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.

David Felder's Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux premieres at Slee Hall April 23rd!

David Felder
photo by Irene Haupt

The Center for 21st Century Music is thrilled to announce to the world that the premiere of David Felder’s Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux, commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation, will be premiered at the University at Buffalo’s Slee Hall at 7:00 p.m. by a large assortment of musicians – not only the SIGNAL Ensemble with a variety of guests which total to a 35-piece orchestra, but also soprano Laura Aikin, bass baritone Ethan Herschenfeld, and 12 channels of electronics. We spoke to Felder about Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux last year, which is based on, among other texts, the writings of the esoteric French poet of René Dumaul. You can read our feature interview with him about his thoughts on the piece here. Also, please check out his new wikipedia page here.

The Buffalo News has issued a great press release, written by Patricia Donovan, featured below:

British music critic Hans-Theodor Wohlfahrt has written of composer David Felder that “he combines his deep knowledge of the past and the present with a constant searching on a philosophical, human and musical level – a Gustav Mahler for the 21st century."

Felder, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Birge-Cary Chair in Composition at the University at Buffalo, is an internationally acclaimed composer of contemporary music, with his works known for their highly energetic profile, lyrical qualities, and his use of technological extension for the elaboration of musical materials.  His work masterfully combines widely ranging materials in surprising way, achieving a new synthesis.

On April 23, the UB Office of the President and the Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music at UB will present the world premiere of Felder’s “Les Quatres Temps Cardinaux,” a complex song cycle for two solo voices, a 35-piece orchestra and 12 channels of electronics.  It represents the pairing of the composer with two celebrated performers: dynamic soprano Laura Aikin, and bass baritone Ethan Herschenfeld.  Felder wrote the piece specifically for their voices.

Ensemble SIGNAL

The April 23 concert will begin at 7 p.m. in Lippes Concert Hall, Slee Hall, UB North Campus.

Advance tickets are available at the UB Center for the Arts box office 716-645-ARTS (716-645-2787). Prices are $12 (general public), $9 (alumni, faculty, staff and seniors), and $5 for students.

Tickets also may be purchased at the Slee Hall box office on the night of the performance and will be $20 (general public), $15 (alumni, faculty, staff and seniors) and $8 (students). The box office number is 716-645-2921.

The premiere will be the focal point of a two-day program that marks the start of a new university tradition, which President Tripathi is introducing as a way to celebrate the university community’s rich and thriving legacy of innovation and distinction in the arts and letters.  Other programming being held as part of this celebration include a rehearsal open to the campus and local community; a brown bag lunch discussion with the composer, conductor, and musicians; a panel discussion with faculty and students focusing on the interpretation of texts as works of art; and an alumni-sponsored reception and Q&A with the composer and performers.

“UB has a long and storied tradition of creative excellence and innovation at the vanguard of the arts,” said UB Satish K. Tripathi.

Laura Aikin

“This event is a wonderful opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of the outstanding individuals who embody this tradition, from David Felder’s visionary achievements in contemporary composition, to the expression of that vision by world-renowned alumni like Laura Aikin and the distinguished faculty performing in the Slee Sinfonietta, to poets like the late Robert Creeley, whose voices are woven into the performance in surprising and remarkable ways.  I am very much looking forward to what will surely be an evening to remember.”

The program will open with “Tweener,” a 2010 Felder composition for solo percussion, electronics and large chamber ensemble.  The soloist will be Thomas Kolor, assistant professor of music at UB and one of the country’s top young specialists in late 20 century American percussion music.

The orchestra for both compositions will comprise ensembles dedicated to the presentation of contemporary chamber orchestral music, the acclaimed Ensemble Signal, conducted by world-renowned Brad Lubman, and the Slee Sinfonietta, the flagship professional chamber orchestra of the Morris Center.

Both works employ electronics, with “Tweener” utilizing the KAT mallet controller as an addition to the wide variety of traditional percussion instruments that make up the battery of resources used in the solo part.

Ethan Herschenfeld

One of the most important elements of “Les Quatres…” is the poetry that Felder has incorporated into the piece.  It includes the eponymous “Les Quatres Temps Cardinaux,” a poem composed by French poet René Daumal near the end of his life.

Daumal’s early career emphasized the conversion of poetry into a form of theater in which speech, gestures, breath, voice stops and other elements of performance form a totality.

“Later,” says Felder, “after his contact with ancient Hindu texts that detail the aesthetic purposes of poetry and theater, Daumal reconsidered his purpose, and his late poetry is simple, profound and luminescent.  ‘Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux’ is one of his last two poems, and alludes to times of the day, the four elements, the four seasons and the four corresponding ages of life, emphasizing the trans-personal.

We’re excited that such a large, complex, and deeply thought-out work from an innovative American composer and commissioned by a highly respected commissioning foundation can be featured at our very own Slee Hall and feature such respected performers and musicians. Tickets will be limited and in high-demand, so please reserve yours in advance. Hope to see you there!

Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux

April 23, 2013, 7:00 p.m. in Lippes Concert Hall, Slee Hall, UB North Campus.

Advance tickets at the UB Center for the Arts box office: 716-645-2787

General Public: $12

Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Seniors: $9

Students: $5

Night of the performance:

General public: $20

Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Seniors: $15

Students: $8

Contact the Slee box office at 716-645-2921.

Link to this post here.

Announcing the Fall 2012 Season at the Center!

We at The Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music are excited to announce our Fall 2012 Season! June in Buffalo 2012 was a great success and a stimulating week of fresh new compositions and performances, as well as, in the words of the great New York Times music writer Allan Kozinn, “an intensive weeklong boot camp for budding young composers.” Allan Kozinn wrote up two great reviews of June in Buffalo 2012 in the New York Times, which you can read here and here.

UB alumn Judith Sherman

Our Fall season already began on August 25, when UB graduate composer Matt Sargent served as the music director for American Grain, a multimedia performance event for the Marine A grain elevator of Silo City, in Buffalo, NY. The event featured, amidst dance performances, an array of art on the walls, and tours throughout the silo, a cello quartet written by Matt and headed by UB faculty cellist Jonathan Golove. Read more about the event at the Buffalo News.

Our next event will be Working in Time: A Celebration of the Arts in Honor of Bruce Jackson on September 21. The event will celebrate the life and works of documentary filmmaker Bruce Jackson, who is the James Agee Professor of American Culture at the University at Buffalo. Working in Time will feature music by UB Birge-Cary Chair in music composition David Felder, and also feature projects by filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, and UB poet and documentarian Diane Christian. Working in Time will take place on Friday, September 21, 1:00-5:00 p.m., in Lippes Hall.  

Our first Slee Sinfonietta concert will be on Monday, Sep. 24, and will showcase two pieces by Alban Berg on the program: his op. 5, Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, and his Chamber Concerto for Violin and Piano with 13 wind instruments, featuring violinist Yuki Numata and pianist Daniel Pesca, under the baton of Robert Treviño. The program will also include Gyorgy Ligeti’s Melodien, and John Adams’ Chamber Symphony.

On Wednesday, October 10, we will be hosting composer Jake Romig from Western Illinois University for a day of composer master classes and workshops, as well as a presentation on his own music.

Our second Slee Sinfonietta concert will be on Tuesday, October 30, and will offer an exciting and dynamic program of late 20th century works, under the baton of Maestro Daniel Bassin, including: Karlheinz Stockshausen’s Kreuzspiel, Gyorgy Ligeti’s Horn Trio, Morton Feldman’s De Kooning, Tristan Murial’s Vues Aériennes, and Witold Lutoslawski’s Dance Preludes. Our concert will again include violinst Yuki Numata, alongside horn player Adam Unsworth, and UB faculty pianist and New York Philharmonic pianist-in-residence Eric Huebner.

From November 26th to 28th, violinist Curtis Macomber, from the Manhattan School of Music, will visit the Center, alongside UB alumn and two-time Grammy winner of the award for Classical Producer of the Year, Judith Sherman. For three days they will run a workshop on recording, editing, and producing Classical music.

Norrbotten Neo

On Tuesday, Dec. 4, the expert contemporary music ensemble from Sweden, and longtime friend of the Center, Norrbotten Neo, will join us for a composer workshop. The next day, on Wed., Dec. 5, they will give an evening concert. 

Spring at the Center will be even more active than the Fall. April's Slee Sinfonietta concert will feature bass singer Ethan Herschenfeld, soprano Laura Aikin, and about 30 musicians from SIGNAL Ensemble, for the premiere of David Felder’s Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux (The Four Cardinal Seasons), a commission from the Koussevitzky Foundation. Also on the program will be Felder’s Tweener, featuring UB percussionist Tom Kolor. Spring will also include visits from composer Phillipe Hurel, French ensemble Court-Circuit, and Oberlin composer Josh Levine.

New York City’s Talea Ensemble, who were originally scheduled to come in October, will now come for June in Buffalo 2013, stay tuned for details on the upcoming June in Buffalo!