"A Law Divine" and Songs from "Hades" on July 25

Click for a larger size view

On July 25, 2010 In Mid Air Productions presents its next Seasonal Sunday Salon: “Songs of a Sultry Summer: Surrender to the Siren.” The concert will feature several world premieres, with music by Robert Butts, Robert Cohen, and Richard D. Russell. Maestro Butts is the afternoon’s conductor.

Richard Russell's premieres will be "A Law Divine" for baritone and piano trio, a song cycle of three texts: A Red, Red Rose (Burns), Love's Philosophy (Shelley), and Break of Day (Donne).

Also on tap are chamber music arrangements of two songs from Hades, a forthcoming musical drama with lyrics by Emily Clare Thompson and music by Richard Russell. 

Tickets are $25 at the door, but a reduced rate of $15 is available if you reserve your ticket by July 23. (Students and seniors are $15, while the early pre-July 23 rate is $10.)

To reserve your spot, email your name, ticket type, and number of tickets to seasonal.sunday.salons@gmail.com. (Questions may also be directed here.)

Two Song Cycles featured in Mannes College of Music Concert

On June 30, 2010, the Mannes College of Music was treated to some really great performances of two song cycles of mine. Soprano Sofia Dimitrova, accompanied by Sophia Munoz, performed Time is Not an Option. After the intermission, Sofia Dimitrova was joined by mezzo Christina Goyne in premiering Four Shakespeare Songs in Madrigal Style. These scores, by the way, are available at RDRussell.com -- just click on "compositions."

Here's several pics from the evening (click to enlarge).

Sofia Dimitrova, with Sophia Munoz on piano

Sophia Munoz and Richard Russell compare notes

Sofia Dimitrova

Sofia Dimitrova and Christina Goyne

Christina Goyne

Two Richard Russell pieces at Mannes College on June 30

Christina Goyne

Sofia Dimitrova

Two pieces by Richard Russell will be featured in a concert at Mannes College of Music on June 30, 8pm. Mannes is at 150 West 85th Street in New York, and the concert is free and open to the public.

The first piece is a world premiere of Four Shakespeare Songs in Madrigal Style, featuring soprano Sofia Dimitrova and mezzo Christina Goyne. The second piece is Time is Not an Option, the awarded commission from Voices Up! recently premiered at Fordham University. Hope to see you there!

New Recordings of "Time is Not an Option" Posted

I've posted a recording of my song cycle "Time is Not an Option" on my main website: www.rdrussell.com. Just click on "listen" in the menu items along the top. The score is also available here.

"Time is Not an Option" was the result of an awarded commission from the Fordham University Voices Up! poetry project. I was paired with poet Elisabeth Frost who is on the faculty at Fordham. The project was refereed by esteemed musicologist Lawrence Kramer.

Bard College provided the terrific musicians: Clarissa Lyons, soprano, and Shun-Yang Lee, piano.

Peter Sheridan performs "Fast Tides, Slow Tides"

Peter Sheridan

Peter Sheridan, an Australian-based specialist in low flutes, recently performed my "Fast Tides, Slow Tides" in Portland, Oregon. This was a special arrangement written for him to perform on alto flute. I was not able to be there, but he reports:

I performed Fast tides on Thurs. May 6th at the Old Church in Portland, OR. It was by invitation of the PSU Instrumental Music Club. I gave several lecture demonstrations on the instruments that week and did discuss a few of the 'fantastic' rhythmic complexities of Fast Tides in the class for composers. Again I discussed the piece and demonstrated a few sections on Tues. April 28th at Fresno, Cal State for the flute studio. It is a wonderful work Richard. I would like to record it next year. 

You can learn more about Peter Sheridan at http://lowflutes.com/

"A Poe Fantasia" sung in NYCC "Encores" Outreach Program

The sign says it all!

On Friday May 7, the New York Composers Circle presented an "Encores" Outreach Program at the JASA West Side Community Center on the upper west side of Manhattan. Soprano Sofia Dimitrova, accompanied by Catherine Miller, performed my "A Poe Fantasia" and works by Paul Moravec, Copland, Menotti, Ives, and Kevin McCarter. The NYCC's Executive Director, John de Clef Piñeiro, emceed the event, providing an educational overview of 20th Century art song.

The only problem with these events is that since I'm taking pictures, I don't always get a chance to get a picture of me in there! But here are several pics of the day's event. (Click for larger size.)

Catherine Miller and Sofia Dimitrova relax before the concert

Sofia Dimitrova and Catherine Miller compare notes

NYCC director John de Clef Pineiro addresses the audience

Another view of John de Clef Pineiro

Sofia Dimitrova sings

Two Richard Russell pieces presented at Emily Dickinson concert

It was more than an Emily Dickinson concert, it was an experience! Jessica Castro as Emily Dickinson read poems, and music by Richard Russell, Raphael Fusco, and Robert Butts provided "a little madness in the spring" last week at the Bell and Barter Theater in Rockaway, NJ. Maestro Butts was the afternoon's conductor.

Soprano Marjorie Berg sang my "The Tune is in the Tree" in a special chamber music arrangement, and soprano Pamela Stein sang "When Time is Over." Aaron Dai was the day's accompanist. A fantastic reception followed, and we are all looking to our July 25 concert, "Songs of a Sultry Summer." For more details on that concert (and more pics), go to In Mid Air Productions. For now, here are several pics from the Emily Dickinson concert. (Click to enlarge.)

Jessica Castro as Emily Dickinson

soprano Pamela Stein with Richard Russell. She sang "When Time is Over"

soprano Marjorie Berg with Robert Butts, conductor, performing "The Tune is in the Tree"

Richard Russell, Marjorie Berg, Bud Masters at the reception