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OPERA America awards grants to women composers

5/28/2021

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OPERA America is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Discovery Grants from the Opera Grants for Women Composers program. These composers will receive a total of $100,000 to support development activities of seven new theatrical works for the trained voice and instrumental ensemble.

Opera Grants for Women Composers promote the development of new works by women and raise the visibility of women writing operas. The grants are made possible through the generosity of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

This year’s recipients are:
• Gelsey Bell for mɔːnɪŋ
• Christina Campanella for The Visitation
• Asako Hirabayashi for Hebi-onna (Snake Woman)
• Angel Lam for Lost Shanghai
• Shuying Li for When the Purple Mountains Burn
• Nicole Paris and Katherine Skovira for ?this is my Body
• Bora Yoon for ‘아가씨’ Handmaiden [Mademoiselle]

In addition to the cash awards, OPERA America invites and provides travel support for all grant recipients to attend its annual Opera Conference and New Works Forum, enabling them to develop relationships with potential creative partners and producers. Grant recipients also receive mentorship on the artistic and business aspects of new work development.

Grantees were selected from an applicant pool of 57 composers by a panel of industry leaders consisting of Kelvin Chan, general director, Vital Opera; Mila Henry, artistic director, The American Opera Project; Laura Kaminsky, composer; Sarah Meyers, stage director; Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, librettist; Damien Sneed, composer and conductor; and Karim Sulayman, tenor.

“Until the launch of Opera Grants for Women Composers in 2013, fewer than five percent of the organization’s grants for repertoire development had been awarded to works by women composers,” stated Marc A. Scorca, president/CEO of OPERA America. “Thanks to the generosity of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and initiatives like the Discovery Grants, we’ve been able to increase and diversify the voices, perspectives, and stories that comprise the American repertoire.” OPERA America is committed to increasing gender parity across the field through multiple initiatives. These include the Opera Grants for Women Composers program’s Discovery Grants and Commissioning Grants, Opera Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors (generously supported by the Marineau Family Foundation), the Mentorship Program for Women Administrators, and the Women’s Opera Network. Since the inception of its granting programs, OPERA America has awarded over $20 million to the opera field to support the work of opera creators, companies, and administrators.

Lean more about OPERA America's grant programs here.
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Montreal Piano Competition announces winners

5/14/2021

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 Concours Musical International de Montréal (CMIM) has unveiled the winners of its 2021 Piano Edition.

First Prize was awarded to South Korean Pianist Su Yeon Kim, who will collect awards and scholarships valued at over $180,000, an unprecedented total sum for the CMIM. The prize also includes a concerto performance with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and a solo album recording on the Steinway & Sons label. The undeniable talent of this young pianist’s technique and musicality, combined with a balanced and daring program, transcended the screen and convinced the international jury.

A complete list of winners follows:

2021 Concours Musical International de Montréal Piano Edition Awards
 
First Prize: Su Yeon Kim, South Korea

- Grand Cash prize of $30,000 offered by the City of Montréal
- Joseph-Rouleau Career Development Grant
  $50,000, offered by the Azrieli Foundation
- Solo recording on the Steinway & Sons label
  and launch at Steinway Hall in New York city
  $75,000, offered by Steinway
- Normand Beauchamp winner’s concert tour in three North-American cities
  $15,000, offered by Sarah Beauchamp
- Concerto performance with the CMIM’s official orchestra,
  the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM)
  $7,500, offered by the OSM
- Artist Residency at Canada’s Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
  $2,500, offered by Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
- Artistic representation by Forbes International Artist Management
 
Pierre-Péladeau and Raymonde-Chopin Second Prize: Yoichiro Chiba, Japan
$15,000 offered by Quebecor
 
Third Prize: Dimitri Malignan, France
$10,000 offered by Stingray Classica
 
ICI Musique Audience Award: Dimitri Malignan, France
$5,000, offered by ICI Musique
 
André Bourbeau Award for the best Canadian artist: Alice Burla, Canada
$5,000 offered by la Fondation Bourbeau
 
Bita Cattelan Philanthropic Engagement Award: Anna Han, United States
$5,000 offered by Bita Cattelan
 
André Bachand Award for the best performance of the compulsory Canadian work: Alice Burla, Canada
$2,000 offered by Claudette Hould
 
Festival Bach Montreal Award for the best performance of a work by J.S. Bach: Dimitri Malignan, France
$ 1,500 offered by the Festival Bach Montreal
 
5 Finalist Grants of $ 3,000 to unranked finalists
offered by Janine Bombardier and Sadok Besrour, CGI, Cogeco, Colabor Group and Pierre Seccareccia
  • Alice Burla, Canada 
  • Francesco Granata, Italy 
  • Ying Li, China 
  • Chaeyoung Park, South Korea 
  • Marcel Tadokoro, France 

​Videos of many of the performances can be found here.


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Metropolitan Opera to perform live again

5/13/2021

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The New York Times is reporting that the MET will be performing for live audiences again soon--but not at Lincoln Center.

They will be doing two performances Sunday in Queens at the Knockdown Theater.  The program will include their first opera by a Black composer: Terrence Blanchard's "Fire Shut Up in My Bones", as well as selections by Verdi and Mozart.

​You can read the whole story here.
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A Tour of Mexico concert to stream online

5/12/2021

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New West Symphony
 (NWS), with Grammy-winning conductor 
Michael Christie as Artistic and Music Director, continues its 2020-21 groundbreaking and reimagined season of “Global Sounds, Local Cultures” with A Tour of Mexico. This festival, running May 20-23, culminates with a feature symphony concert presentation, spotlighting virtuosic guitarist Jiji Kim and harpist Maria Casale, with works by Arturo Marquez, Fernando Arroyo Lascurain, Silvestre Revueltas, Manuel Ponce, Gabriela Ortiz, Jose Enrique Gonzalez-Medina and the traditional Mexican folk song, El Son de la Negra. A Tour of Mexico is presented in partnership with the Museum of Ventura County.



Along with the symphony concert, Season and Concert Passport holders can enjoy access to companion cultural festival programs for further immersion into the music, the artistry, and the culture that inspired the concert, curated by Michael Christie. These events will take place on Thursday, May 20 at 6pm PT – a Pre-Concert Talk from UCLA Senior Lecturer, David Ravetch, who explores the music presented in the A Tour of Mexico concert in an informative, audience-friendly format; Friday, May 21 at 7pm PT – Culture Insights, an exploration of Southern California’s heritage, including demonstrations of traditional instruments and performance, and discussions about history, arts and music; and Saturday, May 22 at 7pm PT – Meet the Artists, a longstanding New West Symphony tradition which brings audiences closer to the guest artists and offers an opportunity to learn about artistic and creative process.
​

Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 3pm PT – A Tour of Mexico – Symphony Concert
Michael Christie, conductor


Guest Artists:
Jiji Kim, guitar
Maria Casale, harp
Mariachi Divas


Arturo Marquez: Máscaras, Concerto for Harp and Orchestra
Fernando Arroyo García Lascurain: Pok-Ta-Pok: El Juego De Los Dioses
Silvestre Revueltas: Ocho por Radio
Gabriela Ortiz: Exilios
Manuel Ponce: Concierto del Sur for Guitar and Orchestra
José Enrique González-Medina: Las primas del General Calles
Traditional: El Son de la Negra


Additional Cultural Programs Included with a Concert Passport:


Pre-Concert Talk with David Ravetch
Presented Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 6pm PT (not available on demand)
The New West Symphony’s pre-concert talk features UCLA Senior Lecturer, David Ravetch, who explores the music presented in the A Tour of Mexico concert in an informative, audience-friendly format.


Culture Insights
Premieres Friday, May 21, 2021 at 7pm PT
Culture Insights is an exploration of Southern California’s heritage, including demonstrations of traditional instruments and performance, and discussions about history, arts and music. Appearances for this edition include Zapotec master weaver Porfirio Gutiérrez; Rocio Marron, Son Jarocho and Mariachi violinist; community leader, Carmen Ramirez; musician and educator, Jorge Andres Herrera; an Aztec Dance performance by Veronica X. Valadez and leaders from the Museum of Ventura County.


Meet the Artists
Premieres Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 7pm PT
Meet the Artists is a longstanding New West Symphony tradition which brings us closer to the guest artists and gives our audience an opportunity to learn about artistic and creative process. Enjoy a combination of biography, performance and insight into an artist’s process and talent, such as soloist guitarist Jiji Kim, composers Fernando Arroyo García Lascurain, José Enrique González-Medina and Gabriela Ortiz.

​Learn more by clicking here.



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Bang on a Can marathon live streaming

5/12/2021

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Bang on a Can announces the Bang on a Can Marathon of Song – Live Online – on Sunday, June 6, 2021 from 1-5pm ET featuring 15 performances streamed from musicians' homes around the country and across the world. For this Marathon all performances will include some type of vocalization – singing, speaking, murmuring, or other use of the voice. The June 6 Marathon of Song marks Bang on a Can’s eighth marathon concert since the start of the pandemic dating back to May 2020 and will bring the tally to over 150 performances, including 70 world premieres of new commissions. Bang on a Can plans to continue these Marathons, streaming online.

The four-hour live Marathon, featuring Fred Frith, L’Rain, Albert Kuvezin from Yat Kha, Charles Amirkhanian, Matana Roberts, and many more, will be hosted by Bang on a Can Co-Founders and Artistic Directors Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe, who say: Humming, speaking, crooning, shouting, praying, tuneful, harmonized or noisy, we have spun songs since the beginning of our existence. These adventurous composers are redefining what it means to make song, and these powerful performers bring it to life with a myriad of colors and sensibilities.


A core feature of the program will be eleven world premieres of newly commissioned works:


Albert Kuvezin new work (world premiere) performed by himself
Allison Russell 
Anna Clyne new work (world premiere) performed by Ken Thomson
Charles Amirkhanian Audible Autopsy (world premiere) performed by Robert Black
Eddy Kwon new work (world premiere) performed by himself
Florent Ghys new work (world premiere) performed by David Cossin
Fred Frith new work (world premiere) performed by himself
Julius Eastman Prelude To The Holy Presence Of Joan D'Arc performed by Julian Otis
Kyle Brenn Still/Exist
L’Rain
Mary Kouyoumdjian new work (world premiere) performed by Arlen Hlusko
Matana Roberts How Many (world premiere video)
Peni Candra Rini new work (world premiere) performed by herself
Sophie Cash new work (world premiere) performed by Vicky Chow 
Trevor Weston new work (world premiere) performed by Mark Stewart 

The concerts are free, but suggested donation levels--as well as access to the concerts--can be found here.


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Juillard Music Division has new Director

5/6/2021

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Following an extensive search, Juilliard has named composer and alumnus David Serkin Ludwig as dean and director of Juilliard’s Music Division. Ludwig, an alumnus of Juilliard (Graduate Diploma ’02, composition), comes from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he currently serves as the Gie and Lisa Liem Artistic Advisor to the President, chair of composition studies, director of Ensemble 20/21, and the artistic director of Curtis Summerfest. Ludwig will begin his transition to Juilliard on June 1, 2021.


As dean and director, Ludwig will oversee the artistic and educational activities of the Music Division. He will work closely with students, faculty, and administrators to lead the largest department and founding division of the school with a vision reflecting Juilliard’s values of excellence, creativity, and inclusiveness.

“Working with students is an incredibly rewarding and vital part of my life,” Ludwig said. “As an artist and educator, I am thrilled to be returning to Juilliard to work with students, faculty, and staff to help build school community and engage audiences in New York and around the world.”



David Serkin Ludwig’s first musical memory was singing Beatles songs with his sister. His second was hearing his grandfather perform at Carnegie Hall. These experiences foretold a diverse career that Ludwig has spent collaborating with many of today’s leading soloists, ensembles, filmmakers, choreographers, and writers. His work The New Colossus opened the private prayer service for President Obama’s second inauguration. The same year, NPR named him one of the world’s “Top 100 Composers Under 40.” In 2016, he won the A.I. du Pont Award for his “significant contribution to contemporary classical music” and in 2018 he received the prestigious Pew Fellowship from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage. 


Ludwig’s works have been commissioned and performed by such prominent ensembles and artists as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall; as well as by Jonathan Biss, alumnus Jeremy Denk, Jaime Laredo, Jennifer Koh, David Shifrin, Eighth Blackbird, the Dover and Borromeo quartets, and the PRISM Saxophone Quartet. His music is currently featured on over a dozen commercial recordings, including a complete album of his choral music recorded by the Choral Arts Society. An accomplished film composer, Ludwig scored Michael Almereyda’s 2014 feature film Cymbeline starring Ethan Hawke and Dakota Johnson.


Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Ludwig attended high school in New York City. He comes from several generations of eminent musicians including his uncle pianist Peter Serkin (Juilliard faculty 1987–2003), grandfather pianist Rudolf Serkin, and great-grandfather violinist and composer Adolf Busch.

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