Eastman Showcase 2003
ESM alumnus wins composing Masterprize
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ESM alumnus wins composing Masterprize
On October 30 in London, Christopher Theofanidis won Masterprize 2003 for his orchestral composition Rainbow Body . Theofanidis, who received a Master of Music degree in piano from Eastman in 1992, now teaches at Peabody Conservatory and the Juilliard School. He accepted the award (equivalent to about $42,000) in a ceremony whose worldwide media coverage included live broadcast on NPR.
Rainbow Body was chosen from 1000 entries from 65 countries, and was performed at the ceremony by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Harding. The piece, based on a chant by the medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen, was also recently recorded by Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Telarc.
Begun in 1998 by the British banker-turned-novelist John McLaren, Masterprize is one of the classical music world's prominent and lucrative prizes. It was McLaren's stated aim "to bring music lovers and composers closer together," encouraging new orchestral music in an accessible style. (For more information see www.masterprize.com .)
Rainbow Body was written in 2000; Theofanidis' recent compositions include a viola concerto, the ballet Artemis , and the opera The Thirteen Clocks . He is writing a piece for the Atlanta Symphony.
Alarm Still Sounding
They are taking the NYC new-music scene by storm, but they started at ESM: the members of Alarm Will Sound met two years ago while playing in the School's student-run new-music group Ossia. They enjoyed the experience so much they decided to stick together professionally after graduation. Now the group, based in New York City, has become a favorite of the public and the critics, and the "house band" for Columbia University's Miller Theater.
Alarm Will Sound opened its current season on September 19 at Miller with a concert of music by Ligeti, John Adams, and other contemporary masters. "These adventurous musicians represented the future of classical music, or let's hope so," said Anthony Tommasini in his New York Times review. A CD of Steve Reich's Desert Music and Tehillim released last year was also well reviewed — and described — as "an absolute knockout" by Reich himself.
Alarm Will Sound's December calendar includes "composer portrait" concerts of Harrison Birtwistle and Aaron Jay Kernis.
For more information on the group, check out www.alarmwillsound.com.