Two Pieces to Premiere Feb 15

In an afternoon concert at Mannes College of Music, two new pieces will be premiered. First is an "Adagio" from a forthcoming string quartet, featuring Stanichka Dimitrova, violin (pictured), Lisa Romain, violin, Rose Hashimoto, viola, and Desiree Abbey, cello. The second premiere is "When Time is Over" a song cycle of four Emily Dickinson poems. The soprano will be Sofia Dimitrova (pictured), with Tamara Cashour on piano. The rest of the concert will be comprised of pieces by Mannes faculty and alumni. Mannes College is located at 150 West 85th Street, and the concert begins at 1pm. Admission is free.

Violin Sonata to at Symphony Space Feb 14

On February 14, my Violin Sonata will be presented under the auspices of the New York Composers Circle at Symphony Space Thalia (Broadway at 95th Street). The concert starts at 7:30 pm and admission charge is $20 (tix available at the door or call 212-864-5400). My fine performers will be Stanichka Dimitrova on violin with Bethany Porter on piano. An exciting aspect of the concert is that three Honorary Members of the NYCC will share the bill. We'll hear pieces by Elliott Carter, Tania Leon, and Dinu Ghezzo. Here's the poster, click for larger view.

Harpsichord Sonata to premiere December 16

Zheng Jenny Huang will premiere my Harpsichord Sonata on December 16, 2008, at 7pm. This is a graduation recital for her DMA program at SUNY Stony Brook. The venue is the Wang Center Chapel at SUNY Stony Brook, NY. The concert is free and open to the public.

Directions to the campus may be found at http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/directions.shtml 

Presentation at Mannes

I decided to change the title of my lecture to something that was more appropriate to the matter at hand: "Questions my Composition Teacher Never Asked Me." I'm glad to say I had a great turnout, and I'm positive I helped my audience think about music in new ways.



Look for a reprise of this lecture in March, 2009, when it will be presented by the New York Composers Circle. In the meantime, here are some pics from last Wednesday's presentation (click for larger view), in which I'm making a point about Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

(Thanks Sofia for the pictures!)

How to Become a Better Composer (in Just Two Hours!)

On Wednesday, October 22 from 5-7pm I will present a lecture/demonstration at Mannes College of Music, presented by the Mannes College Composition Department. I will pose provocative questions guaranteed to challenge assumptions about music and composition. Emphasis will be placed on finding one's unique voice or musical thumbprint.

This is free and open to all, but seating is very limited. If you would like to attend, please let me know via email at Richard.Russell@mac.com. Hope to see you there!

ASCAPlus Award

For the second year I can proudly announce I have received an ASCAP award from The ASCAPLUS Awards Concert Division Panel. This year's panel included New York Times critic Steve Smith and conductor JoAnn Falletta. The ASCAPLUS Awards Program is for writer members whose catalogs have prestige value for which they would not otherwise be compensated.

Three Elegies in Bulgaria

A soprano I must count amongst my most faithful interpreters, Sofia Dimitrova, is performing my Three Elegies in Varna, Bulgaria next week, June 28. Here is the poster:
It says (she tells me!) the following:
June 28th 2008 7:30 PM
Hall "Bach" at the Methodist Episcopal Church

Soprano
Sofia Dimitrova
"picture of a pretty lady"

piano Dimiter Fournadgiev
in the program: arias of Mozart, Donizetti and Massenet, and songs of Tcimpidis and Russell

Free Admission