Boys in the Band

In the early days, the members of Led Zeppelin didn’t have posh limousine services to ferry them to their concerts. Mrs. Edith Prawnly of Hummock-on-Smythe in southwestern most Lincolnshire clearly remembers seeing them bicycle through town wi th their instruments in tow en route to Ringo’s tiny basement flat, where they would rehearse for up to an hour a day. Occasionally, guest artists sat in with the band. Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Jasper Johns once showed up with their guitars, but when they saw the dingy condition of the flat, they hauled out their brushes and tempera and instead repainted the place. Another time, Ozzy convinced the St. Swithins Girls School Chorus to sing back-up harmony on one of his songs. The girls had no transportation of their own so Ozzy did the honors him self – six each on either side of the handlebars, four more in the rumbleseat and, balanced precariously on his shoulders, the prim head mistress, Miss Engle. When the lads were pressed for time, they took a shortcut to Ringo’s flat – a jolting ride down a steep flight of stairs that led past Heavelly’s Fish Market. The route was eventually immortalized in their hit song, Stairway to Heavelly, or would have been if the typesetter hadn’t misspelled the last word.

David Gunn
www.DavidGunn.org

Upcoming Performances

Composer’s Voice

Sunday, March 9th, 2014 at 1:00 PM

This Sunday Composer’s Voice will feature pianist Daniel Sachs from Cincinnati to present Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame.

Born in Basel, Switzerland, Daniel Sachs earned his first degree in piano performance in his hometown followed by studies in Paris, France, and Lübeck, Germany. Mr. Sachs’ performances have brought him to venues such as the Fondation György Cziffrà in Senlis (France), the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, the Musiksaal in Basel and the Tonhalle Zürich, the Guest Artist Series at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, the University of Louisville and numerous other venues including performances with members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He performed with several orchestras and recorded solo works by Chopin and Rachmaninoff for the Swiss Radio.

Also being presented on this concert are the works from:

Douglas DaSilva, Artistic Director for the Composer’s Voice concert series “DaSilva knows just how to tempt you with a delicious array of musical desserts that titillate your ear.” NM421 His compositions have been described as “very individual, and to us has a very clear personality” in Classical Guitar Magazine. His pieces Sarabande; How to Build a Totalitarian State and Contrails have been included in 60x60 projects.

Sean Hickey is a prominent composer and Vice-President with Naxos of America. Hickey was awarded a grant from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs as well as a Composer Assistance Grant from the American Music Center to mount concerts of his work. He has fulfilled commissions for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the St. Petersburg Symphony, New York’s One World Symphony and North/South Consonance, the Adesso Choral Society in Connecticut, the Spain-based piano/accordion duo An-Tifon, 60x60, and the Gringolts-Weiss-Fiterstein Trio. His disc of chamber and orchestral works for Naxos American Classics, Left at the Fork in the Road, released in November 2005, broke the Billboard Top 100 Classical Chart.

Akmal Parwez studied electronics in Tokyo on a Japanese government scholarship, receiving B.E. and M.E. degrees. However, after a brief engineering career, and encouraged by his composition teachers, Yasushi Akutagawa and Klaus Pringsheim, he felt compelled to devote his life to composing, singing and teaching music. Parwez is a bass-baritone soloist, choral conductor and voice teacher who often performs his own works. His works have been selected for several Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame sets.

Faye-Ellen Silverman began her music studies before the age of four at the Dalcroze School of Music. She first achieved national recognition by winning the Parents League Competition, judged by Leopold Stokowski, at the age of 13. She played her winning composition in Carnegie Hall - her professional piano debut - and also appeared on the Sonny Fox Wonderama TV program. She is the first woman to receive a DMA in music composition from Columbia. A member of Vox Novus, Faye-Ellen’s work has been presented many times on Composer’s Voice.

Robert Voisey born December 8, 1969, is a composer and producer of electroacoustic and chamber music. He founded Vox Novus in 2000 to promote the music of contemporary American composers and in 2001 created The American Composer Timeline, the first in-depth listing of American composers to appear on the Internet. A producer of new music and multi-media concerts and events, Voisey is best known for producing the 60x60 project, which he started in 2003 in order to promote electronic composers and their music. He also founded and directs the Composer's Voice Concert Series, Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame, and Circuit Bridges.

David Wolfson is an eclectic, versatile composer of songs, concert music and music for theatre, as well as other genres. The New York Times has called his work "musically inventive" and "theatrically forceful." A member of Vox Novus, David’s work has been presented with 60x60, Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame, and regularly on Composer’s Voice.

With performaces by:

Sara Bong began her piano studies at the age of five and was a student of Marjorie Morrow and Howard Karp. She made her Carnegie Hall debut at age 16, appearing in concert with the pianist Eugene List, with whom she coached for three years as his youngest student.

Sarah Carrier, flutist, received praised for combining “thoughtful musicality with virtuosity in her alternately energetic and delicate account of a flute line laden with light multiphonics and unusual timbres.”-Allan Kozinn, NYTimes.

Saxophonist Zach Herchen performs music ranging from classical trios to jazz tone poems, multimedia works, afrobeat, and beyond. He is a 2013 Bang on a Can Summer Festival Fellow.

American clarinetist, Ashleé Miller, has been praised for her rich “color and imagination” [NPR]. Winner of the 2005 North Carolina Soloist competition, Ashleé made her solo debut at the age of sixteen with the North Carolina Symphony on their opening tour. She was the first clarinetist to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist award, which included a $10,000 career grant, a performance on NPR’s “From the Top,” and a community art project sponsored by NPR.

Francois Nezwazky began learning to play the piano at the age of seven in his home town of Detroit. During his early teens he was granted the Peterson Memorial Scholarship to study at the Michigan Conservatory of Music with Lawrence LaGore.

Soprano Jenny Ribeiro has made a name for herself specializing in new works on both coasts, creating the roles of Amy (The North Arcade) and the Cat (Jack Prelutsky’s Something Big Has Been Here) in Seattle before moving to NYC. She created the role of The Composer (Elodie Lauten’s The Two Cents Opera) and participated in Remarkable Theatre Brigade’s Summer Young Artist Program. In 2010, Jenny made her debut with Village Light Opera, Opera Manhattan and Regina Opera.

Clarinetist Sam Ross is currently the E-flat clarinetist in the West Point Band. In 2011, he was the 3rd Prizewinner of the International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition. He has also performed with the Arkansas Symphony, Victoria (TX) Symphony, Texarkana Symphony, and Lone Star Wind Orchestra.

Dr. Andrew White currently serves on the voice faculty of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In 1995 he made his New York debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in a program devoted to the songs of Frederick Koch with the composer at the piano. Ken Smith of New York Concert Review hailed Andrew White as "…a formidable interpreter… Every song composer should be so lucky with collaborators."

Composer's Voice
Sunday, March 9, 2014 at 1:00 PM
Jan Hus Church
351 East 74th Street
(between First and Second Avenues)
New York, New York 10021
FREE ADMISSION

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Opportunities

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

CALL FOR SCORES

Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame:
Calvin Falwell, bass clarinet
&
Robert McCormick,drum set

Deadline: March 14, 2014

Vox Novus is calling for one-minute pieces composed for Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Calvin Falwell, bass clarinet & Robert McCormick, drum set to be premiered on September 14, 2014 for the Composer’s Voice concert series at the Jan Hus Church in New York City.

Praised for his "great skill and captivating sound" by Clariperu, American clarinetist Calvin Falwell enjoys a varied career as an orchestral musician, soloist and educator. His choice of equipment and clarinet reeds has helped him to earn his fame he has today. Calvin is a member of the clarinet faculty of the University of South Florida School of Music and is a member of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra in Sarasota, FL. During the summer months he can be found performing with the Ash Lawn Opera Festival in Charlottesville, VA.

Robert McCormick is currently Professor of Music at the University of South Florida. He served as principal percussionist/assistant timpanist with the Florida Orchestra for 20 seasons, and was a core member of the legendary Harry Partch Ensemble. Robert is often sought after to perform and conduct in major venues working with such artists as Placido Domingo, Andre Bocelli and many others. He has authored articles, solos, and percussion texts that are considered standard literature in the field of percussion. With dozens of critically acclaimed recordings and reviews in leading journals such as Gramophone, American Record Guide, Fanfare and The Strad, Robert is internationally recognized for his performances with the McCormick Percussion Group and the McCormick Duo flute/percussion ensemble.

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Composer's Voice
CALL FOR SCORES

Call for scores for the
Tom do Brasil Band
Bb clarinet or bass clarinet;
guitar (electric jazz);
double bass;
and percussion

Deadline: April 18, 2014

Call for scores for the Tom do Brasil Band - Bb clarinet or bass clarinet; guitar (electric jazz); double bass; and percussion Deadline: April 18, 2014 Vox Novus is calling for 3-5 minute pieces composed for Tom do Brasil: Kristen Mather de Andrade, clarinet; Rob Helsel, guitar (electric jazz); Phillip Helm, double bass; & Craig Bitterman, percussion to be recorded 2014 for the their upcoming CD. The theme of this call is Brazil. The Brazilian theme could include pieces inspired by Brazilian musical or visual art works (either traditional or contemporary), Brazilian culture or pieces using technical elements found in Brazilian music Pieces should be for quartet: Bb clarinet or bass clarinet; guitar (electric jazz); double bass; and percussion. Guitar is for electric jazz guitar. However, this is not a jazz call: In the instances where the guitar is not playing a written melody, standard chord symbols (eg: Ebm7b5) should be written on score & parts. Percussion includes Cajon, Pandeiro, Riq, Bodhran, Tar, Djembe, Shakers (caxixi, maracas, eggs shakers, etc..), small concert percussion accessories (Tambourine, Triangle, Castanets, Wood Blocks, Finger Cymbals, Guiro, etc..) Lead Steeldrum/Tenor Pan (Range middle C to D above treble clef). Steel pan is available on pieces that do not have rhythm percussion. Quartets only: No solos, duos, or trios considered.

Kristen Mather de Andrade is principal clarinetist with the West Point Band and clarinetist with Quintette 7. She frequently performs with the West Point Band and local community and college organizations as soloist. In 2010 she recorded a CD of the music of Raymond Scott with Quintette 7. Kristen frequently tours with chamber ensembles to perform and give master classes in colleges across the country. In 2005 Kristen earned a Bachelor of Music in clarinet performance from The Dana School of Music, where she studied with Robert Fitzer. In 2006, she attended DePaul University in Chicago and studied with Chicago Symphony Orchestra principal clarinetist Larry Combs. Inspired by working with the El Sistema-inspired Harmony Program in New York City, Kristen has begun studies at Columbia University Teachers College. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education, and aspires to break down the walls between performance and education by putting the arts and artists at the service of communities. Kristen has a varied musical background. Prior to obtaining her position in the West Point Band she performed with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra (with which she was soloist), the Ohio Light Opera Orchestra, with renowned jazz ensemble The Dave Holland Quintet, singer Maureen McGovern, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra pianist Jim McNeely, and theater star Tommy Tune, among others.

Guitarist Rob Helsel is from Newburgh, NY, and has been playing and teaching professionally in the Hudson Valley area for 25 years. He was a member of the West Point’s Jazz Knights for 18 years and has performed with such artists as Cab Calloway, James Williams, The Harper Brothers, Byron Stripling, Bill Watrous, David Liebman, John Riley, Eddie Daniels, and Dennis Mackrel. Recent projects include working with “E of 3,” al 11-piece 70’s and 80’s funk/soul band performing at such venues as the Iridium Jazz Club, NYC. His resume also includes performing and teaching at both High School and College jazz clinics and performing Broadway musicals. He has studied with Steve Freeman (Guitar Institute of Technology) and ECM jazz recording artist John Abercrombie.

Bassist Phillip Helm is an active freelance musician and educator in the Hudson Valley. He is the principal bassist of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, assistant principal bassist of the Albany Symphony, bassist with the West Point Band, and performs frequently with the Binghamton, Buffalo, Ridgefield and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestras. He is the double bass instructor at Bard College, Dutchess Community College and SUNY New Paltz. Phil earned his Bachelor of Music from West Texas A&M University, where he studied with David Murray. He also attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Linda McKnight. Phil can be heard around the Hudson Valley performing with his bluegrass band “Uncommon Ground” and has recorded on Albany Records and performed on NPR.

Percussionist Craig Bitterman is from Buffalo, NY. He earned his Bachelor of Music in performance from SUNY Buffalo and relocated to Connecticut to pursue a Master of Music in performance from the Hartt School of Music. After completing graduate studies, Bitterman freelanced in the New England area and taught percussion at Holyoke Community College, Wesleyan University and Hartford Conservatory. Performance highlights include appearances with Nebojsa Zivkovic and the Jovan Perkussion Projekt; Maelstrom percussion ensemble; June in Buffalo new music festival; Ankara new music festival; Full Force Dance Theatre; Steelsunrise Steelband and worked with composers Steve Reich, David Felder, James Tenney, Lou Harrison and Amy Williams. Craig has recorded under hat(now)ART, mode, EMF, Yesa, Malletjazz and Whitewater labels.

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http://www.voxnovus.com/composersvoice/calls/

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