November 30, 2009 Jan Hus Church 351 East 74th Street New York, New York 10021

The Composer’s Voice Concert Series is an opportunity for contemporary composers to express their musical aesthetic and personal “voice” created in their compositions. Vox Novus collaborating with the Remarkable Theater Brigade and Jan Hus Church to produce a monthly concert series promoting the chamber works of contemporary composers.

Title Composer Performer Parting & Fulfillment Ernst Bacon Stanley Alexandrowicz-guitar Maverick Prelude and Tango Brian Fennelly Stanley Alexandrowicz-guitar Perilous Seas—Fantasy for Solo Guitar Carlton Wilkinson Stanley Alexandrowicz-guitar Diario—Omaggio a Che Guevara -Day of Love -Day of Hate -Day of Decision -Day of Battle -Day of Death Vaclav Kucera Stanley Alexandrowicz-guitar Bombadiliana Eric Sessler Stanley Alexandrowicz-guitar

Performers Classical Guitarist Stanley Alexandrowicz is becoming internationally renowned for his virtuosic musicality, insightful interpretations, and refined guitarism. In addition to his command of the instrument’s standard repertoire, he has premiered and commissioned over 100 works by composers from Europe, Asia, North America, Cuba, and South America. He is truly an "artist-of-our-time." A native of New Jersey, he began his musical studies at the age of eight, and was soon receiving both awards and accolades. He next entered the Manhattan School of Music wherein the influence of his mentor Manuel Barrueco profoundly influenced his musical outlook. He was awarded the "Doctor of Musical Arts" degree in 1994. An ALBANY RECORDS recording artist, Stanley Alexandrowicz's new CD of 20th and 21st Century American guitar works, will be released in Winter 2009-10. Recently he has been honored with the Ernst Bacon Society's recording grant to commit to CD the premiere performances of the composer's works for guitar. (He is also editing these works for publication). A scholar and specialist in the field of 19th Century music, he often features the virtuoso Romantic guitar repertoire in his concert programs - both in conjunction with the "music of our time" and, in recitals devoted to the Romantic Art. Performances during the 2009-10 concert season include New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Princeton, and include the U.S. premiere of Václav Kucera's "Concierto Imaginativo—Homenaje a Salvador Dalí" for guitar and string orchestra (Balimore), and his his "Diario—Omaggio a Che Guevara" (NYC), in honor of the composer's 80th birthday year.

Composers ERNST BACON was an American composer, pianist, and conductor. A prolific author, Bacon composed over 250 songs over his career. He was awarded three Guggenheim Fellowships and a Pulitzer Scholarship in 1932 for his Second Symphony. While influenced by the 19th century classical Bacon's music reflects the dual heritage of his Austrian mother and American father. Olin Downs from The New York Times wrote, "The composer has the rare ability to write simply and melodiously, while at the same time imbuing his music with subtleties of harmony which make it up to date and unusually intriguing." Besides being a wonderful word-painter, he captured the moods of nature in all genres and, like Bartok, often used our native folk songs as thematic material in his instrumental compositions Gifted as a pianist and conductor, as well as writer and painter, Bacon's teaching and directing posts included the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, and Syracuse University. Having founded the Carmel Bach Festival and directed the WPA Federal Music Project in San Francisco in the '30s, he returned to the Bay Area for the last 25 years of his life, continuing to walk in the hills and compose to the very end of his 91 years. DR. BRIAN FENNELLY studied with Mel Powell, Donald Martino, Allen Forte, Gunther Schuller and George Perle. He received a Guggenheim fellowship, 3 fellowships from the National Endowment for the Art, and commissions from the Koussevitsky Foundation, Meet the Composer/Reader's Digest, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra. In 1997 he received a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. VACLAV KUCERA’s compositions have won numerous distinctions: Obraz ("The Tableau") for Piano and Orchestra the Prize of Queen Marie-José in Geneva (1970), Lidice a special recognition of the Czechoslovak Radio (1970) as well as the Prix d'Italia (1972), the string quartet "Consciousness of Continuities" the Prize of the Union of Czech Composers and Concert Artists (1983), the children chorus "Son tre noti che non dormo" the Trentino International Prize (1994). ERIC SESSLER has received numerous awards, including the ASCAP Foundation Award, the Charles E. Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, the Theodore Presser Music Foundation Award and grants from American Composers Forum, Meet the Composer and the Philadelphia Music Project. His compositions have been played by leading virtuoso performers including flutist Jeffrey Khaner, organist Alan Morrison, guitarist Jason Vieaux, and the duo of flutist Bonita Boyd and guitarist Nicholas Goluses. Eric Sessler’s music is recorded on ACA Digital Recording, New Focus Recordings and Musicaphon Records [Distributed by Qualiton Imports, Ltd.] and published by Silver Sun Press and Les Productions d’OZ. CARLTON WILKINSON is a composer and theorist on the faculty at The College of New Jersey and is the classical music writer for the Asbury Park Press. He is also the Associate Publisher of New Music Connoisseur, a website and newsletter sponsored by Composers Concordance. Carlton earned a Ph.D. in Composition from Rutgers in 1995. His music has been heard in South Korea, Italy, France, Germany and Brazil as well as venues all over the U.S. His chamber scores are published by Calabrese Brothers. Solo piano works are available in self-published scores through the SibeliusMusic website. Carlton also produces an experimental music series, Music of Invention, in Asbury Park.

Vox Novus collaborating with the Remarkable Theater Brigade and Jan Hus Church to produce a monthly concert series promoting the chamber works of contemporary composers. An opportunity for contemporary composers to express their musical aesthetic and personal “voice” created in their compositions. Vox Novus promotes contemporary music and its creators through concerts, recordings, publications, broadcasts, and online publicity. Vox Novus believes strongly in the intrinsic value of contemporary music, recognizing it as a force in the advancement of culture and art. Our goal is to keep music alive by strengthening the connection between composer and audience, providing greater exposure to new music. Vox Novus understands that without the creation of challenging, contemporary music there will be no future masterpieces to reflect our time. Exciting new music is being composed constantly and must be heard in order to complete the cycle of creativity. Vox Novus gets contemporary music heard: in concerts; over the radio; CD’s and on the Internet. While artists have always struggled to create and promote their art, one may argue that the situation is now more precarious than ever. Today's economic climate is competitive , and emerging composers inevitably act as their own writer, producer, publicist, agent, and sometimes performer. This daunting array of tasks overwhelms many composers. Vox Novus helps emerging composers face this challenge helping them to promote their music, expand their audience, and advance their career. Recognizing that a major obstacle for composers is finding performances, Vox Novus develops and produces concerts. These concerts expand the audience for new music beyond the established music community. Vox Novus concerts aim to build a new repertoire by creating friendly, approachable listening environments that integrate a growing body of contemporary composers. Remarkable Theater Brigade founded by Christian McLeer, Dan Jeselsohn and Monica Harte, creates and produces new operas and musicals and takes children’s versions out to special-needs and at-risk children free of charge. Remarkable Theater Brigade creates and produces new works including operas, orchestral pieces, ballets, musicals, and electro-acoustic works and co-produces the Composer’s Voice Concert Series concerts. Remarkable Theater Brigade was founded in 2002 by Christian McLeer, Monica Harte, and Dan Jeselsohn. This year we opened our 8th Season with Opera Shorts in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, October 1, 2009. Opera Shorts is Remarkable Theater Brigade’s set of 10 minute operas by composers Seymour Barab, Ben Bierman, George Brunner, Tom Cipullo, Anne Phillips, Patrick Soluri, Rob Voisey, and of course Christian McLeer. Support from the Puffin Foundation “…continuing the dialogue between art and the lives of ordinary people.”

The Composer’s Voice Concert Series is an opportunity for contemporary composers to express their musical aesthetic and personal “voice” created in their compositions. Vox Novus collaborating with the Remarkable Theater Brigade and Jan Hus Church to produce a monthly concert series promoting the chamber works of contemporary composers. Vox Novus is a collective of composers, musicians, and music enthusiasts collaborating together to create, produce, promote, and enjoy the new music of today. Our members are from a variety of composers committed to the creation and dissemination of new music. Their music is of a variety of styles, aesthetics, and ideologies. Vox Novus produces and promotes new music. They are dedicated to contemporary music, the musicians who perform, and the composers that write the music of today. Their mission is to cultivate a music community and make their work available to the greater public. Remarkable Theater Brigade founded by Christian McLeer, Dan Jeselsohn and Monica Harte, creates and produces new operas and musicals and takes children’s versions out to special-needs and at-risk children free of charge.

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Funding by Funding also provided by the Puffin Foundation, "...continuing the dialogue between art and lives of ordinary people."

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