Earshot And The Philharmonic Present New Works By Emerging Composers

Earshot and Fort Wayne Philharmonic Present Brand New Orchestral Works by Three Emerging Composers: Nathan Kelly, Sohwa Lee, and Robert Rankin

Presented in collaboration with American Composers Orchestra

On Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at 7:30pm, EarShot (the National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network) and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic present an evening of readings of new works by three emerging composers, at First Wayne Street United Methodist Church, led by Fort Wayne Philharmonic music director Andrew Constantine. The New Music Readings will be the culmination of a series of private readings, feedback sessions, and work with mentor composers Melinda Wagner, Chen Yi, and Alex Minceck. The selected composers, chosen from a national candidate pool, are Nathan Kelly (Redwood), Sohwa Lee (Palindrome), and Robert Rankin (Nijinsky Dances).

EarShot curates connections between orchestras and emerging composers. Drawing from a national network of advisors and advocates, EarShot works with orchestras around the country to identify and support promising composers in the early stages of their careers. Orchestras have relied on EarShot to advise them on commissions, competitions, and program design in addition to identifying composers consistent with the orchestra’s artistic vision. EarShot residencies include established composer mentorship, orchestra readings, and musician and conductor feedback sessions, and are customized to the orchestra’s aesthetic and/or demographic interests and community and education activities.

EarShot is a partnership between American Composers Orchestra, League of American Orchestras, American Composers Forum, and New Music USA.

THE COMPOSERS

Nathan Kelly (Redwood)
Nathan Kelly (b. 1980) is a composer whose music reflects an eclectic mix of musical cultures and influences. From playing gospel piano in East Texas churches, to Broadway in pit orchestras in New York City, to sprinting leaps around the world playing in bands on cruise ships, to working in Hollywood with music producers and film composers, Nathan’s music draws from a variety of inspirations. His work seeks to situate between notions of pulses, ambiguity, virtuosity and quiet beauty. He has orchestrated for artists such as Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Jackie Evancho, Andrea Bocelli, Jennifer Lopez; Broadway shows (Gypsy, Curtains, The Tony Awards); TV’s Macy's 4th of July Fireworks on NBC, Audra McDonald on PBS and more; and was recently a Visiting Artist at The American Academy in Rome. For more information, visit www.nathankelly.com.

Kelly notes, “Redwood opens with a ‘pedal point’ on Ab that expands in its intensity and stretches its melodic limbs ever-upward, frequently using intervals of the 7th and 9th in its mighty twists and turns, as it infuses brief contrasting moments of alternating powerful and delicate textures that display a somber and majestic dissonant beauty. The expansive orchestral tuttis mark prominent, relentlessly unfurling musical material writhing and aching with intensity and passion that fearlessly clash -- above, below and in-between -- balancing registral development with motivic seeds of growing contrapuntal figuration and ornamentation that evolve into dense, complex textures and overlapping, competing voices. The churning and undulating fluidity of multiple stratifications of voices explore the enormous and awesome colorful orchestral range and dark tessitura of the orchestra, like a fitting musical portrait of our towering national treasures, the great Redwoods.”

Sohwa Lee (Palindrome)
Korean-born composer and theorist Sohwa Lee (b.1987) received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in composition at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul. She currently studies music composition and theory at Mannes School of Music in New York City. She strongly embraces a sense of humor in her approach to music. Under the proposition that humans are social animals, she thinks interacting each other is the key aspect of music. She actively writes music to develop her career as a composer and lives with communicating in the joy of music every day. To hear recordings of Lee’s music, visit www.soundcloud.com/sohwalee1987. 

Palindrome was premiered by the Mannes School of Music Orchestra on March 10th, 2017. The title is inspired by Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 47 in G major, nicknamed “The Palindrome.” Palindrome, by definition of the word, has a backward point in the middle of the music. The first section maintains a tranquil mood and follows with a rhythmic passage. This piece is inspired by Gamelan music and Asian themes and was arranged for Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra from the original composition.

Robert Rankin (Nijinsky Dances)
Robert Rankin (b. 1994) is an Indiana-based composer of concert and theatre music. His works are characterized by colorful orchestration, a neoclassical nod to the past, and a deep love of narrative storytelling through music. Robert’s music has been commissioned and performed by the Burning Coal Theater Company, the Lux Quartet, Split The Lark, and several middle school and high school wind ensembles across the country. He has attended the Atlantic Music Festival (2014) and the Brevard Music Center (2016 and 2017) where he worked as both a composer and teaching assistant. In addition, he has received several awards and honors including from New York's Tribeca New Music in which he was named an “Emerging Composer” in 2015 for his Clarinet Quartet. For more information, visit www.robertrankinmusic.com.

Of Nijinsky Dances, Rankin says, “Valslav Nijinsky has often been described as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. In addition, Nijinsky was arguably the greatest choreographer of the 20th century, choreographing such landmark ballets such as Debussy’s L’après-midi d’un faune, Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel, and Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps. Myself, alongside countless other concert goers, rank these early 20th century ballets as some of our top pieces. In Nijinsky Dances, I create a quasi ‘pocket concerto for orchestra’ that highlights each section of the orchestra doing what they do best while making subtle reference to the masterful orchestration of those famous ballet scores.” 

About American Composers Orchestra
Founded in 1977, American Composers Orchestra is the only orchestra in the world dedicated to the creation, performance, preservation, and promotion of music by American composers. ACO makes the creation of new opportunities for American composers and new American orchestral music its central purpose. Through concerts at Carnegie Hall and other venues, recordings, internet and radio broadcasts, educational programs, New Music Readings, and commissions, ACO identifies today’s brightest emerging composers, champions prominent established composers as well as those lesser-known, and increases regional, national, and international awareness of the infinite variety of American orchestral music, reflecting geographic, stylistic, and temporal diversity. ACO also serves as an incubator of ideas, research, and talent, as a catalyst for growth and change among orchestras, and as an advocate for American composers and their music. ACO programs seek to innovate and experiment, educate students and the public, and open the orchestra to diverse new influences and audiences. For more information, visit www.americancomposers.org.

About American Composers Forum
The American Composers Forum is committed to supporting composers and developing new markets for their music. Through granting, commissioning, and performance programs, the Forum provides composers at all stages of their careers with valuable resources for professional and artistic development. By linking communities with composers and performers, the Forum fosters a demand for new music, enriches communities, and helps develop the next generation of composers, musicians, and music patrons. For more information, visit www.composersforum.org.

About the League of American Orchestras
The League of American Orchestras leads, supports, and champions America’s orchestras and the vitality of the music they perform. Its diverse membership of more than 2,000 organizations and individuals across North America runs the gamut from world-renowned orchestras to community groups, from summer festivals to student and youth ensembles, from conservatories to libraries, from businesses serving orchestras to individuals who love symphonic music. The only national organization dedicated solely to the orchestral experience, the League is a nexus of knowledge and innovation, advocacy, and leadership advancement. Its conferences and events, award-winning Symphony magazine, website, and other publications inform people around the world about orchestral activity and developments. Founded in 1942 and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers and administrators, board members, volunteers, and business partners. Visit www.americanorchestras.org. 

About New Music USA

New Music USA was officially created on November 8, 2011, as the result of the merger between the American Music Center and Meet The Composer. Its mission to increase opportunities for composers, performers, and audiences is advanced through two basic kinds of activity: Support and Promotion. By providing financial and other support, it enables composers and other musical artists to create the new work that is the beating heart of our musical culture. Through its strong and evolving new media dimensions, it seeks to bring more attention to the field and engage a broad audience of potential listeners. New Music USA is designed to build upon the combined and interconnected strengths of AMC and MTC. Maintaining a strong online presence as well as an active network of worldwide contacts, which includes serving as the official United States member of the International Association of Music Information Centres (IAMIC), New Music USA aims to bring the music created in this country to a global audience. For more information, visit www.newmusicusa.org. 

Institutional Support for American Composers Orchestra is provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Herb Alpert Foundation, The Amphion Foundation, Inc., ASCAP Foundation, BMI & the BMI Foundation, The Cheswatyr Foundation, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Deutsche Bank, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Fromm Music Foundation, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, The Howard Gilman Foundation, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, Jephson Educational Trust, The J.M. Kaplan Fund, League of American Orchestras, Morgan Stanley, New Music USA, Pacific Harmony Fund, Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation, Rolex, Howard and Sarah D. Solomon Foundation, The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, and The Women's Philharmonic Advocacy.

ACO programs are made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

EarShot is a program of American Composers Orchestra in partnership with American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA. Made possible with the support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and The Aaron Copland Fund for Music. Additional funding provided by the League of American Orchestras with support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

American Composers Orchestra
Derek Bermel, Artistic Director | George Manahan, Music Director | Edward Yim, President
Dennis Russell Davies, Conductor Laureate | Robert Beaser, Artistic Director Laureate