12/2009

June in Buffalo 2010 promises to be more exciting than ever in its 35th anniversary season, which also marks the festival's 25th anniversary under the direction of the Center's director, David Felder.  It will take place from May 31 - June 6 at the University at Buffalo, with an intensive schedule of seminars, lectures, master classes, workshops, professional presentations, participant forums and open rehearsals as well as afternoon and evening concerts open to the general public and critics. Each of the invited composers will have one of his/her pieces performed during the festival. Evening performances feature faculty composers, resident ensembles and soloists renowned internationally as interpreters of contemporary music.

In addition to Felder, the senior faculty will also include Steve Reich, Roger Reynolds, Augusta Read Thomas, and Olivier Pasquet. Equally impressive are the resident ensembles: the Arditti Quartet, Signal, Ensemble Laboratorium, Ensemble SurPlus, and as always, the Slee Sinfonietta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Application information can be found here. The deadline is February 16, 2010.    

11/2009

Praised by the New York Times for performances that are "all exuberance and bright sunshine," Music from Copland House -- the resident ensemble at Aaron Copland's National Historic Landmark home in New York's lower Hudson Valley, comes to Lippes Hall on Friday, November 13 with a program titled "Afternoons in Paris: Boulanger, Copland, and the Americans." In addition to pieces by the eponymous composers, music by Stravinsky, Astor Piazzolla, Paul Chihara, and Irving Fine will be heard. Clarinetist Derek Bermel -- a well-known composer in his own right -- and noted pianist Michael Boriskin will be joined by violinists Tim Fain and Harumi Rhodes, violist Danielle Farina, and James Wilson on cello. 

In addition, Music from Copland House will bring its expertise and insight to bear on works by graduate students Paolo Cavallone, Ethan Hayden, and Moshe Shulman in a free reading session on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4 pm, also at Lippes Concert Hall.

For tickets, visit the Lippes Concert Hall website.

10/2009

In contrast to the orchestral offerings of the previous Slee Sinfonietta concert, the ensemble's Tuesday, October 27 program at Lippes Concert Hall serves up a quartet of chamber works, dating from Messaien's spellbinding 1941 score Quartet for the End of Time to conductor Harvey Sollberger's 1987 original substance/manifests/traces, with new UB faculty member Barry Crawford on flute. Franco Donatoni's fleet and inventive Arpège (1986) and Toru Takemitsu's enchanting Rain Spell (1983) round out the program. Regarding the latter work, Stylus magazine noted that its "relatively rich, shimmering textures place it again in Debussy territory as sort of an atonal take on Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun." Ticket information is available here.

10/2009

Just added to our Audio page: excerpts from the Slee Sinfonietta's September 15 concert at Lippes Concert Hall, including works by Bach, Bloch, and Ligeti. Click the "+" sign on the music player, then choose "Slee Sinfonietta 2009" to listen.

The JACK QUARTET comes to UB this week for a short residency that includes a concert at Baird Recital Hall on October 13, and a reading of student works on October 14. The group is noted for its command of technically demanding avant-garde repertoire, and these events will certainly showcase their skills. The Oct. 13 program includes works by Iannis Xenakis, Aaron Cassidy, Robert Morris, Salvatore Sciarrino, and Elliott Sharp, an alumnus of UB's graduate composition program who has gained international recognition as a visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist.

As noted below, leading Italian flutist Roberto Fabbriciani comes to Baird Recital Hall on Friday, October 9 (7:30 pm).  Fabbriciani has an impeccable artistic pedigree: he studied with the pioneering master Severino Gazzelloni, for whom Luciano Berio wrote his very first Sequenza in 1958. (Gazzelloni's flute students included another pioneer: jazz visionary Eric Dolphy.)

Fabbriciani himself has collaborated with a formidable list of composers, including compatriots Berio, Donatoni, Morricone, Nono, and Sciarrino. All are represented on Fabbriciani's Oct. 9 program, a fascinating guided tour through modern Italian flute repertoire. Ticket information is available here.

Fabbriciani is also giving a master class on extended flute technique, Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Lippes Concert Hall (free). 

9/2009

The Slee Sinfonietta opens the Center's concert season on Tuesday, Sept. 15 (7:30 pm) with a program at Lippes Concert Hall, spotlighting a pair of outstanding soloists under conductor James Baker.

Pianist Eric Huebner, a newly-minted member of UB's music faculty, appears in György Ligeti's sparkling Piano Concerto, a work that makes exceptional demands of the soloist. Huebner comes well prepared, however, having performed the piece at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2006.  Huebner has drawn worldwide acclaim for his performances of new and traditional music since making his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 17.  His playing has been described as “full of grace and light” by critic Paul Griffiths and he was recently referred to as “the new superstar” of the 2008 Ojai Festival by critic Alan Rich.  

Violinist Elmar Oliveira is familiar and much-admired figure at the world's foremost concert venues, with an extensive discography and a long list of honors.  He remains the only American violinist to win the Gold Medal at Moscow's prestigious Tchaikovsky International Competition.  He will be heard in J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor BWV 1041. The program also includes Ernst Bloch's 1923 score Baal Shem.  Subtitled "Three Pictures of Hassidic Life," the piece comprises three movements: Vidui (Contrition), Nigun (Improvisation), and Torah (Rejoicing).  All in all, a compelling start to an exciting season. 

 8/2009

SLEE VISITING ARTIST CONCERTS ANNOUNCED

The Center's 2009-10 season includes a number of concerts co-sponsored with UB's Slee Visiting Artist Series. These concerts offer audiences in Western New York and beyond an unparalleled opportunity to hear leading performers and ensembles in the music of our time.

Roberto Fabbriciani
Friday October 9, 2009
7:30 pm Baird Recital Hall
Bruno Maderna - Cadenza
Luciano Berio - Sequenza
Aldo Clementi - Fantasia su roBErto FABbriCiAni
Ennio Morricone - Cadenza
Franco Donatoni - Midi
Salvatore Sciarrino - Come venegono prodotti gli incantesimi
Luigi Nono - Das atmende klarsein, fragment

JACK Quartet (sponsored by the Center only)
Tuesday, October 13
7:30 pm Baird Recital Hall
Iannis Xenakis - Tetora
Aaron Cassidy - String Quartet
Robert Morris - Arc (world premiere)
Salvatore Sciarrino - String Quartet No. 7
Elliott Sharp - The Boreal

Music From Copland House
Friday November 13, 2009
7:30 PM Lippes Concert Hall
Nadia Boulanger - 3 pieces for cello and piano
Igor Stravinsky - Concertino for String Quartet
Aaron Copland - Sextet
Astor Piazzolla - Primavera Portena
Irving Fine - Fantasia for String Trio
and other works

Talujon Percussion Ensemble
Friday March 19, 2010
7:30 pm Lippes Concert Hall
Ralph Shapey - Interchange
Julia Wolfe - Dark Full Ride
Frederick Rzewski - Coming Together

ANNOUNCING THE CENTER'S 2009-10 SEASON

The Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music is proud to announce its 2009-10 season of concerts, lectures, and master classes, along with an advance look at next year's June in Buffalo festival. Highlights include a trio of Slee Sinfonietta concerts, featuring violinist Elmar Oliveira, pianist Eric Huebner, and composer Helmut Lachenmann as guest artists; the Wednesday Composer Series, with performances by acclaimed ensembles such as Music from Copland House, JACK Quartet, Talujon Percussion Ensemble, and the Andersson, Gallois, de Saram Trio; and a series of three concerts at Buffalo's Burchfield Penny Art Center, co-sponsored with A Musical Feast. Composers participating in the Wednesday Composer series include Ben Thigpen (Paris), Roberto Fabricciani (Italy), Olivier Pasquet (Paris), Robert Beaser, David Dzubay, Joshua Feinberg, and Chinary Ung (USA).

The year 2010 marks June in Buffalo's 35th anniversary, and David Felder's 25th anniversary as the festival's Director. Resident ensembles will include the Arditti Quartet, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Slee Sinfonietta, Signal, and distinguished soloists. Faculty will include David Felder, Olivier Pasquet, Steve Reich, Roger Reynolds, Augusta Read Thomas, and others to be announced.

Following is the season schedule, by series:

SLEE SINFONIETTA
All Slee Sinfonietta concerts take place in Lippes Concert Hall and begin at 7:30 pm.

September 15, 2009
Elmar Oliveira, violin soloist
Eric Huebner, piano soloist
Featuring works of Block, Bach and Ligeti

October 27, 2009
A concert featuring faculty and guest soloists
in the performance of small chamber works

April 30, 2010
The Slee Sinfonietta presents
Signal with special guest Helmut Lachenmann
Brad Lubman, conductor

* * * *

WEDNESDAY COMPOSER SERIES
Starting times and locations to be announced

September 18-30
Ben Thigpen
Composer, Programmer
Paris

October 7, 2009
Roberto Fabricciani
Flute soloist, Italy
Lecture on extended flute techniques for composers

October 14, 2009
Jack String Quartet
UB Graduate Composer reading/workshop

November 12, 2009
Music from Copland House
UB Graduate Composer reading/workshop

November 16 -26
Olivier Pasquest
Composer, Programmer
Paris, France

March 18, 2010
Talujon Percussion Ensemble
UB Graduate Composer reading/workshop

April 19-25, 2010
Andersson, Gallois, de Saram Trio
International guitar, bassoon, cello trio

Visiting Composers (dates to be announced)
Robert Beaser
David Dzubay
Joshua Feinberg
Chinary Ung

* * * *

JUNE IN BUFFALO
May 31-June 6 2010
June in Buffalo 35th Anniversary
David Felder’s 25th Directorial Anniversary

Resident Ensembles
Arditti Quartet
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Slee Sinfonietta
Signal
plus distinguished soloists

Faculty Composers
David Felder
Olivier Pasquet
Steve Reich
Roger Reynolds
Augusta Read Thomas
And others TBA

* * * *

Co-Sponsored events with A MUSICAL FEAST
All concerts take place at the Burchfield Penny Art Center

Thursday, November 19, 2009 (7 pm)
Program: remembering composer/pianist LEO SMIT

Saturday, February 14, 2010
Works by John Cage

Thursday, April 22, 2010 TBA
Program to be announced

Visit our site regularly for updates and details on these events, including ticket info. See you in September!