Sonic Generator concert at the Academy of Medicine at Georgia Tech

Sonic Generator Presents “Music and Data”

Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at the Academy of Medicine, 875 West Peachtree Street.
Concert begins at 8 p.m. Free admission.

http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu
https://www.facebook.com/events/405768252796508/
http://icad2012.icad.org

Georgia Tech’s contemporary chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, features music by Jonathan Berger, Steve Reich, Charles Dodge, Visda Goudarzi, and Katharina Vogt in a free performance in partnership with the International Conference on Auditory Display. The concert showcases innovative contemporary music that transforms various types of data into musical form.

The concert features guest composer Jonathan Berger, a professor at Stanford and a leading researcher on the intersections between data sonification and creative practice. His string quartet Doubles (2004), originally written for the St. Lawrence String Quartet, recalls songs of peace, freedom, and resistance and also draws inspiration from seventeenth-century ornamentation practices. Viola Elegy (1987), by computer music pioneer Charles Dodge, draws its musical content from fractal structures. Minimalist composer Steve Reich’s Piano Phase (1967), performed in this concert in a version for two marimbas, turns the concept of phasing — in which two musicians initially play in unison but drift further and further apart over time — into a gradual process that drives the entire piece. And Chirping Stars (2012) by Visda Goudarzi and Katharina Vogt, a finalist in the conference’s annual sonification competition, turns an analysis of the most popular musicians on Twitter into an electroacoustic reflection on social listening.

Atlanta Ballet: New Choreographic Voices

PAVO

Music by Nickitas DEMOS

Choreography by Tara LEE

• Soprano/Alto Sax: Jan Berry Baker
• Cello: Charae Krueger
• Percussion: Michael Cebulski
• D.J. : Jennifer Mitchell

My work, Pavo, will be premiered on May 18 - 20, 2012 at the Alliance Theater. The work is written for soprano/alto sax, cello, percussion, D.J. and six dancers. It was commissioned by the Atlanta Ballet and choreographed by Tara Lee. 
For more info click HERE.   
I've also written a series of articles about the experience of collaborating with Tara. You can check these articles out on my blog. 

Bent Frequency show next week!

Bent Frequency will join thousands of musicians and hundreds of concert presenters across the country Friday, May 11 at 8pm at MASS Collective (364 Nelson St. SW, Atlanta, GA, 30313,) in celebrating National Chamber Music Month. This event in Castleberry Hill will be on the same night as the Castleberry Hill Art Walk!

MASS Collective’s presentation of Bent Frequency’s “Singular Pluralities” is part of a nationwide initiative to raise public awareness of the many styles of small ensemble music performed and presented today. The month-long series of performances, residencies, pre- and post-concert discussions, and other chamber music events will showcase ensemble music of all styles, including early, classical, jazz, and world music.

Chamber Music America (CMA), the national service organization for ensemble music professionals and the organizer of National Chamber Music Month, has invited its membership of more than 6,000 music professionals to participate in this first-time-ever endeavor.

Bent Frequency will feature world premieres by Darren Nelsen, Mark Gresham, Robert Scott Thompson and Jason Freeman and pieces by Louis Andriessen, Steve Everett and Tae Hong Park.

Performers include:
Jan Berry Baker, saxophone
Stuart Gerber, percussion
Steve Everett, bass
Sarah Kapps, cello
Tae Hong Park, bass
Amanda Pepping, trumpet


For more information, please visit www.bentfrequency.com.

3 events next week!

Try to make it to at least one, y'hear?

Monday: Georgia State University Music Technology Group at Goat Farm

Geoff Massey- Dronology
Madeleine Conti- The Third Jesus
William Walker- Door Eleven
Alex Marse – Sycamore
Johnathan Turner - The Space Between One Stone and the Next
William Hollifield – Spin
Drew Woodward - Walking With Dinosaurs
Tae Hong Park - bass x sung

Wednesday: Chamber Cartel at In Tune Studios

Morton Feldman - Why Patterns?
Adam Scott Neal - Mirror Universes

Thursday: Bent Frequency and CORE at the High
Free outdoor performance, 1/2-price admission to High (open until 10pm)

SCI Student Composers Concert

Please join us for another concert of student works presented by the Georgia State University Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI)

The concert takes place:

Friday, April 13, 2012

12 PM

Kopleff Recital Hall, GSU Campus in downtown Atlanta

Free Admission!

Directions to the Kopleff Recital Hall: http://www.music.gsu.edu/locations.aspx

Program:

Amy LEVENTHAL: Four Miniatures for String Quartet (PREMIERE)

Salvatore LoCASCIO: Introduction from Sonata for Flute and Piano  (PREMIERE)

Stephen WOOD: Elegy for the Earth for solo violin (PREMIERE)

Ioannis PAPASPYROU: Psifidoto for woodwind quintet (PREMIERE)

Alex MARSE: Too Much Doubt for 2 channel electronic sounds

Amy LEVENTHAL: Hawks to Hummingbirds: for Coltrane & Parker for alto sax & piano

Salvatore LoCASCIO: Massa Brassa for solo euphonium (PREMIERE)

William WALKER: Fever Dream for brass quintet (PREMIERE)

Hope to see you there!

Sonic Generator presents "Hi Tech, Lo Fi"

Sonic Generator Presents “Hi Tech, Lo Fi”

Monday, April 16, 2012
Rich Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center
1280 Peachtree Street, Atlanta
Concert begins at 8 p.m.

Free admission.

http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu
https://www.facebook.com/events/367824569925004/

Georgia Tech’s contemporary chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, features music by Daniel Wohl, Tristan Perich, Ronan Shai, Michel van der Aa and Thierry de Mey in a free performance in partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center. The concert showcases innovative contemporary music that uses a variety of technologies to create a “lo-fi” sound, ranging from works incorporating gameboys, cassette recorders, and 1-bit electronics to music inspired by the pixelation of grainy images.

Perimeter Flutes performs Nicole Chamberlain's "Tamar"

Perimeter Flutes will be performing Nicole Chamberlain's "Tamar" at the Greater Atlanta Christian's School Black & White Gala. Enjoy an art gallery and nosh before the faculty recital.

Perimeter Flutes includes: Kathy Farmer, Jeanne Giager, Laura Philpott, and Nicole Chamberlain.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perimeter-Flutes/186622258027947 

"Tamar" Program Notes:
A summer visit to the Republic of Georgia as a teenager and renewed investigation into the music of the Balkans influenced the composer to incorporate derivatives of Balkan rhythms and harmonies into this piece. The name “Tamar” has several different ties to the Republic of Georgia. In Georgian mythology, she was the sky goddess who controlled the weather patterns and enslaved the morning star. In Christianity where it takes the form of Greek Orthodox in Georgia, she was the daughter of King David. In Georgian history, she was the first woman ruler who participated in battle to defend her country. Tamar is truly integrated into Georgian history and culture and made a fitting title for the work.

This piece was not only influenced by the music of a people steeped in history and culture, but also plays on the flexibility and palette of articulation at the flute’s disposal. Through extended techniques such as pizzacato and beat boxing, the flute can take on characteristics of the string and percussion families allowing the flute to quickly transition into different styles.

Terminus Ensemble Debut Concert

You are cordially invited to the debut concert of Terminus Ensemble, a new group focusing on contemporary music by Atlanta-based composers!

March 4, 2012: 3pm
Central Library, One Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta, GA 30303
FREE Admission


Featuring:

secret music for viola and vibraphone by Nickitas Demos
Circular Arguments for clarinet and cello by Sarah Hersh
Piano Etudes by Jason Freeman
Mirror Universes 6 for percussion duo by Adam Scott Neal
Inventio Fortunata for solo flute by Drew Dolan
Between the Walls for flute, clarinet, cello, and piano by Brent Milam

performed by:

Isaac Anderson, percussion
Ipek Brooks, piano
Mike Brooks, viola
Nicole Randall Chamberlain, flute
Katie Curran, clarinet
Erin Ellis, cello
Olivia Kieffer, percussion


This is a FREE show - we look forward to seeing you there!

facebook event page
our website

Composer & Flutist Ian Clarke Recital & Workshop

On Saturday (2/25),  Flutist & Composer Ian Clarke will be the guest artist at the Atlanta Flute Fair at Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston Campus. He will be giving a recital which he features his own music as well as a Stockhausen piece that has inspired him as a composer and flutist. Not only will he give a recital, but he will also give a workshop which will focus on the extended techniques he uses in his compositions. You do not have to be a flutist or a member of the Atlanta Flute Club to attend these events. You can find out more about the Atlanta Flute Fair well as the schedule of events here: http://www.atlantafluteclub.org/default.htm

Rabbit Tales - more public performances added

The Atlanta Opera is pleased to present Rabbit Tales, a world premiere Atlanta Opera commission, for the 2011-2012 season. Based on the Br’er Rabbit stories by Joel Chandler Harris, this production is a contemporary, light-hearted opera that combines several story lines from Native American, African and Cajun Folklore. Rabbit Tales is written and composed by composer Nicole Chamberlain and librettist Madeleine St. Romain. These performances provide children and families the opportunity to see Rabbit Tales in a community setting.

Rabbit Tales Community Performances:
Date/Time: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 3PM
Admission: $6
Location: Decatur High School Theater • 310 N. McDonough St. • Decatur, GA 30030

Date/Time: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 10AM & 1PM

Admission: $6
Location: The Atlanta Opera Center • 1575 Northside Dr. NW
 • Bldg. 300, Suite 350 • Atlanta, GA 30318

Date/Time: Saturday, March 24, 2012, 11AM

Admission: $6
Location: Fulton County Arts & Culture's Southwest Arts Center • 915 New Hope Rd. • Atlanta, GA 30331

You can buy tickets here: http://tickets.atlantaopera.org/auxiliary/psDetail.aspx?psn=49084 

neoPhonia presents ODYSSEIA

You are cordially invited to the third concert of the 2011/12 season of
neoPhonia New Music Ensemble

Special Guest Artists:
Nevart-Veron GALILEAS, alto flute
Caleb HERRON, percussion
Yiorgos VASSILANDONAKIS, composer

Featuring GSU Faculty Performers:
Kenneth LONG, clarinet
Brandt FREDRIKSEN, piano

WHEN:        Tuesday, February 21, 2012 • 7:30 PM
WHERE:      Kopleff Recital Hall, Georgia State University campus

Free Admission!

Join us for another in our ongoing series of concerts entitled, "ODYSSEIA," exploring contemporary Greek music.

Program:

Rebonds (for solo percussion) :: Iannis XENAKIS

Playing With Fire (for solo alto sax) :: Will WEST (premiere)

YARNAIRE (for alto flute & vibraphone) :: Yiorgos VASSILANDONAKIS (US premiere)

Rites of Passage (for Bb/Eb/bass clarinet & piano) :: Nickitas DEMOS

Meet the composers & performers after the concert at a reception sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI)

This concert made possible, in part, through funding by the Center for Hellenic Studies at Georgia State University

For directions, visit: http://www.music.gsu.edu/locations.aspx

Sonic Generator presents "Locally Grown"

Sonic Generator Presents “Locally Grown”

Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Rich Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center
1280 Peachtree Street, Atlanta
Concert begins at 8 p.m.

Free admission.

http://www.sonicgenerator.gatech.edu
https://www.facebook.com/events/220310531390081/


Georgia Tech’s contemporary chamber music ensemble-in-residence, Sonic Generator, features music by Alvin Lucier, Jason Freeman, Steve Everett, Tae Hong Park, Adam Silverman, and Pedro Rivadeneira in a free performance in partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center. Showcasing innovative music by Atlanta-based composers who integrate technology into contemporary music, the concert includes two works inspired by the Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever, two pieces exploring the potential of spatialized electronic sound, and the premiere of SGLC by Georgia Tech music professor Jason Freeman, in which laptop and instrumental musicians together create the performance through live computer coding and real-time digital music notation.

Hope to see you all there!

Midtown Brass performance premieres Atlanta Composer's quintet

Midtown Brass will be giving a free recital on Friday January 20th, 8pm at Rev Coffee in Smyrna.  It will be in a relaxed atmosphere, accessible, informative and cool.  Come enjoy some great music and good coffee.

The program will be:

Ricochet- Kerry Turner

Onondaga - Bill Pritchard (WORLD PREMIERE by Atlanta Composer)

Brass Quintet - Koetsier

Pavane - Ravel (with a surprise) 

International Conference on Auditory Display

This June, Georgia Tech will host ICAD 2012, the international conference focused on sonification and auditory display. I encourage you all to look over the call for submissions (with deadlines coming up on Feb 10 and March 1) and to consider submitting a paper or poster or entering the sonification competition (in which you must sonify Twitter data about social music listening).

Rather than post the extensive call here, I'll just link to it here.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

"Be Your Own Publicist: PR for the Artist 101"

Laura Soldati, Communications Manager, Atlanta Opera
Tuesdays at 6:00 pm
January 17, 2012 - February 7, 2012
Cost: $150.00
Location: Actor's Express

Learn how to promote yourself in today's crowded and ever-shifting marketplace. This class offers practical steps to artists building and sustaining their careers. Learn more here.

The Atlanta Opera to Host 24-Hour Opera Project Showcase

Audience Can Attend for Free or Tune in Via Live Webcast on 
Saturday, January 21 at 7:00 p.m. EST

What:        
The Atlanta Opera’s 24-Hour Opera Project Showcase! Selected composers, lyricists,
stage directors and opera singers -- randomly put into teams – have 24 hours to
compose, stage and rehearse a 10-minute opera. Performances will be judged by a
panel of judges and by the audience, who can also tune in via live webcast on
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Webcast:
The public unable to attend the performances can tune in to a LIVE webcast at
atlantaopera.org. They can vote for “Audience Favorite” via Twitter
(@TheAtlantaOpera) or Facebook.

When/Where:
SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE, Saturday, January 21, 2012 @ 7pm
The Atlanta Opera Center
1575 Northside Drive, Bldg. 300, Suite 350
Atlanta, GA 30318

Who:
Judges include: Stephanie Adrian, Voice Professor at Emory University and writer
for Opera News, Classical Singer, and Journal of Singing; Andrew Alexander, Arts and
Entertainment Writer for Creative Loafing; John Lemley, Assistant Program Director,
host of City Café, Afternoon Classics and Tapestry on WABE (90.1); and Ann Owens,
former Executive Director of the Houston Grand Opera.

Participants include:
Composers
Jason Barabba, Los Angeles, CA
Timothy Brown, Denver, CO
Sarah Hersh, Atlanta, GA
Jennifer Jolley, Cincinnati, OH
Jonathan Stinson, Cincinnati, OH

Lyricists
Brad Fairchild, Jonesboro, GA
Meghan Fitzgerald, Atlanta, GA
Chadwick Hagan, Atlanta, GA
Curtis Krick, Atlanta, GA
Vynnie Meli, Marietta, GA

Stage Directors
Thomas Iaac Collins, Sweetwater, TN
Kristin Kenning , Birmingham, AL
Michael  Nutter , Doraville, GA
Frances Rabalais, New Orleans, LA
Beth Suryan, Smyrna, GA

Singers
Robert Adams, Fayetteville, GA
Sharon Blackwood, Duluth, GA
Vivian Clifton, Atlanta, GA
Sondra Collin, Newberry, FL
Janeen Griffith, Mableton, GA
Kori Jennings, Baton Rouge, LA
Christine Lyons, Fayetteville, GA
Katie Oates, Mableton, GA
Laura Peacock, Buford, GA
Amanda Pillatzki, Hampton, GA
Ivan Segovia, Atlanta, GA
Sarah Vautour, Alpharetta, GA
Ariana Wehr, Baton Rouge, LA
John Elliot Yates, Hattiesburg, MS
Gerald Yarbray, Atlanta, GA

Accompanists/Music Directors
Catherine Giel, Atlanta, GA
Katherine Ireland, Atlanta, GA
Sandra Lutters, Atlanta, GA
Erin Palmer, Atlanta, GA
Michael Spassov, Ottawa, Ontario

Admission: Free and open to the public.

Information:
www.atlantaopera.org or education@atlantaopera.org or 404-881-8883.

New Blog Post Up

I recently uploaded a new blog post. Check out my Top 5 New Year's Resolutions for composers on this month's Greek & Composing!

Chamber Cartel to play Feldman's Crippled Symmetry

EDIT: Review by Mark Gresham on ArtsCriticATL

Percussionist Caleb Herron has put together a new music ensemble called Chamber Cartel, and their first concert will take place next Sunday, New Year's Day.

They will be performing the classic Morton Feldman piece Crippled Symmetry. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of Feldman's long-form (~90 minutes) works in concert!

January 1, 2012 - 7:30 PM
First Existentialist Congregation
470 Candler Park Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30307-2113
$10 at the door

Facebook invite
Chamber Cartel Facebook page
Chamber Cartel webpage

The Atlanta Opera's 24-Hour Opera Project Returns!

From The Atlanta Opera's Education Director, Emmalee Iden:

Yes it’s true folks – The Atlanta Opera’s 24-Hour Opera Project is back! We had so much fun last year we’re ready to do it again! This is a fun event in which composers, lyricists, directors and singers are paired together to write, rehearse and perform an original opera scene – all in 24 hours. The application deadline for participants December 15. Applicants selected for participation will be notified by December 19.

The 24-Hour Opera Project will kick off at 5PM on Friday, January 20 at First Presbyterian Church in Midtown with the unveiling of the 2012 theme. Composers and lyricists will write all night until the whistle blows at 6AM. Stage directors and singers will take over at that point and begin rehearsing, all leading up to the showcase performance Saturday evening at 7PM. If you had a good time last year, just wait until you see what surprises we’ve got in store for you this year!!!

Some of the comments we received from participants last year:

“I really enjoyed participating in this project, it was like opera bootcamp! I was a lot of hard work and I felt accomplished after the performance. thanks again.”

“I truly had a great experience and was honored to be a part of the first (and hopefully annual) 24 Hour Opera Project.”

“I fell in love with opera. thank you.”

“I learned SO MUCH - which is why I wanted to be involved with the project to begin with. The structure of course made for a wonderful and rewarding challenge (thrilling!) - but collaborating with the artists on a new piece - in a form which is both familiar and different to me - proved mind blowing.”

All the information about the event can be found on our website here: www.atlantaopera.org/24hour.aspx, including video from last year’s event. Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested in participating. The more the merrier!

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at 404-881-8883 or eiden@atlantaopera.org.

Atlanta's forgotten history of composers

Just appeared this morning in ArtsCriticATL, although quickly disappeared from the home page due to a review by the same author (who should have held onto it for another day, I guess) being posted afterward:

Memorial Drive: Atlanta’s forgotten classical music history  [Mark Gresham | ArtsCriticATL, 21 Nov 2011]

Join in the discussion, and add your own memories of Atlanta composers from the pre-21st-century era to the comments, or e-mail them to me privately if you prefer.

You can also access it by going to the overall Classical Music page on ArtsCriticATL.

—Mark Gresham