AtlantaComposers.com

Sonic Generator presents "Locally Grown"

2012-01-17T22:17:00.002-05:00

Sonic Generator Presents “Locally Grown”

Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Rich Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center
1280 Peachtree Street, Atlanta
Concert begins at 8 p.m.

Free admission.

http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu
https://www.facebook.com/events/220310531390081/

Georgia Tech’s contemporary chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, features music by Alvin Lucier, Jason Freeman, Steve Everett, Tae Hong Park, Adam Silverman, and Pedro Rivadeneira in a free performance in partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center. Showcasing innovative music by Atlanta-based composers who integrate technology into contemporary music, the concert includes two works inspired by the Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever, two pieces exploring the potential of spatialized electronic sound, and the premiere of SGLC by Georgia Tech music professor Jason Freeman, in which laptop and instrumental musicians together create the performance through live computer coding and real-time digital music notation.

Hope to see you all there!

Midtown Brass performance premieres Atlanta Composer's quintet

2012-01-13T16:11:00.004-05:00

Midtown Brass will be giving a free recital on Friday January 20th, 8pm at Rev Coffee in Smyrna. It will be in a relaxed atmosphere, accessible, informative and cool. Come enjoy some great music and good coffee.

The program will be:

Ricochet- Kerry Turner

Onondaga - Bill Pritchard (WORLD PREMIERE by Atlanta Composer)

Brass Quintet - Koetsier

Pavane - Ravel (with a surprise)

International Conference on Auditory Display

2012-01-11T10:37:00.003-05:00

This June, Georgia Tech will host ICAD 2012, the international conference focused on sonification and auditory display. I encourage you all to look over the call for submissions (with deadlines coming up on Feb 10 and March 1) and to consider submitting a paper or poster or entering the sonification competition (in which you must sonify Twitter data about social music listening).

Rather than post the extensive call here, I'll just link to it here.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

"Be Your Own Publicist: PR for the Artist 101"

2012-01-10T13:41:00.000-05:00

Laura Soldati, Communications Manager, Atlanta Opera
Tuesdays at 6:00 pm
January 17, 2012 - February 7, 2012
Cost: $150.00
Location: Actor's Express

Learn how to promote yourself in today's crowded and ever-shifting marketplace. This class offers practical steps to artists building and sustaining their careers. Learn more here.

The Atlanta Opera to Host 24-Hour Opera Project Showcase

2012-01-10T13:34:00.003-05:00

Audience Can Attend for Free or Tune in Via Live Webcast on
Saturday, January 21 at 7:00 p.m. EST

What:
The Atlanta Opera’s 24-Hour Opera Project Showcase! Selected composers, lyricists,
stage directors and opera singers -- randomly put into teams – have 24 hours to
compose, stage and rehearse a 10-minute opera. Performances will be judged by a
panel of judges and by the audience, who can also tune in via live webcast on
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Webcast:
The public unable to attend the performances can tune in to a LIVE webcast at
atlantaopera.org. They can vote for “Audience Favorite” via Twitter
(@TheAtlantaOpera) or Facebook.

When/Where:
SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE, Saturday, January 21, 2012 @ 7pm
The Atlanta Opera Center
1575 Northside Drive, Bldg. 300, Suite 350
Atlanta, GA 30318

Who:
Judges include: Stephanie Adrian, Voice Professor at Emory University and writer
for Opera News, Classical Singer, and Journal of Singing; Andrew Alexander, Arts and
Entertainment Writer for Creative Loafing; John Lemley, Assistant Program Director,
host of City Café, Afternoon Classics and Tapestry on WABE (90.1); and Ann Owens,
former Executive Director of the Houston Grand Opera.

Participants include:
Composers
Jason Barabba, Los Angeles, CA
Timothy Brown, Denver, CO
Sarah Hersh, Atlanta, GA
Jennifer Jolley, Cincinnati, OH
Jonathan Stinson, Cincinnati, OH

Lyricists
Brad Fairchild, Jonesboro, GA
Meghan Fitzgerald, Atlanta, GA
Chadwick Hagan, Atlanta, GA
Curtis Krick, Atlanta, GA
Vynnie Meli, Marietta, GA

Stage Directors
Thomas Iaac Collins, Sweetwater, TN
Kristin Kenning , Birmingham, AL
Michael Nutter , Doraville, GA
Frances Rabalais, New Orleans, LA
Beth Suryan, Smyrna, GA

Singers
Robert Adams, Fayetteville, GA
Sharon Blackwood, Duluth, GA
Vivian Clifton, Atlanta, GA
Sondra Collin, Newberry, FL
Janeen Griffith, Mableton, GA
Kori Jennings, Baton Rouge, LA
Christine Lyons, Fayetteville, GA
Katie Oates, Mableton, GA
Laura Peacock, Buford, GA
Amanda Pillatzki, Hampton, GA
Ivan Segovia, Atlanta, GA
Sarah Vautour, Alpharetta, GA
Ariana Wehr, Baton Rouge, LA
John Elliot Yates, Hattiesburg, MS
Gerald Yarbray, Atlanta, GA

Accompanists/Music Directors
Catherine Giel, Atlanta, GA
Katherine Ireland, Atlanta, GA
Sandra Lutters, Atlanta, GA
Erin Palmer, Atlanta, GA
Michael Spassov, Ottawa, Ontario

Admission: Free and open to the public.

Information:
www.atlantaopera.org or education@atlantaopera.org or 404-881-8883.

New Blog Post Up

2012-01-03T13:35:00.003-05:00

I recently uploaded a new blog post. Check out my Top 5 New Year's Resolutions for composers on this month's Greek & Composing!

Chamber Cartel to play Feldman's Crippled Symmetry

2011-12-27T08:23:00.004-05:00

EDIT: Review by Mark Gresham on ArtsCriticATL

Percussionist Caleb Herron has put together a new music ensemble called Chamber Cartel, and their first concert will take place next Sunday, New Year's Day.

They will be performing the classic Morton Feldman piece Crippled Symmetry. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of Feldman's long-form (~90 minutes) works in concert!

January 1, 2012 - 7:30 PM
First Existentialist Congregation
470 Candler Park Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30307-2113
$10 at the door

Facebook invite
Chamber Cartel Facebook page
Chamber Cartel webpage

The Atlanta Opera's 24-Hour Opera Project Returns!

2011-11-29T10:36:00.001-05:00

From The Atlanta Opera's Education Director, Emmalee Iden:

Yes it’s true folks – The Atlanta Opera’s 24-Hour Opera Project is back! We had so much fun last year we’re ready to do it again! This is a fun event in which composers, lyricists, directors and singers are paired together to write, rehearse and perform an original opera scene – all in 24 hours. The application deadline for participants December 15. Applicants selected for participation will be notified by December 19.

The 24-Hour Opera Project will kick off at 5PM on Friday, January 20 at First Presbyterian Church in Midtown with the unveiling of the 2012 theme. Composers and lyricists will write all night until the whistle blows at 6AM. Stage directors and singers will take over at that point and begin rehearsing, all leading up to the showcase performance Saturday evening at 7PM. If you had a good time last year, just wait until you see what surprises we’ve got in store for you this year!!!

Some of the comments we received from participants last year:

“I really enjoyed participating in this project, it was like opera bootcamp! I was a lot of hard work and I felt accomplished after the performance. thanks again.”

“I truly had a great experience and was honored to be a part of the first (and hopefully annual) 24 Hour Opera Project.”

“I fell in love with opera. thank you.”

“I learned SO MUCH - which is why I wanted to be involved with the project to begin with. The structure of course made for a wonderful and rewarding challenge (thrilling!) - but collaborating with the artists on a new piece - in a form which is both familiar and different to me - proved mind blowing.”

All the information about the event can be found on our website here: www.atlantaopera.org/24hour.aspx, including video from last year’s event. Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested in participating. The more the merrier!

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at 404-881-8883 or eiden@atlantaopera.org.

Atlanta's forgotten history of composers

2011-11-21T14:47:00.008-05:00

Just appeared this morning in ArtsCriticATL, although quickly disappeared from the home page due to a review by the same author (who should have held onto it for another day, I guess) being posted afterward:

Memorial Drive: Atlanta’s forgotten classical music history [Mark Gresham | ArtsCriticATL, 21 Nov 2011]

Join in the discussion, and add your own memories of Atlanta composers from the pre-21st-century era to the comments, or e-mail them to me privately if you prefer.

You can also access it by going to the overall Classical Music page on ArtsCriticATL.

—Mark Gresham

GSU Student Composer Concert

2011-11-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

If you happen to find yourself in downtown Atlanta tomorrow, you are cordially invited to join us for a

Concert of New Works

by members of the Georgia State University Student Chapter of SCI

DATE: Friday, November 11, 2011

TIME: 12 PM

LOCATION: Kopleff Recital Hall, GSU Campus, Atlanta, GA

FREE Admission

Program:

Dreams and Fables (2010) for bassoon & piano - premiere - by Matthew EDMANDS

Eight Little Sketches for Viola (2010) by Ioannis PAPASPYROU

Sonata for Viola & Piano (2010) - premiere - by Taylor HELMS

Gift From Epirus (2010) for woodwind quartet by Ioannis PAPASPYROU

Amalgam Collapsing (2011) for flute, alto flute, double bass & piano by William WALKER

Pathos (2010) for string quartet by Ioannis PAPASPYROU

Wind Quintet (2010) - premiere - by Matthew EDMANDS

Encores Galore

2011-10-28T21:01:00.002-05:00

Hopefully of interest to composers, posted on my "EarRelevant" blog, from earlier today.

Last night at the Schwartz Center's Emerson Concert Hall, violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Valentina Lisitsa performed thirteen of the twenty-six "encores" Hahn had recently commissioned for violin and piano...

Questions for discussion:

Composers: Are you writing encores for Atlanta's musicians?
Performers: Are you requesting encores from Atlanta's composers?

—Mark Gresham

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble Concert

2011-10-26T10:54:00.000-05:00

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble
Nickitas Demos, artistic director

Please join us for the second concert of our 2011/12 season!

WHEN: Tuesday, November 1, 2011 - 7:30 PM
WHERE: Kopleff Recital Hall - Georgia State University
COST: FREE

Program:

HEAVY METAL

During the 1960's and 70's, under the direction of the legendary Bill Hill, Georgia State University was a center for contemporary brass music in the United States. We pay homage to this great tradition with a diverse concert of 20th Century/21st Century brass works! With music by GSU student composers and established composers, a mix of well-known brass compositions plus five world premieres and performances by the stellar GSU Brass Faculty & Students - there is something for everyone on this program!

Brass Quintet No. 1 - premiere - by GSU student composer, Matthew FRANK
Solus for solo trumpet - by Stanley FRIEDMAN
Conversations for Tenor & Bass Trombone - by Charles SMALL
Tonoi IX for solo euphonium - premiere - by Nickitas DEMOS
The Hollow Men for trumpet & piano - by Vincent PERSICHETTI
Hearing Confetti for trumpet trio - premiere - by GSU graduate student composer, Amy LEVENTHAL
The Troubadour for solo trombone - American premiere - by Henry R. WIXON
Flying Trapeze for euphonium quartet - premiere - by GSU graduate student composer, William MAY
Concert Variations for euphonium & piano - by Jan BACH

As always, you can meet and greet many of the composers and all the performers at a reception after the performance sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc.
Directions to the Kopleff Recital Hall: http://www.music.gsu.edu/locations.aspx
Hope to see you there!

World Premiere of "Rabbit Tales"

2011-10-25T11:31:00.000-05:00

TIME
Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Rabbit Tales premiere @ 1 p.m.

LOCATION
The Wren’s Nest
1050 Ralph David Abernathy SW
Atlanta, GA 30310

Join us for family-friendly activities from 11a.m. to 2:30 p.m. including storytelling, museum tours, craft activities and face painting. At 1 p.m., audiences will be enchanted with the world premiere performance of the Atlanta Opera’s first-ever opera commission, Rabbit Tales, on the outdoor stage in the natural grass amphitheatre. Stick around after the performance for a talk-back session with the composer Nicole Chamberlain, librettist Madeleine St. Romain, director Park Cofield, production director Michael Benedict, and costumer designer Joanna Schmink. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and enjoy your picnic or snack on the lawn!

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Georgia Tech’s 2012 Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

2011-10-17T11:59:00.000-05:00

Dear inventors, composers, artists, and musicians:
Georgia Tech is extending the deadline to submit your ideas to the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition to Monday, November 7th. If you have an idea, or know someone who does, don’t let it go unnoticed.

Submit now: http://gtcmt.gatech.edu/?p=7461

Finalists will be invited to Atlanta February 16-17, 2012, where contestants will compete for $10,000 in cash prizes.

In addition to Best in Show prize and Best Student Submission award, prizes will be given for entries in five categories. See examples from past competitions on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/gtcmt

The categories are:

Mobile: musical instruments that take advantage of the unique interface elements and extreme portability of either standard smartphone platforms or custom-made hardware devices to revolutionize how and where music is made.

Robotics: mechanical devices that play an existing acoustic instrument or contain such an instrument within their design, facilitating the performance of novel music and/or creating novel collaborations with other musicians while they demonstrate the potential for musicianship in the robotic realm.

Repurposed: musical instruments that are inspired by existing non-musical objects, building upon their design to show the latent musicality we regularly encounter but might not otherwise notice.

Augmented: musical instruments inspired by existing acoustic instruments, building upon their existing design, playing technique and performance practice with new elements that extend their expressive capabilities.

Controller: novel hardware interfaces that can be readily connected to other software or hardware via a standard protocol, immediately expanding the expressive performance capabilities of anything with which they are linked.

Prizes will be awarded to Best in Show, Best in Category, Best Student Submission and People’s Choice.

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble begins its 17th Season!

2011-09-13T09:23:00.003-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First Concert of the 2011/12 Season:

Date: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011

TIme: 7:00 PM

Location: KOPLEFF RECITAL HALL (on the Georgia State University Campus)

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

This program will be another in our series spotlighting Atlanta composers!

RED CLAY CONNECTIONS

Special Guest Artists:

Nicole CHAMBERLAIN, flute

Tom GIBSON, trombone

Laura GORDY, piano

Ted GURCH, clarinet

Helen KIM, violin

Kevin LYONS, trumpet

Faculty Artists:

Ken LONG, clarinet

Amanda PEPPING, trumpet

Program:

Heavy Metal (2011 - premiere) by NICKITAS DEMOS

for Trumpet & Trombone duo

Mobile-Stabile-Mobile (2010 - premiere) by ROBERT SCOTT THOMPSON

for Flute, Clarinet, Cello & Piano

Nautica (2010 - premiere) by NICOLE CHAMBERLAIN

for Solo Piano

t1 (2001) by TAE HONG PARK (Atlanta debut)

for Trumpet & Electronics

Jasper Drag (2000) by ALVIN SINGLETON

for Clarinet, Violin & Piano

Reception to follow sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI)

From the Briar Patch to the Big Stage: Adapting Brer Rabbit for Opera

2011-08-31T10:29:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta Opera has commissioned a one-hour children’s opera called "Rabbit Tales", based on the famed Br’er Rabbit stories, popularized by Joel Chandler Harris. The AJC Decatur Book Festival will host a special presentation called “From the Briar Patch to the Big Stage: Adapting Br’er Rabbit for Opera,” in which composer, Nicole Chamberlain; librettist, Madeleine St. Romain; director, Park Cofield; and Executive Director of The Wren’s Nest, Lain Shakespeare will discuss its development and creation. There also will be singers giving a sneak peak of some of the arias!

Sunday, September 4 at 2:30pm
Decatur Book Festival - Decatur High School Auditorium
310 N. McDonough St.
Decatur, GA 30030

Sonic Generator, gloATL and Robert Spano perform Kaija Saariaho's Maá at Atlanta Symphony Hall

2011-08-05T09:07:00.002-05:00

Friday and Saturday, September 9 and 10, 2011
8 p.m.

Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center
1280 Peachtree Street

Tickets now on sale for $50 (premium seats), $25 (general admission), and $12 (students with valid ID in person at the box office).

http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu/upcoming_concerts/september-9-and-10-2011-maa.html

A new multimedia, in-the-round production of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's ballet for chamber ensemble and live electronics, featuring Georgia Tech's Sonic Generator, gloATL and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra music director Robert Spano.

2011-07-22T11:36:00.004-05:00

An article from Wednesday's New York Times, by Rob Deemer:

Who, and Where, Are America’s Composers?

The extensive comments by readers are also worth your time.

—Mark Gresham

Q&A with Composer Darren Nelsen

2011-07-03T01:55:00.007-05:00

1) Name five influences.

Charles Ives, Frank Zappa, Howard Skempton, Philip Glass, Andy Summers (along with numerous other electric guitarists, way too many to mention)

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

I'm working on an album of solo guitar loops and improvisations. It's in the mixing stage right now and I hope to publish it in the next month or two. I'm really excited about the work and looking forward to releasing it. Also, I just completed a set of glockenspiel miniatures for percussionist Stuart Gerber. Hopefully we'll have a chance to premiere it this fall. Beyond that, I'm working on a couple of other chamber pieces and planning my next guitar album.

Also, I have an instrumental rock group called Gravity Machine that I want to use as a vehicle for performing and promoting the work of local composers. We're working on a piece of Adam Scott Neal's now and I've invited several other friends to write for the group.

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here?

Atlanta has an abundance of composers. Among them, I have several friends and I always like to hear what they're doing. These include Adam Scott Neal, Nicole Chamberlain, Mark Gresham, Tim Jansa, Curtis Bryant, and more. Plus, I'm always impressed with Nickitas Demos and Jason Freeman's work. There are so many doing good work here, it's hard to mention names without leaving someone out.

The chamber ensembles in the area are outstanding. The most visible, adventurous ones are Bent Frequency, Sonic Generator, and neoPhonia who have concerts throughout the school year. If you haven't seen their performances, you must. They're the highest representation of new music in the area. Also, there are smaller, less known ensembles that premiere new works including Morningside Chamber Players, Chamberlain Duo, and the Cerberus Percussion Group.

At the orchestra level, there's the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Robert Spano, who have premiered a lot of new music and produced amazing concerts. They're spectacular. World-class. I love what Spano has done with the ASO and I have a lot of respect and admiration for him despite his promotion of the specious 'Atlanta School of Composers' (which doesn't represent Atlanta composers much at all).

More recently in my awareness is the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, which has championed new music by local composers as well. I'm looking forward to learning more of their work.

Lastly, there are great new music festivals: SONICpalooza, Kennesaw State New Music Festival, and others.

There's a lot going on here. I'm happy to be here and part of the scene.

4) What is the biggest challenge you face as an Atlanta composer and how do you address it?

The biggest challenges are networking the community and connecting with audiences. Atlanta is spread out. Sprawl has us scattered. Until a few years ago, lots of composers here didn't know each other. In 2006, I put together the Atlanta Composers Blog to network composers and get us talking to each other. Thankfully, that's been successful and now we're connected and I think we could say we're a community (loose knit though it is). Now that we've built that community, we need to do a better job of reaching out to listeners and building our audience. We can do that through more performances and recordings. And marketing, I'm afraid to say... which composers are notoriously bad at doing. But we need to work on that because no one will do it for us.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

There are lots of folks I would love to work with. I'd like to premiere my set for glockenspiel with Stuart Gerber, as previously mentioned. I would like to work with each of the chamber ensembles I mentioned (Bent Frequency, Sonic Generator, neoPhonia.) Someday, though it's a long way off and I need to grow a lot more as a composer, I'd like to work with the ASO. I also welcome the opportunity to work with Atlanta artists in other disciplines--dance, film, visual arts---because it would be fun and would make me a better composer by expanding my depth and scope.

6) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

Plenty. Among them, saxophone and trumpet, so I'm working on a piece for glock, sax, and trumpet. Beyond that, there are more instruments I haven't written for than I have, so my work is cut out for me.

7) How does technology play a role in your work?

It helps me get things done. And helps me reach people.

I use Macs for most of my work, and I use a lot of music software--LilyPond (engraving), Logic (recording and mixing), Csound (synthesis), etc.

I collaborate with others online using cloud technology (Dropbox, Gobbler, iDisk).

I publish my work through my website and others including ReverbNation, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp. I also use a distributor to get my work to online retailers like iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, etc.

I market through social media, Twitter, Facebook and the like. I journal new music concerts by tweeting them as they happen.

I store sheet music (PDFs) on my iPad. I keep all my scores with me everywhere I go.

My main instrument is electric guitar, which has seen huge advances in the last 10 years in effects processors, simulators, and modeling. That's been a lot of fun. It's expanded my tonal range immensely, and makes it incredibly easy to record any guitar sound I want (or could imagine) straight to disk.

Practically everything I do is impacted by technology. Without it, being a composer would be a lot less fun for me.

8) When and where is your next performance?

I may have a CD release party for my guitar album for which I might do a small performance. I hope to perform with my instrumental rock band Gravity Machine this fall and premiere works by my fellow composers who have or are writing for the group. Join my mailing list and I'll let you know when and where I'll be performing next.

9) Where can we find you online?

http://www.curiomusic.com
http://www.dmnmusic.com
http://www.twitter.com/dmnmusic
http://www.youtube.com/curioman
Facebook

Q&A with Composer Charles Knox

2011-06-28T05:56:00.001-05:00

1) Name five influences.

- Performance in a symphony orchestra
- Performance in jazz ensembles
- Association with good musicians from everywhere in the United States in a service band. (That was in the days of the draft.)
- The music of Hindemith, Bartok and Stravinsky (the most prominent classical composers of my youth)
- Study with Bernhard Heiden at Indiana University

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

During my late wife's long illness I wrote very little. But I have just finished two church anthems and am working on a flute ensemble piece. I have in mind a concert piece for (I-won't-say-what) instrument and orchestra.

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here?

I grew up in Atlanta and have spent much of my life here. My principal employment was at Georgia State University for 30 years. Life has been good to me here.

4) What is the biggest challenge you face as an Atlanta composer and how do you address it?

I would like to get more performances.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

Occasionally I collaborate with a writer of singable texts. I like to write choral music but am poor at writing texts.

6) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

The instrument for my planned concert piece (no. 2 above). Actually I have written for this instrument but not in a concert solo.

7) How does technology play a role in your work?

Computer notation (Mosaic, Finale, Sibelius) has become very necessary. I have never been a competent electro-acoustic composer.

8) When and where is your next performance?

I have been in discussions for a university brass ensemble performance and and a flute ensemble performance.

9) Where can we find you online?

I can receive email at cknox@gsu.edu. I am one the composers at luxnova.com (the publisher). I have been told that I will be a featured composer next month on the web site of the Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music.

Thanks, Charles.

Q&A with Composer Mark Gresham

2011-06-21T20:47:00.000-05:00

1) Name five influences.

The music which influences me most tends to involve the tensile dynamic between Apollonian and Dionysian aesthetics. But limiting myself to five names, and without explaining why these, I will say: Beethoven, Charles Ives, Paul Hindemith, John Cage (more his ideas than the music itself), and Buckminster Fuller.

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

In terms of new compositions in progress: “The Marshes of Glynn” for baritone William Stone, based upon a poem by 19th-century Georgia poet Sidney Lanier. Also, a body of string quartet music, and a couple of other promised chamber pieces.

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here?

I'm an Atlanta native. That's not to say I haven't considered living elsewhere. But most of the other places I've considered don't interest me enough. Atlanta is a communication, transportation, media and financial hub. All the necessary tools are here, the costs of living and working are less than half that of New York City, and we can easily reach out to anywhere in the world from here. Think CNN, and apply that thinking to being a composer.

4) What is the biggest challenge you face as an Atlanta composer and how do you address it?

The biggest challenge for me is the simple economic challenge of being a freelance composer who has neither an academic position nor who composes for film or video. That has nothing to do with Atlanta per se, but is the single biggest challenge, bluntly stated. That includes not having a non-musical day job where I draw a known paycheck every week. I deal with a new deck of cards every day.

As far as the challenges to any composer living in Atlanta, the city does pose a few, and those are challenges which it largely self-imposes.

First of all there is a long-standing “it's better if it's from somewhere else” attitude in the cultural community. It's not unique to Atlanta, but it seems to be particularly strong here, for whatever reasons.

Secondly, there is a certain amount of “cultural amnesia” when it comes to the new music scene in Atlanta before Robert Spano arrived. Either people think it didn't exist at all, or someone's gone about re-inventing the history in ways that leave people who were active in it back then scratching their heads and wondering, “Where in the hell did that come from? That's so wrong.”

Thirdly, there is the city's curious reluctance to declare an identity that is truly its own, rather than being a “blank.” Representative of that is the 1996 Olympics mascot, “Whatizit.” “It can be anything you want,” they touted, but in reality it's not anything at all. Perhaps this avoidance of identity is because Atlanta is afraid of offending this group or that group or whatever. But I don't recall Atlanta always being without a sense of self-identity; rather it seems to have only lost its self-identity within my lifetime. Or perhaps its self-identity has been slowly dismantled rather than actually lost.

All three of these challenges are forms of self-denial. My cousin Randy, who is a poet in Chicago, used to speak ironically about “the Southern saga of misery and self-denial.” He was born in Atlanta, too, and has joked about people like himself who grew up in the South and couldn't wait to get away from it, then after they did found themselves constantly defending it. While I didn't move away like he did, I understand his point. To some degree it is thematic of Southern literature. But I don't apologize for being an Atlantan, Georgian, or Southerner—or an American. This is where my roots are, and frankly, the older I get, I'm finding that more relevant within the scope of an increasingly global society, not less relevant.

Oh, yes, there are observable, long-standing frictions between “Atlanta” and “Georgia,” of course. But I believe there is greater commonality than there are ultimate differences, greater than they are respectively willing to admit. The big differences lie between a self-identity-denying Atlanta and the instinctive, intuitive parts of its own Jungian shadow, things which are intrinsically connected to being geographically, and historically, part of Georgia and part of the American South. They can be denied or repressed, but cannot be erased.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

Well that's a tough question if you are meaning for me to name only one person among all the composers, performers, choreographers, writers, and visual artists who interest me!

But let me suggest this: I've known Michael Palmer since I was a teenager, when he was an associate conductor for the Atlanta Symphony, back in the early '70s. Since he returned to Atlanta in 2004, I've been nominally involved, in non-musical ways, in a few of his projects, such as the Bellingham Festival of Music.

Nevertheless, in all that time we've never collaborated on a major project as composer and conductor (though he has conducted one of my short orchestral works). I think it's time we did.

6) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

Well, I haven't written anything specifically for almglocken! (Go figure.) That would be kind of fun.

Also, I have never written an opera, but that is more much more problematic. Not to say that it hasn't been suggested to me by interested parties, but I haven't yet found a theatrical context or fresh story which attracts my attention enough.

What interests much more than opera is orchestral song, solo voice with orchestra, in a concert rather than theatrical setting, and solo voice with instrumental chamber ensemble. Even so, my musical interests overall lie in mostly the purely instrumental realm these days.

7) How does technology play a role in your work?

The same way it plays a role in most anyone's everyday life, like, say, when you enter a room and turn on a light. I'm not “wowed” by superficial aspects of technology, for the most part, perhaps because I don't view technology as an end in itself. That doesn't mean a lack of appreciation for technology, by any means. I'm hardly a Luddite. It's just that I'm not inclined to treat technology as a religion.

So my use of emerging digital technology, since the late 1980s at least, has primarily been for global communication, not so much as a prominently visible aspect of musical works. And I do, of course, use computer software for music engraving.

8) When and where is your next performance?

I have a piece in the upcoming SONICpalooza concert on June 25, in the 5 p.m. time-slot: “Genshi,” for E-flat clarinet and violin, which Ted Gurch and Helen Kim are playing.

9) Where can we find you online?

www.markgresham.com
www.facebook.com/mark.gresham.composer
www.reverbnation.com/markgresham
www.instantencore.com/markgresham

Thanks, Mark.

Q&A with Composer Jason Freeman

2011-06-15T07:28:00.000-05:00

1) Name five influences.

Charles Ives, Steve Reich, Max Neuhaus (with whom I was lucky enough to get a chance to work), Sol Lewitt (a visual artist who nonetheless thinks much like a composer), and Beethoven.

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

I'm working on a few projects in various stages of development right now. I continue to work on UrbanRemix, where participants record sounds with their mobile phones and explore and remix them online, and then watch live performances by electronic musicians that use the same recorded sounds. We presented this project in Atlanta, San Francisco, and New York over the last year, and we're currently planning for some additional presentations in New York that expand the educational components of the project.

I'm also extending my work for laptop orchestra: last year, I developed a software environment for laptop orchestra called LOLC in collaboration with my students; it was performed here in Atlanta by Sonic Generator and my students just traveled to Oslo to perform it at the New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) conference. This coming year, we're focusing on extended that system to enable the laptop players to generate music notation, in real time, for instrumental musicians to sight-read in performance. Performances with that system are slated for the coming year with Sonic Generator and in Istanbul. Finally, I'm just beginning work on a new piece for solo saxophone with audience participation via smartphones.

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here?

I moved down to Atlanta from New York because of my faculty position at Georgia Tech. The transition was jarring at first (I often note that more contemporary music happens in New York each week than in Atlanta through the whole year), but I've come to enjoy being here. In New York, I settled into a micro-niche of new music and would only attend concerts within a narrow aesthetic scope. Here, I see a much greater variety of work. It's also a small scene here where all of the composers and musicians know each other, and everyone is friendly. And of course, the program in music technology at Georgia Tech is a great place for me to be, with amazing faculty colleagues and students.

4) What is the biggest challenge you face as an Atlanta composer and how do you address it?

I agree with what Nick wrote on the blog recently: it's rare for anything happening in Atlanta to be noticed by those who live outside of the city. I choose to do most of my work outside of the city in order to gain wider recognition for it. I also think that, although the scene here is small, it is nonetheless sometimes remarkably hard to figure out what's going on. There's no single, central source of information on events (though this blog does a good job moving towards that) and I often don't find out about things until the very last minute.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

I have tremendous admiration for Jan Berry Baker's playing (at GSU) -- she's helped me out with some things before but I've never written a piece for her. I'd love to do that.

6) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

I'd love to write for concert band or wind ensemble, which I haven't done since I was an undergraduate, and there are some great groups in town (including at Georgia Tech).

7) How does technology play a role in your work?

Technology is a major part of my work, but to me it is never the point, it is always a means to an end. I tend to use technology to help me rethink the relationships among performers, composers, and listeners, using novel interfaces and algorithms to redistribute creativity among these constituencies so that everyone can play a role in shaping each musical performance of the work.

8) When and where is your next performance?

Come to the Woodruff Arts Center on Saturday, June 25, 2011 to see SONICpalooza, a 10-hour long marathon concert (2 pm till midnight) by Sonic Generator and friends. We'll be doing music by Steve Reich, David Lang, John Luther Adams, Tristan Perich, and a number of local composers, including Mark Gresham, Alvin Singleton, and me. Jessica Peek Sherwood will be playing a solo flute piece of mine, Sonorescence, sometime between 3 and 4 pm. It's a free show, you can come and go as you please, you can walk outside for a minute to grab some food from Atlanta's finest street vendors, and it's generally a great way for us to wrap up our fifth anniversary season and celebrate with you. Hope to see you there! Full info, as always, at http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu.

9) Where can we find you online?

http://www.jasonfreeman.net
http://gtcmt.gatech.edu

Georgia Tech's Sonic Generator and The Woodruff Arts Center host SONICpalooza - a 10-hour festival of contemporary music

2011-06-10T08:56:00.002-05:00

Saturday, June 25, 2011
2 pm - midnight

Woodruff Arts Center Galleria
1280 Peachtree Street

free and open to the public

Audience members are encouraged to come and go as they please and sample food and drink from Atlanta's finest street food vendors on Callaway Plaza.

http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu/upcoming_concerts/june-25-2011-sonicpalooza.html
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128848553862345

Sonic Generator, in collaboration with the Woodruff Arts Center, is proud to present SONICpalooza – a festival of contemporary music. Featuring performances by Sonic Generator and friends, SONICpalooza will showcase works by the most unique American composers who are actively shaping contemporary music. SONICpalooza promises to be a celebration of contemporary music, local art and innovative cuisine, with a unique collection of works by local, up-and-coming, old school, downtown, uptown, minimalist, post-minimalist and post-modern composers including Steve Reich, David Lang, and George Crumb; multi-media film, light, and video design by Neil Fried; and food and drink from some of Atlanta’s finest street food vendors. SONICpalooza will be the first contemporary music festival of its kind in Atlanta and aims to be an engaging, entertaining, and inspiring good time.

Q&A with Composer Tim Jansa

2011-06-06T23:21:00.002-05:00

1) Name five influences.

Bruckner, Mahler, Rachmaninov, R. Strauss, Vaughan Williams… yes, I freely admit to being a hopeless (neo-)romantic. And I must give sincere credit to my friend and music professor, Eric Culver, for making me reconsider everything I thought I knew about music composition, back in 2003/2004 – which made me a better composer in the process.

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

I’m currently mostly in the process of trying to get older works ready for publication, which means a lot of editing and ironing kinks and orchestration goofs out of the scores. (Not very glamorous or fun, I know.) Other than that, I’m still working on a larger suite for concert band that I’m hoping to finish by next spring, in time to get started on a couple of commissions for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 concert seasons which are larger wind ensemble and orchestral pieces. But who knows what else will come along in-between… 

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here? 

My day job is really in adult foreign language education, which is what brought me to Atlanta in the first place. Music has always been my passion, but it’s only been in the last 5 or 6 years that it’s become a source of income and a little recognition. What’s good about the Atlanta music scene? Well, I can really only speak about the classical scene: We do have decent number of good local orchestras – especially the ASO, of course – a great opera company (although still somewhat limited), several truly outstanding venues … but what really makes the difference for composers like myself who don’t (yet) have access to the big names are the many smaller and outstanding (chamber) ensembles that truly pack a punch and are mostly completely underappreciated, despite the tremendous talent they harvest.

4) What is the biggest challenge you face as an Atlanta composer and how do you address it?

One thing I had to learn quickly is that it’s all about networking, knowing the right people and building relationships, sometimes over the course of many years. On a larger scale, there seems to be such a tremendous disconnect between the “big boys” in town that have access to appropriate funding and the “little guys” like myself and many others who don’t. At least there are many smaller venues that are open to smaller groups to perform. Finally, I find it somewhat sad – albeit typical – that none of the members of Robert Spano’s “Atlanta School of Composers” are, in fact, from Atlanta.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

Since I’m on the newly-founded board of directors of the Atlanta Chamber Winds, I’m very much looking forward to working with that ensemble in the near future; also, I’d like to work more with the ensemble Il Brasso Magnifico beyond the performance in a couple of weeks. And finally, it would be great to get my foot more securely in the door with one or two of the local symphony orchestras.

6) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

Tough question, but I’d really like to write more for percussion ensemble down the road and experiment with more exotic percussion sounds.

7) How does technology play a role in your work?

I use Sibelius for notation and score/parts/demo creation, and honestly couldn’t survive without it. Other than that, I only do a little bit of sound and video editing of recordings with basic software like Audacity. So even though my technology needs are pretty simple, they’re still crucial in order to get my music out there.

8) When and where is your next performance?

Two of my works will be performed during the 2011 International Euphonium Institute conference at Emory University later in June: The Dekalb Symphony is going to play the 3rd movement of my Euphonium Concerto on June 21st, with Adam Frey as soloist, and Il Brasso Magnifico will be playing a piece for brass ensemble entitled “Meditation and Madness” on June 25, the former at First Baptist Church of Decatur, the latter at Emory’s Schwartz Center. In addition, a new composition for flute and piano titled “Twenty-One” that was commissioned by my good friends Robert and Sarah Ambrose is scheduled to be premiered by Sarah later this summer.
Other than that, most performances of my music over the next months are outside the Atlanta area.

9) Where can we find you online?

www.timjansa.com
www.facebook.com/tmjansa

Thanks, Tim!

Q&A with Composer Nickitas Demos

2011-06-02T22:06:00.001-05:00

1) Name five influences.

First, in terms of composers who have had an important influence on me, I must begin with my mentor and teacher Donald Erb (1927-2008). Another important composer who taught me a lot is Roger Hannay (1930-2006), with whom I studied for several years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Second, and outside of these direct influences, I am a great admirer of the work of Gyorgy Ligeti (having admired him so much that his work, "Melodien" was the subject of my doctoral dissertation and set me upon a lifelong interest and investigation of sonority in music - particularly acoustic music).

My third big influence is Greek music - both Greek folk music and Byzantine Chant.

A fourth important influence is jazz and rounding out my list of five would be rock/pop music.

All of these elements can be found in my compositions.

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

I've got a full plate this summer. I just completed a five movement work for narrator, clarinet and piano based upon several selected stories from "Aesop's Fables." This work was commissioned by former Atlanta performer, pianist Cary Lewis and will be premiered next month out in Portland, OR. For the remainder of the year, I will work on a duo for a trumpet and trombone (commissioned by Kevin Lyons and Tom Gibson), a solo work for euphonium ("Tonoi VIII") for Adam Frey, a chamber piece commissioned by the chamber ensemble "Ideé Fixe" based in Thessaloniki, Greece, a trumpet choir fanfare (commissioned by the GSU Brass Dept.), and a double concerto for clarinet, saxophone and wind ensemble commissioned by Jan Berry Baker and Ken Long. All of these works are scheduled for premieres in the Fall. I'm also working with a local film director on a score for an independent comedy. It's my first film score! Finally, another project that I hope will come together is a commission by the Atlanta Young Singers of Callonwolde for a new choral work. I've been approached by their director, Paige Mathis, about writing the work and hope to have all the details ironed out soon!

I've also been busy recording as well. There are three forthcoming discs that will feature my music. The first is an album entitled, "Odysseia" featuring music by George Tsontakis, Theodore Antoniou, Chrsitos Samaras and myself. A second disc, entitled "Rites of Passage" will feature clarinetist Ken Long and works by Donald Erb, Paul Osterfield and myself. Finally, saxophonist Jan Berry Baker will be recording a disc entitled "Citizens of Nowhere" featuring a work of mine by the same name for clarinet and sax duo. I'm also in the early stages of working on two additional recordings: a disc featuring the premiere recording of my Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra as well as a recording of my wind music featuring my double concerto for clarinet, sax and winds as well as my double concerto for euphonium, trombone and winds entitled "Air, Metal & Roll."

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here?

I live and work in Atlanta because of my position as Professor of Music Composition at the Georgia State University School of Music. In this capacity as well as my position as Coordinator of the Composition Program at the School, I formed the neoPhonia New Music Ensemble which regularly gives four performances a year and will be celebrating its 17th Season in the fall of 2011. All of my family lives in Atlanta and most of my wife's family lives in nearby Charleston, SC so working here is a great situation for me personally as well. I'm fortunate that Atlanta has blossomed into a fairly vibrant music center for contemporary music. In addition to my group, neoPhonia, there is, of course, Bent Frequency (a group I co-founded and served as composer-in-residence from 2003-2008) and Sonic Generator. I'm also very happy to note the greater attention contemporary music is receiving by more traditional ensembles such as the Atlanta Chamber Players as well as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Because of the ASO, as well as many other fine groups, there are many outstanding performers working in the city. It's a great mix for a composer!

4) What is the biggest challenge you face as an Atlanta composer and how do you address it?

As vibrant as the city is - by comparison to the other bigger markets, we are still a relatively small place. It's much harder for a composer living and working here to be noticed on a national stage. I think the only real way to address this is for composers living in Atlanta to continue to do great work. More than that, however, we must all do an even better job of promoting ourselves and our colleagues to a wider audience. Social media and a strong web presence are good places to start.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

I would be honored to work with the ASO. I know many of the players personally and have watched the quality and reputation of the group steadily grow over the years. How could a composer not want to work with them? I'd also love to work with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra (formally the Cobb Symphony), the Atlanta Ballet and the Atlanta Opera. In terms of chamber music, I've been fortunate and honored to have worked with many of the top groups in the city. One group who I have not worked with yet is Fringe. I'd love to collaborate with them sometime. I love their performing concept!

6) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

I would love to write an opera! This is one of the few genres I have not had the opportunity to take on.

7) How does technology play a role in your work?

I tend to work exclusively with acoustic instruments. I do have a few pieces, however, that employ some use of electronics: a work for electric cello (that makes heavy use of effects processing), a piece for clarinet violin and live DJ that was commissioned by Sonic Generator and a work using electric guitar, electric bass and synthesizer commissioned by Bent Frequency.

8) When and where is your next performance?

June 18 - Portland, Oregon - my work "Mythoi" for narrator, clarinet and piano will be premiered as part of the Astoria Music Festival.

9) Where can we find you online? (Please list your websites and social media channels.)

My website: http://nickitasdemos.com

My blog, "Greek & Composing": http://greekandcomposing.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nickitasdemos

Twitter: http://twitter.com/nickitasdemos

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/nickitasdemos

My Greek Band: http://www.greekislanders.com

Atlanta Composers and Classical Revolution on Friday

2011-05-31T09:34:00.000-05:00

Classical Revolution brings classical music to the community by performing in non traditional venues such as bars, cafes, etc. The group was founded in San Francisco, but has spread to other cities throughout the United States. This Friday, June 3rd, at 8pm the Atlanta group will hold a performance at a the TahCha Teahouse in Atlanta. Featured on this program will be works by Atlanta composers Michael Kurth and Nicole Chamberlain.

Michael Kurth will have two pieces performed by Andy Zaplatynsky (former concertmaster for Syracuse), Ronda Respess (ASO violin), William Johnston (viola), and Jennifer Humphreys (ASO cello). The string quartet will perform "Mean Old Pony Tango", a fun latin tango, and "Torcedura Azul", a rhythmically driven piece with some blues influence. Michael Kurth's music has been recently performed by the Riverside Chamber Players and he was commissioned to write a fanfare ,"May Cause Dizziness", for ASO's Robert Spano's 10th anniversary which was performed in March. When Kurth is not writing, you can hear him perform bass with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Nicole Chamberlain will have her flute and guitar piece, "Valentine", performed by the Chamberlain Duo. The piece was written for her husband, and this will be a world premiere performance. You can hear the composer's next premiere by the Atlanta Opera on October 29 at the Wren's Nest where she has been commissioned to write an children's opera based on the Br'er Rabbit stories.

Classical Revolution events are a great place to meet some of Atlanta's professional classical musicians. Unlike the traditional concert setting, there is no backstage for the musicians to run to after a performance. So many of the musicians will be lingering to listen to peers or to converse about the performance. Don't miss a fantastic networking opportunity to introduce performers to your music!

TahCha Teahouse
3352-c Chamblee Tucker Rd
Atlanta, GA 30341

Suggested donation: $5

This month's ticket drawing: winner receives a pass for 4 tickets to an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert of choice at Verizon Ampitheater.

Q&A with Composer Adam Scott Neal

2011-05-25T20:25:00.001-05:00

1) Name five influences

The Beatles, John Cage, Claude Debussy, Pink Floyd, and Anton Webern. There are so many others, but these are definitely in the top 10.

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

I am working on a lot of things this summer. I am gradually switching to Linux (Ubuntu mainly), so I am learning how to use some great open source programs such as Ardour and MuseScore. I just got The SuperCollider book and am delving further into that. Music-wise, I am revising some pieces, including a generative spectralist piece in SuperCollider featuring synthesized bells and a piece for quarter-tone alto flute and fixed media. If I have time I want to revise a sax
quartet I wrote last fall as well.

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here?

The best parts about the Atlanta music scene is that it's small enough to break in and that it's very friendly. After living in the New York City area for two years, I can say that it's nice that our city doesn't really have the cliques and barriers that other cities have.

I am a native, but basically (for four years) expat Atlantan. However, I really believe that Atlanta is ripe for an active alt-classical scene and do what I can to help promote it. There are a few venues that focus on other genres but are friendly to the idea of classical and experimental music, and in my experience, people are more receptive to different genres than one might expect. We have a small core group of people who play out often, and I hope this will
grow. Even though I live in Florida, I like to come up and put on shows in Atlanta. There is an audience here; we just need more musicians to be active about promoting their music, and alt-classical music in general.

4) What is the biggest challenge you face as an Atlanta composer and how do you address it?

The biggest challenge is putting on shows and maintaining an audience. As I said, there are a handful of venues friendly to alt-classical/experimental music, but I understand that they have to pay the bills and won't be as friendly if turnouts are small. Atlanta's size makes for a strange dynamic – small enough to make things happen, but large enough that there can sometimes be too many entertainment/cultural options for your audience. Since playing classical music in bars (as I like to do) is a fairly new idea for a lot of people, they may not think of it as an option for their evening.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

Of course, any musicians who are interested in playing my music! But I am also very keen on collaborating with artists in other fields – visual arts, film, dance. I'd love to work on an experimental show of some sort with the Center for Puppetry Arts.

6) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

I recently saw two calls for toy piano compositions, so I listened to some contemporary toy piano works and really loved the sound. Yet another piece for the summer may be for toy piano!

7) How does technology play a role in your work?

It plays many roles. I have written a lot of fixed media works, as well as some live electronic pieces. My Master's thesis included five pieces for laptop quartet (Max/MSP pieces). This year I started an improv group – FLIP – and so far we've been primarily improvising with our laptops. I have made a few pieces involving the Arduino circuit board and plan to explore that further.

I also use technology in my acoustic pieces. A few pieces have used some probabilistic processes to generate material. For the piece I just finished, Etude in Metal for solo percussion, I analyzed the frequency spectrum of my percussionist's gongs, and used the harmonics of his gongs to create the pitch material for the glockenspiel part.

8) When and where is your next performance?

My next performance will be on Saturday, June 11 in Gainesville, FL. I will be doing a solo improv set as part of Hal McGee's Apartment Music series. It will be streaming online here:
http://www.justin.tv/haltapes

9) Where can we find you online?

My website is www.adamscottneal.com. I am also on Twitter, Blogspot, ReverbNation, SoundCloud, CDBaby, and YouTube under "adamscottneal."

Q&A with Composer Curtis Bryant

2011-05-22T17:18:00.001-05:00

1) Name five influences.

Bartók, Brahms, Beethoven, Bach, Beatles come to mind under the letter B.... But, then there's C.... I recognize many mentors, and I can wear many musical hats.

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

This summer I'm doing the orchestration of my opera "The Anarchist," in anticipation of a 2013 premiere with Atlanta's Capitol City Opera. I also have a recent piano quartet and a new song cycle that are awaiting premieres. Stay tuned....

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here?

I am an Atlanta native with roots that go back to the city's founding, but mostly, I like it here, and I have a cool place in the woods on a private lake that makes for an ideal place to compose.

4) What is the biggest challenge you face as an Atlanta composer and how do you address it?

The music scene here offers a great amount of variety, and there are some good opportunities for performances of new works. But I have to say that the city's major music organizations, such as the Atlanta Symphony and the Atlanta Opera have shown not the slightest interest in the work or talent of Atlanta composers. Another major problem working as a composer in Atlanta and in the South in general is the lack of funding for commissioning new works and the lack of funding for the arts in general.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

I am open to collaboration with any group performing chamber music, orchestral music, opera, art song, or liturgical music.

6) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

Never composed anything for the Wagner tuba, Heckelphone or the Theremin. Beyond that, there are several genres that I haven't had the opportunity to write for. Most glaringly absent in my catalog is a concerto. I'd be happy to tackle one for piano or any other major solo instrument, given the promise of a performance. That could include any of the above instruments, as well.

7) How does technology play a role in your work?

I got tired of producing hand-written scores and instrumental parts years ago. I currently use Finale for most of my concert music. I use Logic Pro for most commercial work, including film scores and video game music.

8) When and where is your next performance?

Still waiting for exact dates, but at least 3 premieres are in the wings. The major one with Capitol City Opera is slated for the 2012-13 season.

9) Where can we find you online?

My website is http://www.curtisbryantmusic.com. You can go to the "news" page for updates on performances. I also maintain a group on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=79336280906. Anyone can join my group.

Thanks, Curtis!

Q&A with Composer Nicole Chamberlain

2011-05-13T19:01:00.002-05:00

1) Name five influences.

Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, William Davis (composition teacher at UGA), Osvaldo Golijov, and Brian Chamberlain (husband/composer/guitarist)

2) What are you currently working on? What can we expect to hear from you?

I have been commissioned by the Atlanta Opera to write a small ensemble 45-60 minute children's opera based on the Tales of Br'er Rabbit. The piece is for soprano, mezzo, tenor, baritone, and piano with libretto provided by Madeleine St. Romain. Based on the cultural history of the tales, the music will also get inspiration from blues, jazz, americana, and native american music. The end result, I hope, will be playful and fun music with substance that young and old will enjoy.

3) What's good about the Atlanta music scene? Or, why do you live and/or work here?

Growing up in Savannah there were not many opportunities for musicians. The city has been plagued with trying to support even a part-time orchestra. I knew early on I would not be able to make a living in Savannah as a musician. I happened to move to Atlanta for a day job, but stayed because of the music opportunities. I have been able to establish a network of music friends and colleagues so I have never felt the need to leave. Geographically, Atlanta is a good spot to be as well. With a major airport you can fly anywhere. I am also the middle point between my parents and sister in Savannah to my eldest sister in Clarksville, TN. I can visit all of any of my immediate family with in 4-5 hours.

4) What instrument(s) haven't you written for that you would like to write for?

I have never written for saxophone, and that has been a big regret of mine. At UGA, where I went to school, there was an outstanding saxophone quartet who repeatedly asked me I needed to write for them. What a missed opportunity! Sometimes you just need to make time to write for musicians when they ask you. I cringe when I think of how fabulous a performance and recording I could have from my undergrad years had I just written a saxophone quartet.

5) Who in the local scene would you like to collaborate with and why?

I've had such a fabulous time collaborating with the Atlanta Opera I hope I get to do it again. They've been incredibly supportive and trusting. Of course I would like to get the chance to write and have another orchestral work performed, but who wouldn't? I would love to work with Atlanta Symphony, but I think a highly underrated orchestra that I would love to write for is the Cobb Symphony (now Georgia Symphony). I had the pleasure of performing with the group this past season and throughly enjoyed working with some fabulous and talented musicians. I hope I get the chance to collaborate with them gain either as composer or flutist.

6) When and where is your next performance?

There are a few performance on the horizon. The Walker School Band directed by Erik Kofoed in Marietta, GA is performing my band piece "Hopewell" on May 20th that was commissioned by Hopewell Middle School band directed by Audrey Murphy. In September, the Dahlia Flute Duo is premiering my flute duet "Chatter" at the International Alliance of Women in Music World Congress at the University of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, AZ. Then on October 29, the Atlanta Opera will give the public premiere of "Rabbit Tales" at the Wren's Nest here in Atlanta in conjunction with National Opera Week.

7) Where can we find you online?

http://www.nikkinotes.com
http://www.twitter.com/nikkinotes
http://www.facebook.com/nikkinotes
and you can sign up for a newsletter here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nicolechamberlain

Thanks, Nicole!

The Atlanta Opera Commissions Children Opera

2011-05-04T14:37:00.000-05:00

Libretto Based on Br’er Rabbit Stories by Joel Chandler Harris

The Atlanta Opera has commissioned a one-hour children’s opera for its 2011-2012 season. The libretto, written by Atlanta-based librettist and playwright, Madeleine St. Romain, will be based on the antics of Br’er Rabbit, a central figure in the Uncle Remus stories popularized by Southern author Joel Chandler Harris in the late 19th Century. The Br’er Rabbit stories can be traced back to “trickster” figures in African folklore, particularly the hare, a character that is prominent in the storytelling traditions of Western, Central and Southern Africa. This production will be a contemporary, light-hearted rendering of several story lines from Native American, African, and Cajun Folklore. The score, composed by Atlanta-based flutist and composer Nicole Chamberlain, will be written for four voice types, and will incorporate melodies and rhythms from African, Native American and Cajun music, as well as the blues. The work, currently entitled Rabbit Tales, will be performed by The Atlanta Opera Studio in elementary schools October 24 through November 18, 2011 and again February 13 through March 30, 2012. There will be a premiere open to the public on October 29, 2011 at the Wren’s Nest, in conjunction with National Opera Week. Further details will be announced at a later date. This is the first opera commission in the company’s history.

To book a performance of Rabbit Tales and to find out more information, contact Emmalee Iden at (404)881-8883 or eiden@atlantaopera.org.

Read full press release here: http://www.atlantaopera.org/media/pdf/Childrens_Opera_050411.pdf

FREE Bent Frequency show TODAY

2011-05-01T07:19:00.003-05:00

Sorry we neglected to post this!

Today, Sunday May 1st
3:00 PM
Ivy Hall, Savannah College of Art and Design (Atlanta campus, natch)
179 Ponce de Leon Ave

Featuring works by Erickson, Rzewski, Mansurian, Thornock, Mellits, and Cage.

GSU Student Chapter of SCI in CONCERT

2011-04-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

Come check out great music by talented student composers!

DATE: Friday, April 15
TIME: 12 PM
PLACE: Kopleff Recital Hall

FREE!

Works by Rachael Alexander, Taylor Helms, Emiliano Nieto-Montiel and more!!!

For directions to the Kopleff Recital Hall click HERE
Need more info? Call the GSU School of Music Concert Information Line at 404-413-5901

Hope to see you there!

California EAR Unit 4/17

2011-04-03T07:49:00.003-05:00

Hi all - this is a VERY important show that you all need to attend. The California EAR Unit is one of the top new music ensembles in the country. I'll be stuck in FL, so I'm quite jealous!

Guest Artist - California E.A.R. Unit
Sunday, April 17, 2011 - 7:30 PM
Venue: Kopleff Recital Hall, GSU
Cost: FREE

The EAR Unit, Los Angeles' fearless new music ensemble, performs David Dvorin's haunting multimedia As Alice with live electro-acoustic manipulations of tea cups/saucers, playing cards, pocket watches and child song along with interactive video (degraded 1903 version of Alice in Wonderland); Montana native Vicki Ray's Jugg(ular)ling, which follows the ever-increasing complexity of juggling feats captured on video; Spill Out/Fish Tank by Canadian Linda Bouchard with images created by Kim Turos and the electronics-savvy Belgo II, Amy Knoles's clever confounding of violin, piano, sampled text and bird song.

GSU Percussion Ensemble - Tuesday 4/5

2011-04-01T11:22:00.002-05:00

GSU Percussion Ensemble
Rialto Center
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 - 7:30 PM
Stuart Gerber, director
FREE!

Featuring works by Michael Colgrass, Daniel Levitan, Adam Scott Neal, Dorothy Hindman, James Romig, Steve Reich, John Cage and Nigel Westlake, as well as a "Middle Eastern Groove Medley" guest directed by Emrah Kotan.

Discounted tickets for eighth blackbird concert

2011-03-30T11:20:00.006-05:00

The Bailey Center at Kennesaw State University would like to offer discounted tickets for the April 2, 2011 eighth blackbird concert to AtlantaComposers.com visitors.

To purchase $10 tickets, visit http://ticketing.kennesaw.edu or call 770-423-6650 and use this promotion code:
GTGS

eighth blackbird

Saturday, April 2, 2011 | 8 p.m. | Bailey Center Performance Hall | $30

Grammy Award®-winning sextet eighth blackbird returns to the Bailey Center displaying their

uniquely provocative and engaging performance style. The program will include the world premiere

of How Soon?, a new work by Nico Muhly, featuring the KSU Womenʼs Chorus. The work was co-commissioned

by eighth blackbird, the KSU School of Music, and the Anima-Young Singers of

Greater Chicago.

The KSU Festival of New Music continues this evening with a free Faculty Composers Concert at 8 p.m., on Friday with residency activities by eighth blackbird and Nico Muhly, and on Saturday with an Analysis Symposium. A complete schedule is at:
http://www.kennesaw.edu/music/bpc/newmusicfestival/

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: APRIL 6, 2011

2011-03-29T23:35:00.001-05:00

To All Our Friends,

The fourth and final concert of the 2010/11 neoPhonia New Music Ensemble season takes place on Wednesday, April 6. If you find yourself in or around the Atlanta area, please join us as we present a concert entitled Odysseia.
The evening will feature music composed by Greek and Greek-American composers and is made possible, in part, through funding by the Center for Hellenic Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, Georgia State University. We are honored to welcome special guest faculty artists from Thessaloniki, Greece Nevart-Veron Galileas (flute) and Theofilos Sotiriadis (saxophone) as well as GSU faculty artists W. Dwight Coleman (baritone), Christos Galileas, (violin), Ken Long (clarinet) and Brandt Fredriksen (piano).

DATE: Wednesday, April 6
TIME: 7:30 PM
LOCATION: Kopleff Recital Hall
FREE ADMISSION!

PROGRAM:

Theodore ANTONIOU / Celebration XV for flute, alto sax, violin & piano
George TSONTAKIS / Three Sighs, Three Variations for violin & piano
Elainie LILLIOS / Veiled Resonance for solo soprano saxophone and electronics
Nickitas DEMOS / An Empty Blouse for baritone, flute, clarinet, violin & piano

As always, you can meet and greet some of the composers and all the performers at a reception following the concert sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI) !

For directions to the Kopleff Recital Hall visit: http://www.music.gsu.edu/locations.aspx. For more information, visit www.music.gsu.edu or call 404.413.5901

Hope to see you there!!

KSU Festival of New Music

2011-03-23T15:29:00.004-05:00

Student Composers Recital
Monday, March 28, 2011 | 8 p.m. | Bailey Center Performance Hall | Free
New works by students from Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology will be featured.

Faculty Composers Recital
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 | 8 p.m. | Bailey Center Performance Hall | Free
Featuring compositions from the faculties of Kennesaw State, Georgia State, and Georgia Tech, including Robert Cronin, Nickitas Demos, Drew Dolan, Jason Freeman, Jen Mitchell, and Laurence Sherr.

Residency with eighth blackbird and Nico Muhly
Friday, April 1, 2011

Chamber Ensemble Coaching
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Bailey Center Performance Hall
Members of eighth blackbird will coach KSU students in chamber music performance.

Panel Discussion and Q&A Session
2 – 3:30 p.m. | Wilson Building, Room 103
Member of eighth blackbird and Nico Muhly will discuss topics related to modern chamber music performance.

Discussion Session with Composers
4 – 5:30 p.m. | Wilson Building, Room 103
Composer Nico Muhly hosts a discussion session aimed at composers
and composition.

Analysis Symposium
Saturday, April 2, 2011 | 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Wilson Building, Room 103
Music theorists Benjamin Wadsworth, Yayoi Everett, and Mark McFarland present their research on modern music.

eighth blackbird
Saturday, April 2, 2011 | 8 p.m. | Bailey Center Performance Hall
Grammy Award®-winning sextet eighth blackbird returns to the Bailey Center displaying their uniquely provocative and engaging performance style. The program will include the world premiere of “How Soon?”, a new work Nico Muhly, featuring the combined KSU Women’s Chorus and Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra Chorus. The work was co-commissioned by eighth blackbird, the KSU School of Music, and the Anima-Young Singers of Greater Chicago.

Bent Frequency Presents "Art Imitates Life Imitates Art"

2011-03-20T19:32:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Kopleff Recital Hall, GSU
FREE ADMISSION!

Program:

David CRUMB - "Awakening"
Josh LEVINE - "Transparency I"
John DRUMHELLER - "The View from Dead Horse Point"
Ben STONAKER - "Back Jump"
Hubert HO - "A Dangerous Game of Hide and Seek"

Featuring:
Sarah Kruser Ambrose, flute
Jan Berry Baker, saxophone
Tania Maxwell Clements, viola
Amanda Pepping, trumpet
Stuart Gerber, percussion
Peter Marshall, piano
Robert J. Ambrose, conductor

Adam Scott Neal & Friends - CD Release Show - 3/19/11

2011-03-09T09:18:00.004-05:00

I am releasing a short album/EP titled FULL CIRCLE, which features my hip-hop/electronic tracks overlayed with solos written by Atlanta composer-performers Nicole Randall Chamberlain, Margie Deeb, Darren Nelsen, Jason Passmore, and Jason Pellett. This event will feature an eclectic mix of performances culminating with the first public listening of this genre-bending experiment. I hope you all can join us!

KAVARNA
707 E Lake Dr, Decatur
Saturday, March 19, 2011 - 9PM
FREE!

on the bill:

Stuart Gerber and Craig Dongoski will present a portion of their new multidisciplinary collaboration "Surface Resonance"

Morningside Chamber Musicians will play a few pieces for woodwind trio, including Tim Jansa's "Morning Sides"

Darren Nelsen will be rocking out with his prog/fusion band GRAVITY MACHINE

These will be brief 20ish-minute sets before the listening party (album clocks in just under 30 minutes).

Bring your homies!

Hopewell Middle School Symphonic Band Premieres New Work

2011-03-04T14:13:00.001-05:00

Hopewell Middle School Symphonic Band under the direction of Audrey Murphy commissioned Nicole Chamberlain to write a piece to be performed at the Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis later this month. They will be giving a preview concert and premiering the work in Alpharetta, GA this Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 8 at 7pm
Alpharetta First United Methodist Church
69 N Main St
Alpharetta, GA 30009

Here are the program notes written by my sister Joell Greco, who is an author soon to be published:

"Hopewell" was commissioned by Hopewell Middle School's Symphonic Band directed by Audrey Murphy located in Milton, Georgia. The connotations of the school's namesake gave an opportunity to convey a realization that a generation of young people is growing up in an age of uncertainty and that hope is often a seed that is rarely planted. Like most developing minds of today’s era, a situation where the possible positive ending to a seemingly dramatic and life changing problem is all but possible to them. Most do not see that hope is a ray of brilliant light that often breaks the most foreboding thundering clouds of life even at the last moments of a crossroads. The movements of rhythm and volume weaved within this piece reflect that the very mindset of those who only see the darkness of a situation can often find the glimmer of hope to hold onto at the very end for to have the hope of peace, the hope of cures, and the hope of a better life is something that all children deserve the right to have.

Sonic Generator Concert

2011-03-04T12:30:00.001-05:00

Sonic Generator Presents “Something Old, Something New…”

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Rich Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center
1280 Peachtree Street.

Concert begins at 8 p.m.
Reception to follow

free admission

Georgia Tech’s chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, features music by Philip Glass, Gil Weinberg, Milton Babbitt, Randall Woolf, Daniel Wohl, and Charles Amirkhanian in a free performance in partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center. The concert explores the power of words and images to reframe musical experiences and performances.

More info at http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu/upcoming_concerts/wednesday-march-16-2011.html.

Classic Goes Contemporary: F.W. Murnau’s silent movie "Faust" (1926) set to new music by Toby Chappell

2011-02-15T07:34:00.001-05:00

Saturday, March 5 @ 6 pm
Goethe-Zentrum Auditorium

http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/atl/ver/en7168706v.htm

The 1926 film "Faust", directed by F.W. Murnau of "Nosferatu" fame,
will be shown in its entirety on March 5 with a live performance of
a new soundtrack (electronics and guitar) for the film.

"Faust" was backed by the biggest film budget in German film history
up to that point, and features the most intricate special effects
possible in the era, as well as a superb cast anchored by Emil
Jannings as Mephisto and Swedish stage legend Gösta Ekman as Faust.

Previous sections of the soundtrack have been performed at
Georgia State University, and a house concert hosted by Darren Nelsen.
This event will mark the premiere of the full soundtrack.

CDs will be available featuring excerpts from the soundtrack.

Please RSVP for this event by March 4 at 404-892-2388 or info@german-institute.org.

Toby Chappell is a composer, guitarist, and sound sculptor currently
residing in the Atlanta, GA area. He has studied and/or collaborated
with such diverse artists and collectives as the Pythagoras Society,
Robert Scott Thompson, Eyes of Ligeia, and the Black Muse Element.
Currently, Toby is focusing on film soundtrack and guitar-based
ambient music, all of which he releases pseudonymously as Saturnin
Sektor (electroacoustic and film music), or Misdreamt (guitar+electronics).
Contact: motiondemon@emailengine.net

Two new releases from Toby Chappell

2011-02-15T07:31:00.000-05:00

Two new releases are now available from Atlanta-area electronic and
electro-acoustic composer Toby Chappell. The releases are available
in both physical and digital formats.

The latest release from SATURNIN SEKTOR ("Unreal City") is the culmination
of two years' work collecting field recordings from such places as
Savannah, New York City, and sacred sites in Ireland.

The first release from MISDREAMT ("The Motion Demon") is also now available.
MISDREAMT features found percussion and looped/layered guitar parts, with
unsettling electro-acoustic ambience always lurking beneath the surface.
Live performances of the MISDREAMT material will include video components
from the composer and other collaborators.

More information (samples, artwork downloads, ordering info) can be found at:

http://misdreamt.bandcamp.com
http://saturninsektor.bandcamp.com
http://motiondemon.blogspot.com

Toby Chappell is a composer, guitarist, and sound sculptor currently
residing in the Atlanta, GA area. He has studied and/or collaborated
with such diverse artists and collectives as the Pythagoras Society,
Robert Scott Thompson, Eyes of Ligeia, and the Black Muse Element.
Currently, Toby is focusing on film soundtrack and guitar-based
ambient music, all of which he releases pseudonymously as Saturnin
Sektor (electroacoustic and film music), or Misdreamt (guitar+electronics).
Contact: motiondemon@emailengine.net

Concert Review: "neoPhonia- Related Pitches"

2011-02-13T01:15:00.001-05:00

Click on the title to check out my review of this past Tuesday's neoPhonia concert. I hope you enjoy!

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 - Take Your Pick!

2011-02-02T14:31:00.003-05:00

Alas, next Tuesday is another night of competing concerts of contemporary compositions.

If you are downtown and/or in a "wind" mood, please see neoPhonia at 7:30 pm (FREE - see below for more details).

If you are in a more "percussive" mood and/or on the North(west) side of town, see Cerberus Percussion Group at KSU's Bailey Center (8PM, FREE).

Cerberus will be playing:

The Frame Problem by James ROMIG
Pachamama by Adam Scott NEAL
Metasmo by Joel HOFFMAN
Always Very Soft by John Luther ADAMS
Worker’s Union by Louis ANDRIESSEN

Please please please go support our growing post-classical music scene!!!!

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: February 8, 2011

2011-01-31T20:49:00.001-05:00

The third concert of the 2010/11 neoPhonia New Music Ensemble season takes place on Tuesday, February 8. Please join us as we present a concert entitled Related Pitches. The evening will feature virtuoso music composed for clarinet and saxophone. We are honored to welcome guest faculty artists Ken LONG (clarinet) and Jan Berry BAKER (saxophone) as well as international guest artist Theofilos SOTIRIADIS (saxophone)

DATE: Tuesday, February 8

TIME: 7:30 PM

LOCATION: Kopleff Recital Hall

FREE ADMISSION!

PROGRAM

WANAMAKER / Duo Sonata for clarinet/sax duo

SPIROPOULOS / Saksti for tenor sax and electronics

DEMOS / Tonoi VII for solo alto sax

ETEZADY / Glint for clarinet/sax duo

KOUMENDAKIS / Forget Me Not for solo alto sax

LILLIOS / Veiled Resonance for solo soprano sax and electronics

DEMOS / Citizens of Nowhere (premiere) for clar./bass clar. and sop./alto sax

As always, you can meet and greet some of the composers and both performers at a reception following the concert sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI) !

For directions to the Kopleff Recital Hall visit: http://www.music.gsu.edu/locations.aspx. For more information, visit www.music.gsu.edu or call 404.413.5901

Hope to see you there!!

Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana - GSU Tomorrow

2011-01-25T12:27:00.002-05:00

Hi all - just a reminder to see the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (aka the LOLs) at GSU tomorrow night. 7:30, free!

The Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (LOLs) is a research and performance ensemble dedicated to the exploration of real-time computational technologies and digital media for the purpose of group music making. Inspired by the Princeton (PLOrk) and Stanford (SLork) ensembles, they look to bring the same excitement and virtuosity to the Gulf South, but with their own individual flair.

Also, set your calendars for Saturday, Feb. 12 - my new laptop-etc. group FLIP will be making our debut at Kavarna as part of the City Skies series.

Cobb Symphony Premieres Work by Atlanta Composer

2011-01-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

Anybody go and see Eric Alexander's premiere last night? I'm sad I missed it.

http://www.artscriticatl.com/2011/01/review-cobb-symphony-delivers-sparkling-ravel-and-an-engaging-world-premiere/

Sonic Generator Presents The Open Score

2011-01-12T21:20:00.002-05:00

Georgia Tech’s chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, will explore open musical scores on the boundaries of composition, improvisation, and interactivity in a free exhibition and concert in partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center. The performance features music with unconventional and technologically-driven scores by Kaija Saariaho, Frederic Rzewski, Jason Freeman, Bill Ryan, David Kim-Boyle, and Akito Van Troyer. It takes place at the Rich Theatre at Woodruff Arts Center on January 24th. The exhibition opens at 7 pm and the concert begins at 8 pm. We hope to see you there!

Full details are on Sonic Generator's web site.

New Website Launch

2011-01-10T12:14:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

I’m happy to announce the launch of my new website:

nickitasdemos.com

Here you can sample audio excerpts and score previews of my compositions, view videos of performances, order music, check out my blog, Greek & Composing and much more!

Best,

NJD

Dali til Dawn! This Weekend!

2011-01-07T07:35:00.002-05:00

Saturday, January 8 · 6:00pm - 11:00pm - High Museum

WonderRoot and The High Museum present a night of surreal send-off performances as part of Dali til Dawn. Come see a varitey of acts... Poetry! Improv! Animation! Live Art! Film! Dance! Comedy! Skits! Music!

Performers include (in no particular order):
Ben Leak and the Lobster Mobster Poetry Collective, Adam Bruneau, Zentropy, Brett W Thompson, Amber Boardman, Steven Abadin, Scott Burland, Robbie Land, Ana Sousa, Cameron Stuart, Subliminator, Corey Barksdale, Bradley Bailey, Caleb Herron, Tanner Slick, Gary Eddy, David Bradford, Paul Mercer, Sarah Falls, Jule Baggenstos, and Alma Dytoc.

Dali Open Mic begins at 6pm and ends at 11pm (immediately following is a performance by The Imperial Opa!). Hosted by WonderRoot's Open Mic host Cameron Stuart. This event is part of the High Museums 31 hour Dali Send-Off.

For more information on Dali til Dawn visit:
http://www.high.org/main.taf?p=4%2C3%2C2&eventId=732&eventTypeId=12

For more information on WonderRoot visit:
www.wonderroot.org

Facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=179843638712395

Spring Semester Concerts

2011-01-03T23:44:00.005-05:00

I have compiled the contemporary music concerts I found at our local universities and orchestras. If I missed something, don't hesitate to leave a comment! I hope you all can make it to as many of these as possible. Quite a few of them are FREE! We will have reminder posts, but I wanted to show an overview as you plan your new year.

Cobb Symphony - premiere by Atlanta composer Eric Alexander
January 15, 2011 • 8 PM - Murray Arts Center, Kennesaw

Sonic Generator
Monday, January 24, 2011, 8 pm - Tech

Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

Cerberus Percussion Group
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 - 8:00 PM - Bailey Center, KSU

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble
Tuesday, February 08, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

ASO plays Golijov and Piazzola
Thurs-Sat, February 24-26 - 8PM - Symphony Hall

Sy Brandon in residence at KSU
March 4, 2011: masterclasses only - no concerts :(

Senior Recital - Micah Martin, composition
Saturday, March 12, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

Graduate Recital - Chris Owenby, composition
Sunday, March 13, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

Rusty Banks in residence at KSU
March 14, 2011 - recital at 8PM

Sonic Generator
Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 8 pm - Tech

Bent Frequency
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

KSU Festival of New Music - Bailey Center, KSU
3/28, 8 pm: Student Composers Concert (KSU, GSU, Tech)
3/30, 8 pm: Faculty Composers Concert (KSU, GSU, Tech)
4/1, all day: eighth blackbird and Nico Muhly residency activities
4/2, 11 am-1 pm: Theory Symposium
4/2, 8 pm: eighth blackbird concert with Nico Muhly Southeast premiere

GSU Percussion Ensemble
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

Instant Music Concert
Friday, April 08, 2011 - 12:00 PM - GSU

KSU Student Composers Concert
Friday, April 8, 2011 - 8:00 PM - KSU

4/11-13: Thomas Benjamin in residence at KSU
4/12, 8 pm: Mixed Chamber Ensemble, includes works by Thomas Benjamin
4/13, 8 pm: KSU Orchestra, includes work by Thomas Benjamin

Student Composers Concert
Friday, April 15, 2011 - 12:00 PM - GSU

Guest Artist - California E.A.R. Unit
Sunday, April 17, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Wind Orchestra & Percussion Ensemble
with Michael Colgrass, composer
Thursday, April 21, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

Graduate Recital - Hanna Lisa Stefansson, composition
Friday, April 22, 2011 - 7:30 PM - GSU

Philippe Leroux lecture at Georgia Tech

2010-11-28T14:16:00.002-05:00

In addition to coming to Tuesday night's free Sonic Generator concert at Woodruff Arts Center, I encourage you all to come see Philippe Leroux's lecture at Georgia Tech tomorrow (Monday), where he'll discuss his piece Voi(Rex) that is on Tuesday evening's program.

GA Tech's "C3: Creativity, Cognition and Computation" series and the Center for Music Technology Seminar Series present:

Philippe Leroux, University of Montreal and IRCAM

Voi(Rex) the model of the model

Monday, November 29, 2010
TSRB Auditorium: directions and parking info at http://www.tsrb.gatech.edu
reception at 1:30 pm
lecture at 2:00 pm

See you tomorrow (and Tuesday)!

Student Composer Concert

2010-11-17T20:18:00.000-05:00

You are cordially invited to come by and enjoy a FREE concert given by the Georgia State University Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI).

Date: Friday, November 19
Time: 12 PM
Location: Kopleff Recital Hall.

PROGRAM:

Taylor HELMS / Modal Dances for woodwind quintet - [premiere]

John PAPASPYROU / Eight Little Sketches for Viola - [premiere]

Chris OWENBY / Wondrous Love for soprano & piano trio

John PAPASPYROU / Epitaphios for tenor sax. & cello - [premiere]

Taylor J. GLANTON / Latin Bridge Suite for piano trio - [premiere]

For directions and more information, please visit www.music.gsu.edu. We hope to see some of you there!

Sonic Generator Concert with Philippe Leroux

2010-11-17T10:10:00.001-05:00

Georgia Tech’s chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, will feature the music of guest composer Philippe Leroux in a free performance in partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center and France-Atlanta 2010. The concert also features guest soprano Donatienne Michel-Dansac and compositions by Kaija Saariaho and Pierre Jodlowski.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Rich Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street
free admission, reception to follow

Full details at:
http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu

Hope to see you there!

Eddie Horst's Passing

2010-11-14T23:33:00.000-05:00

I am sorry to share the news that Eddie Horst died on Thursday. He took his own life after struggling with clinical depression. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Many of you remember Eddie from the monthly composer meetups he hosted at Crawford Communications a few years back. Others of you probably know him in others ways too. He had far reaching connections in the music industry and touched many people's lives. He was very supportive of the Atlanta Composers mission to network local composers.

If there is a public memorial, I (or one the blog authors) will post details when they become available.

If you would like to share your positive remembrances of Eddie, please do so in the comments.

Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore

2010-11-11T23:29:00.024-05:00

After a few words about order and causality, a meeting of minds on music.

Below is an excerpt from a conversation between poet Rabindranath Tagore and physicist Albert Einstein, which took place in a meeting arranged by a mutual friend ("Dr. Mendel") on August 19, 1930. Fascinating that a considerable portion of their exchange is about music. It is taken from "Three conversations: Tagore Talks with Einstein, with Rolland, and Wells" (Asia Magazine, March 1931). This was a second meeting and conversation between Einstein and Tagore. The photo by Martin Vos was taken during their first encounter on July 14 of the same year. [Image source: Wikimedia Commons]

TAGORE: I was discussing with Dr. Mendel today the new mathematical discoveries which tell us that in the realm of infinitesimal atoms chance has its play; the drama of existence is not absolutely predestined in character.

EINSTEIN: The facts that make science tend toward this view do not say good-bye to causality.

TAGORE: Maybe not, yet it appears that the idea of causality is not in the elements, but that some other force builds up with them an organized universe.

EINSTEIN: One tries to understand in the higher plane how the order is. The order is there, where the big elements combine and guide existence, but in the minute elements this order is not perceptible.

TAGORE: Thus duality is in the depths of existence, the contradiction of free impulse and the directive will which works upon it and evolves an orderly scheme of things.

EINSTEIN: Modern physics would not say they are contradictory. Clouds look as one from a distance, but if you see them nearby, they show themselves as disorderly drops of water.

TAGORE: I find a parallel in human psychology. Our passions and desires are unruly, but our character subdues these elements into a harmonious whole. Does something similar to this happen in the physical world? Are the elements rebellious, dynamic with individual impulse? And is there a principle in the physical world which dominates them and puts them into an orderly organization?

EINSTEIN: Even the elements are not without statistical order; elements of radium will always maintain their specific order, now and ever onward, just as they have done all along. There is, then, a statistical order in the elements.

TAGORE: Otherwise, the drama of existence would be too desultory. It is the constant harmony of chance and determination which makes it eternally new and living.

EINSTEIN: I believe that whatever we do or live for has its causality; it is good, however, that we cannot see through to it.

TAGORE: There is in human affairs an element of elasticity also, some freedom within a small range which is for the expression of our personality. It is like the musical system in India, which is not so rigidly fixed as western music. Our composers give a certain definite outline, a system of melody and rhythmic arrangement, and within a certain limit the player can improvise upon it. He must be one with the law of that particular melody, and then he can give spontaneous expression to his musical feeling within the prescribed regulation. We praise the composer for his genius in creating a foundation along with a superstructure of melodies, but we expect from the player his own skill in the creation of variations of melodic flourish and ornamentation. In creation we follow the central law of existence, but if we do not cut ourselves adrift from it, we can have sufficient freedom within the limits of our personality for the fullest self-expression.

EINSTEIN: That is possible only when there is a strong artistic tradition in music to guide the people's mind. In Europe, music has come too far away from popular art and popular feeling and has become something like a secret art with conventions and traditions of its own.

TAGORE: You have to be absolutely obedient to this too complicated music. In India, the measure of a singer's freedom is in his own creative personality. He can sing the composer's song as his own, if he has the power creatively to assert himself in his interpretation of the general law of the melody which he is given to interpret.

EINSTEIN: It requires a very high standard of art to realize fully the great idea in the original music, so that one can make variations upon it. In our country, the variations are often prescribed.

TAGORE: If in our conduct we can follow the law of goodness, we can have real liberty of self-expression. The principle of conduct is there, but the character which makes it true and individual is our own creation. In our music there is a duality of freedom and prescribed order.

EINSTEIN: Are the words of a song also free? I mean to say, is the singer at liberty to add his own words to the song which he is singing?

TAGORE: Yes. In Bengal we have a kind of song-kirtan, we call it-which gives freedom to the singer to introduce parenthetical comments, phrases not in the original song. This occasions great enthusiasm, since the audience is constantly thrilled by some beautiful, spontaneous sentiment added by the singer.

EINSTEIN: Is the metrical form quite severe?

TAGORE: Yes, quite. You cannot exceed the limits of versification; the singer in all his variations must keep the rhythm and the time, which is fixed. In European music you have a comparative liberty with time, but not with melody.

EINSTEIN: Can the Indian music be sung without words? Can one understand a song without words?

TAGORE: Yes, we have songs with unmeaning words, sounds which just help to act as carriers of the notes. In North India, music is an independent art, not the interpretation of words and thoughts, as in Bengal. The music is very intricate and subtle and is a complete world of melody by itself.

EINSTEIN: Is it not polyphonic?

TAGORE: Instruments are used, not for harmony, but for keeping time and adding to the volume and depth. Has melody suffered in your music by the imposition of harmony?

EINSTEIN: Sometimes it does suffer very much. Sometimes the harmony swallows up the melody altogether.

TAGORE: Melody and harmony are like lines and colors in pictures. A simple linear picture may be completely beautiful; the introduction of color may make it vague and insignificant. Yet color may, by combination with lines, create great pictures, so long as it does not smother and destroy their value.

EINSTEIN: It is a beautiful comparison; line is also much older than color. It seems that your melody is much richer in structure than ours. Japanese music also seems to be so.

TAGORE: It is difficult to analyze the effect of eastern and western music on our minds. I am deeply moved by the western music; I feel that it is great, that it is vast in its structure and grand in its composition. Our own music touches me more deeply by its fundamental lyrical appeal. European music is epic in character; it has a broad background and is Gothic in its structure.

EINSTEIN: This is a question we Europeans cannot properly answer, we are so used to our own music. We want to know whether our own music is a conventional or a fundamental human feeling, whether to feel consonance and dissonance is natural, or a convention which we accept.

TAGORE: Somehow the piano confounds me. The violin pleases me much more.

EINSTEIN: It would be interesting to study the effects of European music on an Indian who had never heard it when he was young.

TAGORE: Once I asked an English musician to analyze for me some classical music, and explain to me what elements make for the beauty of the piece.

EINSTEIN: The difficulty is that the really good music, whether of the East or of the West, cannot be analyzed.

TAGORE: Yes, and what deeply affects the hearer is beyond himself.

EINSTEIN: The same uncertainty will always be there about everything fundamental in our experience, in our reaction to art, whether in Europe or in Asia. Even the red flower I see before me on your table may not be the same to you and me.

TAGORE: And yet there is always going on the process of reconciliation between them, the individual taste conforming to the universal standard.

# # #

Footnote for composers: 1930 was the year in which Nicholas Slonimsky premiered Charles Ives's "Three Places in New England," a year which also saw the premieres of such disparate works as Howard Hanson's "Symphony No. 2," Anton Webern's "Quartet, Op. 22," and Kurt Weill's "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny." It was also the year when the Marx Brothers' film "Animal Crackers" was released. --mg

Will Eyedrum Go Out with a Bang?

2010-11-10T11:10:00.003-05:00

Financially troubled arts-alternative Eyedrum will close its current location, as its lease expires Dec. 31 and will not be renewed. Read the article by Chad Radford in this week's Creative Loafing (online now, on the street soon): http://clatl.com/atlanta/will-eyedrum-go-out-with-a-bang/Content?oid=2309057

24 Hour Opera Project

2010-11-08T13:33:00.004-05:00

We had a blast this weekend making operas in 24 hours with the Atlanta Opera! Here's a link of the beginning of the competition in case any of you may be curious about applying next time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD6lUin2igc&feature=youtu.be

If you have a facebook account you can view all three operas here:

http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=1387344038

November 7th: Bent Frequency and Ballet Preljocaj

2010-11-02T06:55:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, November 7th at 4:00pm in the lobby of the Rialto, the Atlanta-based new music group Bent Frequency will be collaborating with the innovative Ballet Preljocaj and the Rialto for this event by sharing their expertise on the music of John Cage for this performance. Founding member and percussionist Stuart Gerber will be giving a brief introduction to Cage and his work at the beginning of the program. For a more in-depth look at Cage’s music, Bent Frequency will present a few short pieces from various points in Cage’s career at the reception in the Rialto lobby before the Ballet Preljocaj performance of Empty Moves. We will explore Cage’s sound world through works for saxophone, trumpet, percussion, amplified cacti, and conch shells!

The program includes:

Inlets (1977) for 12 conch shells
Variations I (1958) (a duo version for saxophone and trumpet)
Composed Improvisation for Snare Drum (1975)
Water Walk (1959)

It promises to be an adventurous evening!

Ballet Preljocaj’s performance begins at 5pm in the Rialto Center for the Arts. Information about tickets can be found here.

Bent Frequency presents the New York-based Amp New Music Ensemble - TWICE!

2010-11-02T06:32:00.003-05:00

Hi all -

You have TWO chances to catch some innovative saxophone and electronic music this weekend:

Friday, November 5 · 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Kopleff Recital Hall Georgia State University
FREE

Amp New Music will be presenting “Amplified: Saxophone and Electronics” with Saxophonist Michael Ibrahim. This program will include music by Grisey, Chion, Mirza, and Stockhausen.

Saturday, November 6th, 8PM
Eyedrum (290 MLK Dr. SE)
$7/students=$5

We will be miking the big drum out front! It will be played before and after the main program. Double-header of new/experimental classical music by Atlanta locals Bent Frequency hosting New York-based Amp.

Bent Frequency

Bent Frequency brings the avant-garde music tradition to life in Atlanta through adventurous programming, the promotion of New Music, and a creative synthesis of music and media. Our vision is to redefine the traditional music experience - ushering it from the strict formality of the concert hall into the fresh air of contemporary artistic expression and experimentation.

AMP

Amp is a new music group based in New York City that grapples with experimental, electroacoustic, gestural, or situational compositional trends in the context (for the perspective) of a broader musical modernism. Without fixed ensemble, we draw from the rich new music scene in New York to organically develop a few concerts each year, each usually featuring a particular composer or nexus of compositions. More info at www.ampmusic.org.

Please try to make it out to one or both! And don't miss some brand new opera this weekend as well (see below).

Here is Amp at the NYC venue The Tank last year:

Concert for 24 Hour Opera Project by Atlanta Opera

2010-11-01T09:50:00.002-05:00

The concert for Atlanta Opera's 24 Hour Concert will be this Sunday (11/7) at 7:30pm at Georgia State University's Kopleff Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

Composers will begin work on Saturday (11/6) at 5pm, working with the librettist, stage director, singers, and pianists. The teams are formed by the Atlanta Opera at 5pm on Saturday. The Atlanta Opera will also reveal some other items to be included in the new operas.

Should be a fun ride!

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: November 9, 2010

2010-10-30T14:40:00.003-05:00

Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Time: 7:30 PM

Location: Kopleff Recital Hall

Join us for Rites of Passage, the second concert of the 2010/11 season! We are honored to feature special guest performers Ken LONG (clarinet) and Brandt FREDRIKSEN (piano) in a program of clarinet music written by Donald ERB, Nickitas DEMOS and Paul OSTERFIELD. The concert is FREE and there will be, as usual, a reception following! Hope to see many of you there!

Program:

OSTERFIELD / Six Vignettes for solo clarinet

ERB / Changes for clarinet & keyboards

DEMOS / Tonoi III for solo clarinet

ERB / Woody for solo clarinet

DEMOS / Rites of Passage (premiere) for clarinet (tripling on bass clarinet, Eb clarinet) & piano

Bent Frequency TONIGHT (10/29)

2010-10-29T08:23:00.003-05:00

Sorry we neglected to post this VERY IMPORTANT show - hopefully you've been checking the GSU calendar and/or facebook invites! This was snowed out TWICE last year, so please make a good showing for BF!

Mauricio Kagel: Film Music, Music Performance, Performance Film
Featuring Bent Frequency
Friday, October 29, 2010 - 7:30 PM
Kopleff Recital Hall, GSU
FREE!

Mauricio Kagel, the German-Argentine composer who died in 2008, is most noted for his theatrical contributions to classical music performance. The evening will offer two of Kagel's short films, Unter Strom and Antithese, and performances of Kagel's Schattenklange for bass clarinet and Match for Two Cellos and Percussion. Match is a dialogue for two celli with a percussionist serving as the umpire. It is not only a match in sounds, but also in physical reactions, keeping the umpire busy! Sponsored by the Center for Collaborative and International Arts (CENCIA), which brings together creative writers, visual arts, composers, musicians, actors and playwrights, filmmakers and scholars engaged in arts-related research at Georgia State.

Press Release: Composer Brian Skutle Goes "Beyond the Infinite" for his Fourth Album

2010-10-27T10:33:00.001-05:00

A decade after its first conception, and 42 years after the film that inspired it, Atlanta-area filmmaker-composer Brian Skutle is proud to release his fourth album, "Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey".

In 1999, Skutle was a student at Georgia State University when he composed "Beyond the Infinite," a 3 1/2 minute work inspired by the music of Gyorgy Ligeti and the cinema of Stanley Kubrick as it collided in the landmark 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey", and the musical seed that would grow into the album of the same name. Adapted from the short story "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke, "2001" was an ambitious film that tracked man's evolution in intelligence and technology back from the "dawn of man" to the early 21st Century, when the crew of Discovery One is sent to explore a mysterious signal that was directed towards Jupiter from an artifact on the moon. With Oscar-winning visual effects and limitless imagination, Kubrick's iconoclastic sci-fi film has confounded and enthralled audiences ever since its first release during the "space race" of the late '60s.

Skutle was one of those both confounded and enthralled by the film. As he wrote in his 2002 review, "But like the finest cinematic mind-benders, the more times you watch, the more the underlying meaning and form of Kubrick’s film reveals itself...whether you see it as a spiritual epic or pretentious bore, '2001' is a landmark of special effects and sound design." It wasn't just the sights that engaged him: Kubrick's use of classical music to score the action also imprinted itself on Skutle; that and the knowledge of an unused score by Alex North gave him the idea for "Beyond the Infinite."

As he writes in the liner notes for the album, "Conceived in part as an 'alternative soundtrack' to '2001' as much as it is a tone poem, 'Beyond the Infinite' takes its cues, on a musical level, as much from Alex North's elegant, unusued score for '2001' as much as it does the collection of Ligeti, J. Strauss, R. Strauss, and Khachaturian Kubrick used in his epic. The goal was to meld the tonal continuity of North's music with the experimental amalgam of Kubrick's chosen selections...So you have waltz-like works performed by synthesized sounds instead of strings, motifs performed in both chamber and electronic configurations, and pieces that carry a more traditional music structure programmed next to ones of a more avant garde nature."

In the spirit of his conception of "Beyond the Infinite" as an alternative soundtrack to the film, Brian Skutle has chosen an original approach to releasing the album. In addition to being available for purchase at online retailers such as CDBaby and iTunes (along with his other three albums- "Creative Beginnings", "Dark Experiments", and "Sonic Visions of a New Old West"), Skutle has created a special commentary for "2001: A Space Odyssey" which places the pieces of "Beyond the Infinite" in context of the moments in the film they were inspired by, along with newly-recorded commentary that goes in depth onto not only his thoughts on the film itself, but also the creation of "Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey." Downloadable from www.sonic-cinema.com, the track allows for a new experience in watching the film, as well as gives voice to an artist and critic with a lot to say as both about this singular work of art.

Thanks for listening,

Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
www.reverbnation.com/brianskutle
www.myspace.com/brianskutle
www.myspace.com/cinemanouveau
www.youtube.com/bskutle
Sonic Cinema Shop
"Creative Beginnings" at CDBaby
"Dark Experiments" at CDBaby
"Sonic Visions of a New Old West" at CDBaby
"Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey" at CDBaby

Cerberus Percussion Group @ Red Light Cafe 11/19/10

2010-10-22T15:53:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone -

Cerberus Percussion Group is playing the Red Light Cafe at 9PM on Friday, 11/19/10. Alt-country/folk acts EB Reece (GSU student!) and Adam Klein open at 7:30 and 8:00, respectively.

On the program:
Catfish - Mark Applebaum
Pachamama - Adam Scott Neal
The Frame Problem - James Romig
Attica - Frederic Rzewski

Admission is $7, but supporting contemporary music is priceless.

Feel free to RSVP via facebook here.

Program Notes:

Catfish (2003) - Intense, but always with a sick Californian sense of humor, Catfish is a vexing and delightful listening experience. -John Zorn

Pachamama (2009) is a piece for percussion trio. Each player has a 'melodic' instrument (conch shell, ocarina, melodica), some kind of drum (up to them), another 'rhythmic' percussion instrument (shaker, stones, log drum) and an 'atmospheric' instrument (frog guiro, box of pebbles, paper and plastic bags).The form is based on a 9x9 magic square. The number in each square determined the number of measures (in 4/4) that each instrument, dynamic, or rhythmic pattern would last. It will sound a lot less arbitrary than that description. What to listen for, in a nutshell - different instruments will come and go. They will gradually fall into a groove, the groove may become less apparent, then appear again. If you listen closely, you may notice that each player is actually in his own meter. -Adam Scott Neal

The Frame Problem (2003) The title refers to a primary difficulty in designing robots and computer programs with "artificial intelligence." Human brains have a remarkable ability to "frame" information: in an instant, we are able to observe and organize an enormous amount of data, sorting and categorizing what is relevant and what is not. When listening to music, one of the primary hierarchical "frames" we create is that of meter. In this percussion trio, multiple distinct meters occur concurrently—in different lines, at constantly shifting dynamic levels, and in different timbral aggregations—providing human listeners with the opportunity to resolve multiple overlapping “frames” simultaneously. Robots in the audience will probably just be confused. -James Romig

Attica (1972), the earliest work on tonight’s program, is also one of Rzewski’s earliest compositions to feature an overtly political message. A lush repetitive tonal sequence is punctuated by a narrator’s intoned text, gradually expanding one word at a time; the sequenced is derived from a statement made by Richard X. Clark, one of the organizers of the 1971 Attica prison uprising, upon his release in February 1972: “Attica is in front of me.” Although Attica is being presented on its own this evening, it was originally conceived as a companion piece to the more visceral Coming Together, whose narration is based on the words of a less fortunate Attica inmate, radical antiwar activist Sam Melville (“Mad Bomber” Melville), who was killed by police during the uprising. -Kyle Gann

neoPhonia concert review

2010-10-19T22:45:00.010-05:00

Review of neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: October 19, 2010

I hesitate to call this a review because I'm not a professional journalist and I'm only going to say a few words of my impressions of the evening. For a critic's review, please see Pierre Ruhe's write-up on ArtsCriticATL.com.

This concert, which began the 16th season of neoPhonia, was an evening of three Atlanta native composers--Charles Knox, Mark Gresham, and Brent Milam. Charles Knox, born 1929, is our 'founding father', the oldest and most mature composer living and working in the Atlanta area. This concert was largely in honor of Mr. Knox. The evening was framed by his works, both the first and last pieces written by him. And a few words were said in his honor by Dwight Coleman, who spoke of working with Knox on an opera [could someone who knows more please provide details] and of Knox's 45-year relationship with the School of Music.

All composers were in attendance. It was greet to meet and chat with them before and after the show.

Following is the program with some of my notes...

KNOX / Song & Double (1984) for oboe & piano
All I wrote for this one was "beautiful". ;)

GRESHAM / Vagabond Drumming, Book IV (2010 - premiere) for percussion duo
Excellent and perhaps my favorite of the pieces in Gresham's Vegabond Drumming series.
Made use of blocks, bongos, snare, tamborine, cymbals and chimes. The blocks started together and then the percussion combined in different ways. The third movement was polyrhythmic, the fourth seemed Asian inspired with the pentatonic pitched blocks, the fifth got louder with snare, bongos, and blocks. I think Mark was very pleased with this performance, as he should be, it was great.

MILAM / Between The Walls (2010 - premiere) for flute, Bb clarinet, cello & piano
Great work. The first movement started off softly dissonant, but stayed light and went into jazzy playfulness. The second movement was soft and gentle. The third and most memorable to me started playfully pizzicato and pointillistic and gradually got more intense, melodic, and dense, a disintegration process in reverse. Very cool!

GRESHAM / Genshi (2010 - premiere) for Bb clarinet & viola
This was a beaufiful piece with much counterpoint, sometimes chasing, sometimes opposing. The clarinet and viola were in continual play with one another. I heard some intonation issues in the viola in several parts. I don't think the microtones were intended ;), but it did not take away from the beauty and delightfulness of the piece.

KNOX / The Framing Of This Circle (1999) for horn, violin & piano
WOW! This was the powerhouse of the evening. I don't have words to describe it. You just have to find a recording of it (if there is one; I hope there is!) and hear it for yourself. Swept me up, heart and soul. This was a fitting finale and brought the whole concert (which was already great to begin with) to a grand conclusion. This was absolutely the most mature piece on the program, which is not surprising given that Knox has decades on us in composing experience. : ) The instrumentation was a perfect union. The writing was in perfect relationship. Amazing piece!

Btw, here's the #neophonia Twitter feed with what I tweeted from the show (in between pieces, of course!)

Anyone else who was there, please feel free to add your comments.

iPad Concert idea

2010-10-16T08:09:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking of putting together an iPad concert where each participant composes and performs a work in an app of their choosing.

There are many apps to choose from.

Here are some of my favorites:

Zen Sound

Would anyone like to join me in composing iPad pieces and putting on a show?

Curtis Bryant - Atlanta Faith Partners Concert - October 17

2010-10-12T12:10:00.003-05:00

October 17, 2010 – Sunday, 4:00 PM, FAITH PARTNERS FINAL CONCERT. A joint performance of all programs from Curtis Bryant's Atlanta Faith Partners Residency sponsored by the American Composers Forum will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia. Choirs and instrumentalists from three Atlanta congregations, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Cathedral of Christ the King, and First Presbyterian Church will participate in the concert. Featured works include the complete "Redeemer Evening Prayer – A Lenten Vespers," including the "Prelude and Postlude: Fugue and Toccata on FA-SOL-LA RE" for organ solo, "I Lift My Eyes" (Psalm 121), "Canticle of Mary" and "Canticle of Simeon," and two Glorias. Two additional psalm settings for choir and organ, "How Long, O God" and "I Sing of Light," as well as the "Hymn of Wisdom" for choir with brass quintet, organ and percussion will be featured. The vocal works on the program include original lyrics by four different poets with ties to Atlanta: William Allen, Stephen Bluestone, Doug Cumming and Marcia King. The St. Cecilia Consort will also give a repeat performance of Bryant's "Fantasy on Divinum Mysterium" for orchestra. ADMISSION IS FREE!

GSU Bands with world premiere by Tim Jansa - October 21, 2010

2010-10-10T12:06:00.003-05:00

Big new music week at GSU - neoPhonia on Tuesday and this concert on Thursday:

During the inaugural concert of the 2010/2011 season, Robert J. Ambrose will lead internationally renowned euphonium soloist Adam Frey and the Georgia State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble in the world premiere performance of "Concierto Ibérico" for solo euphonium and concert band by local German-American composer Tim Jansa. This is a large-scale symphonic work of almost 28 minutes in length and built around 3 major festivals of Spain: The Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, the Semana Santa, and the Fallas of Valencia.

This work was named a finalist for the 2010 Harvey G. Phillips Award for Compositional Excellence.

The performance will take place on Thursday, October 21, at 7:30 pm at the Rialto Center for the Arts. Admission is free.

The Symphonic Wind Ensemble will also present works by McAllister, Stravinsky and Bach. The Wind Orchestra will perform works by Whitacre, Grainger, Persichetti and Goldman.

Robert J. Ambrose & Chester Phillips, conductors
Tim Ellison, graduate assistant conductor
Adam Frey, euphonium

More info can be found at http://www.music.gsu.edu/events.aspx and at http://www.timjansa.com/works/concierto-iberico-2009

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: October 19, 2010

2010-10-08T14:28:00.003-05:00

When: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 7:30 PM

Where: Kopleff Recital Hall - Free Admission

Join us as we begin our 16th Season with a concert entitled Red Clay Connections. The evening will feature music by Atlanta based composers Mark GRESHAM, Charles KNOX & Brent MILAM. Please also plan on meeting the composers and performers after the performance at a reception sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc.

PROGRAM:

KNOX / Song & Double for oboe & piano

GRESHAM / Vagabond Drumming, Book IV (premiere) for percussion duo

MILAM / Between The Walls (premiere) for flute, Bb clarinet, cello & piano

GRESHAM / Genshi (premiere) for Bb clarinet & viola

KNOX / The Framing Of This Circle for horn, violin & piano

Composer & Flutist Robert Cronin in Concert!

2010-09-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

Flutist and Composer Robert Cronin will be doing a recital on Tuesday, October 5th at 8:00PM at Kennesaw State University in the Bailey Performing Arts Center. The concert consists entirely of works written by Mr. Cronin himself, including two brand new pieces for flute(s) and harp, Portraits for piccolo and Piano, Postcard for Piccolo and Marimba, Off the Wall for Flute and Piano, a bassoon and trumpet duet as well as part of a solo cello sonata. Other performers include Christina Smith, Tom Hooten, Laura Najarian, Peter Marshall and Ellen Foster. The concert is free and no tickets are required. More information about the works to be performed can be found at www.robertcronin.net.

Sonic Generator Concert

2010-09-15T12:09:00.001-05:00

Georgia Tech’s chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, kicks off its fifth anniversary season with a free concert at the Reinsch-Pierce Family Auditorium at the Georgia Tech College of Architecture on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 8 p.m. The concert features compositions by Randall Woolf, Jonathan Kramer, Karlheinz Essl, Gene Pritsker, Jesper Nordin, and Nathan Davis.

More information at http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu. Hope to see you there!

24-Hour Opera Project by Atlanta Opera

2010-09-13T20:30:00.010-05:00

Saturday November 06, 2010
Sunday November 07, 2010

Calling area composers, lyricists, stage directors and opera singers! The opera world is full of drama, intrigue, romance, comedy, and tragedy – how about experiencing all of those things in 24 hours?!?! In celebration of OPERA America’s National Opera Week, opera organizations educational programs in the Metro Atlanta area will be hosting a 24-Hour Opera Project. Think of it as a creative science project where Verdi meets reality TV!

Composers, lyricists, stage directors and opera singers from all over may apply to join in the project. Composers and lyricists selected to participate will be randomly paired together and will have 12 hours to write an opera! At the end of 12 hours, the pieces will be assigned to participating stage directors, who will draft singers from a pool of applicants and have 8 hours to rehearse before presenting the pieces on a showcase concert 12 hours after the project begins! It’s a whirlwind of music and drama!

Who can participate?
Composers, lyricists, stage directors, and singers may apply (experience required).

Download the appropriate application:

Composer Application (PDF)

Lyricist Application (PDF)

Singer Application (PDF)

Stage Director Application (PDF)

What are we talking about?
We’re talking about opera insanity! 24 hours to compose, rehearse, and perform an opera with strangers. Prizes will be awarded following the showcase concert in the following categories: Best Use of Props, Most Diva-liscious, Best Death Scene, and Best Overall Composition.

Where will the event take place?
The 24-Hour Opera Project will take place on the campus of Georgia State University.

When will this happen?
November 6-7, 2010

Why are we subjecting ourselves to such madness?
Because we’re crazy! (And we want everyone to see how cool opera is!)

Still have questions?
Please contact The Atlanta Opera education department at 404.881.8801 or education@atlantaopera.org.

The Fine Print:
Compositions must 7-10 minutes in length, written and performed in English and scored for 4 singers (soprano/mezzo/tenor/bass) with piano, and composed around a specific themed (top secret until November 6!). Pre-existing compositions will not be eligible. Composition teams will be paired randomly, compositions will be assigned to stage directors randomly, and participating singers will be selected to perform through a “live” singer draft. Submission of application in any category does not guarantee participation and artists may only apply in one discipline; Applicants selected to participate will be notified by October 25.

Mark your calendars for September 17th!

2010-08-23T15:03:00.003-05:00

Dear Readers,

I am happy to announce TWO concerts of contemporary music happening on Friday, September 17th. They overlap slightly, but there is a good chance you can make it to both. I strongly urge you to support contemporary music in Atlanta by attending at least one of these concerts.

Concert 1:
Atlanta/Nürnberg: Sister Cities in Concert
Featuring Bent Frequency
Friday, September 17, 2010 - 7:30 PM

This concert of Nürnberg and Atlanta-based composers will include works by Vivienne Olive and Dieter Buwen (Nürnberg) and Tim Jansa, Nick Demos and Robert Scott Thompson (GSU, Atlanta). Sponsored by the Center for Collaborative and International Arts (CENCIA), which brings together creative writers, visual arts, composers, musicians, actors and playwrights, filmmakers and scholars engaged in arts-related research at Georgia State.

Venue: Rialto Center for the Arts
Cost: FREE

Concert 2:
Cerberus Percussion Group + Darren Nelsen
Friday, September 17, 2010 - 9:00 PM

Cerberus Percussion Group (Drew Dolan, Caleb Herron, Brandon Dodge - joined by Adam Scott Neal, keyboards) is performing at Kavarna. The program will include:

Adam Scott Neal - Pachamama (premiere)
Frederic Rzewski - Les Moutons de Panurge
Louis Andriessen - Workers Union
Mark Applebaum - Catfish

And more!

Composer-guitarist Darren Nelsen will be opening.
Venue: Kavarna
Cost: FREE

Two Passions Collide: A Movie Review & A Musical Journey

2010-08-03T09:28:00.004-05:00

Hello Atlanta Composers. It's been a while since I've posted on here. Today I took the first steps towards releasing my fourth album by taking my love of movies and melding it with my creative expressions. If you click on the title (or here) you'll find my newly-released fan commentary of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." When synched with the film, however (starting at the first use of Ligeti's "Atmospheres" at the beginning), you'll find the tracks of my fourth album- "Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey"- placed in context to the film itself, with my own observations of creating the album (and discussing the film itself)- in between pieces. The album itself will be released officially in the coming month or so, but for now I'm very pleased to release it in this highly original fashion. I hope you take a listen.

Thanks for listening,

Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com

Third Annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition: Call for Entries

2010-07-27T08:46:00.001-05:00

Submit Entrees Online by October 1st 2010

Inventors, composers, creators, and designers are encouraged to submit their musical instrument inventions to the 2011 Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. The event is hosted by the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology and features a grand prize of $5,000. In total, $10,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the best novel musical instruments. Entries will be accepted through October 1, 2010 via an Online Submission Form and notification of acceptance will be provided November 1, 2010.

The competition, which will take place February 24-25 2011, will be judged by an expert panel including Tom Oberheim, inventor of the first polyphonic music synthesizer, Sergi Jorda, inventor of the Reactable tabletop musical instrument, Georgia Tech professor Jason Freeman, and Wired.com music journalist Eliot Van Buskirk. This annual competition is supported by the philanthropic gifts of Tech alum Richard Guthman in honor of his wife Margaret. It showcases new uses of technology to enhance participation in music performance and music creation.

For more information about previous iterations of the competition, judging criteria, submission format etc. go to our website.

We are looking forward to receiving your submissions, and please feel free to distribute this information to other interested parties,

“Anatomy of a Film Score” seminar with Hummie Mann

2010-07-23T08:48:00.005-05:00

ANNOUNCEMENT: THE SEMINAR HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED! EARLY SIGNUP DISCOUNT IS NOW AVAILABLE. SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS.
September 25 – 26, 2010
10 am – 6 pm each day
At the Nashville Film Institute The Factory, Franklin, Tennessee click here for a map/directions – parking is free for attendees lodging is available in nearby Cool Springs

The Nashville Composers Association presents the two-day seminar “Anatomy of a Film Score” with two-time Emmy-award winning composer/arranger Hummie Mann. Hummie has collaborated with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors in both theatrical and television films. His motion pictures projects have ranged from Mel Brooks’ “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” to Peter Yates’ “Year of the Comet”, the children’s film “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” to “Wooly Boys” directed by Leszek Burzynski starring Peter Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine and Joe Mazzello. For television, he has scored projects for Simon Wincer (the miniseries “P.T. Barnum”), Jonathan Kaplan (the miniseries re-make of “In Cold Blood”), Norman Jewison (“Picture Windows – Soir Bleu”), Peter Bogdanovich (“The Rescuers: Tales of Courage – Two Women”), Joe Dante (“Masters of Horror: Homecoming”), Jim Abrahams (“First Do No Harm”), Richard Friedenberg (“Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas”), William Friedkin, John Milius and Ralph Bakshi (all part of the “Rebel Highway” series of films), among others. Click here for Hummie’s complete credits, and here for his bio.

Anatomy of a Film Score attendees will receive 50+ pages of scores/notes with a CD of the music studied. Hummie will discuss the process of creating a score from initial concept to finished recorded music using audio and video examples. He will also discuss some specific compositional and technical film scoring techniques utilized in the process. Hummie recommends attendees bring note and manuscript paper as there will be much information you may wish to jot down. Attendees may also submit questions for Hummie ahead of time that he will address as part of the class or during the Q & A segment at the end.

You will learn, among other things:

Where to begin? Establishing a vocabulary and policy for the score.

Creating themes and varying them to work in different dramatic situations.

Techniques of contracting and expanding phrase lengths to fit a film’s timing requirements.

Discussion about various harmonic languages/progressions used in film.

The use and control of dissonance for dramatic results.

A step by step method of scoring a film from start to finish.

Read about the quality of Hummie’s teaching and courses here.

Anatomy of a Film Score attendees will also receive a free one-year Nashville Composers Association membership, worth $50.

To Register, click here. Seating is limited. Regular enrollment fee: $300 - includes scores and CD.

EARLY SIGNUP SPECIAL: SIGN UP AND PAY BY AUGUST 28th AT THE DISCOUNTED RATE OF $239.

Regular enrollment fee applies after August 28th.

Composer/flutist Lydia Ayers at Georgia Tech

2010-06-29T14:36:00.002-05:00

From Catherine Bull:

Composer/flutist Lydia Ayers will be in Atlanta on Friday 2 July for a workshop at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Couch Building Room TBA. The workshop will begin at 2:00 pm.

There is no charge -- it is free.

Among Lydia's many compositions, she will be known to many as the composer of "Time's Graffitti: Lucky Calligraphy" which was commissioned by the NFA in 2006 for the High School Soloist Competition.

Lydia will be dealing with extended techniques and music for flute and computer, and there will also be a presentation on flute and interactive-signal-processing.

If you wish to attend, please contact Catherine Bull privately at danielspyle@bellsouth.net.

Bridging the Venue Gap (EarRelevant)

2010-06-12T23:00:00.000-05:00

My more immediate thoughts on the under-bridge improv performance this evening by percussionists Klimchak and Keith Leslie. --Mark Gresham

http://earrelevant.blogspot.com/2010/06/bridging-venue-gap.html

Birds of a Feather

2010-06-05T17:15:00.006-05:00

Hold on to your hats. Once again I'm out on the music journalism circuit. —Mark Gresham

"Last night's performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus unveiled a pair of world premieres by composers Jennifer Higdon and Michael Gandolfi, placing them on the front burner ahead of intermission, and leaving one of the core symphonic repertoire's best-known works as a contrail in their wake. … [READ MORE]

All 300 Fine Arts Teachers Laid Off in Detroit

2010-05-23T08:22:00.003-05:00

Has anyone heard about this? It's alarming it would happen in Detroit, I hope this isn't contagious and will spread to other cities such as Atlanta: http://tinyurl.com/2bp6nra

"Anatomy of a Film Score" seminar - POSTPONED

2010-05-12T09:25:00.000-05:00

The "Anatomy of a Film Score" seminar with Hummie Mann originally scheduled for May 22 - 23 has been postponed due to the Nashville floods.

We are working on rescheduling for this fall, most likely in September. In the meantime, everyone who has already paid for the seminar will receive a full refund, and everyone who signed up for the originally-scheduled May 22 - 23 event will receive a complimentary one-year NCA membership for the inconvenience.

We'll make an announcement once the new dates for this seminar is secured. I hope everyone in the Nashville area has come through this deluge safely and dry.

Geoff Koch, president
Nashville Composers Association

“Anatomy of a Film Score” seminar with Hummie Mann in Nashville, TN

2010-05-05T19:28:00.003-05:00

May 22-23, 2010, 10 am to 6 pm

At the Nashville Film Institute
The Factory, Franklin, Tennessee
click here for a map/directions – parking is free for attendees
lodging is available in nearby Cool Springs

The Nashville Composers Association presents the two-day seminar “Anatomy of a Film Score” with two-time Emmy-award winning composer/arranger Hummie Mann. Hummie has collaborated with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors in both theatrical and television films. His motion pictures projects have ranged from Mel Brooks’ “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” to Peter Yates’ “Year of the Comet”, the children’s film “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” to “Wooly Boys” directed by Leszek Burzynski starring Peter Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine and Joe Mazzello. For television, he has scored projects for Simon Wincer (the miniseries “P.T. Barnum”), Jonathan Kaplan (the miniseries re-make of “In Cold Blood”), Norman Jewison (“Picture Windows – Soir Bleu”), Peter Bogdanovich (“The Rescuers: Tales of Courage – Two Women”), Joe Dante (“Masters of Horror: Homecoming”), Jim Abrahams (“First Do No Harm”), Richard Friedenberg (“Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas”), William Friedkin, John Milius and Ralph Bakshi (all part of the “Rebel Highway” series of films), among others. Click here for Hummie’s complete credits, and here for his bio.

Anatomy of a Film Score attendees will receive 50+ pages of scores/notes with a CD of the music studied. Hummie will discuss the process of creating a score from initial concept to finished recorded music using audio and video examples. He will also discuss some specific compositional and technical film scoring techniques utilized in the process. Hummie recommends attendees bring note and manuscript paper as there will be much information you may wish to jot down. Attendees may also submit questions for Hummie ahead of time that he will address as part of the class or during the Q & A segment at the end.

Read about the quality of Hummie’s teaching and courses here.

Anatomy of a Film Score attendees will also receive a free one-year Nashville Composers Association membership, worth $50.

To Register, click here. Seating is limited.

Brian Chamberlain's Graduate Recital on May 2nd

2010-04-26T08:06:00.002-05:00

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
3:00 PM
Florence Kopleff Recital Hall,
Georgia State University

Slipping on the Edge of Loss nn. 35, for Solo Piano - Performed by James Walker
Left to Rust nn. 32, for Tuba and Piano - Performed by Vince Jackson and Huu Mai
Lost Hollow Road nn. 15, for Flute and Guitar Duet - Performed by: duoATL
Levee nn. 37, for Flute and Guitar Quartet - Performed by Nicole Chamberlain, Brian Smith and Athens Guitar Trio

-Intermission-

Slow Motion Exit nn. 24, for String Quintet
Ecclesia nn. 39, for Mixed Chamber Ensemble - Performed by: Mercury Season

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: April 20, 2010

2010-04-17T14:23:00.001-05:00

As part of our year long celebration of our 15th Anniversary Season, we are proud to welcome home some distinguished alumni of the composition program here at Georgia State University. We are also excited to premiere a new work commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition.

Program:

neoPhonia New Music ensemble

Nickitas Demos, artistic director

HOMECOMING

Special Guest Artist:

Kenneth LONG, bass clarinet

Coordinator of Woodwind Studies at the GSU School of Music

Day: Tuesday, April 20
Location: Kopleff Recital Hall, downtown Atlanta
Time: 7:30 PM
FREE and open to the public!

Five Movements on Mondrian by GSU alumnus, Adam Scott NEAL

for video and computer generated sounds

Corrugated Refrains by Neil THORNOCK

for solo bass clarinet

PREMIERE

Commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition and Brigham Young University

Tranquility by GSU alumna, Kyong Mee CHOI

for computer generated sounds

...y lleno de humildad y amor la adoro by GSU alumnus, Drew DOLAN

for soprano and string quartet

PREMIERE

As always, you can meet and greet the composers and performers at a reception following the concert sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI)!

Hope to see you there!!

Somali Radio Stations Halt Music

2010-04-14T22:03:00.002-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/world/africa/14somalia.html?ref=music

This is one of the saddest and most infuriating things I've ever heard.

How can this happen in the 21st century? How can human beings be so unenlightened?

Though this is not an Atlanta story, it should give us all pause. We should be grateful that we can listen to music, much less compose it. We'd probably be killed for that in Somalia. Freakin' bastards.

Jennifer Higdon wins the Pulitzer (and a Grammy!)

2010-04-14T21:46:00.003-05:00

Jennifer Higdon won the Pulitzer Prize for Music on Monday. A few months ago, she won a Grammy. Jennifer lived here till she was 10, so I think that qualifies her as an Atlanta Composer. ;) She's also been commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony and is premiering a new work here with eighth blackbird in June.

Mark Gresham wrote a piece on her a while back. I think it was for her 'Atlanta' piece, City Scapes. (Mark, do you want to post a link to that?)

Congratulations, Jennifer!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/04/composer-jennifer-higdon-wins-pulitzer-for-violin-concerto.html

Guest artist Elliot Z. Levine, composer/vocalist

2010-04-09T10:12:00.005-05:00

Choral music by Elliot Levine–Jewish and Christian sacred pieces and secular works

Athens Chamber Singers, Kevin Kelly, Director

and Elliot Z. Levine, Baritone

in the premiere of Flame Language for chamber ensemble by Laurence Sherr

Web article: http://www.kennesaw.edu/arts/COTA_News/2010/03-25-10_athens_chorus.shtml

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 8:00 p.m.

Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center

Kennesaw State University

Free and open to the public

Further info: 770-423-6650 | boxoffice@kennesaw.edu

Other announcements

KSU Student Composition Concert

http://www.kennesaw.edu/arts/COTA_News/2010/04-01-10_student_composers.shtml

iPad Could Boost Interactive Music

2010-04-03T00:50:00.001-05:00

iPad Could Boost Interactive Music

Posted using ShareThis

Sonic Generator Concert at the High Museum

2010-03-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

Sonic Generator's final concert of the 2009-2010 season, "The Body Machine," explores the physicality and spirituality of the human condition and features compositions by John Luther Adams, Eve Beglarian, Edmund Campion, Mario Diaz de León, Jason Rohrer, and Jacob ter Veldhuis.

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Hill Auditorium, High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree Street
http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?invites&eid=360817707091

Tickets are $10 and since seating is limited, advance purchase is strongly recommended. Tickets are available from the Woodruff Center box office by phone (404-733-5000), in person (1280 Peachtree Street), or online.

Emory Arts cancels Saturday Jazzfest event (2/13)

2010-02-13T15:36:00.002-05:00

This latest word in on event closings from Emort Arts:

This is to advise you that tonight’s (2/13, 8 p.m.) Emory Big Band concert has also been canceled due to snowy and icy conditions on the Emory campus.

For weather updates and closings on the Emory University campus call the Emory Inclement Weather Hotline, 404-727-1234, for the latest official announcements.

Thank you,

Jessica Moore

--
Communications Coordinator, Center for Creativity & Arts
Emory Coca-Cola Artist in Residence Program Development Specialist
Arts at Emory
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
1700 N. Decatur Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30322

Emory Jazz Festival cancels Friday events; Saturday still scheduled with an eye on weather

2010-02-12T14:43:00.003-05:00

This notice to reporters and editors just received from Emory Arts:

This is to advise you that today’s (2/12) 3:30 p.m. rhythm section masterclass and the 8:00 p.m. Jazz Festival concert featuring John Clayton have been canceled due to inclement weather.

Tomorrow, Sat., Feb. 13’s 8:00 p.m. concert with the Emory Big Band is still scheduled to proceed until further notice.

For weather updates and closings on the Emory University campus call the Emory Inclement Weather Hotline, 404-727-1234, for the latest official announcements.

Thank you,

Jessica Moore

--
Communications Coordinator, Center for Creativity & Arts
Emory Coca-Cola Artist in Residence Program Development Specialist
Arts at Emory
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
1700 N. Decatur Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30322

Tonight's "Maurico Kagel" event cancelled

2010-02-12T14:19:00.003-05:00

This evening's presentation of "Mauricio Kagel: Film Music, Music Performance, Performance Film" by Bent Frequency in conjunction with Georgia State University's Center for Collaborative and International Arts (CENCIA) has been canceled due to weather. (GSU has officially closed for the day. The event was to have taken place tonight at 8pm in Kopleff Recital Hall.) Here's the official cancellation notice from CENCIA, received by e-mail:

Dear Patron,

It is with regret that I must inform you that we are canceling tonight's
concert of Mauricio Kagel film and music. Georgia State University has
closed its offices and buildings as of noon today in anticipation of the
inclement weather coming to Atlanta. We regard your safety as very
important so we respect the University's decision.

However, this is an important event to us and we will work to reschedule
it as soon as we can. When the new date and time are known, we will be
sure to contact you.

Mauricio Kagel's work asks us to smile and laugh at the human condition.
So, we are choosing to find the humor in the events of today and our
approaching snow storm. We hope that you spend this evening in good
company and safely off the roads.

Jen Waters
Associate to the Director
CENCIA

Jennifer Higdon wins Grammy

2010-02-03T10:43:00.003-05:00

As usual, the niche "classical" categories were not nationally televised in this year's Grammy Awards ceremonies. But as reported in NewMusicBox the next day, Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto received the 2010 Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. Jennifer spent the first 10 years of her life growing up in Atlanta, near Lenox Square, connected by family to the then-new Memorial Arts Center scene (now known as Woodruff Arts Center) in the heart of Midtown, long before the Haight-Ashbury-like 14th Street west of Peachtree gave way to shiny, antiseptic offices and skyscrapers. (Ask Jen about the big rubber Jesus sometime.)

Read the article about Jen's Grammy win in NewMusicBox: http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=6258

Sonic Generator Concert with Michael Gordon

2010-01-13T16:16:00.002-05:00

Georgia Tech’s chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, will feature the music of resident composer Michael Gordon in a free performance on Monday, February 8th at 8 p.m. at the Rich Theatre at the Woodruff Arts Center.

Most readers of this blog already know Gordon's music through his association with Bang on a Can and his fascinating collaborations with filmmaker Bill Morrison. We're delighted to be bringing Michael down to Atlanta and to be sharing his music with you.

Full details on our web site: http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu

Hope to see you there!

Cobb Symphony Premieres Works by Two Atlanta Composers

2010-01-05T22:57:00.003-05:00

This Saturday (1/9) at 8pm the Cobb Symphony will premiere works by two Atlanta Composers, Jen Mitchell and Robert Cronin.

Inspired by the works of Brian Froud, "The Pond" by Jen Mitchell is a ballet loosely based on the Grimm's fairy tale, "The Nix in the Pond." This suite is extracted from Act II. In Act I, a maiden plays her flute in the forest and enchants a prince as he hunts. They immediately fall in love. Act II opens with the prince hunting alone in the forest. Having overheard the maidens tune, an evil water sprite plays the tune and lures the prince into her pond. The maiden is drawn to the pond with the help of forest fairies and sees the prince trapped under the water sprite's spell. She and the water sprite battle for the prince by playing their flutes, but the maiden breaks the prince from the water sprite's spell and they flee. In Act III, the maiden and the prince have a forest wedding and celebrate with the forest fairies. The evil water sprite asks for forgiveness and bestows gifts upon the newlyweds, and they all rejoice together.

Robert Cronin, flutist for the Atlanta Symphony, will have his work "Concerto for Flute and Orchestra" premiered as well. His wife, Christina Smith also flutist for the Atlanta Symphony, will be the soloist. The work is in two movements, and in Christina's own words is "very exciting and lyrical. Can't wait to play it!".

Seems like it will be a flutastic night!

Derek Sivers' 7 Critical Marketing Basics Every Musicians Should Know

2009-12-18T21:10:00.003-05:00

A useful article from cyberprurban.com:

"Derek Sivers' 7 Critical Marketing Basics Every Musicians Should Know"

Derek Sivers is best known as the founder of CD Baby.

Twitter Accounts

2009-11-23T23:28:00.001-05:00

What is your twitter account? Let's get a running list...

Michael C. Bell: CD Release Party

2009-11-12T23:38:00.002-05:00

From composer/pianist Michael C. Bell:

Masterful storytelling told through piano and orchestra
Tender, emotional music, laced with beautiful melodies
A journey that can be experienced actively or passively by the listener
Sit back, close your eyes, or let yourself fall gently to sleep as you listen to this elegant collection of songs from newcomer Michael C. Bell

CD Release Party @ Starbucks - Sat. Nov. 14 from 7pm to 9pm
435 Peachtree Pkwy
Suite 400
Cumming GA 30041

www.michaelcbellmusic.com

400 - Exit 13
Across from the Avenue

AtlantaComposers.com

Sonic Generator presents "Locally Grown"

Midtown Brass performance premieres Atlanta Composer's quintet

International Conference on Auditory Display

"Be Your Own Publicist: PR for the Artist 101"

The Atlanta Opera to Host 24-Hour Opera Project Showcase

New Blog Post Up

Chamber Cartel to play Feldman's Crippled Symmetry

The Atlanta Opera's 24-Hour Opera Project Returns!

Atlanta's forgotten history of composers

GSU Student Composer Concert

Encores Galore

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble Concert

World Premiere of "Rabbit Tales"

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Georgia Tech’s 2012 Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble begins its 17th Season!

From the Briar Patch to the Big Stage: Adapting Brer Rabbit for Opera

Sonic Generator, gloATL and Robert Spano perform Kaija Saariaho's Maá at Atlanta Symphony Hall

Q&A with Composer Darren Nelsen

Q&A with Composer Charles Knox

Q&A with Composer Mark Gresham

Q&A with Composer Jason Freeman

Georgia Tech's Sonic Generator and The Woodruff Arts Center host SONICpalooza - a 10-hour festival of contemporary music

Q&A with Composer Tim Jansa

Q&A with Composer Nickitas Demos

Atlanta Composers and Classical Revolution on Friday

Q&A with Composer Adam Scott Neal

Q&A with Composer Curtis Bryant

Q&A with Composer Nicole Chamberlain

The Atlanta Opera Commissions Children Opera

FREE Bent Frequency show TODAY

GSU Student Chapter of SCI in CONCERT

California EAR Unit 4/17

GSU Percussion Ensemble - Tuesday 4/5

Discounted tickets for eighth blackbird concert

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: APRIL 6, 2011

KSU Festival of New Music

Bent Frequency Presents "Art Imitates Life Imitates Art"

Adam Scott Neal & Friends - CD Release Show - 3/19/11

Hopewell Middle School Symphonic Band Premieres New Work

Sonic Generator Concert

Classic Goes Contemporary: F.W. Murnau’s silent movie "Faust" (1926) set to new music by Toby Chappell

Two new releases from Toby Chappell

Concert Review: "neoPhonia- Related Pitches"

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 - Take Your Pick!

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: February 8, 2011

Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana - GSU Tomorrow

Cobb Symphony Premieres Work by Atlanta Composer

Sonic Generator Presents The Open Score

New Website Launch

Dali til Dawn! This Weekend!

Spring Semester Concerts

Philippe Leroux lecture at Georgia Tech

Student Composer Concert

Sonic Generator Concert with Philippe Leroux

Eddie Horst's Passing

Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore

Will Eyedrum Go Out with a Bang?

24 Hour Opera Project

November 7th: Bent Frequency and Ballet Preljocaj

Bent Frequency presents the New York-based Amp New Music Ensemble - TWICE!

Concert for 24 Hour Opera Project by Atlanta Opera

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: November 9, 2010

Bent Frequency TONIGHT (10/29)

Press Release: Composer Brian Skutle Goes "Beyond the Infinite" for his Fourth Album

Cerberus Percussion Group @ Red Light Cafe 11/19/10

neoPhonia concert review

iPad Concert idea

Curtis Bryant - Atlanta Faith Partners Concert - October 17

GSU Bands with world premiere by Tim Jansa - October 21, 2010

neoPhonia New Music Ensemble: October 19, 2010

Composer & Flutist Robert Cronin in Concert!

Sonic Generator Concert

24-Hour Opera Project by Atlanta Opera

Who can participate?Composers, lyricists, stage directors, and singers may apply (experience required).

Where will the event take place?The 24-Hour Opera Project will take place on the campus of Georgia State University.

When will this happen?November 6-7, 2010

Why are we subjecting ourselves to such madness?Because we’re crazy! (And we want everyone to see how cool opera is!)

Still have questions?Please contact The Atlanta Opera education department at 404.881.8801 or education@atlantaopera.org.

Mark your calendars for September 17th!

Who can participate?
Composers, lyricists, stage directors, and singers may apply (experience required).

Where will the event take place?
The 24-Hour Opera Project will take place on the campus of Georgia State University.

When will this happen?
November 6-7, 2010

Why are we subjecting ourselves to such madness?
Because we’re crazy! (And we want everyone to see how cool opera is!)

Still have questions?
Please contact The Atlanta Opera education department at 404.881.8801 or education@atlantaopera.org.

EARLY SIGNUP SPECIAL: SIGN UP AND PAY BY AUGUST 28th AT THE DISCOUNTED RATE OF $239.

Regular enrollment fee applies after August 28th.