Welcoming French composer Raphaël Cendo to June in Buffalo 2013!

Following up on our last post on Ensemble Linea and the French constituency at June in Buffalo 2013, we thought we’d introduce French composer Raphaël Cendo, who will be on the June in Buffalo 2013 composition faculty. Cendo was born in Paris in 1975 and was educated at IRCAM, where he specialized in composition and electronics. Cendo has been teaching composition at the Conservatory of Nanterre since 2008.

Raphaël Cendo

Raphaël Cendo has had a very illustrious education and career, and has studied with many great composers, including Allain Gaussin, Brian Ferneyhough, Fausto Romitelli, and Philippe Manoury, and has had works commissioned and performed by L’Itinéraire, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Nouvel Ensemble Modern, Ictus, and MusikFabrik, among many other ensembles.

Alex Ross featured an interesting post on Raphaël Cendo and his percussion piece Scratch Data, performed by Belgian percussionist Tom De Cock, which can be found here.

Cendo's music has enjoyed tremendously popularity, as well as many performances at a diverse array of festivals, including Ars Musica Brussels, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Voix Nouvelles Royaumont, Présences, and Musica Strasbourg. From 2009 until 2011 he lived and worked at the Villa Medici in Rome.

Below is the audio from Cendo’s remarkable Charge, for seven instruments and electronics:

Link to this post here.

Ensemble Linea at June in Buffalo 2013!

We’re looking forward to having Ensemble Linea for June in Buffalo 2013 – they were a big hit here in 2011 and we’re happy to have them back for round 2. Adding to the French constituency will be composer Raphaël Cendo, who will be accompanying them from France as part of this year’s JiB Composition Faculty. While they’re here they’ll be interpreting works from June in Buffalo composition students, as well as JiB 2013 Faculty Composer Brian Ferneyhough’s flute piece Mnémosyne, and a fresh concert of contemporary music pieces from France.

Ensemble Linea

A little more on their approach and background from their mission statement:

“Founded in Strasbourg by pianist and conductor Jean-Philippe Wurtz in 1998, Ensemble Linea has, since its beginnings, been committed to promoting a democratization of contemporary music, giving priority to the encounter with the audience, to openness towards other artistic disciplines, and to an active booking strategy.

“Beyond any schools and trends, the artistic project of Linea covers quite diverse aesthetic perspectives, from musical theater to electronic music, from Western music to the rich Asian repertoires. Based in Alsace (eastern France, bordering on Germany and

Ensemble Linea

Switzerland), at the crossroads of many different cultures, Linea naturally approaches the repertoires in their multicultural dimension. Linea advocates an engaged music anchored in modernity: it favors works that question the mutations and complexities of our era.”

Coincidentally, another connection currently exists between Ensemble Linea and the University at Buffalo Music Department, as Daniel Bassin, the current conductor and music director of the University at Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, is now studying at the Abbaye de Royaumont Conductor Master Class, where he is rehearsing with Ensemble Linea the works of Iannis Xenakis, György Ligeti, Hanna Eimermacher, and others, under the tutelage of Péter Eötvös.

Below is a video of Ensemble Linea’s beautiful performance of Gerard Grisey’s Talea from June in Buffalo 2011:

Link to this post here.

June in Buffalo 2013 composers announced!

June in Buffalo and the Center for 21st Century Music are pleased to announce the 29 composers welcomed to June in Buffalo 2013, running from June 3–9, alongside the JiB Performance Institute, who will be writing for  Ensemble Linea,
 JACK Quartet, 
SIGNAL,
 Slee Sinfonietta,
 Talea Ensemble, 
and Talujon Percussion Ensemble. More on June in Buffalo 2013 can be found here. 



The decision-making process was quite difficult as we had over 80 applications from very creative composers from all over the world. All 29 accepted composers for June in Buffalo 2013 are listed below:

Jeffrey Holmes, University of Southern California

Tomas Gueglio, University of Chicago

Marek Poliks, Harvard University

Andrew Greenwald, Stanford

Steven Weimer, University of Cincinnati

Clint Haycraft, University of Buffalo

Ursula Kwong-Brown, University of California-Berkeley

Jonghee Kang, University of Pittsburgh

Megan Beugger, University of Buffalo

Kurt Isaacson, Stanford

Stylianos Dimou, Eastman School of Music

Matt Sargent, University of Buffalo

Osnat Netzer, New England Conservatory

Lesley Hinger, Boston University

Eric Stewart, University of Toronto

Nicholas DeMasion, UCSD

James Young, Peabody Conservatory

Ben Phelps, University of Southern California-Thornton

Ross Scott Griffey, Julliard

John Chittum, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Brien Henderson, San Francisco State University

Zihua Tan, McGill University

James Bean, University of Oregon

Jason Thorpe Buchanan, Eastman School of Music

Esin Gunduz, University of Buffalo

Jenny Beck, Rutgers University

Brian Herrington, Royal Academy of Music

Valentina Velkovska, University "Goce Delcev" FMU

Colin Tucker, University at Buffalo

Link to this post here.

New UB Office of the President Signature Series kicks off with David Felder's Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux April 23!

Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux World Premiere

We're very excited to announce the World Premiere of David Felder's Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux, which will be part of a two day series of events presented by the University at Buffalo Office of the President. The events will inaugurate the Signature Series, a new university tradition, which President Satish K. Tripathi has introduced to "to celebrate UB's legacy of innovation and distinction in arts and letters." The premiere of the work, commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation, will take place on Tuesday, April 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. in Slee Hall, and feature a 30+ chamber orchestra of musicians including the Slee Sinfonietta, Ensemble SIGNAL, soprano Laura Aikin, bass-baritone Ethan Herschenfeld, and ten channels of electronics. Last month's full press release can be found here.

The two days worth of events include an open rehearsal, a luncheon dialogue, a panel discussion, a pre-concert reception, and concludes with the premiere. The complete two-day schedule follows below in the press release from The University at Buffalo Office of the President:

WORLD PREMIERE PRESENTED BY THE UB OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE ROBERT AND CAROL MORRIS CENTER FOR 21ST CENTURY MUSIC

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 | 7 p.m.

University at Buffalo President
Satish K. Triparthi

LIPPES CONCERT HALL, SLEE HALL, NORTH CAMPUS

The premiere is the focal point of a two-day program that marks the start of a new university tradition called the Signature Series, which President Satish K. Tripathi has introduced to celebrate UB's legacy of innovation and distinction in arts and letters.

An internationally acclaimed composer of contemporary music, David Felder has long been recognized as a leader in his generation of American composers. His works are known for their highly energetic profile, lyrical qualities and for his use of technological extension and elaboration of musical materials. Felder is SUNY Distinguished Professor and Birge-Cary Chair in Composition at UB.

LES QUATRE TEMPS CARDINAUX

“Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux” is a complex song cycle for two solo voices, a 35-piece orchestra and twelve channels of electronics. Commissioned in 2011 for the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, “Les Quatre” is dedicated to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky. The work was composed from fall 2011 through spring 2013, and was written for Ensemble Signal, The Boston Modern Orchestra Project and the Slee Sinfonietta, and for singers Laura Aikin and Ethan Herschenfeld. Additional support was provided by the Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music at UB, the Cameron Baird Foundation, the Birge-Cary Chair at UB, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ethan Herschenfeld

Schedule of Premiere and Related Events

MONDAY, APRIL 22

2—3:30 PM

Open rehearsal of "Les Quatre"

Open to the public, RSVP requested

Lippes Concert Hall

Join music enthusiasts from UB, other local colleges and schools, and the community as the composer, conductor, vocalists, and ensemble allow the public to observe one of the final rehearsals of "Les Quatre" prior to its world premiere.

Laura Aikin

TUESDAY, APRIL 23

1—2 PM

Luncheon Dialogue: “Inside the Making of ‘Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux’”

Open to the public, registration limited to 60, RSVP required

Slee Lobby

Composer David Felder and others involved in the premiere will hold a lunchtime discussion of the process of bringing "Les Quatre" from conception to fruition. A complimentary light lunch will be provided for all registered participants.

3:30—5 PM

"Textural Signatures": A Panel Discussion

Open to the public, RSVP requested

Baird 250

Slee Sinfonietta
photo by Irene Haupt

Faculty and students from the departments of English, Music, and Theatre and Dance, joined by the biographer of poet René Daumal (whose poetry is musically interpreted in "Les Quatre"), will explore the relationship between texts and the arts, with attention to the particular poems featured in Professor Felder's composition.

5:30—6:45 PM

Pre-concert reception, sponsored by University at Buffalo Alumni Association

Ticketed event limited to 100, RSVP required

Black Box Theater, Center for the Arts

Gather with others prior to the premiere for drinks and hors d'oeuvres, with remarks by E. Bruce Pitman, Dean of UB's College of Arts and Sciences, and composer David Felder (schedule permitting). Reception cost includes admission to the 7pm concert.

Brad Lubman and
 Ensemble SIGNAL

Single Ticket: $30; $25 for UBAA members.

Pair of Tickets: $55; $45 for UBAA members.

7—8:45 PM

Concert

Lippes Concert Hall, Slee Hall

The Slee Sinfonietta presents The Signal Ensemble:

   •  Brad Lubman, conductor

   •  Laura Aikin, soprano

   •  Ethan Herschenfeld, bass-baritone

Program features the world premiere of David Felder's “Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux,” preceded by a performance of Felder's percussion concerto "Tweener."

Advance tickets: $12/$9/$5

Door: $20/$15/$8

Admission is free for UB students with a student ID

Slee Hall: http://www.slee.buffalo.edu/

Link to this post here.