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| Composer's Voice features L - Composer's Voice 50th concert | |
| July 25, 2010 | |
| 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. | |
| Performers | |
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Laura Patterson has performed music of various genres in Rotterdam at the ICAF festival; in Peru at the Lima International Jazz Festival; and Los Angeles, California. She earned her B.M. from the University of Southern California. Laura has recently returned to New York and performs with orchestras, theater productions, and has her own teaching studio. In addition to the modern silver flute, Laura has also studied and performs on wooden and ethnic flutes of all shapes and sizes. |
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Beth Griffith (soprano) has appeared with Sequentia, Musikfabrik, Ensemble13, L'Art pour L'Art, Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Paris Nouvel Orchestra Philharmonique and has worked with composers John Cage, Morton Feldman, Mauricio Kagel and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Her one-hour, solo recording of Feldman's "Three Voices" was awarded the German Record Critics Prize. Since her European debut in Mauricio Kagel’s solo theater piece Phonophonie in 1978, the demand for Beth Griffth as soloist has taken her to such important music festivals as the Warsaw Autumn, Cologne Triennale, Wien Modern, Numus Festival, RIAC, Donaueschingen Musiktage, Darmstadt Summer Courses,Wittener Tage fur Neue Kammermusik, ISCM and New Music America. In addition, her acclaimed performance of Morton Feldman’s Three Voices has been heard on numerous stages from Prague, Berlin, London, New York and in between. Recent invitations led her to Grahamstown, South Africa, Gent, s-Hertogenbosch, Cologne, Wiesbaden, Raleigh, North Carolina and here in New York with repertoire ranging from chamber works by Sorrell Hays, Dieter Schnebel, Wolfgang von Schweinitz, Manos Tsangaris, solo works by John Cage, Alvin Curran, Morton Feldman, Noah Creshevsky, John McGuire, Mattricio Kagel and Rodney Waschka. “An extraordinary American soprano, Beth Griffith sang with a focus and presence (as she did everything) that held a listener at rapt attention. Griffith, a Texan, recently returned to the United States after a 20-year career in Germany. It is our good fortune” --Mark Swed Los Angeles Times “A real highlight of the festival was the exceptional singer Beth Griffith... Her vocal artistry surpasses the conventional with an incredibly wide gamut of tonal and expressive articulation... All this seems to happen in a kind of mystical atmosphere brought about by the unique performance of Beth Griffith, as singer and as human being.” --Suzana Martinakova Literarny Tyzdennik Bratislava: “The piece that turned me to jelly, though, was A cappella, by John McGuire, recently resident in New York after decades in Cologne. With impassioned expressiveness, soprano Beth Griffith sang syncopated vowel sounds over a sparkling electronic background, medieval but vibrant in its contrapuntal austerity.” --Kyle Gann The Village Voice |
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Beth Griffith (soprano) has appeared with Sequentia, Musikfabrik, Ensemble13, L'Art pour L'Art, Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Paris Nouvel Orchestra Philharmonique and has worked with composers John Cage, Morton Feldman, Mauricio Kagel and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Her one-hour, solo recording of Feldman's "Three Voices" was awarded the German Record Critics Prize. Since her European debut in Mauricio Kagel’s solo theater piece Phonophonie in 1978, the demand for Beth Griffth as soloist has taken her to such important music festivals as the Warsaw Autumn, Cologne Triennale, Wien Modern, Numus Festival, RIAC, Donaueschingen Musiktage, Darmstadt Summer Courses,Wittener Tage fur Neue Kammermusik, ISCM and New Music America. In addition, her acclaimed performance of Morton Feldman’s Three Voices has been heard on numerous stages from Prague, Berlin, London, New York and in between. Recent invitations led her to Grahamstown, South Africa, Gent, s-Hertogenbosch, Cologne, Wiesbaden, Raleigh, North Carolina and here in New York with repertoire ranging from chamber works by Sorrell Hays, Dieter Schnebel, Wolfgang von Schweinitz, Manos Tsangaris, solo works by John Cage, Alvin Curran, Morton Feldman, Noah Creshevsky, John McGuire, Mattricio Kagel and Rodney Waschka. “An extraordinary American soprano, Beth Griffith sang with a focus and presence (as she did everything) that held a listener at rapt attention. Griffith, a Texan, recently returned to the United States after a 20-year career in Germany. It is our good fortune” --Mark Swed Los Angeles Times “A real highlight of the festival was the exceptional singer Beth Griffith... Her vocal artistry surpasses the conventional with an incredibly wide gamut of tonal and expressive articulation... All this seems to happen in a kind of mystical atmosphere brought about by the unique performance of Beth Griffith, as singer and as human being.” --Suzana Martinakova Literarny Tyzdennik Bratislava: “The piece that turned me to jelly, though, was A cappella, by John McGuire, recently resident in New York after decades in Cologne. With impassioned expressiveness, soprano Beth Griffith sang syncopated vowel sounds over a sparkling electronic background, medieval but vibrant in its contrapuntal austerity.” --Kyle Gann The Village Voice |
| Nolan Robertson | |
| Chris Wilson | |
| Composers | |
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Jay C. Batzner is currently on the faculty of Central Michigan University where he teaches music technology, electronic music composition, and music theory courses. Prior to this position Dr. Batzner was on the faculty of the University of Central Florida, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Metropolitan Community Colleges (Kansas City area), and Indiana University Southeast. He earned his doctorate in composition at the University of Missouri – Kansas City and holds degrees in composition and/or theory from the University of Louisville and the University of Kansas. Jay's music is primarily focused around instrumental chamber works as well as electroacoustic composition. His music has been recorded on the Capstone, Vox Novus, and Beauport Classical labels and is published by Unsafe Bull Music. Dr. Batzner has received many honors for his compositional work, including awards or mentions from the Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges (2008), the Areon Flutes International Composition Competition (2009), the VI Concurso Internacional de Miniaturas Electroacusticas (2008), the London International Film Festival (2008), and the UK Percussion Ensemble Composition Contest (2007). His video collaboration with visual artist Carla Poindexter, Carnival Daring-Do, has been screened at over two dozen film festivals and multimedia venues including the Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Art, the Third Practice Festival, and the Raindance, Moondance, Palm Beach International, and Fresno Filmworks Film festivals. Jay's podcast of electroacoustic music, The Unsafe Bull podcast, was nominated for a Weblog award for Best Podcast of 2007. Outside of his musical activities, Jay is a sci-fi geek, a burgeoning seamster, a home brewer, a claw hammer banjoist, and a former juggler. |
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Artistic Director of the Composer’s Voice concert series, Douglas DaSilva is a composer, guitarist, educator and curator in New York City. He composes in various styles including jazz, pop, children’s music, chamber music and experimental. Much of his writing is influenced by Brazilian music and self-inflicted stress. Douglas DaSilva’s compositions have been described as “very individual, and to us has a very clear personality” by Duozona in Classical Guitar Magazine. His pieces Sarabande; How to Build a Totalitarian State and Contrails have been included in 60x60 projects. His electronic piece Camp des feuilles will be premiered at the 2010 International-Computer-Music-Conference.. |
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Christian McLeer is artistic director and founder of Remarkable Theater Brigade (RTB), a company that creates and produces new musical works. Originally founded to produce his work, RTB has grown, and in its 6th season, will begin presenting the music of other living composers as well. His musical success began as a youth, winning piano competitions and commissions while still in high school. He received his first commission at the age of 14 for the American Cancer Society for which he wrote and performed HOPE, later included on the CD Encores 2 by the renowned pianist Anna Marie Bottazzi. He attended Julliard Pre-College and worked his way through Manhattan School of Music where he acquired his Bachelor’s degree, composing and performing professionally for classical, jazz and rock ensembles. He has performed at many respected venues including Alice Tully Hall, Weill-Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and the New Orleans Astro Dome among others. Performing his own compositions has won him special acclaim from publications such as The New York Times, Newsday and OCS. Christian’s compositions have been commissioned for numerous groups and artists, including the Long Island Singers, the Harmonia Opera Company, The New Millennium Orchestra, concert pianist Phillip Dieckow, director Vincent Scott, OnTrac Productions, jazz pianist Mickey Laverine, conductor Ted Puffer, RTB, and numerous others. Musing has seen many performances and was recorded by flautist, Sophia Anastasia on her debut CD, Musing. His song cycle Longing Eternal Bliss, originally written for Monica Harte and Ken Merrill, will be recorded by McLeer and Harte on Harte’s upcoming CD of American art songs featuring Christian McLeer, Tom Cipullo and other respected living composers. |
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Nolan Stolz (b.1981) is a musician who grew up in Las Vegas, NV in the 1990s. He is a composer, music theorist, drummer and university professor. Stolz has a unique compositional voice in the contemporary classical music world: one that is clearly influenced by his performance background in jazz fusion and progressive rock, yet firmly rooted in the contemporary classical tradition. Although the music may sound expressive, natural and raw, the notation is very precise (for example, the use of microtones or complex rhythms). His compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, South America, and across Europe, including festivals such as the Academie Internationale d'Ete de Nice (FRANCE), Suolahti International Summer Music Festival (FINLAND), Belvedere Chamber Music Festival, Electroacoustic Juke Joint, eXtensible Electric Guitar Festival, Las Vegas International New Music Festival, Las Vegas Music Festival, Music Today Festival, and the Oregon Bach Festival. He has been commissioned by the Alturas Duo, CCSU Chamber Players, Synchronix, LVA Jazz Ensemble, Las Vegas Music Festival Orchestra, SUNY-Stony Brook, Aaron Larget-Caplan, Leslie Ann Leytham, Robert Plotkin and Peter Scuderi. Stolz was awarded the Max DiJulio Composition Prize, second prize in the New Zealand Association of Organists International Competition, and the Most Outstanding Student Composition Award at the 2009 College Music Society Northeast Conference. His Lullaby for Sam was recently released on Aaron Larget-Caplan's New Lullaby CD from the Six Strings Sounds label. Other commercial releases are forthcoming. As a music theorist, Stolz has lectured at Queen's University (Canada), The Hartt School, MACRO Musicians' Workshop, and several regional and national conferences (Society of Inc. and College Music Society). Although best known for his analytical system for microtonal music he calls "Fractional Set Theory," Stolz has also given papers on theory-composition pedagogy and jazz improvisation pedagogy. His article on Schoenberg's fourth string quartet is available online. Stolz is very interested in Hawaiian history and culture, and has spent a considerable amount of time in Hawaii. Several of his compositions take on Hawaiian themes. Mele Hoipoipopo and Why Waianaie? for wind ensemble, Princess Kaiulani for flute, Kaena Point for piano quartet, Legend of Waianapanapa Caves for violin (or viola) and piano (with optional dance), and Makaha Valley for chamber ensemble are a few compositions based on Hawaiian people and locations. Stolz is also a drum set performer in both the rock and jazz idioms, working with notable bands such as Swinging Popsicle, Halloween Town, and Art Rock Circus. He appears on the Johnny Pate 80th birthday concert CD with jazz greats Ron Carter, Phil Woods, Monty Alexander, Kenny Burrell and several others. His solo CD Nolan Stolz Rock Orchestra feautring prog-rock arrangements of "classical" works was released in 2011. He also appears on Halloween Town's 2011 CD Zafra Ct. which features Ryan Pardey, Wes Hines, two members of Louis IV (Jason Hill & Brian Karscig) and three members of The Killers (Dave Keuning, Tommy Marth, and Mark Stoermer). Dr. Stolz holds degrees from The Hartt School, University of Oregon, and UNLV. His composition teachers include Virko Baley, Robert Carl, David Crumb, Robert Kyr, Larry Alan Smith and Ken Steen. Dr. Stolz is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of South Dakota where he teaches music theory and composition. He has held faculty positions at Naugatuck Valley Community College, Three Rivers Community College, and at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. |
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“With few opportunities and much competition,...composers show creativity in just getting heard.” And in Chris Pasles’s article in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Voisey is highlighted as one of those composers. Composing electroacoustic and chamber music, his aesthetic oscillates from the Romantic to the Post Modern Mash-Up. His work has been performed in venues throughout the world including: Carnegie Hall, World Financial Center Winter Garden Atrium, and Stratford Circus in London. Voisey has been profiled and music broadcasted on HEC-TV public television in St Louis, Elektramusik in France, as well as radio stations all around the world including: Cityscape NPR St. Louis Public Radio; Arts & Answers & Art Waves on WKCR, Upbeat with Eva Radich on Radio New Zealand; and Kol Yisrael Israeli Radio. Rob Voisey’s neo-romantic chamber works are routinely performed in New York City on the Composer’s Voice concert series and his 10 minute opera was featured on “Opera Shorts” produced by the Remarkable Theater Brigade. Voisey’s electronic work ranges wildly in style and aesthetic but has the common feature of being collaborative and community orientated. Some of his current projects include: one minute electronic works for 60x60; 50 second miniatures named for each State in the Union; Constellations, a project of miniature ambient pieces put together in a mobile form. On the less short more romantic side, Voisey’s 10 minute opera, “Poppetjie” premiered at Carnegie Hall presented by the Remarkable Theater Brigade’s Opera Shorts. “Poppetjie” is a story about a little girl who projects her notions of marriage and relationships onto her doll and teddy bear. Rob Voisey’s romantic art songs “Dos Palabras” which are based on the work of Argentinean poet Alfonsina Storni. It is a duet commissioned by Agueda Pages and has been premiered by her in New York City, Bremen, Germany and Valencia, Spain. This song cycle has had several performances in New York City at Jan Hus Church at the Composer’s Voice Concert series; the Argentinean Consulate, and at Christ & St Stevens Church for the XL performance. “Dos Palabras” has also been performed in Barcelona, Spain. |
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.”
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 also provided by the Puffin Foundation, "...continuing the dialogue between art and lives of ordinary people." | |||
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