Fifteen Minutes of Fame: andPlay

andPlay is committed to expanding the existing violin/viola duo repertoire through performing rarely heard works and commissioning emerging composers. This New York City based duo of Maya Bennardo, violin, and Hannah Levinson, viola, first played to an eager crowd on Fire Island in the summer of 2012, and performed this past season at Caffe Vivaldi, 109 Gallery, and the Vox Novus Composer’s Voice series. The success of their first commissioned piece, “Pulling Anchor” by Matt Frey, led them to pursue similar opportunities with other composers, and they are awaiting three new works for the fall of 2013. Maya and Hannah met while studying at Oberlin Conservatory, and continued their educations at New York University and the Manhattan School of Music, respectively. Despite living on opposite sides of the city, the members of andPlay enjoy taking the subway to meet for rehearsals and delicious baked goods

Concert Dates

  • January 26, 2014 - Jan Hus Church, New York City

15 one-minute selections for andPlay

Concert program

  • Fluctuations

    Rachel Graff

    Rachel Graff began studying composition at Kent Music Academy where she developed her own compositional style and won several of the termly composition competitions. She is currently in her third year studying music at the University of Manchester, where she is thoroughly enjoying the many composition opportunities on offer.

    ‘Fluctuations’ explores the different timbres that can be created by using the pressure of the bow and where the bow is placed on the string, and the different levels of intensity that can be created using these factors.

  • Duo for Violin and Viola

    Matthew Hetz

    Matthew Hetz, a Los Angeles native, began piano lessons at age 16. Hetz began playing the violin at age 23, and is primarily self-taught. He studied composition with Marshall Bialovsky, Cal State Dominguez Hills. He is president/executive director of the Culver City Symphony Orchestra. He is an environmental and mass transit advocate.

  • Zoom

    Nathan Johnson

    Seattle-based composer Nathan Johnson’s music has been performed in the United States, Canada, and Russia, and is particularly inspired by the natural world, astronomy, folk music, and literature. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Mr. Johnson holds degrees in composition from California State University Long Beach and Biola University.

    Like a high-speed race over uneven terrain, this duet for violin and viola has the musicians rushing and stumbling over, under, and around each other through an asymmetrical meter and quirky harmonies.

  • Redox

    Michael Lukaszuk

    Michael Lukaszuk (b. 1989) in Kingston, Canada. Much of his music is focused on exploring the interconnectedness of the natural and digital sound worlds. He holds a Master’s degree in composition from The University of Western Ontario. Michael’s music has been performed in Canada, the United Sates, the United Kingdom and Romania.

    The term “redox” refers to a type of chemical reaction in which there is a simultaneous transfer of electrons from one chemical species to another. These reactions occur in nature’s most ordinary events. The interdependent nature of the violin and viola parts in this piece is reflective of this concept.

  • Autumn Fields

    Michael Maiorana

    Michael Maiorana is a composer and arranger working in Grinnell, IA, and Detroit, MI. He has studied primarily with John Rommereim and Eric McIntyre, with additional instruction from Chris Gainey and Roberto Andreoni. Michael enjoys writing for choir, small ensembles, and friends.

    This piece is inspired in part by Bartok's violin duos and in part by my current surroundings on a 320 acre farm-residency. I am engulfed by golden, waving corn on all sides.

  • VIOLINVIOLA

    Iain Matheson

    Iain Matheson is Scottish. He graduated BMus from Glasgow University, studying composition with Lyell Cresswell. He now lives in Edinburgh. His music has been performed throughout Britain and Europe: also in New Zealand, and at one previous Fifteen Minutes concert. Further details on his website: www.iainmatheson.co.uk

    The piece is made of chords played by each instrument in turn. The rhythm is irregular, and the register of the chords. The only constant is the volume, loud throughout.

  • Parallax

    Ryan Muar

    I am now studying music composition at the University of South Florida for my BM. My musical interests are experimentation with different compositional techniques to explore many different possibilities and to keep my music inventive.

    In my piece parallax I create an interest from the very start by using abrupt changing dynamics and wide leaps in pitch. I was influenced by what is called a solar parallax which has helped to discover the size of the universe and the distance of objects in space.

  • Telegram

    Natalija Munda

    Natalija Munda was born in 1987 in Jurmala (Latvia). Between 2005 and 2007 she studied composition with Rihards Dubra in the music collage of Jurmala, from 2007 till 2011 studied composition with prof. Peteris Plakidis in the Jazeps Vitols Latvian academy of music in Riga, in the year 2011she also studied in the academy of music in Cracow (Poland) with prof. Maciej Jablonski. She perfected her composition skills at international courses and masterclasses for young composers within the Gaudeamus music festival in Amsterdam in the year 2009, also International Summer course for composers "Synthetis" in Poland in 2013. She was awarded with the 2nd prize within the New Music Festival ARENA in the year 2009 and 3rd prize in the year 2010. She's got awards in composition competitions in Latvia and Lithuania. Her music has performed in many countries in Europe and Russia. Now she studies for masters degree in composition in the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance with prof. Vladimir Scolnic.

    "Telegram" was composed specifically for the " 15 minutes of fame: andPlay". A telegram (Greek tele: distant and gramma: letter) is a written message transmitted by using an electric device and a huge web of wires.The Violin and Viola are two communicators, communicating with the unknown language of syllables, rhythms and breaths, although completely understanding each other as being one.

  • being lost for a minute is not necessarily terrible

    Mike Perdue

    Mike Perdue is a composer and percussionist from Luverne, Alabama. He studied percussion at Manhattan School of Music and Carnegie Mellon University. He is, at the time of this composition, curious about commercial aviation, North Korea, and tornadoes.

    This simple piece is notated in such a way that it is nearly impossible to read and perform accurately. In the French language, the word perdue means "lost". I am not French and never was.

  • 02

    Ricardo Silva

    Ricardo Silva studied music at Catholic University of Valparaiso and later Musical Composition.with Andrés Alcalde. He has written for various ensambles; his woks has been premiered by important chilean players In 2005 he won composition prize of the UVIPRO (Vicente Perez Rosales University)

    02 is a very littile piece for violin and viola. The instruments play fragmented lines in an intense dialogue from the beginning to the end

  • Just Met

    Dale Trumbore

    Hailed by the New York Times for "soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies," Dale Trumbore has received commissions, performances and awards from organizations including ACDA, ACME, Chanticleer, and the Kronos Quartet. Her choral work The Whole Sea In Motion is published by G. Schirmer. Hear Trumbore's music at www.daletrumbore.com.

    Just met tries to capture the potential awkwardness of meeting for the very first time. This short piece oscillates between halting hesitation and moments of mutual understanding, finally settling on the latter.

  • Stealing from the Dead

    Thomas S. Pottage

    Thomas S. Pottage, a London based composer, began his musical career teaching and playing guitar in Nottingham. Since that time he has worked in the fields of Jazz, Rock, Noise and Sonic Art. He is currently studying Composition at Goldsmiths University, with specialist interest in notation and contemporary performance techniques.

    'Stealing from the Dead' is a short disagreement between two musical parties. With weak arguments on either side, the discourse quickly turns sour, resulting in a barrage of squeaks and squeals from each end. The bickering fades to quiet and tired moans, until the argument is lost altogether.

  • Mini Work VIII

    Kan-no Shigeru

    Japanese composer, studied in Fukushima, Tokyo, Wien, Stuttgart, Ludwigsburug and Frankfurt, piano, theory, conducting and composition, get 58 times compotition and bursary. He amount of works is 306 pieces.

    This one is composed for this project extra. The work is used all thecnics within 60 seconds. I think, to play isn´t easy, but I could give so a lot of contents.

  • Bicinium

    Luca Vanneschi

    Luca Vanneschi’s music was awarded prizes in more than twenty International competitions and it has been performed by some of the more qualified musicians all over the world. Hans Werner Henze said about his music: “… it is an intelligent, non conformist, elegant and full of grace music."

    In the XVI century the word Bicinium was referred to a brief two part instrumental composition. I drew my inspiration from this word to write a piece for violin and viola. My purpose is to realize a composition which could capture the atmosphere and the musical essence of that age, through a completely new harmonic and contrapuntal language.

  • Mandolino

    Erqing Wang

    Erqing Wang is a composer and sound artist,born in Sep.29,1998, now is a student in the Attached High School of Central Conservatory of Music,Beijing,China,study with professor Wenchen Qin.The Previous work An Unanswered Call for Megaphones and Ensemble was premiered in May 3,2013 in the Concert Hall of CCOM.His works also performed by Conductor Xiaotang Xia,and EOS orchestra of CCOM.

    This piece is inspired by the sounds of plucked instrument(Guitar,Mandolin etc.). I use two string instrument to imitated the percussive sounds like a furious-played mandolin.The Title is 'Mandolin' in Italian.