet, honorable mention 2016 for Asphyxia for flute alone, finalist 2016 for Orion’s Belt for flute trio and Three Nine Line for flute and piano) Nicole is very excited to announce the release of an album of her flute music through MSR Classics in January 2018. The album features flutists Matthew Angelo, Nicole herself (she is a flutist and composer!) and Dr. Mary Matthews (an FNMC member!) and pianist Jessica Niles. The album will include FNMC awarded pieces Asphyxia, Three-Nine Line, and Mintaka from Orion's Belt. Her compositions have received several awards including:
She has several new commissions that will be premiered and made available by next year: 1. Death Whistle for solo piccolo commissioned by FNMC Vice-President Dr. Elizabeth Robinson 2. Acrophobia for flute/picc, flute, and soprano saxophone commissioned by FNMC member flutist Dr. Mary Matthews, flutist Matthew Angelo, and saxophonist Alyssa Hoffert. 2. Flute, Horn, and piano work commissioned by The Kitchen Sync (FNMC member Dr. Katherine Isbell Emeneth) 3. Contrabass flute work commissioned by Beth Devlin 4. Flute and Clarinet work commissioned by PM Woodwind Project 5. Solo Alto Flute work commissioned by Kelly Mollnow Wilson 6. Flute Choir Work commissioned by Charter Oak Flute Choir of Connecticut 7. Another HUGE work including flute soloists with string orchestra is a done deal, just waiting for signed contract before I can go public. She also recently released several pieces for publication including: Capsaicin for two flutes and cello, Unity for solo flute, and Shenanigans for flute, clarinet, and bassoon. Andrew Davis (finalist 2015, What’s Next for flute, bassoon, and piano) Andrew shared with us that he has recently completed a new piece for orchestra entitled, Seek. You can listen to the entire work on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/andrewdavis33/seek. Seek features a significant piccolo solo which is really beautiful! He expertly employs the lower and mid-range of the piccolo, which is such a wonderful color and one we don't often get to hear in the context of the orchestra due to scoring challenges. Paul Elwood (finalist 2014 Marfa Lights for flute duo (doubling piccolo and alto flute) Like many of the other composers Paul has been busy writing new works, which have been premiered all around the word! Several of the works have also been recorded and will be available on commercially released discs in the next year. New Works:
Recording Releases:
Paul also has upcoming performances and lectures scheduled at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand (Nov. 20-24) and at the Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia (Nov. 25-28). Charles Halka (honorable mention, chamber music 2016 Por la Fuerza las Tierras for Pierrot ensemble) Charles’ Por la Fuerza las Tierras (HM 2016) is achieving wide acclaim! It was also named the winner of Division 1 of the 2017 Young Composer Competition. It has been performed all over the United States this fall including:
The Odessa Philharmonic will perform Scherzo, for orchestra, alongside works by Stravinsky and Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak on November 17, 2017 in Odessa, Ukraine at Philharmonic Hall, 7:00pm. John Moody (honorable mention newly composed category 2016, Tutti Frutti for two Virtuoso Flutti) John was so inspired by the success and support of Tutti Frutti that he’s decided to write another work for flute! He’s currently working on a five movement piece with the current title of Canzoni for Flute and Piano. He reports that it is different in style from Tutti Frutti, but we’re sure that we will love it too! He also recently completed a new work for orchestra, entitled Eclipse. Xingzimin Pan (honorable mention 2014 for Kaidan for flute and piano) Xing has been focusing on choral composition. His works are being widely performed in his native country of China as well as in the US, where he has lived for many years. He is currently a PHD candidate at in music composition the University of Utah. He shared some of his recent accomplishments with us! Competition Awards:
Publication: Dandelion, for Children’s Choir, published by Fudan University Publishing House CD Release:
Performances: The newly published choral work Dandelion has been performed frequently in different cities China, as well as the US, Hungary, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Future performances will be held in Canada, Poland and Taiwan within the next two years. Bekah Simms (winner Newly Composed category in 2015 for a relic of adolescent heat for flute, cello, and piano) Bekah was awarded the Canadian Music Centre's Toronto Emerging Composers Award in 2017, valued at $6000, it's one of the more substantial awards in the country for composition. She was also featured in Musicworks Magazine:https://www.musicworks.ca/sound-bite/bekah-simms’-music-discomfort. Bekah was also selected, through member vote, as the commissioned composer for the first FNMC Flute Artist competition. Her new work for flute and pre-recorded sound, Skinscapes, will be performed by all of the finalists on March 3, 2017. Asha Srinivasan (winner 2014 for Dviraag for flute and cello) Asha is pleased to announce a newly commissioned work by Pan Pacific Ensemble. The work will be recorded in January and released on Albany Records. We look forward to hearing it! Dana Wilson (winner 2016 for The Conjurer for solo flute and chamber wind ensemble) Dana limited his update to news about his flute and piccolo works. Fortunately, there’s a lot of good news to share! (The Conjurer was performed by Wendy Mehne at the NFA convention this past August. He has also produced a piano reduction that is now available for purchase and performance! There is also a recording available of Conjurer! FNMC member Christie Beard performed his piece for piccolo and piano entitled, Whispers from another time, at the NFA convention and a recording is in the works! It’s a really lovely work we’re sure our many piccolo playing members will want to check out! He’s also pleased to share that there is a transcription of his and longing to be the singing master of my soul, originally for flute and piano, for flute and harp; there’s also now a piccolo version of the work. The flute and harp version will be recorded in the spring. Thank you to all of the composers for sharing these updates. We love to hear about their successes and look forward to hearing (and playing) their works!
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Get to Know...John Allemeier The vast array of instrumentation possibilities means that the chamber music category often yields really interesting works with great colors. This is definitely the case with John Allemeier’s Bolamkin for alto flute, vibraphone, and piano. Plus, we love the alto flute! John has composed a fantastic array of chamber works including the flute with really cool combinations and colors. You can hear recordings of many of them on his SoundCloud page and website.
Q&A with John… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? As a composer, I am drawn to the flute because of its versatility and agility. The flute has virtuosic technical ability combined with boundless potential for lyricism. Describe your musical background and current activities. While I was trained as a composer for concert music, a major component of my creative work for the last few years has been writing music for modern dance. Writing music for stage performances has fundamentally changed how I compose for the concert hall. Throughout my career, some of my best performers were flutists and my success writing for flute is due to their patience and willingness to work with me. Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about? ASSEM3BLY (featuring the amazing Lindsey Goodman) just released a CD on Albany Records that features my composition Bolamkin (for alto flute, vibraphone, and piano). This recording features some incredible performances and great chamber music with flute. What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice? Be patient with the composers and fearless with their music. More About John… John Allemeier’s music has been described as having a “sweet sense of mystery” by Fanfare and as being “rapturous” by the American Record Guide. His music has been performed by Ethel, Loadbang, Boston New Music Initiative, Charleston Symphony, ASSEM3LY, Beo Quartet, Due East, Duo XXI, Kassia Ensemble, Low and Lower, Madison Park String Quartet, Terminus Ensemble, and on venues such as the Charlotte New Music Festival, TUTTI New Music Festival, the International Double Reed Society, International Clarinet Society Conference, International Society of Bassist Convention, Piccolo Spoleto, the 5th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music in San Francisco, and the Spark Festival in Minneapolis. He received his Ph.D. in Composition from the University of Iowa, his MM in Composition from Northwestern University, and his BM in Performance from Augustana College. He is currently Professor of Composition and Music Theory at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. More information is available at www.johnallemeier.com. If you liked Bolamkin… Deep Water for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, timpani, and piano Pieces of Silver for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and percussion Santana Mix for flute, cello, double bass, and percussion Solstice for flute, sax, violin, cello, and double bass Songs of Earth and Sky for flute, ceramic pots, and berimbau Those Voices flute, bass clarinet, violin, viola, and cello Get to Know...Dana Wilson Dana Wilson was named the winner of the Newly Composed Category in 2016 for his work for solo flute and chamber ensemble (ob, 3 cl, bcl, bsn, hn, tpt, tb, pf, perc, db), entitled The Conjurer. This lovely flute concerto in two movements was inspired by the world’s shamanic traditions. Commissioned by a consortium of flutists and wind ensembles, The Conjurer received its first performance in April 2015 by Gabe Southard. The Conjurer is included on a disc of his flute music entitled “The Conjurer: Chamber Music for Flute by Dana Wilson” featuring his colleague at Ithaca College, Wendy Herbener Mehne. She will perform The Conjurer at the 2017 NFA Convention on the New Flute Solos Concert at 1:00 PM on Saturday August 12, 2017. Another of Dana’s works will also be performed; FNMC member Christine Erlander Beard will present the NFA Premiere of Whispers from Another Time for piccolo and piano on the Piccolo Recital II (10:00 Sunday, August 13, 2017).
We’re hoping to catch up with Dana at the convention and feature him in a Facebook live interview talking about The Conjurer and Whispers from Another Time, but in the meantime, we wanted to ensure that he was featured! Q&A with Dana… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? The flute has so many colors and textures, and is able to move from one to another in such a seemingly effortless way, thus providing depth and drama to a given passage or gesture. Describe your musical background and current activities. I’ve been composing a long time but only came to the flute in recent years in terms of commissions and lots of performances. (I’m so grateful to all the flutists in the world who are eager to explore new works!) I started my musical life as a jazz pianist and so a good deal of that aesthetic and its musical elements creep into my music. Maybe as a result of that, I’m drawn to the range of color and articulation that the flute provides. What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice? Think of all the sounds in the world—from birdcalls to violent storms—and how the flute can explore each so effectively, often jumping dramatically from one to another. Be open to the incredible fluidity that the flute allows music and musical drama to project. More About Dana… The works of Dana Wilson have been commissioned and performed by such diverse ensembles as the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Formosa String Quartet, Xaimen Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Dallas Wind Symphony, Voices of Change, Netherlands Wind Ensemble and Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. He has received grants from, among others, the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts, Arts Midwest, and Meet the Composer. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Europe, East Asia and Australia, and appear on over 30 record labels. Dana Wilson holds a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music and is Charles A. Dana Professor Emeritus at the Ithaca College School of Music. He has written about his compositional process in A Composer’s Insight and Composers on Composing for Band, and is co-author of Contemporary Choral Arranging, published by Simon and Schuster. www.danawilson.org If You Liked The Conjurer... Afterglow Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion Date: 2011 All Our Yesterdays Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, horn, violin, cello, piano, and percussion Date: 1999 Duration: 25” Allusions Instrumentation: flute and piano Date: 2013 And longing to be… Instrumentation: flute and piano or harp Date: 2013 Breathing the Water Instrumentation: flute and guitar Date: 2010 Dancing with the Devil Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano Date: 1998 Duration: 10” Gold Mosaic Instrumentation: flute, oboe, and piano Date: 2015 Luminescence Instrumentation: alto flute and guitar Date: 1998 Duration: 4’ Mirrors Instrumentation: wind quintet Date:1994 Pu Em Remu Instrumentation: flute and percussion Date: 1997 Shallow Streams, Deep Rivers Instrumentation: flute, horn, and piano Date: 2007 Sing to me of the Night Instrumentation: flute, guitar, and cello Date: 1999 Whispers from Another Time Instrumentation: piccolo and piano Date: 2001 Get to Know...Oliver Caplan One of the things we love about the FNMC Composition Contest is that it provides us with an opportunity to learn about so much great new music of such diverse styles, all of which is beautiful in its own way. Often times people make certain assumptions about what “new” music sounds like. But new music is anything that is recently composed, there is no one new music style. Oliver Caplan is a composer who unabashedly embraces a Romantic style and composes some really beautiful music in the process. His work, My Elephant Cloud for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello, was named an honorable mention in 2014 FNMC Composition Contest. It can be heard on his first album Illuminations and on his Soundcloud page. Q&A with Oliver… What inspires you as a composer? In my music, the geographies of people, places and ideas intertwine to become tales of transformation. From nature to world affairs, my compositions have included works inspired by Jane Goodall, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the Chinese Folk Novel Journey to the West. My goal as a composer is to create an emotional journey for audience members and connect them to music’s incredible ability to touch something deeply human inside of us, a place that words do not always reach. Tell us a bit about your compositional process The two instruments in my composing studio are a piano and a piccolo. One of my composing secrets, is that when I am working on breathing and articulation for winds and brass, I play all the parts on my piccolo. So if I’m working on orchestration for a 75-piece symphony, you might find me testing the Tuba part three octaves up! When I was young, I learned to play the flute in 5th grade, and performed on piccolo with the Stuyvesant High School Symphonic Band and the Dartmouth College Marching Band. The flute remains near and dear to my heart; whenever I’m composing for flute, I feel like I’m writing for my kin. Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about? Recently, a nationwide consortium of 12 ensembles commissioned me to compose a companion piece for the instrumentation of Stravinsky’s beloved Octet (flute, clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones). Leave it to Stravinsky to think up such a quirky and bottom-heavy instrumentation! My composition Krummholz Variations is a set of variations inspired by the alpine world. I had fun finding my own voice with these sonorities, and have really enjoyed being part of a larger conversation with this work. I’m currently working on my next album You Are Not Alone, with performances by Juventas New Music Ensemble (Lidiya Yankovskaya, Artistic Director). You Are Not Alone will raise awareness about breast cancer, marriage equality and the environment through four deeply personal chamber works: Love Letters (flute, clarinet, string quartet), You Are Not Alone (piano trio), To the Sea (string quartet), and Connect All (soprano, horn, piano). You can listen to samples of my music on my website, www.olivercaplan.com. Also, NewMusicShelf is carrying sheet music from my catalog (there are a few works up right now, with more coming soon). If you like what you hear, don’t hesitate to drop a line. I’m always looking for new collaborators! More About Oliver…. With memorable melodies and colorful interplay, composer Oliver Caplan’s music expresses a deeply felt romanticism. Mr. Caplan’s music has been presented in over 120 public performances, including the Nebraska Chamber Players, North/South Consonance, Trio Veritas and Schola Cantorum of Boston. He has been commissioned by the Atlanta Chamber Players, Bronx Arts Ensemble, Bella Piano Trio, Columbia University Wind Ensemble, Brookline Symphony Orchestra, Juventas and El Sistema Somerville, among others. Accolades include a Special Citation for the American Prize in Orchestral Composition, Veridian Symphony Competition Wins, the Fifth House Ensemble Young Composer Competition Grand Prize, seven ASCAP Awards, and fellowships at VCCA and the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts. Recordings of Mr. Caplan’s music include his 2012 debut album Illuminations, 2015 EP Moon Over Appalachia, and a track on the Sinfonietta of Riverdale’s 2016 album New World Serenade (Albany Records). Mr. Caplan (b. 1982) resides in Medford, Massachusetts. He was raised in the Bronx, New York, studied Music and Geography at Dartmouth College (B.A. 2004) and Composition at the Boston Conservatory (M.M. 2006). An avid hiker, Mr. Caplan finds inspiration through time outdoors. www.olivercaplan.com If you liked My Elephant Cloud… A Midsummer Night’s Dream flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano 11’ 2010 Chasing Dreams for Later Light nonet 30’ 2014 Every Iridescent Chip of Ice SSAA w/flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano 8’ 2009 Four flute, bassoon, guitar, vibraphone 4’ 2004 Is There a Word That Means Return? narrator, bass/baritone, pierrot 10’ 2010 Journey to the West orchestra w/ solo flute and solo Erhu (or solo violin) 16’ 2011 Krummholz Variations octet 13’00 2016 Laugh • Stay • Dance flute, clarinet, violin, cello 7’ 2006 Love Letters flute, clarinet, string quartet 15’ 2015 My Elephant Cloud flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano 8’ 2011 Quintet flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano 3’ 2004 Revelry vocal quartet, flute, violin 4’ 2003 Song on May Morning SATB w/ flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano 5’ 2011 Get to Know...Paul Richards We’re so lucky that so many of the composers who have been honored in the FNMC Composition Contest have taken the time to participate in the Spotlight Series. allowing our members and followers to learn more about them and their music. Today, we’re excited to share our interview with Paul Richards.
The solo flute works have been particularly popular with our members and one of the most performed is Paul Richards’ Tomorrow in Australia. FNMC members have performed Tomorrow in Australia at the Florida Flute Fair, Florida State University, the Kentucky Flute Fair, and the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention. We were not surprised to learn that Paul is particularly interested in color and timbre as Tomorrow in Australia explores the different ranges of the flute and deftly incorporates extended techniques. Q&A with Paul… Who are your favorite "new music" composers and why? So much incredible music is being made every day, and I'm pulled by so much of it. If asked tomorrow, my answer would surely change. Today: I love Andrew Norman's constant inventiveness and his playful spirit - every piece is a fantastic roller-coaster ride. I love what John Hollenbeck is doing with jazz, particularly his big band work. John Corigliano and Chris Rouse have always loomed large for me, but so do Reich and Andriessen, and Pärt and Gorecki. Lei Liang's writing is dazzling to me, too. There's no shortage! What about new music for flute appeals to you? Color. I'm not a composer who is interested in timbre for its own sake, because I just don't think that way (though I admire composers who do), but compelling timbre is a critical part of my practice. The variety that is possible with a flute makes it a really important instrument for me, as both a featured instrument and a part of larger ensembles. And by color, I don't just mean the so-called extended techniques, but the natural variety that performers bring to a piece, based on range, dynamic indication, and other clues that I put into the score. Describe your musical background and current activities. I come from a musical family. My father is a cantor and composer, and many other members of my family are professional musicians. I started with popular music and gravitated quite early to composition, writing pretty obsessively since my late teens. Recently, I've been deeply involved with the voice, with a large book of songs for soprano and piano, and two full-length operas. I've got a third opera in progress, along with some other large pieces on the horizon. More About Paul… Paul Richards is Research Foundation Professor and Head of Composition at the University of Florida. His works have been heard throughout the United States and internationally on six continents. Awards include Special Distinction in the ASCAP Rudolph Nissim Prize, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s Fresh Ink composition prize, the New Music for Sligo/IMRO composition prize, and many others. Commissions have come from orchestras, wind ensembles, choirs, and chamber ensembles, and his works have been recorded by Richard Stoltzman, the Slovak Radio Orchestra, the Moravian Philharmonic, and numerous chamber groups. Music by Paul Richards is recorded on the Meyer Media, MMC, Capstone, Mark, Pavane, OAR, and Summit labels, and is published by Carl Fischer Music, TrevCo Music, the International Horn Society Press, Jeanné, Inc., and Margalit Music. If You Liked Tomorrow in Australia… Dem Alef-beys Instrumentation: Flute/Piccolo, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon, Horn in F, Trumpet in C, Trombone, 2 Percussion, Piano, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, Double Bass Date of Composition: 2008 Duration: 9’ Diversions on a Sacred Tune Instrumentation: Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon Date of Composition: 1995 Duration: 4’30” Entanglements Instrumentation: Flute and Piano Date of Composition: 2016 Duration: 8’ Harbor Music Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Vibraphone, Marimba, Piano, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Double Bass Date of Composition: 2016 Duration: 3’30” Kaleidophone Instrumentation: Flute/Piccolo, Bb Clarinet, Bassoon, 2 Percussion, Piano/Harpsichord, Violin, Viola, 'Cello Date of Composition: 1996 (rev. 2000) Duration: 8’30” Kante le Mesma Kantika Instrumentation: Flute/Piccolo, Oboe/English Horn, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon, Horn in F, 2 Percussion, Piano, 2 Violins, Viola, Violoncello, Double Bass Date of Composition: 1995 Duration 12’ Songs to Survive the Summer Instrumentation: Tenor and six amplified players (Flute, Violoncello, Electric Guitar, Electric Bass Guitar, Keyboard, Drum Set Date of Composition: 1993 Duration: 35’ Just for fun! Maps of Composition Contest Entries Each year, as we carefully catalog entries in our respective positions, Elizabeth Robinson and I comment on the many different countries from which composers submit entries in the FNMC Composition Contest. One of us might remark, did you see we got an entry from Cyprus? Kazakhstan? South Africa? It’s so exciting to have the opportunity to learn about composers from all around the world! Between 2014-2016, we’ve had entries from all of the inhabited continents, which is so amazing! We might be super nerds, but we love to track statistics regarding our different projects. This year, we finally decided to embrace our curiosity and tally each year’s entries by country. The board thought it was so cool we had to share! It’s difficult to make a perfect tally. From our communication with composers who have been named finalists, we know that many composers live outside their country of birth/citizenship for work or studies and in some cases have permanently relocated to another country. As we only have biographical information for composers who were named finalists or winners, we chose to record the country of entry based on the billing address of the entry. Check out the cool maps detailing entries below. We can’t wait to see where we’ll receive entries from this year!     To further illustrate the incredible diversity of the entrants and winners, we thought we would use the finalist composers. Of the 37 composers named finalists or winners there are:
24 Americans from all over the country 7 composers living in America but born abroad. Some are students, others permanent residents or citizens. Information obtained from the composers bios. The countries include: China (2), Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Poland, and Taiwan. 6 composers who live in other countries: Canada, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, an Argentinian composer studying in France, and a Portuguese composer who teaches in Brazil. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to be exposed to and help bring recognition to composers from around the world. Without the composition contest, we know many of our members would not be aware of these talented composers and we look forward to meeting more this year! Speaking personally and for the members of our organization, we have found it so rewarding to perform and promote these excellent works! Get to Know...Charles Halka  Charles Halka’s work for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, Por las Fuerza las Tierras, received a lot of recognition last year. It earned an Honorable Mention in the Chamber Music Category of the 2016 FNMC Composition Contest and was the winning piece in this year’s Tribeca New Music’s Young Composer Competition. We are excited that the first performance by an FNMC member will occur on Saturday April 29th when John Ross performs it in Tallahassee, Florida. We look forward to more performances in the near future.
Q&A with Charles… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? The sheer amount of good and unique new music for flute is overwhelming, partly because of the flexibility of the instrument in terms of color, character, and virtuosity, but also because flutists are some of the most enthusiastic performers of new music. I think these are the reasons why composers keep writing such good music for flute - there's such a rich palette to explore and plenty of performers eager to accompany them into risky or uncharted territory. Every flutist I know is an adventurous and thoughtful performer, so it's the ideal collaborative experience when writing new music for flute. Describe your musical background and current activities. I came to composition a little later than many composers do nowadays, but I'm grateful for some pretty diverse musical experiences throughout school and into college (Peabody Conservatory), where I was a piano performance major before pursuing graduate degrees in composition (both at Peabody and at Rice University). Having been involved in classical music as well as jazz and popular music really helped develop my intuition as a composer and performer, but my interest (though certainly not expertise) in electronic music, graphic design, and other literary and visual art informs a good deal of my compositional plans and decisions. My current activities include teaching composition, orchestration, theory, and ear-training at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where I also co-direct our new-music concert series, and I just finished (March 2017) a new work for dance that will be performed next month in Houston. Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about? I'm really excited about an upcoming performance in Boston of "Potato Face Blind Man," a piece for voice and mixed chamber ensemble (including flute) I was commissioned to write last year. Callithumpian Consort will perform it on April 20 at New England Conservatory (http://www.callithumpian.org/apr-20th-sicpp-2016-commission/). Also, the work that received Honorable Mention in FNMC's Competition, "Por la Fuerza las Tierras," was the winning piece in this year’s Tribeca New Music’s Young Composer Competition (http://www.tribecanewmusic.org/2014results/), and TNM will perform the piece NYC sometime this summer or fall. More About Charles… Charles Halka’s works have been performed in North America, Europe, and Hong Kong by the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra led by Marin Alsop, the Mexican National Symphony Orchestra, the Lviv Philharmonic, Mivos Quartet, Fort Worth Opera Studio, counter)induction, Volti, Callithumpian Consort, ÓNIX Ensamble (Mexico), PRO ARTE eNsemble (Russia), Aquarius (Belgium), and Jauna Muzika (Lithuania), among others. Performances have taken place at venues and events such as the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, The Kennedy Center, ISCM World Music Days, Foro Internacional de Música Nueva, the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, and the Intimacy of Creativity partnership led by composer Bright Sheng. Halka is a recipient of the Copland House Residency Award, and over the last few years, was in residence with Houston’s critically acclaimed Musiqa (2014-15) and the Foundation for Modern Music (2011-14). Other residencies include those at the MacDowell Colony and the Sarbievijaus Cultural Center in Kražiai, Lithuania, where he wrote And Jill Came Tumbling After, a chamber opera (libretto by John Grimmett) for the Baltic Chamber Opera Theater that was selected for Fort Worth Opera’s 2015 Frontiers showcase. Imaginary Spaces, a dance and percussion project in collaboration with Frame Dance Productions, was awarded support from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. Charles earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from The Peabody Conservatory and a doctorate from Rice University. He is Visiting Lecturer at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he teaches composition, orchestration, and musicianship, and co-directs Nextet, UNLV’s contemporary music ensemble. More information at www.charleshalka.com Get to Know...Alexandra Bryant Like most of the composers we’ve had the privilege of getting to know through their success in the FNMC Composition Contest, Alexandra Bryant is a busy lady! She was appointed Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, her ballet Becoming Sugar Plum (a prequel to The Nutcracker) was premiered in 2016 to very positive reviews, and she’s currently working on two new commissions (both of which involve flute!!!). We’re happy she carved out some time to speak with us!
Alexandra’s work for flute and piano, Ghost Stations, earned the honorable mention in the flute and accompaniment category of the 2015 FNMC Composition Contest. This four movement work, commissioned by flutists Douglas DeVries, depicts four different abandoned train stations; Detriot’s Michigan Central Station, Abkhazia station in the country of Georgia, New York City’s Broadway and Park Station, and the Algoma Central Railway Station in Searchmont, Ontario. Alexandra tells us about her love of multiphonics in the Q&A below and, having performed Ghost Stations in September 2016, I can attest that she uses them particularly effectively in the third movement, “The Hidden Underground,” which is composed entirely of multiphonics in the flute part! Q&A with Alexandra… Who are your favorite “new music” composers and why? I guess it really depends on where we draw the line of "new music." I love the music of Arvo Pärt, Henryk Gorecki, and Alfred Schnittke - there is something so raw and real about all three of them that nudges you right where you need it the most. I also have a fondness for how the music of John Adams often puts me in a trance. But if we get down to it, Bela Bartok and Ernest Bloch will both forever have a soft spot in my heart... Bloch, especially, is so evocative :) Describe your musical background and current activities I grew up in a very musical family - my mom was a violinist who taught privately, conducted a local youth orchestra and HS orchestra, and also performed in orchestra. My dad practiced his guitar every night and also had a few private students of his own. Although I toyed with a number of career paths, such as architecture and medicine, my love of music always won out. Most of my time now is consumed with teaching activities - lesson planning, grading papers, etc - but I love my students, so it's okay! I try to fit in composition as much as possible and am looking forward to the summer break so I can get lots of music written! I'm currently in the midst of a piece for Maundy Thursday services for baritone, flute, trumpet, and string trio and am also trying to juggle a trio for flute, soprano, and piano. (I have never had this much flute music!) What about new music for the flute appeals to you? I love the wide range of moods and characters the flute can achieve. I especially love the low, rich, and mellow register of the flute. I think the moment in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 with the low, low piccolo line really shifted my thinking about the flute and piccolo and how mysterious it can sound when pushed so low. I also love the stereotypical "drama" the flute can achieve as it quickly flourishes back and forth in the upper register. One of its greatest qualities, however, I believe are the eerie multiphonics. The tone is unlike any other instrument and is almost surreal in quality! More About Alexandra… Hailed as a “promising composer” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Alexandra T Bryant has been lauded for her “ability to convey myriad moods through clear thematic materials and coloristic contrasts.” She has received commissions from the Kronos Quartet, William Preucil, the Aeolus Quartet in collaboration with the Friends of Chamber Music of Reading with the NEA, The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Orchestra Association, the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association, The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, KINETIC, Cantare!, Katherine Murdock and Mark Hill, Duo Scordatura, and the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre & Academy. Alexandra has served on the faculty of the Luzerne Music Center as composer-in-residence and participated in the Cabrillo Festival. Dr. Bryant is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music (Margaret Brouwer, Paul Schoenfield), Shepherd School of Music (Pierre Jalbert, Arthur Gottschalk), and the University of Maryland (Mark Wilson, Lawrence Moss). Additional studies include George Tsontakis and Syd Hodkinson at Aspen, the Bowdoin International Music Festival with Samuel Adler, Claude Baker, and Simone Fontanelli, Tyler White at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chamber Music Institute, and the Czech-American Summer Music Institute in Prague with Ladislav Kubik. Dr. Bryant has been a finalist or prizewinner in numerous composition competitions including Morton Gould, Lake George Music Festival, Garth Newel, USA International Harp Society, Flute New Music Consortium, and the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute. Alexandra currently lives in the greater Twin Cities with her husband, Nicholas, and their dog, Maple. She is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN. For more information visit: http://www.alexandratbryant.com/index.html Listen to select recordings, including Ghost Stations visit her Soundcloud page If you liked Ghost Stations… Becoming Sugar Plum (ballet) Instrumentation: flute, violin, cello, piano, percussion Date of Composition: 2016 Duration: 85' Unraveled Instrumentation: woodwind quintet Date of Composition: 2008 (rev. 2009) Duration: 6’ Two works in progress (see Q&A) Get to Know...Emanuela Ballio We’ve been working on a fun project to promote the 2017 FNMC Composition Contest which we’ll be sharing very soon and we discovered that we receive a lot of entries from Italy! We knew Italy has long been known for the production and support new music and we were pleasantly surprised to see that Italian composers frequently enter our competition. In fact, Italians are the second most frequent entrants (to the US…and of course in much smaller numbers, but still a fun fact.)
This year, Italian composer Emanuela Ballio was a finalist in the flute alone category for Gocce. Although it has been recorded (see below), it has not been performed live. Nicole Riner will present the world premiere during her spring tour at Indiana University of Pennsylvania April 13, 2017. We’re so happy to play a part in bringing her wonderful work to the United States! Q&A with Emanuela Ballio… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? I like the flexibility and the agility of the flute, its colors and its great expressivity, and its abiity to produce several "special effects". Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why? I don't like any contemporary composer in a special way. I'm interested in all new composers, and I try to listen to new pieces as much as possible. I can find atmospheres, colors, situations, effects that like me, and that can suggest me an idea for a new piece. Describe your musical background and current activities. I’m an Italian composer. I graduated in Composition from “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milad under Umberto Rotondi’s guidance. Then I was awarded an advance degree in Composition with Franco Donatoni at “Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia” in Rome. I won many international and national composition competitions, my pieces have been performed in concerts worldwide. I get regular commissions not only for usual ensemble, but also for unusual instrument or chamber groups, such as Barberia’s organ, accordion quartet, recorder ensemble, mandolin orchestra, and military band. I teach Composition at “Luca Marenzio” Conservatory of Brescia. More About Emanuela… At the age of 22 she graduated in composition with top marks from “G.Verdi” Conservatory in Milan under the guidance of U.Rotondi. She studied electronic music and film music and was awarded an advanced degree in composition with F.Donatoni at the “Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia” in Rome. She teaches Composition at the Conservatory “Luca Marenzio” of Brescia. Emanuela Ballio’s approach to composing is characterised by an intellectual curiosity and versatility that has led her to write not only for orchestra, choir and solo instruments, but also for unusual chamber groups, such as accordion quartet, recorder ensemble, mandolins orchestra and military band.. She has obtained many honours both in national and international competitions, like “INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION VIOTTI – VALSESIA” (Vercelli 1986), “NATIONAL COMPETITION K.CZERNY” (Torre Pellice 1989),“3° INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FANNY MENDELSSOHN” (Unna, Germany 1991), “GUIDO D’AREZZO” (Arezzo 1991), “GRAND PRIX DE COMPOSITION DE VILLE D’AVRAY” (Paris 1992), “NATIONAL COMPETITION AGIMUS” (Varenna 1993), “NATIONAL COMPETITION A.BACCHELLI” (Livorno 1993), “GEDOK: 10° INTERNATIONAL COMPOSERS COMPETITION FOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA” (Mannheim 1994), “INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JEWISH CONCEPTS OF ECOLOGY” (Los Angeles 1994), “INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION CONTEMPORANEA NEOPOIESIS “ (Palermo 1994), “NATIONAL COMPETITION CITTA’ DI SCICLI” (Ragusa 1994), “INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR COMPOSERS OF CHAMBER MUSIC” (Winterthur 1996), “PREMIO VALENTINO BUCCHI” (Rome 1997 and 1999), “INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PAOLO BARSACCHI” (Viareggio 1997), “NATIONAL COMPETITION PREMIO MANDANICI” (Barcellona P.G. 1997), “IBLA GRAND PRIZE 2000” (New York 2000), “MANUEL VALCARCEL” (Santander 2001), “PROGETTO GIOVANI COMPOSITORI” (Milan 2001), “INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION POESIE IN MUSICA” (Cesenatico 2001), “SEPTIMA EDICION DE LOS PREMIOS A LA COMPOSICION Y EXPRESION CORAL” (Canary Islands 2001), “3rd BIBF COMPOSITION COMPETITION” (Great Britain 2003), “3rd INTERNATIONAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION FOR ORGAN OF BARBERIA” (Cesena 2007), “LONGFELLOW CHORUS INTERNATIONAL COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION” (Portland, Maine, USA, 2007), “3 rd LE NOTE RITROVATE Composition Competition” (Avellino 2011), “INTERNATIONAL MUSIC PRIZE tm for Excellence in Composition” (Colorado 2011). Her compositions have been played in concerts and festival all over the world, in important cities like BOSTON, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, HARTFORD, BUENOS AIRES, ROSARIO, KIEV, ODESSA, TALLIN, MELBOURNE,TOKYO , MADRID, SANTANDER, LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, CORFU’, MALTA, BASEL, PARIS, LONDON, YORK, LEICESTER, MUNICH, HEIDELBERG, KARLSRUHE, BUCHAREST, TIMISOARA, CLUJ-NAPOCA, BELGRADE, MILANO, ROMA, VENEZIA, TRIESTE, PADOVA, BRESCIA, BERGAMO, COMO, NOVARA, ALESSANDRIA, BOLOGNA, LIVORNO, SIENA, PERUGIA, BARI, FORLI’, TERAMO, NAPOLI, AVELLINO. Her works are published by Curci, Edipan, Sconfinarte, Casa Musicale Eco, Wicky, Berben, Fonè, Taukay, MAP, Gavino de Franchy Editores, Centro Musica Contemporanea , Edizioni per Caso sulla Piazzetta, Edizioni Progetti Sonori, MC Harmony, Aliamusica Records, QTR Productons, Acadia Recording. Email: [email protected] If you liked Gocce…
Get to Know...Stephen Lias  Stephen Lias is a busy man! He has several exciting upcoming performances, just completed a new commission, and teaches full-time at Stephen F. Austin State University. We’re so happy he found time to share some of his thoughts with us! We work hard to just what he suggests; support works and provide opportunities for them to be heard in multiple performances!
Many of you may have heard his Sonata for flute and piano, which has achieved considerable popularity. Stephen’s work for solo flute, Flight of Fancy, was a finalist in the 2016 FNMC Composition Contest. Flight of Fancy was commissioned by the Texas Flute Society for the 2014 Myrna W Brown Young Artist Competition. Olivia Boatman will perform Flight of Fancy at the Florida Flute Convention on Saturday January 28th, if you’re attending don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear Stephen’s wonderful work! Q&A with Stephen… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? One of the reasons that it is so fun to write for flute is how the community of flute players embraces and champions new music. In general, instruments with older repertoire and longer histories (like horn or cello), tend to be less embracing of contemporary pieces, while younger instruments (saxophone and percussion) are naturally drawn to newer pieces. Flutists are an exception to this trend. I've attended many flute conferences and am always delighted with the number of world premieres and recent works by living composers. Describe your musical background and current activities. Although I don't consider myself a very old composer, my creative life has already gone through a number of phases. My output has (at various times) focused on chamber music, or theatrical incidental music. For the last eight years, however, I've been focusing on writing pieces inspired by wilderness and the national parks of the United States. This new chapter has let me to serve as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier, Denali, Rocky Mountain, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, and other national parks, and the resulting pieces (both chamber and symphonic) have been performed all over the world. Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about? The most exciting upcoming performance will be in March when the Boulder Philharmonic presents my new piece "All the Songs that Nature Sings" at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of the SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras. This work was commissioned with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts' "Imagine Your Parks" program and celebrates Rocky Mountain National Park. There are lots of other performances coming up as well, and they can all be found at: http://www.stephenlias.com What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice? The biggest request I always have of flute players who perform contemporary music is that they commit to helping the "life of the piece". It is very fashionable to commission and premiere a new piece, but for a new work to get any traction within the flute community, it will need more than a premiere... it will need multiple performances and teachers willing to recommend the piece to their students. The best collaborations between composers and performers come when the performers maintain a commitment to the pieces. More About Stephen… The music of STEPHEN LIAS (b. 1966) is regularly performed in concert and recital throughout the United States and abroad by soloists and ensembles including the Arianna Quartet, the Anchorage Symphony, the Oasis Quartet, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Orchestra, the Ensamble de Trompetas Simón Bolívar, the Boulder Philharmonic, and the Russian String Orchestra. His music is published by ALRY Publications, Brassworks 4, Cimarron Music Press, Alias Press, and Warwick Music, and appears on compact discs from Centaur Records, Teal Creek Music, Mark Records, and Parma Records. His pieces are regularly featured at major national and international conferences including the International Trumpet Guild, the North American Saxophone Alliance, and the ISCM World Music Days. Lias is also active as a composer of theatrical incidental music and served for eleven years as Composer in Residence and Music Director at the Texas Shakespeare Festival. Recently, Stephen has become increasingly focused on being an adventurer-composer. His passion for wilderness and outdoor pursuits has led to a growing series of works about the national parks of the US. He has had residencies at Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Denali, Glacier Bay, Bering Land Bridge, and Gates of the Arctic National Parks, and has written over a dozen park-related pieces that have been premiered at conferences and festivals in such places as Colorado, Texas, Sydney, and Taiwan. Upcoming performances are planned for Fairbanks, New York City, Washington D.C. and New Hampshire. Among his current project is a new commission from the Boulder Philharmonic (funded by the National Endowment for the Arts) to create an original piece inspired by Rocky Mountain National Park. He is the founder and leader of Alaska Geographic's annual "Composing in the Wilderness" field seminar. Stephen Lias received degrees from Messiah College, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Louisiana State University. His teachers have included Dinos Constantinides, Dan Beatty, and Darrell Holt. He is a Distinguished Arts Associate of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity and a member of ASCAP, NACUSA, the College Music Society, the Society of Composers, Inc, and the American Composers Forum. He is the Texas delegate to the International Society of Contemporary Music and serves as the Chair of the judging panel for the ISCM-IAMIC Young Composers Award. He currently resides in Nacogdoches, Texas where he is Professor of Composition at Stephen F. Austin State University. If you liked Flight of Fancy… Central Park Suite Instrumentation: woodwind quintet Duration: 12’ Year: 1991 rev. 2001 Forever Alive, Forever Forward Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion Duration: 6’ Year: 2016 The Ghosts of Mesa Verde Instrumentation: for two flutes (doubling percussion) Duration: 8’ Year: 2013 Glide Instrumentation: woodwind quintet + alto sax Duration: 6’ Year: 2007 Jeffrey Pine Instrumentation: Pierrot ensemble Duration: 6’ Year: 2016 Lechuguilla Instrumentation: flute and clarinet Duration: 5’ Year: 1995 Mélange of Neumes Instrumentation: flute choir Duration: 12’ Year: 2009 Sonata for flute and piano Instrumentation: flute and piano Duration: 20’ Year: 2003 |
AuthorThe Flute New Music Consortium is an organization dedicated to the creation and support of new music for the flute. Archives
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