Get to Know...John Moody Through the Composer Spotlight series, we’ve discovered that many of the pieces originated through a personal connection. Tutti Frutti (for Two-ti Virtuosi Flutti) by John Moody, is no exception. John composed it as a gift to his cousin, Turi Scilipoti, in honor of his graduation from Eastman in 2016. Tutti Frutti (for Two-ti Virtuoso Flutti) received an Honorable Mention in the Newly Composed Category in this year's FNMC Composition Competition. John was busy writing for flute in 2016, along with Tutti Frutti, he composed two other chamber pieces, Drip for woodwing quintet with piano and Falling Up for flute, oboe, synthesizer, and looper which was premiered January 9, 2017 in Spartanburg, SC. We’re excited about two upcoming performances of Tutti Frutti! FNMC members Kallie Snyder and Sarah Jane Young will perform the complete work at the Florida Flute Convention on January 28, 2017 and Emily Nazario and Brittany Trotter will perform select movements at the Mid-South Flute Convention. Don’t worry if you won’t be able to attend one of those performances, you can listen to a great performance on his website or SoundCloud page! Q&A with John… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? The flute is a very nimble and versatile instrument, with a beautiful tone. It is also capable of several "special effects". When I write music for the flute I try to take advantage of these attributes! Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why? Lately I've been listening to lots of Unsuk Chin. I think her music is fascinating - it is virtuosic and full of special effects. In spite of the dissonance in her works there seems to be an intriguing tonality present in her music that I am trying to understand. I have also always liked the music of Jacob Druckman and John Harbison. What is/are your favorite “new music” piece/s and why? I think Unsuk Chin's Violin Concerto is amazing - as is her Cello Concerto. Jacob Druckman's "Aureole" was the first "New Music" piece that I ever really "liked". I first heard it back in the eighties when my wife played it with the Charleston Symphony. I was totally drawn in to the music, and after the piece I thought to myself, "Oh my, I think I actually LIKED that piece of New Music!" John Harbison's "Symphony No. 2" is a wonderful piece, as well as the "Mirabai Songs" found on Dawn Upshaw's amazing debut album. Describe your musical background and current activities. I have a BME in Choral Music from the University of South Carolina. I took a composition class and loved it. So, I went on to get a Masters Degree in Composition from USC, then we moved up to Boston, where I got my Doctorate from Boston University. When I graduated the college composition jobs were scarce. I found a wonderful High School choral job in Spartanburg, South Carolina where I have been for the past twenty years. I have always stayed very active in composition, however. Now that my children are out of the house, I am composing much more. Along with the composition and choral music I have also been an active jazz pianist. What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice? I advise musicians to approach New Music with an open mind. Also, dig deep into the piece and find the music that is in there. What I love is when a great performer finds something that I didn't even think about in my music. There is this possibility for synergy that is so great in music, and when it happens the resulting performances can be truly stunning! I think this is true regardless of the genre of music. I advise the flute player to approach New Music the same way they approach any other kind of music - try to find the emotion that is hidden in those written notes, and bring it out. Strive for that synergistic experience between composer, performer and audience! More About John… John Moody lives in Spartanburg, SC where he teaches AP Music Theory and Music Tech at Spartanburg High School and directs the Second Presbyterian Chancel Choir. John received his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina where he studied with Fred Teuber and Gordon “Dick” Goodwin, and his Doctorate from Boston University where he studied with Marjorie Merryman and John Harbison. In addition to teaching and composing John is an active jazz pianist in the upstate of South Carolina. He has received several commissions from wind ensembles, chamber ensembles and choirs. His piece, “The Open Road”, for Wind Ensemble and Jazz Piano can be found on the recording “The Speed of Heat”,by the United States Air Force Academy Band, and recently his piece “Drip” won the “Treefalls call for scores” competition, and was premiered at the November 20, 2015 “Espresso Chamber Music” concert in Spartanburg, SC. For more information, please visit his website www.johnmoodymusic.com. It was created by his cousin Turi Scilipoti, for whom Tutti Frutti was written! If You Liked Tutti Frutti… Drip Instrumentation: wind quintet and piano Duration: 6’ Year of Composition: 2015 Falling Up Instrumentation: flute, oboe, synthesizer, looper Duration: 9’ Year of Composition: 2016
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Get to Know...Nicole ChamberlainWe’ve been very lucky that composers have shown a great interest in our competition and some have entered in multiple years. Several have even been finalists more than once. Among this group is Nicole Chamberlain. She was the runner-up in our inaugural competition in 2014 for her flute quartet, French Quarter. FNMC members have embraced it and performed it at the Florida Flute Fair, Kentucky Flute Fair, and Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, among others. This year, Nicole’s work Asphyxia was voted an honorable mention in the solo flute category and Three Nine Line and Orion’s Belt were finalists in the flute and accompaniment and chamber music categories respectively. We first interviewed Nicole in 2014 when she was the runner-up and you can watch that interview on our YouTube channel, but we thought you might enjoy an update in this week’s Composer Spotlight. Q&A with Nicole… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? I love how flexible the flute can be. Once type cast as the bird, the flute has become more of a chameleon thanks to the wide use of extended techniques. Need a percussionist? Ok, use some beat boxing. Need a calliope? Multiphonics will do the trick. Wish you had a trombone? Try pitch bends. Want plucking, but no strings players? Flutes can pizz that! Who are your favorite new music composers? I have a long list, and I’ll try to narrow it down to categories. Valerie Coleman for chamber music, John Adams and Osvaldo Golijov for orchestral music, and Carlisle Floyd for opera. I’ve also been shaped by other composer’s approach to music like Jennifer Higdon’s own career journey through self publication, a life changing Joan Tower residency, and a chance encounter with Katherine Hoover about what my next step should be when composing. How can I not include my own composition teacher Dr. William Davis? What all these composers have in common is their unapologetic way of composing and running their own career. They write what they love, and run their careers the way it works for them. Describe your musical background and activities. Post graduate work wasn't for me, which means no job at a university. I've carved out a happy life as a flute teacher to many middle and high schoolers, composing for various ensembles and organizations, and catching gigs where I can. I work every week with Perimeter Flutes, and it’s the only ensemble I am currently active in. I decided this year to make some hard decisions and cut back my performance ensembles and other obligations to focus more on composing. So far, that has been a good decision. I enjoy performing, but I am being more selective. Sometimes I'll take a gig for financial reasons, or I will take it because it’s a rare opportunity. The ultimate goal, however, is to be composing more and get my stuff out beyond my immediate circle. What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice? As a composer and an active performing flutist, I’ve had experience being on both sides - sometimes both at the same time. My initial gut reaction about tackling a new piece is usually one of being overwhelmed and frustration. The first few practice sessions usually take research, communication with the composer, and patience. Once I get into the piece, I get excited about the piece. It takes time to make new friends, and that’s what a new piece of music is. So my advice is keep an open mind, try new things, and take risks. The great thing about new music is that it gets you out of your comfort zone. It’s all new, and that’s the point, but you only get better when you go beyond what you’ve performed/written before. Do you have any upcoming events you would like our friends and followers to know about? I am preparing a recital of me and my husband’s, Brian Chamberlain, music which will take place on October 29 here in Atlanta at the Eyedrum. It’s the first of a Composer Concert series hosted by Eyedrum. The concert is being called CHAMBERlain MUSIC, since all of the music is for chamber ensemble and composed by the Chamberlains. I will be performing all of the music, and some of the music will be the first time I’ve performed it, like Asphyxia. I will perform some solo works as well as pieces with Perimeter Flutes (we’ll perform French Quarter) and Two Shots Trio (a flute, clarinet, and bassoon trio). You can learn more about that event on my website: nikkinotes.com. More about Nicole… Nicole Chamberlain (b. 1977) is a composer and flutist living in Atlanta, GA. In 2010, Nicole won “Audience Favorite" at the Atlanta Opera's first 24-Hour Opera Project for her opera "Scrub-A-Dub Raw" which resulted in the Atlanta Opera's first ever commission of the children's opera, "Rabbit Tales", which received over 50 performances and kicked started her career as a composer. Nicole has also been commissioned by groups such as the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma Flute Society, Atlanta Flute Club, Flute Choir of Atlanta, Cuatro Puntos, Dahlia Flute Duo, Clibber the Jones Ensemble, and Hopewell Middle School Symphonic Band among others. She has had works performed at the 2013, 2015, and 2016 National Flute Association Conventions. She also won the 2013 Areon Flutes International Composition Competition, 2nd place in the 2014 Flute New Music Consortium Composition Competition, 1st place in the 2015 The Flute View's Composition Competition, and honorable mention in the 2016 Flute New Music Consortium Composition Competition Solo Category. Nicole received her Bachelor’s in Music Composition from University of Georgia where she studied with Dr. William Davis, Dr. Leonard Ball, Dr. Lewis Nielson and Dr. Roger Vogel and was selected for masterclasses with Charles Wuorinen and Joan Tower. Nicole, as a flutist, she has appeared with such groups as Georgia Symphony Orchestra, Gwinnett Ballet Orchestra, duoATL, Mercury Season, Terminus Ensemble, Chamber Cartel, Perimeter Flutes, neoPhonia, Bent Frequency, Capitol City Opera, and Orchestra Atlanta. Nicole has participated in Masterclasses with Bradley Garner, Paul Edmund-Davies and Dr. Gordon Cole. Nicole's former flute teachers have included Donna Orbavich (Hong Kong Symphony), Lisa Wienhold (Alabama Symphony), Dr. Ronald Waln (University of Georgia) and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's principal flutist, Christina Smith. Currently she balances her time composing, teaching students, performing, and avoiding graphic design work as much as possible. Nicole lives in Doraville with her husband, guitarist and composer Brian Chamberlain. For more information visit her website: www.nikkinotes.com Nicole’s other works for flute… Nicole has 71 works for flute in various instrumentations. Learn more about them on her website: http://nikkinotes.com/CompositionsFlutes.html Get to Know...Amber BeamsIt is always interesting to learn what inspired people to become composers and to write for the flute. Several of our finalists and winners are at least amateur flutists and their understanding of the instrument surely informs their successful composition for the instrument. However, it was not her flute playing that inspired Amber to be a composer, but playing in a handbell ensemble! This week, get to know Amber Beams composer of Calls for solo flute, a finalist work in the solo flute category of the 2016 FNMC Composition Competition. Q&A with Amber… Describe your musical background and current activities. I began composing after joining the handbell ensemble during my undergraduate studies at the University of Indianapolis. After becoming completely memorized by the sounds that this ensemble could produce, I began to explore a darker and more modern approach to the ensemble. In 2012, I completed and premiered my first composition entitled "The Mouse Ran Down the Clock" for handbells and after its success I moved my focus to composition. What are your favorite "new music" pieces and why? Two of my favorite new music pieces would have to be "running the edgE " for two flutes and piano, by Jennifer Higdon and "Their House Was Around Here, Somehwere..." for piano and chamber ensemble by Michael Schelle. Higdon's piece holds a soft spot in my heart after performing it with my flute instructor, Anne Reynolds as part of my senior recital. While Schelle's piece has inspired me to mix different instrumental colors together to create something beautiful that may first appear unusual. What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice? Don't be afraid and go in with an open mind. Today's composers are always looking for ways to break new barriers and to create new/unusual sounds. Going into practice with an open mind will allow you to better understand what the composer was trying to create. Luckily for us, most composers are just an e-mail away and if you are able to contact them please do! As a composer, I love hearing from my performers and any suggestions they may have to make something easier to play or to understand. More About Amber… Amber Beams (b. 1989) earned a minor in Applied Music from Indiana-University-Purdue-University of Indianapolis in 2010. She earned her bachelor's degree cum laude at the University of Indianapolis where she studied composition with John Berners,electronic composition with Pete Schmutte and flute with Anne Reynolds.Amber recently completed her Masters in Music Composition at Butler University in Indianapolis where she studied with Micahel Schelle and Frank Felice. As a composer, she has received coaching from many respected composers including Carter Pann, William Bolcom, Gabriella Lena Frank, Michael Schelle, Frank Felice, and David Gompper. Amber is also a freelance flutist in the Indianapolis area and plays regularly with the Indianapolis Symphonic Band and serves on their board. www.beamsmusic.weebly.com If you liked Calls…. Pieces of Time, flute and piano (2016) Duration: 8' Get to Know...Stephen Lounsbrough Composer and violinist Stephen Lounsbrough primarily writes music for large ensembles. Fortunately for flutists, he wrote Purple and Yellow for flute and mallet percussion for a friend. Maybe he should write some more chamber music! Q&A with Stephen… Who are your favorite "new music" composers and why? I love and am influenced by the music of post-minimalist composers such as John Adams and Arvo Pärt. The simplicity of means as well as the pulse that so often permeates this kind of music appeals to me. I also am fascinated by composers such as Edgar Meyer and Judd Greenstein that blur the lines of "serious" and folk or world music to create beautiful, exciting sounds. What are your favorite “new music” pieces and why? That's a hard question! My taste is so broad, that it's hard to narrow down favorites. One favorite is the violin and piano version of Pärt's "Fratres". Its simplicity of means, almost so simple it's laughable, and yet its simultaneous complexity of sound is so compelling. John Luther Adams' "Sila" also fascinates me with its expansive sound and the physical connection of music to performer. Describe you background and activities. I began primarily as a choral arranger and experimenting in works highly derivative from the Baroque style. Once I began to compose more seriously, I moved toward what I would describe as a mix of post-minimalist and post-romantic styles. Purple and Yellow, for flute and mallet percussion, was written for two friends as part of my Master of Music Composition Recital at Central Michigan University. I have recently completed a choral commission, a wind ensemble commission, and am working to orchestrate my sonata for Double Bass and piano. More about Stephen… Stephen Lounsbrough is a graduate of Central Michigan University from which he holds a Master of Music Composition and studied with David Gillingham. He also holds a degree from Faith Baptist Bible College in Sacred Music. Other composition teachers he has studied with are William Dougherty and Scott Harding. Lounsbrough has received a number of honors for his works. In 2012, “Oh, the Depth of the Riches,” was selected as scholar division winner in the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble Composition Contest and premiered by the ensemble. Recent honors include being awarded runner-up in the Duluth Symphony Orchestra Composers’ Competition (Red Sky) and winning the ACDA CMU Chapter Choral Composition Competition (“REMINISCE”). Lounsbrough just completed a commission by the Salt Lake Vocal Artists to compose Invocation for choir, piano, and singing bowls. For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/LounsbroughMusic/ , www.stephenlousbrough.com , or listen at https://www.youtube.com/user/stephenlounsbrough If you like Purple and Yellow… Maple Leaf on the Ground Instrumentation: Open instrumentation for 7 or more performers Duration: c. 6 minutes Year: 2015 (The composer envisioned this piece including the flute.) Get to Know...Alexis Bacon One of the great things about new music is that sometimes you find really effective and interesting combinations that you would never have thought could make great music. In Yodeling Song, a finalist work in the 2014 FNMC Composition Contest, Alexis Bacon did just that in writing a work for alto flute, percussion, electronics and yodeling. Q&A with Alexis… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? What I love about the flute is its agility, the way flute players can play virtuosic runs and trills with the seeming greatest of ease. I also appreciate how the flute can blend into a texture or be more brilliant, and the sound of the lush, rich texture of low notes on the flute. And I enjoy working with flute players because I find them to be very adventurous in experimenting with new sounds and techniques. Describe your musical background and current activities. My background is that of a composer of both electroacoustic and acoustic music, as well as a violist and pianist. I started composing electroacoustic music in college and soon became fascinated by the idea of using speech that was sometimes intelligible and narrative-driven and sometimes purely sonic and musical. Where does speech leave off and music begin? I'm also very interested in American oral traditions, particularly those that might be threatened or dying. Besides my electroacoustic flute/percussion work "Yodeling Song," I've written a piece for percussion and fixed media called "Cowboy Song," based on auction calls. I'm currently finishing a work commissioned by a consortium of ten percussionists called "Ojibwe Song," about the disappearance and reemergence of the Ojibwe (Chippewa)language. Describe “Yodeling Song “ (Alto Flute, Percussion, Fixed Media) Yodeling Song was written for the duo Due East, flutist Erin Lesser and percussionist Greg Beyer. When I composed it, I was living in Indiana and came to know of a community of Swiss descendants in rural Adams County, some of whom had kept up a tradition of yodeling. Through a chain of connections, I met Wayne Dubach, a retired farmer who had yodeled since he was a young man. Wayne was kind enough to let me come to Adams County and record an interview with him to use as source material for my piece. A second source was another local yodeler, professional bass trombonist Bryan Heath who moonlit in a cowboy band. Some themes emerged during my interviews with these yodelers. Wayne Dubach, the farmer, spoke of how he used to yodel to pass the time and keep himself company while driving the tractor on his fields late at night during intensive work periods. Bryan Heath, the musician, spoke of how he had taught himself to yodel from listening to the radio program “Riders Radio Theater,” as he tried to adjust to city life while in grad school in Boston. Both men seemed to practice yodeling to help them to combat loneliness and find joy. Indeed, in my own experience, the mere mention that I was composing a piece based on yodeling often made people smile. Yodeling Song is in three interconnected movements. The first, Pastorale, is a tribute to yodeling’s rural roots. The second, Nocturne “Years ago, before I was married” is based on Wayne Dubach’s account of his days of nighttime farming. The third, Yodeling Song, is a celebration of the pure joy that yodeling and the idea of yodeling seems to bring to so many. More About Alexis… Alexis Bacon is a composer recognized nationally and internationally for her acoustic and electroacoustic music, having won awards such as the IAWM Search for New Music Pauline Oliveros Prize, the Ossia International Composition Prize, and the ASCAP/SEAMUS student composition commission. She has also received grants and awards from the Indiana Arts Council, the Percussive Arts Society, the American Music Center, and ASCAP, and commissions from the duo Due East, the Bro-Fowler Duo, and violinist Robert Simonds. A Fulbright scholar to France, she studied music composition in Paris with Betsy Jolas before attending graduate school at the University of Michigan, where her composition teachers included William Bolcom, Michael Daugherty, Evan Chambers and Susan Botti. Also skilled as a violist and pianist, she remains active as a performer. She has taught at the University of Michigan, West Texas A&M University, Indiana StateUniversity, and the University of Indianapolis, and spends her summers teaching at Interlochen Arts Camp. She is currently Assistant Professor of Music Composition and Media at Michigan State University. www.alexisbacon.com If you liked Yodeling Song… Capriccio Flute, Oboe/English Horn, Clarinet, Alto/Baritone Sax, Bassoon 7:00 Lullaby-Fantasie Flute, Clarinet, Viola, Cello, Piano, Percussion 12:00 Ecbó Flute, Oboe, Piano, Contrabass 8:00 Get to Know...Christopher Dietz The flute and accompaniment category in 2015 was particularly strong and competitive. All three works were full of fascinating colors and, by interesting coincidence, were all highly programmatic. This week, we feature Christopher Dietz, whose work Kinderspiel for flute and piano was one of those works. I think it’s super sweet that Kinderspiel was influenced by watching his son play with the twin girls across the street! See if you can pick out the children’s song he used as a basis for the melodies in Kinderspiel in this video of a performance by his colleague at Bowling Green State University, Conor Nelson. At BGSU, Christopher is an Assistant Professor of Composition and conducts the New Music Ensemble. Q&A with Christopher… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? I am attracted to the flute's ability to take on many different colors and moods. It can be intimate, almost private, yet is also capable of unmatched brilliance and daring. In addition, more than any other wind instrument, the flute sounds like an extension of the breath. It's very human, vital. Describe your musical background and current activities. I was an average trumpet player and good singer as a kid, but did not really fall in love with music until I got a guitar in my hands early in high-school. It seemed to unlock some latent creativity and inquisitiveness that was not in any way part of my musical experience before that time. I remember trying to play along with any music I heard. Genre meant nothing to me, only notes. This obsession led to more formal study of structure and, eventually, composing my own music. I wrote my first piece, a short string quartet, when I was 18. After that experience, I never stopped composing. Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about? I have some upcoming events that reflect where my music has lead me lately: "Winter Sunset", a recent piece for soprano and a mixed ensemble of 10 players, will be performed at the 37th annual BGSU New Music Festival on October 20. On October 28, the saxophone duo, Ogni Suono, will premiere "My Manifesto and Me". It's a very theatrical piece that requires both players to speak as well as play. They even have to swear an oath in the piece, a first for me. http://www.ognisuono.com/ More About Christopher…. In recent years, compositions by Christopher Dietz have been premiered in London, Auvillar (France), Montreal, Ottawa, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Houston and Phoenix, among others. His works have been performed by numerous contemporary ensembles including Decoda, Alarm Will Sound and The East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, as well as traditional ensembles such as L’Orchestre de la Francophonie and The Orange County Symphony. Recognition has come from participation in residencies at Copland House, Canada’s Banff Centre and The Camargo Foundation (Cassis, France) along with additional awards and honors. He is currently an assistant professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. www.christopher-dietz.com If you liked Kinderspiel…. Contretemps Instrumentation: fl, ob, cl, bn, hn, tpt, tbn, vib, pf, 2vn, va, vc, db Duration: 12’ Year of Composition: 2016 Le Chemin de Salut Instrumentation: Soprano, fl, cl, bn, hn, perc, 2vn, va, vc, db Duration: 32’ Year of Composition: 2008 The Phases of the Moon Instrumentation: fl, va, hp Duration: 12’ Year of Composition: 2012 Rambleodeon Instrumentation: fl, ob, cl, bcl, hn, tpt, tbn, 2perc, pf, 2vn, va, vc, db Duration: 7’ Year of Composition: 2010 Sonoromoro Instrumentation: fl, ob, cl, bn, hn, perc, 2vn, va, vc, db Duration: 10’ Year of Composition: 2009 Winter Sunset Instrumentation: Soprano, fl, cl, bcl, bsax, tba, perc, 2pf, va, vc Duration: 8’ Year of Composition: 2016 Get to Know...Greg Steinke Oregon-based composer Greg Steinke has twice been a finalist in the FNMC Composition Contest. In 2014 for his flute duo Van Gogh Vignettes and in 2015 for his flute quartet In Memoriam: Sacagawea. FNMC members have performed his compositions at the Florida Flute Fair and Kentucky Flute Society Conventions. Q&A with Greg... Describe your musical background and current activities. I am a longtime composer/oboist/conductor who is still actively composing and occasionally performing on oboe and conducting. What flutes, brands, and accessories (if any) do you like to perform new music on? I prefer hearing my flute pieces performed on a Powell flute - it has always been my favorite. When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization? Became a FNMC composer a couple of years ago - wanted to avail myself of performance opportunities for my flute compositions. More About Greg… Dr. Greg A Steinke is retired, former Joseph Naumes Endowed Chair of Music/Art and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, Oregon; Associate Director, Ernest Bloch Music Festival (‘93–97) and Director, Composers Symposium (‘90–97) (Newport, OR); served as the National Chairman of the Society of Composers, Inc. (1988–97). Composer of chamber and symphonic music and author with published/recorded works and performances across the U. S. and internationally; speaker on interdisciplinary arts, and oboist specializing in contemporary music. Dr. Steinke is the current national president of NACUSA and also serves on the NACUSA Cascadia Chapter Board. Learn more at www.gregsteinke.com If you liked In Memoriam: Sacagawea and/or Van Gogh Vignettes... CROSS CURRENTS, (for Reciter and Chamber Ensemble (Flute/Native Flute, Violin, Trombone, Contrabass and Piano); 2004 ECHO POINT LOOKOUT An Australian Blue Mountain Triptych (Image Music XXXIX) (for Reciter, Flute/Alto Flute, Oboe d’Amore, Contrabass and Piano); 2013 EXPRESSIONS IV Fantasy on a Painting of Edvard Munch (Image Music XXXV) for Oboe, Violin, Violoncello, and Piano (also version for Flute, trumpet, Violoncello, and Piano) 2012 IMAGE MUSIC from Songs of the Fire Circles for Flute, Oboe, Trombone, and Contrabass, 1982 INQUIETUDE for Flute Solo, 1995 A JAPANESE FOLK SUITE, (for Reciter and Flute/Alto Flute or Oboe); 1992, rev. 2001 EIN JAPANISCHES LIEDERBUCH for Soprano, Chamber Ensemble (flute, violin, cello, harp, piano/celesta, percussion) and slides, 1971 “LET US TAKE WHAT WE CAN FOR THE OCCASION,” (for Reciter, Flute/Piccolo, Contrabass and Piano); 2002 LYRIC FANTASY (A Music for Dance) for Flute, Alto Saxophone, and Guitar, 1980 Moments at CANYON DE CHELLY (Image Music XXVI) for Flute and Oboe Duet, 2005 Moments from WHITE BLOWING DAFODIL SEEDS (Image Music X-A) for Piano Trio, 2000, +o PUB; also versions for Flute,Violoncello and Piano, 2003 PUB, for Flute, Bassoon and Piano, 2004 PUB, and for Trumpet, Violoncello and Piano,2004 NORTHWEST SKETCHES II for Flute, Oboe, and Piano, 1980 NORTHWEST SKETCHES II-A for Flute, Oboe, and Wind Ensemble, 1982 NORTHWEST SKETCHES II-B for Flute, Oboe, and Chamber Orchestra, 1982 ONE BY ONE (Image Music II) for Flute and Harp, 1985 RANDOM BLACKOUTS III (Image Music XL) for Baritone, Flute, and 2 Percussion 2015 THREE SONNETS from William Shakespeare for Soprano, Flute, and Strings, 1962-64 TIP TOP TAP BALLROOM BONANZA for Alto Saxophone and Contrabass (also versions for flute, clarinet or soprano saxophone in B-flat and contrabass); 2014 TO GET TO FRESNO, (for Voice, Clarinet [or Flute] and Piano); 2004 TOMORROW ON YESTERDAY (Image Music IV) for Harp, 1989, @ (Carroll McLaughlin) + o PUB; as (Image Music IV-A) for Flute, Harp, Percussion, Harp Ensemble, and Trombone Ensemble, 1989 WIND RIVER COUNTRY for Woodwind Quintet, 1986 YAPONCHA - “Wind Spirit” (Image Music XX) for Flute, Viola and Harp, 2002 7 - 4 - 3 for Dancers and Chamber Ensemble (flute, cello, percussion), 1969 Get to Know...Cyrill Schürch We’ve been fortunate to get to know composers from all over the world whom we might otherwise be completely unaware of through the FNMC Composition Contest. Cyrill Schürch is just such a composer. Cyrill lives and works in his native country of Switzerland, but he studied here in the US and in London, U.K. He was a finalist in 2014 for his flute choir work, Turbulence (8 flutes). Q&A with Cyrill…. What about new music for flute appeals to you? I love composing for the flute because it is such a versatile instrument. It is almost impossible to write unplayable passages, somehow the performers always find a way to play the notes and make it sound good. It is also equally useful as a solo instrument as well as in an ensemble context. Who are your favorite “new” music composers and why? There are many I like - and a few I dislike - at the moment my playlist features Rautavaara, Dutilleux, David Matthews, Harbison and Golijov. I like to listen to many different styles and ideas. Describe your musical background and current activities. I am a composer and pianist from Switzerland, I studied in the US for my BM and MM and got my PhD in London. I have been lucky to win a number of prizes in composition contests recently and I get regular commissions from soloist, ensembles and orchestras. I've written a flute sonata as well as an flute ensemble piece ("Turbulence" for eight flutes), and most of my instrumental music features the flute in some capacity. Do you have any upcoming activities you would like our members and followers to know about? Please have a look at my website www.cschurch.net for upcoming events, recordings and sample scores. More About Cyrill… Cyrill Schürch’s most recent orchestral work, Streaks, has been performed by the State Hermitage Orchestra in St. Petersburg (Russia) with Rainer Held, and has been on tour throughout Switzerland and Germany with the Novosibirsk Chamber Orchestra in early 2015. 2015 saw two wins at compositions competitions, in May 2015, Cyrill won the first Mario Merz Prize for composition and will compose a new work for the Camerata Bern as part of the prize, and in July his piece Three Seasons received 1st prize at the music festival at Povoa de Varzim, Portugal. In the past, Cyrill was prizewinner at the Swiss Children’s and Youth Choir composition contest and in 2012 his Les Quatrains Valaisans won a 2nd prize at the Alpenchorfestival Brig competition. He has earned awards and commissions from organizations such as the UBS cultural foundation, AURA contemporary ensemble, EnsembleSpektrum, Ayre Flutes London and Europa Cantat. His music is published by EMR Editions Switzerland and Carus-Verlag Germany which has recently agreed to publish most of Cyrill’s choral works. He is also active as a pianist and chamber musician performing frequently as soloist or with pianist Daniel Vaiman in their Piano Duo. He has also collaborated with EnsembleSpektrum and plays regularly in a piano/violin duo with Leandra Wolf. Born in Lucerne, he has originally started learning to play the accordion and later also took up piano at age 10. Before starting his degrees he studied piano privately with Konstantin Scherbakov. Cyrill holds degrees with distinction in both piano and composition from the University of Houston Moores School of Music working with pianist Nancy Weems and composer Robert Nelson. During his summer at the Aspen Music Festival he studied composition with Sidney Hodkinson and George Tsontakis and piano with John Perry. Other teachers included David Del Tredici and David Olan during a year of postgraduate studies at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. In 2008, he received a PhD from King’s College London studying with Robert Keeley and attended masterclasses with George Benjamin and Silvina Milstein. He is assistant director of the Musikschule Zug where he also teaches piano and composition. If you liked Turbulence… Introduction and Dance Instrumentation: fl, cl, perc, 2 gtr, vn, vc Duration: 3’ Year of Composition: 2002 Loop Instrumentation: fl, cl, hp, 2vn, va, vc Duration: 8’ Year of Composition: 2004 Plasticity Instrumentation: fl, cl, perc, pf, vn, vc Duration: 8’ Year of Composition: 2009 Souirée Instrumentation: fl, cl, perc, pf, 2vn, va, vc Duration: 8’ Year of Composition: 2014 Sonata Instrumentation: fl, pf Duration: 13’ Year of Composition: 2000 Yoga Instrumentation: fl, cl, bn, hn, perc, pf, vn, vc Duration: 2001 Year of Composition: 5’ Get to Know...Carleton MacyAs you’re preparing for the new school year and choosing repertoire for your advanced student flute quartet (or your own!), we suggest checking out Carleton Macy’s wonderful work Intensity. An honorable mention in 2015, Intensity for four C flutes (amplified) is available for free download on his website! www.carletonmacy.com Q&A with Carleton… What about new music for the flute appeals to you? First, I am very drawn to the flute’s flexibility on so many levels: pitch range, textures, articulation, tone qualities, and extended techniques including some available only through amplification. Second, and perhaps most importantly, I am drawn to flute performers because they always tend to be very open to new music. Who is your favorite “new music” composer? When I am composing, my favorite composer is myself (of course!). Between compositions my favorite composers shift depending upon whose music has recently made the strongest impression upon me. The composers who come to mind now are Michael Gordon (and his recently completed work “Van Gogh”, Kevin Puts (especially his opera, “Silent Night”), and Silvestre Revueltas (a not so “new” composer) whose CD is in my car. My favorite new music pieces are always those that have found new ways to say the same old things. Describe your musical background and current activities: I grew up learning trumpet in public schools and then added trombone and switched to French horn because horn music was more interesting and more substantive when playing in an orchestra. I studied music ed, taught in Peace Corps (Ethiopia), and then went back to grad school to become a conductor and along the way I became a composer. I taught theory/comp and directed a jazz band at Macalester College for 35 years Along the way I learned to play Renaissance wind instruments, Baroque and contemporary recorder (mostly alto), swing and jazz drum set, and Chinese traditional instruments on which I performed with the Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble. I am now retired from teaching but remain very active as a composer living in California, and once again loving performance on horn and bass drum (in a pipe band.) How do you view the composing profession? College faculty members are “required” to be professionally active which means actively seeking out juried performance and recording opportunities. Making real money composing would be wonderful, but the reality is that few composers can make more than a minimal honorarium and a small amount from ASCAP and BMI sampled performances. This may have bothered me at one time, but now I prefer to give my music away, which I do on my website: carletonmacy.com. On this site you may listen to and freely download pdfs of scores and parts for most of my music. A good performance of a new piece is the best pay! If a performer can get a grant to commission me, I’d be glad to share the wealth! What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music. (1) expect to put in the same amount of time preparing a new piece that you would put into the preparation of a piece from the standard repertoire. Standard repertoire often gets more prep time because colleagues already know how it should be played, and thus performance expectations are higher. (2) Don’t hesitate to contact and consult with the composer. This is so easy to do now: send a recording of a run-through, even if recorded on one’s phone, or set up a skyped run-through. Most composers want to be involved with performance preparation. (3) Always commit to an expressive point of view in all of the music, new and old, that you perform….. and, of course, have fun while you are doing it! More about Carleton… I compose works ranging from vocal and orchestral to jazz and music for non-western instruments, often integrating a variety of historical and ethnic stylistic influences. My compositions have been performed throughout the United States, in Europe and Asia, and are recorded on INNOVA, Naxos, DAPHENO, and Latvian Radio. Macy’s Composition teachers have included William Bergsma, Robert Suderberg, and Donal Michalsky. I am a Professor Emeritus of Music at Macalester College where I began teaching in 1978. In addition to teaching theory and composition courses I directed the MacJazz big band, the Macalester Collegium Musicum, and the Mac New Music Ensemble which specialized in improvised music. I have an active interest in Non-Western music, having served as Artistic Director, conductor and sheng performer with the Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble. I am presently an active composer living in Pacific Grove, California where I am also an active performer on French horn, alto recorder, and bass drum. If you enjoyed Intensity… A Little Fuguing Instrumentation: fl, ssax(cl), elec gtr, mar Duration: 5’ Year of Composition: 2006 Centering Instrumentation: double woodwind quintet and piano Duration: 20’ Year of Composition: 1984 Commentaries Instrumentation: fl, ob, cl, bn, hn Duration:14’30” Year of Composition: 1988 Concertino Instrumentation: fl, ob, cl, bn, hn, vib, mar Duration: 8’ Year of Composition: 1993 Douce Dame Instrumentation: Mez, fl, cl, pf, vn, va, vc Duration: 11’20” Year of Composition: 2012 Echoes Instrumentation: picc, 2fl, afl, 3cl, bcl Duration: 8’ Year of Composition: 2011 El Dia de los Muertos Instrumentation: fl, cl, pf Duration: 8’30 Year of Composition:2009 Equinox and Solstice Instrumentation: 2fl, pf Duration: 11’ Year of Composition: 1992 Flute Games Instrumentation: Mez, fl Duration: 12’30” Year of Composition: 1982 FMV Instrumentation: fl, va, man Year of Composition: 2006 Friends in Time Instrumentation: flute (amplified), elec gtr Duration: 8’15” Year of Composition: 1991 Mid-Summer Dreams Instrumentation: fl, cl, vn, va, vc Duration: 10” Year of Composition: 2006 Monogram: Alexander George Macy Instrumentation: solo flute Duration: 4’ Year of Composition: 1983 Opera Venti Instrumentation: fl, ob, cl, bn, hn Duration: 12’ Year of Composition: 1990 Shades of Green Instrumentation: fl, cl Duration: 4’10” Year of Composition: 2013 Three Flutes Quartets from Mozart Instrumentation: 3 fl, afl Duration: 9’45” Year of Composition: 1988 Toute Ensemble Instrumentation: 6fl (3rd dbl picc) Duration: 10’30” Year of Composition: 1978 Twigs: a Serenade for Woodwind Quintet Instrumentation: fl, ob, cl, bn, hn Duration: 13’ Year of Composition: 1980 Waves Instrumentation: fl, ob, bn, pf Duration: 10’30” Year of Composition: 1984 Get to Know...Paul Elwood Our second Colorado-based finalist, Paul Elwood is Associate Professor of Music Composition at the University of Northern Colorado. Paul was a finalist in 2014 for his flute duet, Marfa Lights (flute 2 doubling piccolo). Q&A with Paul … What about new music for flute appeals to you? I love the timbral diversity of the instrument from diverse rich tones that the instrument produces to a wide variety of extended techniques available. I like the fact that many flutists with whom I've worked tackle a variety of techniques, rhythms, and compositions with an open mind. Who are your favorite “new” music composers and why? Thomas Adès for his inventive use of the instruments, and his complexity of writing at the micro- and macro-level; Augusta Read Thomas for not only musical construction but beauty of orchestration; Sean Friar and Andrew Norman ("Nouveau LA School Composers") for their youthful energy, virtuosic technique, and musicality, and Caroline Shaw for her unbridled and inspired writing. What are your favorite new music pieces and why? "Concentric Circles," violin concerto by Adès, a colorful, energetic composition; "Partita" by Caroline Shaw, for reasons cited above, and "Fighting Words" by Sean Friar using text from a variety of political speeches. There are a host of others from "classics" including Crippled Symmetry by Morton Feldman that uses beautiful, if random, combinations of colour between flute, glockenspiel, and piano, Stockhausen's early electronic work for their sheer monumental invention, and Messiaen's "Oiseaux Exotiques," an early strong influence on my work. Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about? I'm finishing a double concerto for violin and cello for the University of Northern Colorado orchestra, beginning a work for electric guitar and chamber ensemble commissioned by French experimentalist Jean Marc Montera, and working on an ongoing abstract multi-media homage to silent film actress Louise Brooks. She never compromised her intellectual integrity for fame - which ultimately cost her her career in film; there never seemed to wallow in self-pity after she made her last film (one of John Wayne's first) and ended up selling shoes in NYC for a spell. "Marfa Lights," the composition selected as a finalist in the FNMC competition, will be performed in November in Iowa City with the University of Iowa Percussion as part of my evening-length concept presentation titled "Strange Angels: exploring the paranormal." What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice? Listen to a lot of new music (listening to "old" music is a given) and keep an open mind to as much of it as you can. More About Paul… Paul Elwood’s music has been featured at festivals in Moscow, Sofia, Mexico City, Marseille, Wollongong (Australia), Edinburgh, Darmstadt, Madrid (July 2015), Strasbourg, and all over the U.S.A. Performers that have played his music include pianist Stephen Drury, percussionist Stuart Gerber, the Bent Frequency Duo, Zeitgeist (Minneapolis), the Callithumpian Consort (Boston), the North Carolina Symphony, the Charleston Symphony, the Wichita Symphony, Tambuco (the Mexican Percussion Quartet), saxophonist Jon Gudmundson, and Ensemble Signos (Mexico City). Recent recordings are on Innova Recordings as composer/banjoist with percussionist Famoudou Don Moye of the Art Ensemble of Chicago (titled Nice Folks, January 2015), Misfit Toys (2013, featuring drummer Matt Wilson, percussionist Dan Moore, and reed player Robert Paredes) and his own chamber and folk music, Stanley Kubrick’s Mountain Home (2011), with bassist Bertram Turetzky (2008), and Electric Cowboy Cacophony (2008). He is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome and of the Camargo Foundation (Cassis, France), and he has won fellowships to the MacDowell Colony, the Djerassi Artists Foundation, the Ucross Foundation, and Fundacion Valparaiso in Spain. In 2000 he won the Sigma Alpha-Iota Inter-American Music Awards and was awarded a 2007 commissioning grant from the Jerome Foundation to compose for Zeitgeist. Elwood’s compositions are published by C.F. Peters, Smith Publications, and his own Western Wear Music Publishing. Elwood is an active five-string banjoist in both the realms of experimental and bluegrass music. In 2015 he played on the premiere of “Hanover” by Alvin Lucier, a composition using three banjos played with EBows with chamber ensemble. He is working on a new composition for solo banjo written for him by Christian Wolff And he has collaborated with guitarist Jean-Marc Montera, guitarist Eugene Chadbourne, cellist Hank Roberts, the Callithumpian Consort of the New England Conservatory, famed banjoist Tony Trischka, Zeitgeist, bluegrass legend John Hartford, percussionist Eddie Prévost, and pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, among many others. For more information visit his website: www.paul-elwood.com or blog http://soundchoice.typepad.com If you enjoyed Marfa Lights check out Paul’s other works with flute… A Vast Ocean of Promise Instrumentation: solo bassoon with flute, clarinet, piano, two violins, viola, and five-string banjo Duration: 18:00 Year of Composition: 1999 Along the Mystic Thruway Instrumentation: flute, piano, cello Duration: 9:00 Year of Composition: 1996 Alters Altered Instrumentation: flute and piano Duration: 6:00 Year of Composition: 1998 Blue Prairie Instrumentation: yodeler with flute, clarinet, piano, violin, and cello Duration: 15:00 Year of Composition: 1990 Circo De Montes, Teatro De Las Nubes Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello Duration: 9:30 Year of Composition: 2001 Deirdre’s Lament Instrumentation: flute, two percussion, piano, two violins, cello and banjo (Ballet) Duration: 50:00 Year of Composition: 2010 Entre Irse Y Quesdarse Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, piano, violin, and cello Duration: 13:00 Year of Composition: 1990 Four Directions Instrumentation: flute (wearing Velcro-soled shoes) Duration: 6:00 Year of Composition: 1991 Pilot Jack Knight: Aviator Instrumentation: flute, bass clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, and cello Duration: 4:30 Year of Composition: 1987 Road of Darkness, Distant Moon Instrumentation: double bass, flute/piccolo, percussion, five-string banjo Duration: 11:00 Year of Composition: 2003 Snow Falls Ceaselessly Instrumentation: flute, cello, percussion, piano, and audience players Duration: 15:00 Year of Composition: 1984 Stanley Kubrick’s Mountain Home Instrumentation: soprano, Appalachian instruments (fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar) flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello Duration: 25:00 Year of Composition: 2001 Strange Angels: Exploring the Paranormal An evening length collection of works that includes Marfa Lights Year of Composition: 2010 The Eternal Sky Instrumentation: flute and piano Duration: 9:30 Year of Composition: 2008 The Vault of Heaven, The Crystal Sea Instrumentation: solo cello with flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, and violin Duration: 20:00 Year of Composition: 1995 The Void Beneath The Coffee Table Instrumentation: solo banjo, flute, clarinet, piano, violin, and cello Duration: 15:00 Year of Composition: 1989 Two Extremities Instrumentation: soprano, piano, bowed five-string banjo, flute, violin, and wine glasses Duration: 7:30 Year of Composition: 1998 Under the Table Instrumentation: soprano, flute, cello, and banjo Duration: 10:30 Year of Composition: 2012 Usher Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and cello Duration: 40:00 Year of Composition: 1988 Verbum Salutis Instrumentation: flute, bass clarinet, cello, percussion, and hand signer Duration: 8:00 Year of Composition: 1985 |
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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