Composer Blogs@Sequenza21.com
Composer/keyboardist/producer Elodie Lauten creates operas, music for dance and theatre, orchestral, chamber and instrumental music. Not a household name, she is however widely recognized by historians as a leading figure of post-minimalism and a force on the new music scene, with 20 releases on a number of labels.

Her opera Waking in New York, Portrait of Allen Ginsberg was presented by the New York City Opera (2004 VOX and Friends) in May 2004, after being released on 4Tay, following three well-received productions. OrfReo, a new opera for Baroque ensemble was premiered at Merkin Hall by the Queen's Chamber Band, whose New Music Alive CD (released on Capstone in 2004) includes Lauten's The Architect. The Orfreo CD was released in December 2004 on Studio 21. In September 2004 Lauten was composer-in-residence at Hope College, MI. Lauten's Symphony 2001, was premiered in February 2003 by the SEM Orchestra in New York. In 1999, Lauten's Deus ex Machina Cycle for voices and Baroque ensemble (4Tay) received strong critical acclaim in the US and Europe. Lauten's Variations On The Orange Cycle (Lovely Music, 1998) was included in Chamber Music America's list of 100 best works of the 20th century.

Born in Paris, France, she was classically trained as a pianist since age 7. She received a Master's in composition from New York University where she studied Western composition with Dinu Ghezzo and Indian classical music with Ahkmal Parwez. Daughter of jazz pianist/drummer Errol Parker, she is also a fluent improviser. She became an American citizen in 1984 and has lived in New York since the early seventies

Visit Elodie Lauten's Web Site
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Where Are The Women?! Women Who Rock

Where Are The Women ?! (sic) is the title of a program featuring flutist Andrew Bolotowsky performing pieces by women, coming up this Saturday, October 4 from 3:30 to 5PM at the Anita Shapolsky Gallery, 99 Spring Street. This is free or by donation.
Women Who Rock is a program taking place on Monday, September 29 at 7:30 PM at the Times Center, 242 West 41st Street. Tickets are $25 or $20 for students and seniors.

What I like about this concurrence is that completely by accident, two all-women programs somehow 'happen' in the same week, and not during Women's History Month. That's really something to celebrate!

Below are details of these programs.

Andrew Bolotowsky will perform on a number of different flutes (and he owns an amazing collection): regular flute, alto flute, bass flute, Baroque flute, and the amazing 3-octave Baroque Bass Flute with the sound from beyond - even though it is very challenging to play, it is exquisite to hear, as I have heard it on one occasion. The program includes works by: Beth Anderson, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Sorrel Hays, Jennifer Post, Tui St. George Tucker, Elodie Lauten, Judith Sainte Croix, Deborah Sandoval Thurlow, Lenore Von Stein, Joyce Hope Suskind, Anne Tardos and Lynne Wilson.

The "women who rock" program includes Missy Mazzoli, Hannah Lash, Alexandra du Bois, Gabriela Lena Frank, Vivian Fung, Roshanne Etezady, Laura Schwendinger, and Augusta Read Thomas who is the best known of the bunch. I assume that the use of the verb "rock" is metaphorical as it being 'groovy', which is quite allright by me. I actually did briefly play rock (quickly evolving from glitter to heavy metal to punk to art rock) in my early days and I am not ashamed to say I did rock - in the primary meaning of the word...