Lauren Greenberg to Participate in Winnipeg New Music Festival

We are delighted to announce Lauren Greenberg’s participation in the esteemed Winnipeg New Music Festival (WNMF) Composers Institute, held from January 24–29, 2024.

Selected as one of five talented emerging composers for this distinguished opportunity, Lauren immersed herself in a week-long exploration of the WNMF. From attending rehearsals to engaging in workshops and masterclasses, Lauren garnered invaluable insights and refined her craft under the mentorship of industry experts.

A highlight of Lauren’s journey at the Composers Institute was the professional rendition of her composition, Bonds of Cosmic Origins (2022), by the esteemed Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. This significant moment occurred at the festival’s launchpad concert on January 25, 2024, held at the magnificent Manitoba Centennial Concert Hall.

Credited to Chronic Creative

The inspiration behind Bonds of Cosmic Origins stemmed from Lauren’s undergraduate experiences at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (BoCo) and the meaningful connections she forged with friends, musicians, and faculty. Thus, the title Bonds of Cosmic Origins—BoCo—was aptly chosen. Lauren ingeniously concealed these letters within her piece, employing Morse code to spell out BOCO in the percussion parts. The rhythmic motifs, initially introduced by the timpani, subtly encoded Morse code for BOCO. The percussionists’ interpretation of this concealed message serves as an expression of Lauren’s profound appreciation for her outstanding experience at BoCo.

Lauren’s participation in WNMF’s Composers Institute underscores her unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and her pursuit of excellence in contemporary music. We commend Lauren for her remarkable achievements and eagerly anticipate witnessing her continued growth and success in the realm of music.

Please join us in extending our heartfelt congratulations to Lauren on this remarkable milestone, and in celebrating her exceptional talent and creativity!

Tutte le Corde: Piano Music After 1950

On Sunday, February 20, 2024, “Tutte le Corde: Piano Music After 1950” featured premieres of compositions by six composers at Black Box Theater in New York. Tutte le Corde is an annual concert where pianists and composers from NYU collaborate to create innovative works. Three composers from Nevermind the Noise—Jake Miles, Hyojin Kwak, and Jason Brauer—participated in this concert.

Jake Miles’s Runaround (2024) is a piece for solo piano that builds off of a tiny musical cell. Combining gradual rhythmic and harmonic development, the piece winds its way toward a bombastic conclusion.

Hyojin Kwak’s H Sanjo (2022–2024) is a solo piano piece inspired by the traditional Korean music genre Sanjo. It’s part of a series, and the piece performed at this concert is the third movement. It features lively rhythmic patterns (Jangdan), incorporating the melodies of the Korean folk song Baetnorae (Sea Shanty) while blending traditional and contemporary elements. The H in the title symbolizes the composer’s unique melodies and Jangdan style showcased in this composition.

Jason Brauer’s El sueño de la razón produce monstrous (2024) (The Sleep/Dream of Reason Produces Monsters) is based on the most famous of Francisco Goya’s fantastical, satirical etchings Los caprichos (Caprices). The print depicts a man asleep at his desk while owl-, bat-, and cat-like creatures swarm around his shoulders. This movement is inspired by several dialectical contrasts present in the etching: chiaro and oscuro, order and chaos, reason and fantasy, and torment and triumph.

Pianist YingQi Wang, who performed Jake’s piece, Joyce Li Yue, who performed Hyojin’s piece, and Juan Vasquez, who performed Jason’s piece, collaborated with NVMTN composers for several months to present their music to the world. Applause goes out to the six performers, including the three pianists who showcased brilliant performances.

Thank you for your interest in our Nevermind the Noise composers’ event. As composers representing Nevermind the Noise, we are dedicated to responding to your support by creating innovative, unique, and outstanding music.

Jacques Lee Wood Concert, Cello with Electronics

On February 5, 2024, compositions by eight composers premiered at the Paulson Center in New York. This concert, prepared through several months of workshops and communication with a performer, was a collaboration with cellist Jacques Lee Wood. Nevermind the Noise composers Hyojin Kwak and Brandon Connors-Morrison participated in this performance.

Hyojin Kwak’s Nori (놀이) (2024) is a contemporary piece for solo cello and pedalboard inspired by the traditional Korean practice of tightrope walking. It merges avant-garde techniques with traditional Korean music elements, showcasing rhythmic patterns and playing techniques reminiscent of instruments like the Ajaeng and Geomungo. Through string flicking, wide vibrato, and ornamentation, it captures the essence of Korean musical traditions.

Brandon Connors-Morrison’s Jammin With Extra Terrestrials (2024) is a solo piece that explores the idea that our perception of music is based on our experiences and cultural background. It also considers the possibility that extraterrestrial beings may have a unique understanding of what music is, even if it’s obscure to us. This is achieved by using a familiar instrument and then adding some additional sound qualities and dissonances to change the style of the music with the use of electric guitar pedals.

Jacques Lee Wood is a dynamic musician dedicated to pushing boundaries in the realm of music. Since assuming the role of Principal Cellist with the Cape Symphony in 2018, he has continually sought innovative avenues for artistic exploration. Notably, Jacques co-founded Antico Moderno, a chamber ensemble focused on period instruments, StringLab, a collaboration with guitarist Simon Powis, and Cathedral Parkway, a bluegrass band based in NYC. He actively engages in chamber music, performing with ensembles like the Pedroia String Quartet and musiConnects’ Sumner Quartet, while also making guest appearances with renowned orchestras such as A Far Cry and the Handel and Haydn Society. Jacques’s academic journey includes studies at the New England Conservatory of Music (BM) and Yale University (MM, DMA), solidifying his expertise and passion for musical innovation.

If you’re interested in this concert, check out this YouTube video:

Hyojin’s piece starts at 16:18, Brandon’s piece starts at 1:11:19.

We appreciate your interest in our Nevermind the Noise composers’ event. As Nevermind the Noise composers, we are committed to reciprocating your support with imaginative, distinctive, and exceptional music.

Nevermind the Noise Fall 2023 Concert

On November 19, 2023, works by nine composers were presented at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York. With the addition of seven new composers, Nevermind the Noise showcased a diverse array of music for their regular fall concert.

The pieces performed on this day included Malaika Paralkar’s Primrose (2023) for piano quartet, Lauren Greenberg’s False Perception (2023) for solo vibraphone, Brandon Connors-Morrison’s Liminal Serenity (2023) for solo vibraphone, Jason Brauer’s Ashes Denote the Fire Was for piano and cello, Matthew Shreve’s Venus Transiens (2021) for baritone and piano, as well as Jake Miles’ Face Journey (2021) for kon.trip trio, YuJung Jeon’s Emotions Diary (2023), and Leah Michael Whalen’s Blackout (2023).

The performers who collaborated with the nine composers on that day were clarinetist Liora Schlesinger, violinist Jay Bang, cellist Clara Cho and Cindy Chen, pianist Jason Brauer, percussionist Leah Michael Whalen, baritone Nicki Sekhar, and kon.trip Trio: Leah Michael Whalen (percussion), Adrienne Schoenfeld (bass), and Jake Miles (saxophone).

Thank you for your interest in our Nevermind the Noise event. We, our Nevermind the Noise composers, will reciprocate your interest and any kind of support for Nevermind the Noise with creative, unique and wonderful music.

New Works by Justin Dello Joio

Oceans Apart, a new album by adjunct Concert Composition faculty member Justin Dello Joio, will be released on Bridge Records on September 15. The recording includes Oceans Apart, a piano concerto featuring Garrick Ohlsson and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Alan Gilbert; Due Per Due, featuring the New York Philharmonic’s principal cellist Carter Brey and pianist Christopher O’Riley; and Blue and Gold Music with the American Brass Quintet and organ.

Oceans Apart was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in January 2023. The Boston Globe called Dello Joio’s writing “fascinating and highly resourceful,” and The Classical Review enthused, “Dello Joio’s scoring consistently holds the imagination. Oceans Apart fairly brims with captivating sounds.”

Robert Honstein Awarded Prestigious Andrew Imbrie Award

The American Academy of Arts and Letters has awarded composer Robert Honstein, Program Director of Concert Composition, the prestigious Andrew Imbrie Award for his compositions. The award recognizes mid-career composers of great merit. The American Academy of Arts and Letters was founded in 1898 as an honor society of the country’s leading architects, artists, composers, and writers.

Honstein’s music has been performed by leading orchestras and ensembles around the country including the American Composers Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the New York Youth Symphony, eighth blackbird, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Ensemble ACJW, the Mivos Quartet, the Del Sol Quartet, the Deviant Septet, Present Music, New Morse Code, TIGUE, Concert Black, and the Sebastians, among others.

He has received awards, grants, and recognition from Carnegie Hall, Copland House, the New York Youth Symphony, ASCAP, the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, New Music USA, and the League of American Orchestras.