The Everly Brothers

There are a few pervasive urban myths surrounding the Everly Brothers that they’d like to debunk once and for all: [1] there were three of them, not two; [2] they didn’t grow up in the Kentucky hill country but rather in Osaka, Japan’s “Forbidden City;” and [3] they were really women. But when they were getting started in the late 1950s, record producers had no interest in a trio of Nipponese ladies playing traditional gagaku court music. So their producer, a young Captain Lou Albano, showed them how to disguise their accents with an Appalachian twang. Then he threw away their treasured gakubiwa, gakuso, and ocarina and replaced them with steel-string guitars. Finally, he changed the names of Sadako and Etsumi to Phil and Don. Yukana, however, refused to be rechristened Roger. As a result, Albano limited her appearances to hawking Everly Brothers-shaped salt water taffy at the performance venues’ concession stands. Eventually, her antipathy for Lou abated, and in 1962 she followed him into the professional wrestling arena, making a name for herself as “Big John Studd.” And although “Phil” and “Don” never overtly supported their sister’s ringside exploits, their colleague Jimmy Dean did allude to her in his hit song, “Big Bad John.”

David Gunn
www.DavidGunn.org

Instruments of Gods and Angels

REVIEW:

Composer’s Voice: A Septet of Harps

The harp, instrument of gods and angels, commands the focus of November 10th's Composer's Voice concert. Featuring the talents of The Crane Harp Ensemble from SUNY Potsdam, this performance showcased the rich timbre of this instrument, which ranges from lushly mellifluous to stridently discordant. Seven scarlet clad beauties, under the directive of Professor Jessica Suchy-Pilalis, offer interpretations glazed with maturity, tenderness, and nuance.

Normally a grab bag of densely packed minutes spotlighting a musician's nimble talents, this Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame acts as an interlocking suite of inviting compositions. Featuring all seven harpists, it weaves an imaginative spell. Elbert Lui's “Carnivorous Chase” whets our appetite with its meaty stridency, demonstrating the dexterity of these harpists, as they wield their instruments like mythical furies. “Harp Music,” composed by Buck McDaniel romps with the ebullience of a whirring bustle. Brimming with inky velvet mysticism, “Tailfeather” by Farcry Zuke presents a stratifying droning,which envisions a beast of a darker temperament. Composer Roger Mays’ “Gamma Rays” regales as a jolt of sublime color. David Heinick proffers “Sprung,” a ticklish cavort bubbling with irrepressible mischief.

Edward Ruchalski, Michael Mikulka, Robert Percy, Curtis Nathaniel Smith, Inna Buganina, Erik Branch, Martin Loridan, Gregoria Karides Suchy, Christopher Wicks, and Akmal Parvez also contribute entertaining works. You can listen to the Cran Harp Ensembles's Fifteen Minutes of Fame on YouTube Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKc3gnr3aj0&feature=youtu.be

The balance of the program showcases longer works, which highlight the talents of the individual members of The Crane Harp Ensemble.

Gregoria Karides Suchy, composer and mother of director Jessica Suchy-Pilalis, offers the “Save, O Lord, Thy People” from a Greek-inspired 1959 suite for piano. Played for the first time on harp at this very concert, the duet, tinged in soft solemnity, acts as a compassionate appeal for mercy.

John Paul Brabant's “Soliloquy,” a piece for two harps, hints at the complexity of the human heart. With slippery, satiny threads spooling into a deliberate subtlety, “Soliloquy” whispers a complicated but earnest secret.

Caroline Lizotte's “Raga pour deux harps, Op. 41” is an audience favorite. The duet features two harpists using tones from finger cymbals, ankle bells, and what appears to be lollipop, but which is in fact a super ball on a stick. The piece opens with grumbling scratches interrupting melodic splutters. Amassing in intensity, this work weaves a thick tapestry of jade and scarlet accessorized with the silvery thrumming of bells and cymbals. An authoritative crash indicates the ending, abruptly slicing off the magic.

Mikaela Davis, a senior member of the ensemble, supplies a cheeky and relatable reworking of Sufjan Stevens' “Chicago.” The seven members jubilantly render it with thoughtful verve. It's a party for angels.

Ryan Mix’s intriguing “When/Where Lightning Strikes at the T” and “Two Brothers Dance in Spacetime” and the poignant “The Angel Israfil” by Domenick Argento also appear on the program.

Erin Bomboy
http://erinbomboy.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday NM421!

The Vox Novus newsletter NM421 turns 1. The first year of NM421 has been as exciting and hectic as a newborn child, listing all the upcoming performances, composer opportunities, selection announcements, music reviews, videos, all with a little musical postcard.

A great big thanks to all the people who have supported and contributed to NM421! Most importantly, Erin Bomboy and Jack Crager our Composer’s Voice concert reviewers; Jay Batzner our CD reviewer; Douglas DaSilva providing a never ending source of pictures, video, and commentary; and last but not least NM421’s signature anecdotal postcard writer David Gunn.

It has been a wild ride and of course we are looking for more!

Getting ready for our terrible two’s, please let us know what you think of NM421. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Want to see something more? Want to see something less? If we can accommodate we will. The hope is to keep growing NM421 into something much bigger. NM421 is looking for reviewers and bloggers to speak about contemporary music. Please contact us at support@voxnovus.com

Hard Eight announcement for
Rob Voisey's upcoming Birthday concert.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Hard Eight

Musicians Istvan Peter B’Racz, Bill Beckett, Brendan Randall-Myers, and Nate Trier will be performing the graphic scores for Robert Voisey’s call for his Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Hard Eight

Composers selected for Robert Voisey’s Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Hard Eight Dennis Bathory-Kistz – Underside, Shawn David Broukhim – Sketch, Paul Elwood - Taos Junction, Marc Hoffeditz - Rainbow Road , Elizabeth Jigalin - toy box, Steven H. Markowitz - Bird Symposium, Daniel Mihai - Lucky Dice, Philip Scheussler – FOURXTWO, Timothy G. Schirmer - Shooter's End, David Jason Snow - Brood II, Juan Maria Solare - Ocho Blando, Adam Torkelson - 1.618, Nate Trier - Seis Six, Kristina Warren – Rivulet, and Blair Whittington - Lucky Seven

Hard Eight Proposals for Composer's Voice

Performance proposals for the Composer's Voice concert on December 8th celebrating Robert Voisey's 44th Birthday titled Hard Eight inlcude: Choreographer Callie Hatchett creating a dance to Robert Voisey' "run rabbit run" performed by Roberta Michel, flute and Yumi Suehiro, piano; TJ Hospodar's "INNERTERP"; "The Ridgefield Rag" and "Il Est Ne" by Douglas Townsend, two pieces for piano 4-hands performed by Christos Marinos, piano and Maria Isabel Perez Dobarro; Douglas DaSilva's Jor-El’s Juju performed bu Nicholas Handahl-flute, Diego Vasquez-clarinet Josh Henderson-violin Susan Davita Mandel-cello with choreography by Erin Bomboy dance by D Pace Short, Meghann Bronson, Ali Berg Nicola, Samantha Parsons; and a pefromance of "Whale Cage" by EMR and guest.

You can find more information here
http://www.voxnovus.com/15_Minutes_of_Fame/featuring/Hard_Eight/

Announcing Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Surrealist Art Music.

This Fifteen Minutes of Fame will feature performance from Sophia Yan, William Lane, and Izumi Nikaido. The works will be premiered in November 2013 as part of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble’s Salon Series at Southsite, Hong Kong.

Marco Alumno - Murmuring 'Tea for Two', Julius Bucsis - Persisting Memories, Charis Bean Duke - This is not a piece, Whitney George - A Jewel Studded Cigarette Case in Which to Store Mustaches, Ernest Hui - Micrometamorphosis, Vladimir Karpenko - The Contrasts, Albert HC Manders - Farfallone in a Landscape, Djordje Markovic - Celebes, Sascia Pellegrini - (6e+10) to infinity, Gene Pritsker - Cries, Dimitri Rastropov L'anneau de Moebius, Bob Siebert - Aquis Submersus, David Jason Snow - Die alte Frau, Samuel Stokes - Mein Merveilleux Salvador, and Ruben Vizcaino – Moonbird

You can find more information here
http://www.voxnovus.com/15_Minutes_of_Fame/featuring/Sophia_Yan/Surrealist_Art_Music/

Upcoming Performances

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Thursday November 28, 2013 - Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Surrealist Art Music premieres in Hong Kong

Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Surrealist Art Music. This Fifteen Minutes of Fame will feature performance from Sophia Yan, William Lane, and Izumi Nikaido. The works will be premiered November 28, 2013, 7:30pm as part of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble’s Salon Series at Southsite, Hong Kong.

This Fifteen Minutes of Fame will feature performance from Sophia Yan, William Lane, and Izumi Nikaido. Sophia Yan has dedicated herself to new music, premiering and performing pieces by living composers including Emily Koh, Ryan Pratt, Emily Doolittle and Faye-Ellen Silverman, and appearing frequently on the “Composer’s Voice” series in New York She has been praised by the New York Times as a performer whose “music literally pulls her off the piano bench; she ranges up and down the keyboard so quickly and with such ferocity that mere sitting will not do." William Lane has been recipient of the Alcorso Scholarship and an Asialink Fellowship. William was Violist in the Hong Kong Philharmonic (2008-2010), Principal Viola of Ensemble Resonanz (Hamburg/ Germany, 2007-2008), as well as working on a freelance basis with Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt, 2006-2007), the SMASH Ensemble (Salamanca/ Spain, 2008). As a new music advocate, William is Artistic Director of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, giving regular concerts in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. He is also member of the Anonymous Quartet (HK). Izumi Nikaido is Japanese freelance flute player in Hong Kong.

Click here to see the concert program

Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Surrealist Art Music
Thursday, November 28, 2013, 7:30pm
Southsite Salon
2B, 3/F, Blue Box Factory Building
25 Hing Wo Street
Tin Wan 0000 Aberdeen
Hong Kong

Calendar

Vox Novus Projects

Opportunities

60x60 CALL FOR WORKS

Call for Surround Sound Works: 60×60

Deadline: December 1, 2013

Vox Novus and Harvestworks are inviting composers and sound artists to submit recorded works as 5.1 audio 60 seconds or less in length to be included in a special 60×60 project collaboration in New York City.

60×60 is calling for works one-minute in length for 5.1 audio playback.

60×60 is a one-hour-long show made by sequencing 60 pre-recorded pieces by 60 different composers, each piece a minute in length or shorter. This 60×60 call for works is a unique collaboration with Harvestworks in New York City to create a 5.1 surround sound mix which will be premiered at Harvestworks multichannel TEAMLab listening room in Spring 2014.

Deadline for 60 second compositions for 60×60 is December 1, 2013.

There is no admission fee.

Works selected for the 60×60 5.1 will be announced in January 2014. The 60 works selected will be announced on the Vox Novus newsletter NM421 as well as the 60×60 and Harvestworks websites.

Any questions regarding the call for works can be addressed to: Support@VoxNovus.com

Any questions regarding the technical aspects can be addressed to: hanst@harvestworks.org

Click here for more details at Harvestworks

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

CALL FOR SCORES

Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Shannon Roberts, soprano & Yumi Suehiro, piano

Deadline: November 30, 2013

Vox Novus is calling for one-minute pieces composed for Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Shannon Roberts, soprano & Yumi Suehiro, piano to be premiered on March 30, 2014 for the Composer’s Voice concert Series at the Jan Hus Church in New York City.

Soprano Shannon Roberts holds dual US and Irish citizenship, dividing her time between New York City and Europe. She finds it an important and rewarding endeavor to collaborate with living composers, and has premiered works by several, including award winning Juilliard composer Bruce Lazarus and most recently Nailah Nombeko’s William Blake Songs. Ms. Roberts is a multiple award winner receiving prizes, grants, and or scholarships from: The Wagner Society of New York, the Liederkranz Foundation, and the Lee Schaenen Foundation, among others. A partial list of the companies with which she has performed includes; Santa Fe Opera, The Florida Grand Opera, Natchez Festival of Music, Chelsea Opera, Opera Theatre of Connecticut, The Bronx Opera, Lyric Opera of New York, and Bel Cantanti. Ms. Roberts attended the Hartt School of Music, received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Florida, and was awarded a Special Artists' Diploma from Miami's prestigious New World School of the Arts. Ms. Roberts is managed by John Miller of Pinnacle Artists Management.

Pianist Yumi Suehiro began studying both piano and marimba at an early age. In her native Japan, Ms. Suehiro won numerous competitions, including the top prize at the Kobe International Competition as the youngest winner. As a pianist, she has performed at New York City’s Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie) as an AMTL Audition Winner, and at Steinway Hall, presented by the Amati Music Festival. She also was the featured marimba player in Latin percussionist Victor Rendon's recording of “Fiesta Percussiva”. Ms. Suehiro graduated from Lehman College (CUNY) and the Manhattan School of Music. While at Manhattan, she won second prize in the school’s 2010 piano concerto competition, and in 2011 was chosen to perform Richard Wilson’s “Flashback” for Pierre Aimard’s master class. Her teachers have included Morris Lang, John Corigliano, Peter Vinograde, and Zenon Fishbein. Recently Ms. Suehiro is a member of Mise-en ensemble and frequently appears at Composer’s Voice concerts.

Click here for more details

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