I have been awarded two residencies in the upcoming months! In January and February, I will spend four weeks as composer-in-residence at Playa in rural central Oregon. Then, in March and April, I will spend six weeks as composer-in-residence at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska. For both of these, I will be provided room and board, a studio with a piano, and lots of time to dedicate to composing!
During these residencies, I plan on working on (and perhaps completing) a new Piano Concerto, being commissioned by the Stow Festival Chorus and Orchestra, for myself to perform as soloist during the 2012-13 season. The concerto will be an exploration of my relationship with Mozart, a composer who I admit having a love-hate relationship with throughout my life, and I hope to blend the elements of his style that I particularly like with my own in creating this work.
For Natalie for solo cello will be premiered by cellist Natalie Spehar on January 29th, 2012 at the Church of the Holy City in Washington, D.C. on the Swedenborg Center's "Music with the Angels" Concert Series.
A video of the performance from May of Waltzing Dervish for Wind (powered) Ensemble by the Encore Wind Ensemble is now available to watch here.
I am currently volunteering with the Conservatory Lab Charter School El Sistema Program in Boston, writing some orchestral etudes for their orchestra program. For those who are unaware, "El Sistema" is the highly successful system of youth orchestras in Venezuela which has done extraordinary things for youth, particularly poor youth, in that country, and new programs are beginning in the USA as well. I recommend watching this incredibly inspiring documentary on the Venezuelan system, entitled "Tochar y Luchar," which can be viewed for free in its entirety here (length: 71 mins).
I have begun writing concert reviews for the Boston Musical Intelligencer. You can read my first review, of an organ recital by David Higgs in Worcester, here.
As a pianist, I will be giving several solo recitals around the Boston area in the next few months:
-Nov. 13, 2011, 3pm, Pilgrim Church, Southborough, MA: "A Composing Lineage." Works by Milhaud, Bolcom, Pann, and Southard. Free admission.
-Nov. 30, 2011, 6:30pm, Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, Boylston, MA: "New England Composers." Works by Rzewski, Ives, and Southard.
-Dec. 5, 2011, 7:30pm, The Willows, Westborough, MA: "Ragtime Old and New." Rags by Joplin, Bolcom, Pann, and Southard.
-Dec. 12, 2011, 7:30pm, Lasell Village, Auburndale, MA: "Ragtime Old and New." Rags by Joplin, Bolcom, Pann, and Southard.
-Jan. 4, 2012, 5:30pm, Wednesday Concert Series, St. John the Evangelist Church, Boston, MA: Program: TBA. Free admission.
For more information on these recitals, please see the Upcoming Performances page.
I am also beginning an e-newsletter, so sign up here to receive periodic email newsletters to stay informed on all musical activities.
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