Frank has details.
Read moreSequenza21 blogger Charles Griffin is having the World Premiere of his Concerto for Chamber Orchestra on May 3 by the Westchester Chamber Orchestra. The concert is scheduled to begin at 8 pm at Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium in the Murphy Science Building, corner of Summit and North Avenues, on the campus of Iona College in New Rochelle. There is a short conversation between the composer and WCO Artistic Director Barry Hoffman here. In another part of the forest, Aguavá New Music Studio, run by our amigos conductor Carmen-Helena Téllez, composer Cary Boyce and flutist/producer Alain Barker, are staging a concert called Of
Read more[youtube]ZViZUoJwH-w[/youtube] Not really a religious piece but makes even a good atheist like me tear up. The Protecting Veil is Tavener’s masterpiece but as short pieces go, this one is special. Who has recommendations for other Orthodox Easter listening?
Read moreWilfrido Terrazas, phenomenal flautist and busy-busy beaver in the Mexican new-music scene, just passed along notice about a fantastic series of concerts coming up the start of next month in NYC. 3G: Tres Generaciones Music Festival May 2–7 The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) hosts a celebration of composer Julio Estrada and three generations of New Music from Mexico. This May 2–7, ICE invites New Yorkers to partake in a trailblazing cultural exchange when it hosts this six-day celebration of avant-garde music from Mexico. The Festival will showcase the work of three generations of Mexican composers: esteemed musical pioneer Julio Estrada; the second
Read moreNo longer so newlywed Molly Sheridan has a new baby…well, actually, it’s a blog, but it’s almost the same thing. Check it out.
Read moreMarvin Rosen has a very special program coming up this Wednesday on his always brilliant radio program. John Psathas, one of New Zealand’s leading composers, will join Marvin live in the WPRB studio on April 23, 2008, from 8:30 am ET until 11:00 am ET during a special extended edition of Classical Discoveries. The entire five hour program starting at 6:00 am ET is titled: “In The Land Of Kiwi” will be totally devoted to music from New Zealand. The program can be listened to on line at www.wprb.com Quick, without looking it up, name 5 New Zealand composers. Here’s a video of
Read moreToday is National Record Store Day. Music sellers throughout the country are celebrating in a variety of ways, from special sales and promotions to instore performances. Given the challenges that have faced “brick and mortar” record stores in recent years – internet retailers, digital downloading, and plummeting CD sales among them – I’m glad there’s a day to celebrate with the people who’ve helped me find many musical treasures. To find out if your local retailer is participating, visit www.recordstoreday.com.
Read moreby Patrick Durek Since its inception in 1985, Cygnus Ensemble has been at the forefront of chamber groups dedicated to expanding the repertory. Generating works for subsets of its unorthodox instrumentation—two guitars, cello, oboe, flute, and violin—has been its primary mission, and while premieres by well-known composers (Charles Wuorinen, Meyer Kupferman, and Milton Babbitt) have been given, it is the group’s championing of works by up-and-coming composers that has perhaps been most significant. Robert Martin, Jonathan Dawe, and Robert Pollock have all written multiple works for Cygnus Ensemble and are now firmly rooted in the Northeastern milieu that Wuorinen, Kupferman,
Read moreAnybody seen the new Met production of Satyagraha? [youtube]sMtDI539bvI[/youtube]
Read moreBy Ralph van Raat Usually, when thinking of contemporary classical music, one thinks of the rather abstract and cerebral music of the decade right after the Second World War. Some of this so-called serial music in my opinion is very exciting, sometimes purely beautiful, and sometimes incomprehensible. However, one cannot deny that, for the listener, there seem very few similarities or references to any other kind of music, making it hard to appreciate modern music without some thorough study. In a revolt against the lyricism and romanticism of pre-war classical music, young composers such as Boulez and Stockhausen broke with
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