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

"Time is Not an Option" premieres at Fordham University, April 24, 2010

My new piece, "Time is Not an Option" premiered last Saturday, April 24, at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus. This piece was commissioned by the Poets Out Loud faculty of Fordham. Unfortunately, the Fordham poet I was paired with, Elisabeth Frost, was unable to attend as she is in Europe on a Fulbright scholarship. Fordham's poet-in-residence, Janet E. Kaplan, deputized in the reading of Frost's poems. The esteemed musicologist, Lawrence Kramer, refereed the awarding of commissions, and was the evening's emcee. As well, he offered up some of his own music and poetry.

The musicians came by way of Bard College in upstate New York. Soprano Ilana Zarankin sang many of the other songs this evening, and soprano Clarissa Lyons performed my particular cycle. Shun-Yang Lee was the evening's accompanist.

Other composers on the evening included Martin Hennesey, Mary Anne Joyce-Walter, and Alexander Nohai-Seaman. The poems set to music were written by Edward Hirsch, D. Nurske, Janet Kaplan, and Heather Dubrow.

It was a great concert, so I'm posting a lot of pics here, Click image for a larger size.

Lawrence Kramer

Clarissa Lyons

Shun Yang, piano; Clarissa Lyons

Ilana Zarankin, Clarissa Lyons, Richard Russell

Clarissa Lyons, Shun Yang, Richard Russell

Janet Kaplan, Lawrence Kramer, Richard Russell

Great Rehearsal of "Time is Not an Option" at Bard College

Ilana Zarankin

Clarissa Lyons

Yesterday I traveled to the beautiful Bard College campus in upstate New York to attend a rehearsal of "Time is Not an Option," which premieres this Saturday. (...with texts by Elisabeth Frost.) I heard a few of the other composers works, too, and I can say this will be a great concert!

I was so impressed with Bard's Olin Hall I took a few pix to share with my iPhone. The sopranos are Ilana Zarankin and Clarissa Lyons, the pianist is Shun-Yang Lee. Each of them are superb.