Composer’s Voice: A Singular Voice

REVIEW:

Composer’s Voice: A Singular Voice

Liana Valente and her adroit accompanist, Sara Bong, take center stage in November 17th's Composer's Voice. Valente, as much an actress as she is a vocalist, sparkles with irrepressible vivacity.

An unexpected opening sets the tone for a zany concert. Bong, seated at the piano, unleashes an array of twinkling cascades while looking expectantly over her shoulder. She stutters, apologizes, and then picks up with another piece. Finally, she stops and addresses the crowd. Valente is late, and Bong is trying to kill time. She begins an energetic rendition of “Chopsticks” before we hear Valente tramping into the hall. The crowd giggles appreciatively as Valente changes out of white Keds while relating her woes in locating Jan Hus Church.

This madcap opening is part of William Vollinger’s "Let's Talk" specially commissioned for Valente. The piece acts not only as an introduction to her fine vocal apparatus — she sings highlights from Puccini and Schubert — but as a primer to her theatrical, emotive personality.

The concert’s iteration of Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame highlights the power of Valente's voice in conjunction with her piano playing. She explains her call requested works featuring a sarcastic, snarky, or surprising slant. As a result,spirited fun and thoughtful structures pepper these compositions. “Water-drawing rites” by Frank E. Warren uses haiku as its framework. Pooling and lapping with depth, this work highlights a transparency streaked with throbbing darkness. Erik Branch's “The Bleeding Hand” acts as a satirical waltz, relating the joy and accompanying pain of romantic love. Another water-themed minute, Peter Nickol's “On to the Beach,”soothes with vast quietude. Timothy J. Brown proffers “Little Miss Muffet,” a cheeky and gleefully acerbic retelling of the popular children's verse. Rodrigo Baggio issues a directive to the audience in his composition “Where and Who”: Sit and allow your attention to reflect on your place in time and space continuums.

Valente brings verve to the balance of this delicious set of Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame, which includes enticing selections from Jose Jesus de Azevedo Souza, Juan Maria Solare, Jana Skarecky, Andy Evan Cohen, Roger May, John Mackay, Yan Pang, Phil Taylor, Christopher M. Wicks, and Ken Paoli.

Utilizing compositions from Derek Healey's “Five Edward Thomas Songs,” Valenteshowcase her dexterity and range. In particular, she brings a golden luster to “Tall Nettles,” a shadowy mellow work soaked in memory. Valente also performs three enchanting pieces with text from lauded poets like James Joyce and A. E. Houseman by composer Judy Strubhar Ross. “Oneness (The White Heron)” with text from Dorothy J. Ross soars with cresting melodies and grousing rumbles. A dispatch of moody musing, Valente's burnished voice wafts into the ether.

After accepting her accolades, Valente invites the audience to join her for a convivial afterparty.
“Let’s Talk,” she proposes.

Erin Bomboy
http://erinbomboy.blogspot.com/

On the Steps

“In the Steppes of Central Asia” is a popular tone poem by Russian com-poser Alexander Borodin. At the tune’s premiere, a critic wrote that the music realistically depicted peasants steppe-dancing in the Caucasus out-back. However, a later scholar unearthed a photograph of Borodin and his mistress, Inge, that was captioned in the composer’s shaky hand, “On the steps of the Central Asian Asylum,” fueling speculation that the title’s initial translation from В средней Азии was in error.

David Gunn
www.DavidGunn.org

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving is that time of year that gives let’s people reflect and be grateful for the people and things in their lives.

Lots of change has happened to me personally over the past year and Vox Novus and its programs have accomplished great things. The journey is just beginning. I want to thank all the musicians, artists, dancers, choreographers, and composers who have dedicated their time and energy into contributing their music and art.

I want to also thank all of the Vox Novus crew for their hard work and effort to bring contemporary music to audiences around the world.

I look forward to working with you all for many years to come.

Thanks!

Rob Voisey

Rob Voisey
http://www.voxnovus.com/founder/

Upcoming Performances

Composer's Voice: CELEBRATING THE HARD EIGHT

Sunday, December 8, 2013 1:00 pm

Sunday, December 8, 2013 1:00 PM (NEW YORK, NEW YORK) Composer/producer Robert Voisey is turning 44. He is known for creating innovative projects for new music such as 60x60, Fifteen Minutes of Fame, and Composer’s Voice which will feature his birthday celebration at Jan Hus Church. The LATimes featured him as a composer who created innovative ways to get his music heard and the New York Times labeled his 60x60 Dance project “mad.” Voisey has been responsible for inspiring, promoting, and presenting the work of thousands of contemporary composers in hundreds of venues around the world.

Why celebrate 44? Besides the birthday falling on a scheduled Composer’s Voice concert, this year marks the first birthday Robert Voisey outlives his father who died of pancreatic cancer. With all the life changes a milestone like this brings, the concert is acknowledgement of the new era beginning for the composer.

This Composer’s Voice concert themed “Hard Eight” will contain Robert Voisey’s work “run rabbit run” performed by Roberta Michel and Yumi Suehiro in conjunction with dance choreographed by Callie Hatchett.

It will also feature the contemporary music modern dance collaboration “Jor-El’s Juju” from his colleagues Douglas DaSilva, composer and Artistic Director of Composer’s Voice and Erin Bomboy previous Dance Director for 60x60 Dance.

No Composer’s Voice concert would be complete with out Fifteen Minutes of Fame. Fifteen Minutes of Fame is a new project directed by Voisey which features 15 one-minute chamber works by 15 different composers written for an ensemble. This set of 15 is specifically written to the “Hard Eight” theme and they will be performed by Connecticut players: Istvan Peter B’Racz, Bill Beckett, Brendan Randall-Myers, and Nate Trier. The 15 composers included in this Fifteen Minutes of Fame are: Dennis Bathory-Kitsz, Shawn David Broukhim, Paul Elwood, Marc Hoffeditz, Elizabeth Jigalin, Steven H. Markowitz, Daniel Mihai, Philip Scheussler, Timothy G. Schirmer, David Jason Snow, Juan Maria Solare, Adam Torkelson, Nate Trier, Kristina Warren, and Blair Whittington.

"…the 15 Minutes of Fame project of Vox Novus is a godsend. It organizes competitions whereby ensembles commission worldwide calls for submissions of approximately one-minute pieces, and then select their 15 favorites for premieres. " - New York Music Culture Examiner

Also included in this concert are the premieres of two piano works for four hands by composer Douglas Townsend performed by Christos Marinos and Maria Isabel Perez Dobarro.

There will also be a multimedia performance by TJ Hospodar.

And a unique performance of EMR’s “Whale Cage” which will also be encored later that night at Composer’s Concordance Fretathon at Drom to complete the birthday celebration.

One of the premier showcases for promising composers, Composer’s Voice Concert Series is an opportunity for contemporary composers and musicians to express their musical aesthetic and personal “voice.” Composer’s Voice has presented over 100 concerts in New York City and scores of performances throughout the world.

"[Vox Novus offers] the presentation of serious works by established and emerging composers. Those voices should be heard, and they can even be reheard on the Vox Novus website (http://www.VoxNovus.com)..." - New Music Connoisseur

Click here to see the concert program

Composer’s Voice Concert
Sunday, December 8, 2013 1:00 pm
Jan Hus Church
351 East 74th Street
New York, New York
FREE ADMISSION

Thursday, 5 December 2013, 1.00pm

60 works by 60 artists, 60x60 offers something different every minute 60x60 is a project containing 60 works each 60 seconds in length presented continuously in an hour performance synchronized with an analog clock. 60x60 presents a slice of what is happening in the contemporary music scene by representing 60 works that are diverse in aesthetic and style. Works are selected from an international pool of emerging and established composers and sequenced in order. The resulting mix is presented, without interruption, as a continuous one-hour performance synchronized to an on-stage analog clock.

The 60x60 (2012) UK Mix is the second ever 60x60 mix comprised of composers, musicians and sound artists from the United Kingdom. Elainie Lillios is the audio coordinator for the 60x60 (2012) UK Mix.

Composers in the 60x60 (2012) UK Mix include:
Monty Adkins, Torsten Anders, Hannibal Eric Andersen, Robert Bentall, David John Bird, Paul Burnell, Bernard Clarke, Ricardo Climent, Adam Cullen, Philip Watts d'Alton, Aidan Deery, Gordon Delap, Robert J Dow, Roger L Doyle, Ambrose Field, Diego Garro, Gerard Gormley, Daniel Grossman, Kerry L Hagan, Christopher Haworth, Connor Hutton, Fergus Johnston, Elischa Kaminer, Ka Yau Lau, Sebastien Lavoie, Augustine Jan Seth Maranatha Bannatyne Leudar, Jesse Lyons, John Howard Maycraft, Danny Mc Carthy, Daniel Clive McCallum, Stephen McCourt, Liam Molloy, Adrian Moore, Peter Mottram, Roger Norwood, Emma O'Halloran, Mariko Otake, Felipe Otondo, Lefteris Papadimitriou, Karen Power, Stephan Probst, Robert Ratcliffe, Philip Reeder, Peter Roberts, Paul J Rogers, David Warren Ross, Stephen Jay Schumacher, Richard Scott, Les Scott, Nichola Scrutton, Achilleas Sourlas, Joe Stevens, Pete Stollery, Theo Vidgen, Patricia Walsh, Lisa Whistlecroft, Tom Williams, Paul Wilson, Simon D. Wilson, and Nena Zinovieff

60x60 (2012) UK Mix Sonic Lab
Sonic Arts Research Centre
Queen's University Belfast Queen’s University Belfast
Belfast
BT7 1NN
Free Admisssion
More can be found at:
http://www.sarc.qub.ac.uk/sites/sarc/Events/Music/

Calendar

Announcing results for
Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame with
Courtney Sherman and a very small consortium

a very small consortium is a new music ensemble dedicated to the performance of miniature masterpieces. The members of a very small consortium are: Courtney Sherman-narration and soprano voice, Lada Gaines-soprano saxophone, Adam Gaines-trumpet, Michelle McQuade Dewhirst-horn, Michael Dewhirst-cello, and John Cantrell-piano They have chosen their Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame to perform on Composer's Voice in New York City on January 12, 2014.

Composer's selected for this Fifteen Minutes of Fame include:
Dominic Blake; David Bohn; Scott Brickman; Ethan Helm; Traci Mendel; David A. Miller; Nicholaus Meyers; Alexander Nohai-Seaman; Sandra Emiline Goss Norell; Eurydice V. Osterman; Akmal Parwez; David J. Ramsey, Jr.; Brennan Stokes; Phil Taylor; Douglas Wagoner

You can find more information here
http://www.voxnovus.com/15_Minutes_of_Fame/featuring/a_very_small_consortium/

Vox Novus Projects

Opportunities

60x60 CALL FOR WORKS

Call for Surround Sound Works: 60×60

Deadline: December 1, 2013

Vox Novus and Harvestworks are inviting composers and sound artists to submit recorded works as 5.1 audio 60 seconds or less in length to be included in a special 60×60 project collaboration in New York City.

60×60 is calling for works one-minute in length for 5.1 audio playback.

60×60 is a one-hour-long show made by sequencing 60 pre-recorded pieces by 60 different composers, each piece a minute in length or shorter. This 60×60 call for works is a unique collaboration with Harvestworks in New York City to create a 5.1 surround sound mix which will be premiered at Harvestworks multichannel TEAMLab listening room in Spring 2014.

Deadline for 60 second compositions for 60×60 is December 1, 2013.

There is no admission fee.

Works selected for the 60×60 5.1 will be announced in January 2014. The 60 works selected will be announced on the Vox Novus newsletter NM421 as well as the 60×60 and Harvestworks websites.

Any questions regarding the call for works can be addressed to: Support@VoxNovus.com

Any questions regarding the technical aspects can be addressed to: hanst@harvestworks.org

Click here for more details at Harvestworks

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

CALL FOR SCORES

Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Piano Pinnacle, piano duo

Deadline: December 10, 2013

Vox Novus is calling for one-minute pieces composed for Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Piano Pinnacle, piano duo to be premiered April 27, 2014 on the Composer’s Voice concert series in New York City. Submissions for this call should creatively use the theme: "Canada" as its inspiration. Piano Pinnacle is the piano duo of Deborah Grimmett and Iman Habibi.

Piano Pinnacle has established itself as a leading new piano duo ensemble in Canada. Its performances have been hailed as a “true tour de force[...], ” and “an absolute delight” (Musetta Stone). Piano Pinnacle won Second Prizes at the United States International Duo Piano Competition (USIDPC), and at the International Northwest Piano Ensemble Competition (NWIPEC), and has twice attained the Audience Choice award at the latter. The duo’s performances have been heard across Europe and North America, in cities such as Paris, Chicago, Toronto, Seattle, Oslo, Colorado Springs, and Vancouver. Piano Pinnacle is dedicated to rejuvenating the piano duo genre, by presenting an eclectic mix of old and new repertoire with “a passion that could only be achieved by years of patience[...]” (The Other Press). The ensemble aspires to promote and nurture the development of new music, and has so far inspired and premiered a dozen original Canadian compositions for two pianos.

Pianist Deborah Grimmett’s performances have been heard throughout Canada and Europe in major concert halls such as Auditorium Santa Croce (Italy), Norges Musikkhøgskole (Norway), Espace Carpeaux (France), Ganz Hall, and Sherman Clay Steinway Hall (US), Centennial Theatre, and The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (Canada). She was a finalist and prizewinner in both the Vancouver Academy Provincial Senior Secondary Competition, and the BC Piano Competition. Ms. Grimmett enjoys an active performing schedule, making guest artist appearances at the Gallery 345 Concert Series, Douglas College Arts at One, Vancouver Art Gallery, Composers’ Collective Green College Series, and Vancouver Public Library Concert Series. She has played in masterclasses for several highly acclaimed artists, including John Perry, Andre Laplante, Marc Durand, Philippe Cassard, and Lydia Artimiw. Deborah currently enjoys an active performing schedule as soloist, duo pianist, and chamber musician. As a collaborative pianist, Deborah has studied with Rena Sharon and Lydia Wong. Ms. Grimmett holds a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of British Columbia, and an ARCT (Piano Performance Diploma) from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her principle teachers include Marietta Orlov, Jane Coop, Kenneth Broadway, Ralph Markham, and Sara Davis Buechner. In addition to her performance schedule, Ms. Grimmett is currently Director of the West Point Grey School of Music, where she maintains an active studio of talented young pianists.

Iman Habibi has successfully established his career as a composer as well as a pianist. He is recognized by critics as a “confident player,” (Prince George Citizen) and a “giant in talent” (The Penticton Herald). His compositions have been programmed by many prestigious concert organizations such as The Marilyn Horne Foundation (New York), The Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), Tapestry New Opera (Toronto), Atlantic Music Festival (Maine), the BCScene Festival (Ottawa), The Sonic Boom Festival, and the Powell Street Festival (Vancouver). He has received numerous awards including the International Composers’ Award at the Esoterics’ POLYPHONOS competition (2012), the First Prize at SOCAN Foundations Awards for Young AV Composers (for two consecutive years), the Mayor’s Arts Awards as well as others. His music and interviews are broadcast regularly on radios across North America such as CBC radio one, CBC radio two (Canada), and WQXR (New York). Iman has had the privilege of performing with a number of great musicians and ensembles such as the UBC Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra. In February 2010, He appeared as the piano soloist with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra to premiere his own piano concerto. Mr. Habibi completed his Master of Music (2010), and a Bachelor of Music (2008) degree at the University of British Columbia.

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