PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER: NEWS

COMPOSER-TO-COMPOSER FINISHED SEASON WITH KNUSSEN AND DALBAVIE

(MAY 2003) The chapter and The Philadelphia Orchestra concluded their season of Composer-to-Composer roundtable sessions with two meetings at the Kimmel Center. On February 27, members met with composer Oliver Knussen and attended a rehearsal of his newly composed Violin Concerto, performed by the orchestra and guest soloist Pinchas Zuckerman. On March 6, members met with French composer Marc Andre Dalbavie for a rehearsal and discussion of his new work, "Ciaconna."

THE 'IT SUMMIT'; A COMMUNITY PARTNERS PERFORMANCE

(MAY 2003) On March 13, composer Kevin Diehl began work on the IT Summit, his Community Partners project co-created with teens at Philadelphia’s Don Finnegan Recreation Center and local arts organizations Termite TV, the Sonic Liberation Front and the Maewa Cultural Ensemble. At press time, performances were scheduled for April 25 and 26 in the Black Box Theater at Film at the Prince. The new work mixes cutting-edge composition, improvisational performance by an Afro-Cuban jazz jam-band, live "guerrilla" video, and dance.

PENNSYLVANIA BALLET PREMIERES MAGGIO'S "LE TRAVAIL"

(APRIL 2003) On Valentine’s Day, the Pennsylvania Ballet premiered Robert Maggio’s "Le Travail." The piece, choreographed by Matthew Neenan, pays homage to Degas and provides a timely link to the "Degas and Dance" exhibit currently running at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. "Le Travail" is the first original score ever commissioned by the ballet, and was created as part of Maggio’s Community Partners residency with the company. Appropriate to the day, Elizabeth Zimmer offered up a sweetheart review of the new work in the Philadelphia Inquirer, describing the 25-minute score as comprising "dense waves of practically Prokofievian drama." Hundreds of school children attended the dress rehearsal, and Maggio is teaching workshops to students in kindergarten through eight grade at Andrew J. Morrison School as part of the ballet’s education program.

BARBARA WHITE COMMISSIONED FOR PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA CHAMBER SERIES

(APRIL 2003) The chapter has commissioned a new work from composer Barbara White, to be premiered by The Philadelphia Orchestra on January 24, 2004, as part of its Chamber Music Series. A member of the faculty at Princeton University, White recently spent a sabbatical as a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

FOUR COMPOSERS SELECTED FOR NEW VOICES

(APRIL 2003) On May 31, Philadelphia composers Andrew Bleckner, Kevin Kelly, Steven Gearhart, and Ian Moss will participate in the chapter’s New Voices Series. The four composers will have works read by the Choral Arts Society under the batons of Artistic Director David Tang and former Artistic Director Donald Nally.

EVANS BEGINS RESIDENCY WITH TEEN JAZZ WORKSHOP

(APRIL 2003) On February 23, jazz pianist and composer Orrin Evans began his Community Partners residency with the Sedgwick Cultural Center’s Teen Jazz Workshop. Throughout the spring, Evans will work with participants to write and perform original work. The residency will culminate on May 10, with a concert of works by Evans and the young musicians. The residency will also be a subject of the Scribe Video Center’s Community Visions project, which uses video to document community concerns, celebrate cultural diversity, and comment on the human condition.

NEW MUSIC PHILADELPHIA ON TEMPORARY HIATUS
(APRIL 2003) We hope you enjoyed the fourth edition of New Music Philadelphia. As we seek to expand its image and readership the publication will go on temporary hiatus; please look for further announcements on this page. As there is a strong possibility that NMP will be distributed electronically, we encourage you to send your e-mail addresses to phillycomposers@earthlink.net to ensure receipt of future editions.