The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: The Library of Congress has commissioned new music about the coronavirus pandemic. You can listen to the world premieres from this Monday, June 15, through June 26
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The U.S. Library of Congress (LOC, exterior is below top and interior is below bottom) has started a new artistic project relevant to a public health crisis in both a historical era and the current times.
The LOC has commissioned 10 different short works, experienced in 10 different performance videos recorded at their homes — that pertain to the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 from American composers and performers.
It is called The Boccaccio Project after the Renaissance poet Giovanni Boccaccio (below), a 14th-century Italian writer who wrote “The Decameron,” a series of stories told by 10 people who fled from Florence, Italy, to find refuge in the countryside during the Black Plague.
The musical works will start being premiered on weekdays this coming Monday, June 15, at the Library of Congress website. The works will also be broadcast on social media including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The website, which now has a complete list of performers and works, will soon have a complete schedule of world premieres, running on weekdays from Monday, June 15, to Friday, June 26. Then the manuscripts will be transferred to the LOC archives.
Here is a link: https://loc.gov/item/prn-20-038/
Many of the names will be unfamiliar to the general public. But an excellent story about the background and genesis of the project, including music samples, can be found on National Public Radio (NPR), which aired the story Friday morning.
Here is a link to that 7-minute story (if you listen to it rather than read it, you will hear samples of the music): https://www.npr.org/2020/06/12/875325958/a-new-library-of-congress-project-commissions-music-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic
And here are some of the participants, who are noteworthy for their ethnic and geographic diversity:
Flutronix (below) includes flutist Allison Loggins-Hull, left, and composer Nathalie Joachim.
The work by composer Luciano Chessa (below top) will be performed by violist Charlton Lee (below bottom), of the Del Sol Quartet:
And the work by Damien Sneed (below top) work will be performed by Jeremy Jordan (below bottom):
The new project strikes The Ear as a terrific and timely undertaking — the musical equivalent of the photographic project, funded and staffed by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during The Great Depression of the 1930s. That project yielded enduring masterpieces by such eminent photographers as Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans.
But several questions arise.
How much did the project cost?
Will the general public be able to get copies of and rights to these works to perform? One assumes yes, since it is a public project funded with public money.
And will this project give rise to similar projects in other countries that are also battling the pandemic? New art – literature, films, painting, dance and so on — arising from new circumstances seems like something that is indeed worth the undertaking.
Listen to them.
What works stand out for you?
What do you think of the project?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #14thCentury, #AllisonLoggins-Hull, #AmericanComposer, #BlackPlague, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BloomingtonIndiana, #ChamberMusic, #CharltonLee, #ChicagoIllinois, #ClassicalMusician, #CommissionedMusic, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #CulturalDiversity, #DamienSneed, #DelSolQuartet, #DelSolStringQuartet, #DorotheaLange, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FarmSecurityAdministration, #GiovanniBoccaccio, #GreatDepression, #JacobStockinger, #JeremyJordan, #LibraryofCongress, #LucianoChessa, #NaionalPublicRadio, #NathalieJoachim, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #OnlineConcert, #PerformingArts, #PublicHealth, #RecordedMusic, #SanFrancisco, #SocialMedia, #StringMusic, #StringQuartet, #TheDecameron, #TheEar, #TheRenaissance, #TheU.S., #U.S.Government, #VisualArts, #WalkerEvans, #WindMusic, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, 10, 14th century, 1930s, air, Allison Loggins-Hull, America, American, archive, arise, Arts, Audio, background, battle, Black Plague, blog, Bloomington, Boccaccio, Broadcast, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Charlton Lee, Chicago, circumstances, classicalmusic, commission, complete, composer, copy, coronavirus, countries, country, countryside, Damien Sneed, dance, Del Sol Quartet, Del Sol String Quartet, depression, diversity, Dorothea Lange, eminent, enduring, equivalent, era, ethnic, excellent, exterior, Facebook, Farm Security Administration, film, flautist, Florence, flute, flutist, Flutronix, forward, Friday, FSA, funded, general, Genesis, geographic, Giovanni Boccaccio, government, Great Depression, historical, History, Home, Indiana, interior, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Jeremy Jordan, Joachim, Library of Congress, like, link, list, listen, literture, LOC, Luciano Chessa, manuscript, masterpiece, minute, Monday, money, morning, Music, Musician, name, Nathalie Joachim, National Public Radio, new, New Music, New York City, noteworthy, NPR, Oboe, oboist, online, painting, pandemic, participant, People, performer, Performing arts, photography, Pianist, Piano, poet, premiere, premieres, project, public, Public health, Quartet, read, recorded, refuge, Renaissance, rights, sample, San Francisco, schedule, series, share, short, social media, something, staff\, start, stay at home, stories, string music, String quartet, tag, ten, terrific, The Decameron, The Ear, timely, transfer, Tweet, Twitter, U.S., undertaking, unfamiliar, United States, video, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, visual arts, vocal music, Walker Evans, Website, weekday, wind music, work, works, world, world premiere, worth, Writer, yes, yield, YouTube
Classical music: Starting Wednesday, the second LunART Festival will again spotlight women in the performing and creative arts. Here is the first of a two-part preview
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received a long and detailed announcement about the upcoming second LunART Festival. Here is Part 1 with background and participants. Tomorrow will be Part 2 with more information about new music and a schedule of events.
The LunART Festival is back for its second season from this Wednesday, June 5, through Sunday, June 9, and will continue its mission of supporting, inspiring, promoting and celebrating women in the arts.
The 2019 season brings 10 events to eight venues in the Madison area, providing accessible, high-quality, engaging concerts and events with diverse programming from various arts fields.
The festival will showcase over 100 artists this season, including many familiar local artists and performers as well as guest artists hailing from Missouri to Texas, Minnesota to Florida and as far away as Peru.
LunART’s inaugural 2018 season was a success on numerous fronts. From showcasing a wide variety of artists and arts disciplines to building lasting relationships and collaborations, LunART has distinguished itself from other arts events in Madison.
Both artists and audiences have commented that the LunART atmosphere is one of camaraderie, love and acceptance. Festival directors Iva Ugrcic and Laura Medisky (below right and left, respectively) have set this season to come back even stronger, with expanded dates and more diverse programming.
Like last year, the three ticketed evening gala concerts are centered on classical chamber music. Other art forms — including contemporary and aerial dance, poetry, spoken word and visual arts — are interwoven throughout the programs to create a unique atmosphere for performers, artists and audiences.
This year’s Grammy-nominated composer-in-residence is flutist Valerie Coleman (below), a former member of Imani Winds, who was described as one of the “Top 35 Female Composers in Classical Music” by The Washington Post.
Coleman embodies LunART’s vision by challenging norms and being a strong advocate for diversity in the arts. Her rich compositional output infuses elements of jazz and African secular music into the Western classical tradition, creating a soundscape that honors both worlds. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear Valerie Coleman playing her own composition “Fanmi Imen” at the 2018 convention of the National Flute Association.)
Coleman’s music will be featured throughout the festival among the works of other remarkable women who shaped music history, from Baroque composer Barbara Strozzi to Romantic composer Clara Schumann to living composer Missy Mazzoli.
Drawing from Madison’s rich arts scene and community, LunART 2019 features local artists including: former Madison poet laureate Andrea Musher (below); actor and theater artist Deborah Hearst; choreographers and dancers Liz Sexe and Kimi Evelyn; and aerial dancer Linda DiRaimondo.
Also featured are musicians from arts organizations such as Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Fresco Opera Theatre, Arbor Ensemble, Madison New Music Ensemble and Sound Out Loud Contemporary Music Collective. Under the direction of Edgewood College professor Kathleen Otterson, Madison’s only women’s choir ARTemis Ensemble returns in greater numbers and will present a work by LunART 2018 “From Page to Stage” alum Meg Huskin among others.
Visual art will have a stronger presence in the 2019 Festival. From May 11-July 7, Overture’s Playhouse Gallery will house “Women Against Hate United by Love,” a collaborative, traveling art exhibition and multi-step “anti-hate” campaign united against bigotry, intolerance and racism, created by J. Leigh Garcia (below), Rachael Griffin and Kelly Parks Snider.
A gallery reception on Wednesday, June 5, serves as LunART’s opening event, in which Snider will give a talk about the exhibit and her use of art to educate communities about targeted issues in the hopes of shaking up the status quo. This engaging and thought-provoking exhibit is meant to provide a meaningful and hopeful community experience for all who attend.
In collaboration with Studio 84 and ArtWorking, two nonprofit art studios specializing in the creative development of people with disabilities, the final Gala concert at First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, on Saturday, June 8, will showcase 40 artworks. This exhibit will feature 20 women artists whose works will be displayed, flanking the Atrium Auditorium stage as well as in the lobby.
Tomorrow: New music to be premiered, comedy and the full schedule of events
Tags: #AfricanMusic, #AndreaMusher, #ArborEnsemble, #ARTemisEnsemble, #ArtExhibit, #ArtExhibition, #ArtForm, #ArtWorking, #ArtWorks, #AtriumAuditorium, #BarbaraStrozzi, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CelebratingWomen, #ChamberMusic, #ClaraSchumann, #Composer-in-Residence, #ContemporaryMusic, #CulturalDiversity, #DeborahHearst, #EdgewoodCollege, #EthnicDiversity, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FemaleComposer, #FeministArt, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FluteMusic, #FrescoOperaTheatre, #FromPagetoStage, #GenderDiversity, #GrammyAward, #GrammyNominations, #GuestArtist, #High-Quality, #ImaniWinds, #J.LeighGarcia, #JazzMusic, #KathleenOtterson, #KellyParksSnider, #KimiEvelyn, #LindaDiRaimondo, #LivingComposer, #LizSexe, #LunARTFestival, #MadisonNewMusicEnsemble, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MegHuskin, #MeToo, #MeToomovement, #MissyMazzoli, #MusicHistory, #NationalFluteAssociation, #NewMusic, #NonprofitOrganization, #OpeningNight, #OvertureCenter, #PoetLaureate, #RachelGriffin, #RomanticMusic, #SaturdayNight, #SecularMusic, #SoundOutLoud, #SpokenWord, #StatusQuo, #Studio84, #TheEar, #ThePlayhouse, #TheWashingtonPost, #ThoughtProvoking, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ValerieColeman, #VisualArts, #WindMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #Women'sChoir, #WomenArtists, #YouTubevideo, accessible, accpetance, Actor, actress, advocate, aerial, African, all-women, alum, alumna, Andrea Musher, announcement, Arbor Ensemble, area, art exhibition, art form, Art Works, ARTemis Ensemble, artists, Arts, atmosphere, Atrium Auditorium, audience, background, Barbara Strozzi, Baroque, bigotry, blog, camaraderie, campaign, celebrating, Cello, challenging, Chamber music, choral music, choreographer, Clara Schumann, Classical music, classicalmusic, collaborative, comedy, community, composer, Composition, Concert, contemporary, contemporary music, convention, create, dance, dancer, dates, Deborah Hearst, detail, disabilities, disciplines, diverse, diversity, Early music, Edgewood College, educate, engaging, ethnic, evening, event, exhibit, expand, experience, Facebook, female, female composer, feminism, feminist, fina, final gala, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Florida, flute, flutist, forward, Fresco Opera Theatre, From Page to Stage, fronts, gala, gallery, gender, Grammy, Grammy Award, guest artist, hate, History, honor, hope, hopeful, Imani Winds, information, inspiring, intolerance, J. Lee Garcia, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Kathleen Otterson, Kelly Parks Snider, Kimi Evelyn, like, Linda DiRaimondo, link, Living composer, Liz Sexe, lobby, local, Love, LunART Festival, Madison, Madison New Music Ensemble, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Me Too, Mead Witter School of Music, Meg Huskin, Minnesota, mission, Missouri, Missy Mazzoli, Music, music history, National Flute Association, New Music, nominations, nonprofit, norms, numbers, opening, Overture Center, page, part, participants, People, performer, Peru, Piano, Playhouse, Poet laureate, Poetry, professor, programming, race, Rachel Griffin, racism, reception, rich, Romantic, Romanticism, Saturday, scene, schedule, second, secular, shake up, share, showcase, Sound Out Loud, soundscape, spoken word, stage, status quo, strong, studio, Studio 84, success, supporting, tag, talk, target, Texas, The Ear, The Washington Post, thought provoking, ticket, tomorrow, tradition, traveling, united, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, VALERIE COLEMAN, venue, Viola, Violin, vision, visual arts, vocal music, Wednesday, Western, winds, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, women, women artists, women;s choir, world, YouTube
Classical music: Brass ensemble from UW-Platteville performs a FREE concert Monday night at Taliesin in Spring Green. Plus, the Willy Street Chamber Players perform living composers tonight at 6.
Leave a Comment
ALERT: A reminder that tonight at 6 p.m. in the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1021 Spaight Street, the newly formed group the Willy Street Chamber Players (below) — whose members also play in the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and other groups — will present a concert of works for strings and piano by living composers, including Paul Schoenfield (you can hear the first movement of his “Cafe Music,” which is on the program, in a YouTube video at the bottom) and UW-Madison School of Music students. Admission is $12, $8 for students and seniors. For more information, here is a link to the group’s website:
http://www.willystreetchamberplayers.org
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear’s friends at the Rural Musicians Forum write:
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s faculty brass ensemble, Ensemble Nouveau, takes the stage at Hillside Theater in Spring Green, at famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s compound Taliesin, as part of the Rural Musicians Forum summer concert series, on this coming Monday night, July 27 at 7:30 p.m.
The Hillside Theater (below) is located at 6604 Highway 23 in Spring Green.
The concert is not ticketed and is open to the public. A free-will offering will be taken to support the concert series. For additional information and driving directions see www.ruralmusiciansforum.org.
The ensemble’s performance will be held in the fashion of the quickly growing trend called “Classical Revolution,” where audiences hear classical music in a setting that is different and more accessible than typical concert venues and settings. Since the ensemble formed in 2009, it has performed at community centers, schools and radio stations in northern Illinois, Chicago, northeast Iowa and all across Wisconsin.
“The novelty of the group is that each member plays at least four different instruments when we perform,” said David Cooper, associate professor of trumpet and chair of the Department of Performing and Visual Arts. “Another unique feature of the group is that we arrange all of our own music because no musical arrangements exist with parts written for our unique combination of instruments.”
The group began as a quartet of four UW-Platteville faculty members and held its first concert in 2009. The group soon attracted the attention of Wisconsin Public Radio because of the quality of the members’ musicianship.
Today, the group has grown to a sextet: Cooper, who plays B-flat, C, E-flat, flugel horn and piccolo trumpet; Matthew Gregg, associate director of bands, who plays French horn, mellophone, flugel and trumpet; Allen Cordingley, lecturer of saxophone and jazz studies, who plays soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone; percussion instructor Keith Lienert, who plays an assortment of instruments including the drum set, marimba and steel pan; Corey Mackey, lecturer of clarinet, guitar, chamber music and music appreciation, who plays all members of the clarinet family; and David Earll, lecturer of music technology, chamber music and music appreciation, who plays different tubas and euphonium.
In the photo below, members of the Ensemble Nouveau are, from left to right, David Earll, Matthew Gregg, Keith Lienert, Corey Mackey, David Cooper, Allen Cordingley.
Ensemble Nouveau now represents almost every musical member of a typical high school band program, and its program is widely varied.
“I’ve never played with a group like this before – where the literature varies so much, from Johann Sebastian Bach to Stevie Wonder to Astor Piazzola,” said Gregg. “We can play a multitude of styles: jazz, classical, funk, Latin – you name it, we play it.”
“I enjoy the challenge that comes from the uniqueness of the group,” said Cordingley. “This group is a small version of a concert band, involving all types of instruments and all types of music. During Renaissance times, consorts of musicians played in diverse locations. It almost feels like we’re old-time consorts playing contemporary music in our own diverse locations.”
In an important way, Ensemble Nouveau is also an attractive representation of what the UW-Platteville Department of Visual and Performing Arts has to offer.
As Cooper says: “We are part of this ensemble because we want to be. This group has a sincere camaraderie that reflects our passion for music and our appreciation for the opportunities we have at UW-Platteville.
“We want students at area high schools to know that they will have access to world-class players, musicians and singers at UW-Platteville. It’s important to keep music alive. Ensemble Nouveau is going to do everything in its power to do that.”
Ensemble Nouveau promises an evening of exuberant all-brass music. It will not be “all crashing cymbals and honking tubas,” Gregg insists.
For openers, two talented student flutists from the Wisconsin River Valley, Brenna Ledesma and Carly Stanek, will be featured. Each will play a solo selection followed by a duet.
Tags: alto, Arts, Ástor Piazzolla, Bach, baritone, Baroque, bass clarinet, brass, brass ensemble, Campus, Cello, Chamber music, Chicago, clarinet, Classical music, Classical Revolution, community center, drum, Euphonium, flute, Frank Lloyd Wright, funk, ILLINOIS, Iowa, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Latin, living composers, Madison Symphony Orchestra, marimba, Music, music appreciation, New Music, Organic architecture, outreach, Paul Schoenfield, percussion, Performing arts, Piano, Prairie School, rural, Rural Musicians Forum, Saxophone, school, soprano, Spring Green, Stevie Wonder, strings, Taliesin, tenor, Trumpet, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Platteville, Viola, Violin, visual arts, Willy Street Chamber Players, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, YouTube
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 