Aurora Borealis Performs 3SCS

Aurora Borealis, comprised of soprano Tiffany DuMouchelle and percussionist Stephen Solook, will perform the vocal/marimba version of Three Songs of Carl Sandburg in two concerts in late October.

First, on Long Island, Sunday October 21, at 3pm, at the Garden City Chamber Music Society, where Bruce Adolphe & Marija Stroke are the artistic directors. Aurora Borealis will perform a program of Weber, Villa-Lobos, Loeb, and Beall, as well as Three Songs of Carl Sandburg.

Location: Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau, Long Island, NY. 223 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, New York 11530. (516) 248-8855. On the corner of Stewart Avenue and Nassau Blvd. It is reachable by the Long Island Rail Road (the stop is Nassau Boulevard on the Hempstead Line). Click on the link below.

This concert will be repeated in the Mannes College of Music concert hall the next day, October 22, at 8pm. Mannes is at 150 West 85th Street in New York City.
View Larger Map

ASCAP Plus Winner for 2006-07

I'm very pleased to announce that I've just won an award from The ASCAPLUS Awards Concert Division Panel. This award marks my first big prize and recognition for classical composition. (Hooray!) The ASCAPLUS Awards Program is for writer members whose catalogs have prestige value for which they would not otherwise be compensated.

ASCAPLUS is an awards program that provides cash and recognition to active writers in the early and mid stages of their careers, and to established writers whose main activity is outside of broadcast media. ASCAPLUS Awards are determined annually by a panel of distinguished music experts who are neither members nor employees of ASCAP, and are completely independent in their Award adjudication. ASCAPLUS Awards are based on panel review of recent activity of writer applicants. Each applicant is considered on merit and in the context of all others applying. The primary basis for panel determinations is the activity generated by each member’s catalog, with emphasis on recent performances.

Two Rilke Songs at Saint Peter's

I'm very excited about this concert, Invisible Landscapes, by soprano Sofia Dimitrova. It will be held October 16, 2007. The venue is the beautiful Saint Peter's Church, 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street, in the Citigroup Center.

What I'm so excited about is the quality of the performers and composers on the concert. Sofia will be joined by her sister, violinist Stani Dimitrova, and pianist Cathy Miller in performing my piece, Two Rilke Songs. Other composers include David Tcimpidis, Raphael Fusco, and Kevin McCarter.

I'd also like to single out two composers rounding out the bill: Marilyn Bliss, who is a past president of New York Women Composers and a Charles Ives Prize winner. Sofia will also sing a song cycle by 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec. It's pretty cool to be on the same concert with such a distinguished group of musicians! (As of this writing, all the composers plan to be present at the concert.)

I hope to see you at what will prove to be a terrific show. And best of all: There's no admission charge!

2007-2008 Preview

It's been quiet on the blog, but behind the scenes there are concert developments for the upcoming year. First and foremost, hold October 16 for a concert at Saint Peters, more details to follow very soon.

Also in the year ahead, there will be a few new theater songs premiered, and I expect some pieces of mine to be played in December, February, March, and June. I have excellent performers lined up, including soprano Sofia Dimitrova, flutists Mary Barto and Jonathan Engle, violinist Stani Dimitrova, pianists Cathy Miller and Tomoko Nakamura. And of course as always, some surprises! Stay tuned!