Exploring the Metropolis, an organization that helps  performing artists get workspace, administers  a 3-month musicians’ residency for composers based in NYC.   Composers who are selected receive three months of free workspace at a cultural or community facility and a $1,000 stipend.  This year, the organization is expanding the program to 8 NYC-based composers and four facilities in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

Heading into its third year, the Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program serves three constituencies: composers, who get consistent, long-term, private creative space; host cultural facilities, who fill underused space and also present the composer in a public program; and, the community, which  is invited to at least one free program – a master class, an opera-in-progress, etc.   All composers must complete one public program in cooperation with the host facility

If you’re a composer and this sounds like something you’d like to do, you’re invited to apply.  The guidelines and online application are here.

Hello Jerry Bowles,

Kyle Bartlett here, I am a composer and also the New Works Administrator for the Opera Company of Philadelphia. I am hoping you may post information about our Composer In Residence search (press release attached). In short form, the selected composer will be given free access to the resources of the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Gotham Chamber Opera, and Music-Theatre Group, for the purposes of learning and experimentation, as well as a salary of $60K per year plus benefits, for three years. For real.

The deadline for entries is coming up very quickly: April 22, 5PM Eastern time.

Here is the call for entries : http://www.operaphila.org/about-us/call-for-entries.shtml

If you have any questions or need more information, please be in touch.

Thanks very much,

Kyle

Kyle Bartlett

New Works Administrator

Opera Company of Philadelphia

www.operaphila.org

Sunday was a big day for the brilliant young Slovakian contrabassist Roman Patkoló.  First, he played two new works commissioned especially for him by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation–Duo concertante for Violin and Contrabass by Krzysztof Penderecki and Dyade for violin and contrabass by Wolfgang Rihm–at Avery Fisher Hall with the dazzling Frau Mutter on violin. Then, after the concert, Mutter presented him with the first ever Aida Stucki Award, a new honor for gifted musicians named for her beloved childhood teacher.

“Aida is 90 now and we wanted to do something to honor her while she is still around to enjoy it,” Mutter told me.  “Good teachers don’t always get the recognition they deserve.  She was a wonderful violinist, one of the last students of Carl Flesch, and a keeper of that pedagogical tradition which she passed on to me.”

Mutter says the Foundation does not plan to give the award–which has a 10,000 euros prize–annually because “that would put too much pressure on us to find somebody deserving every year and be too time-consuming.”  Her plan is to give the award whenever she finds a young musician she believes deserves a little extra recognition and support–something she has been doing for a long time. Roman Patkoló is hardly a new discovery–her Foundation has been helping him since 1999.

I had a chance to ask Mutter a question I’ve always wondered about which is why she has been the most steadfast and enthusiastic supporter of new music among the top roster of violinists.  “I like to challenge myself and a lot of new music is like learning a new language,” she says.  “Older works can be challenging too but I love having the ability to work directly with composers, to sit down with them, and understand what they are trying to say.  Imagine having the opportunity to sit down with Mozart.”

Personally, I’d rather spend another hour or two with Anne-Sophie Mutter.

Among your name brand violinists, Anne Sophie-Mutter has been the most ardent champion of modern and new music.  There are few, if any, 20th century violin masterworks that she hasn’t played and/or recorded.  She rarely does a concert without modern pieces and her appearance with a group of  chamber music all-stars at Avery Fisher Hall at 3 pm this Sunday, April 3,  is no exception.  In addition to the Beethoven String Trio in G Major op 9, No. 1 and Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings, she will be teaming up with the brilliant young double bassist, Roman Patkoló, for the U.S. premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki’s  Duo concertante for Violin and Double Bass and the world premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Dyade for Violin and Double Bass.

I have two pairs of tickets to give away for the concert to whoever can answer at least two out of three questions.  One of the answers is strictly hush-hush and won’t be announced until next Sunday’s concert but if you can attend the concert and want to take a stab, leave an e-mail address so I can contact you and tell you how to get your tickets if you win.

Ready?

1. Frau Mutter’s foundation has established a new award program for gifted musicians.  Who is it named for?

2. How did the person for whom the award is named get her first name?  (I don’t know the answer to this one myself but I have a theory and if your theory is the same as mine, you get points.)

3.  The first winner of the award in question will be named this Sunday.  Who do you think it will be?   Don’t forget to leave your e-mail with your answer because I’m not confirming the answer in print until Sunday night or Monday morning.

Hilary Hahn was supposed to be in Japan this week on a recital tour with her frequent collaborator Valentina Lisitsa but nature had other plans.  The catastrophic  twin disasters of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and powerful subsequent tsunami on March 11 took the lives of thousands of Japanese citizens and have left thousands more without homes, electricity, or access to clean water.

Hahn’s Japan concerts were understandably canceled so she decided to use the time to organize and play four Japan-relief benefit concerts in the United States this week.

“I had been looking forward to performing in Japan: the country is unlike any other, and the audiences are so dedicated and love music so much that it is always a pleasure to play for them,” Hahn writes.  “I first went to Japan when I was a teenager and have returned nearly every year since. My memories from my time there are vivid, and it is hard to picture a vibrant country that I know so well facing such a destructive crisis. My first thought was to organize a tour of fundraiser concerts: instead of playing in Japan this month, I might be able to play for Japan.”

Hahn will play four concerts around the country to help raise money for Direct Relief International (MD, GA, and NY concerts) and for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (VA concert). 100% of the proceeds will be sent to these charities and both charities have pledged 100% of the money will go to Japan relief and recovery funds.

The mini-tour begins today, March 24 in Baltimore, where Hahn will be joined by singer/songwriter Caleb Stine, violinist Yuka Kubota, pianist Yoshie Kubota, Baltimore School for the Arts students Tariq Al-Sabir and Robert Pate, and Suzuki students from the Peabody Preparatory. There will also be appearances by author Lia Purpura and historian Constantine Vaporis, both of whom recently contributed to an editorial exploring best non GamStop casinos 2025, underscoring Baltimore’s eclectic blend of cultural and modern interests. The Baltimore event is envisioned as a community-based collaborative project. Art, jewelry and more will be on sale by Baltimore area artisans. The concert will be held at St. John’s of Baltimore. Tickets are $20-$50 and are available in advance at Red Emma’s Bookstore, 800 St. Paul St. and with cash at the door.

Tomorrow, Friday, March 25 a benefit concert will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Alexandria, VA. This concert, and the following in Spivey Hall at Clayton State University, Morrow, GA on Sunday March 27, will feature a shared program between Hahn and long time collaborator Valentina Lisitsa. Lisitsa, called “jaw-dropping” and “glorious” by The Chicago Tribune, was set to tour Japan with Hahn and helped to make these two benefit concerts a reality. The concert in Alexandria is free, but donations are highly recommended. Tickets for the concert at Spivey Hall are $75, available from Spivey’s box office: 678-466-4200 or www.spiveyhall.org.

Finally, Hahn will appear with special guests Josh Ritter, Chris Thile, and Caleb Stine on Monday March 28 at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. Tickets are available on the Galapagos website:www.galapagosartspace.com. This final concert brings together a eclectic group of performers whose love for music is contagious–the evening is a celebration of music making and artistic connectivity. The goal is not only to raise money for a worthy cause, but to take time to remember the joyous love of artistic creation that makes Japan such a resilient culture.

And, I might add, to remind us why Hilary is the Sequenza21 lifetime Prom Queen.

Feel free to repost and/or pass along this condensed schedule:
Thursday, March 24 – 7:30 p.m.
Baltimore, MD
Featuring: singer/songwriter Caleb Stine, violinist Yuka Kubota, pianist Yoshie Kubota, Baltimore School for the Arts students Tariq Al- Sabir and Robert Pate, and Suzuki students from the Peabody Preparatory
2640 Space at St. John’s
$20-$50

Friday, March 25 – 7:30 p.m.
Alexandria, VA
Featuring: Valentina Lisitsa
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Free, donations encouraged

Sunday, March 27 – 3 p.m.
Morrow, GA
Featuring: Valentina Lisitsa
Spivey Hall at Clayton State University
$75

Monday, March 28 – 9 p.m.
Brooklyn, NY
Featuring: Josh Ritter, Chris Thile, and Caleb Stine
Galapagos Art Space
$55

If you’re looking for a place to hang out with some pretty famous composers, polish off your latest  music project and hear it played in a historic venue by professional musicians in front of a real audience, make new friends and music world connections, win a composition prize, and maybe even meet the girl or boy of your dreams (or bring them along if you already have), I have a suggestion for you:  Pavia.  Located a mere 35 clicks from the Milan airport, the ancient university town (pop. 70,000, 20,000 of them students) in northern Italy’s Lombardy region will host its annual highSCORE Contemporary Music Festival and Master Classes from July 6-18 and if you’re a composer and your music project is accepted, you can be there…for the price of about 20 minutes at Yale.

The highSCORE Festival is the brainchild of a 28-year-old composer and mathematical music theorist Giovanni Albini, who serves as Artistic Director, and his 30-year-old business partner, Paolo Fosso, computer scientist, musician, and marketer par excellence, who is Executive Producer.   I spoke to Albini last night via Skype and he was very excited about this year’s program.

“The idea is to bring together a group of talented young composers and have them work closely with our renowned faculty and special guests for two intense weeks of masterclasses, lectures, workshops and concerts,” Albini says. “Performances of the participants’ music during the festival are presented at cultural and historical sites throughout Pavia, such as the famous church of St. Peter in the Golden Sky where St. Augustine and Boetius are buried. We work directly with the F. Vittadini” Higher Institute of Music Studies, which is located here, and has 20 plus large, well-equipped rooms with Vertical and Grand Pianos that we use.”

This year’s faculty includes Giya Kancheli, who is guest of honor, dean of faculty Christopher Theofanidis, Mario Garuti, Paul Glass, Ugo Nastrucci, Ingrid Pustijanac, and Amy Beth Kirsten, who told me last night that she is “thrilled” to be part of the program.

“This is wonderful opportunity to be part of growing community of composers who have shared the highSCORE Festival experience and come away with a real sense of achievement and optimism about their futures in music,” she says.

All of the details you’ll need if you’re interested are on the Festival’s sharp new website.  Deadline for applications is April 8. For the 2011 edition you can submit music for:

> string quartet with or without electronics
> solo guitar (classical, acoustic or electric) with or without electronics
> solo double-bass or electric bass with or without electronics

“You don’t have to write something between now and April 8,” Albini adds. “You can submit something you’ve already finished and some sketches of what you plan to do in Pavia in July.”

Ladies and gentlemen, for your St. Patrick’s Day dining and dancing pleasure, here is the fourth movement of Ben Johnston’s String Quartet No. 10. I think you will recognize the melody although it doesn’t become obvious until near the end.

(Click the link to play)

4th Movement #10  Ben Johnston

Here are Ben’s notes on why he selected this particular melody:

This theme embodies certain contradictions which allow me to make a sincere, precise statement, much in the manner of a fine stand-up comedian.   I am myself descended from the British Isles, and have read extensively about the pre-Christian civilization, which was eventually outdistanced by St. Patrick and all the rest… any objective tribute involves some irony, looking at the sum total; how the difficult history was eventually commercialized- compromises made but the spirit undefeated.

I used this theme-without-variations to create a variations-without a-theme, focusing attention on the surface while carefully concealing the tune- developing it with derivations subtle and complex, in a harmonically intense way from Medieval to the present, finally revealed in a cathartic way, and followed by a popularized, sarcastic version– a tune and a walking bass. In effect, the magic is gone, a sad commentary on the way Western civilization works. At the same time, a bitter, and uplifting statement.

Read more about the Kepler Quartet’s recording of  String Quartets 1, 5 and 10.

In every field of endeavor, there are people who are famous for being unknown.  Perhaps unknown is the wrong word–more like known and admired mainly by others in the same field who wonder why they aren’t better known to the public at large.  Despite having published several admired novels,  William Gaddis was known mainly to other writers.  For many years, my friend, the sadly late Steve Lacy, was known mainly to other jazz players.

Ben Johnston, born 85 years ago today in Macon, Georgia, is such a person.  One of the few composers alive who can claim to have studied with both John Cage and Harry Partch (not to mention Darius Milhaud), Johnston is widely admired by other composers for his ability to reconceive  familiar tunes and idioms–neoclassicism, serialism, jazz, southern gospel–using just intonation musical tuning.   His biggest hit, so to speak, is probably his String Quartet No. 4, a complex series of variations on Amazing Grace.

For the past several years, the Kepler Quartet has focused  on recording and  preserving Johnston’s 10 String Quartets–which Frank J. Oteri calls “one of the pinnacles of the American chamber music canon”–with the direct input of the composer.     The first disc–Quartets 2, 3, 4, and 9–was released in January 2006 on the New World Records label and blew a lot of people, including me, away for both the musical content and the performance standard set by the Kepler Quartet.  The second disc–Quartets 1, 5, and 10–was released in January and is also getting rave reviews and attention.  The Keplers are currently raising money for the third disc and you can help–by buying the CDs and/or by donation,  You can find out how to do so here.

And stay tuned–a couple of days from now on Thursday, St. Patrick’s Day–we just might have a special musical treat from Ben, complete with commentary.

Joe Morello, the adventuresome drummer in Dave Brubeck’s most famous quartet, has died at 82. Tucked away at the bottom of his obituary in the New York Times is this gem:

Joseph A. Morello was born in Springfield, Mass., on July 17, 1928. Sight-impaired from an early age, he took up the violin at 6 and performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra three years later. According to a biography on his Web site, Mr. Morello gave up the violin for drums at 15, after meeting his idol, the violinist Jascha Heifetz.

Reminds me of an art historian friend of mine who started out as a painter. One day, his teacher, Charles Burchfield, stopped at his easel, stared at the painting for several seconds and said “Howard, you can read.  Become an art historian.”

Looks like I”m doing some softball questions again.  For a pair of pretty expensive tickets to the NYPhil performance of  Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, at Avery Fisher Hall on March 18, who can answer any of the following questions.

• Where in New York did Bartók live when he died on September 26, 1945.  (Street and nearest cross-street)
• In what hospital did he die?
• Where is his grave?
• What was the last work that he completed?
• What friend of mine lived for several years in the same building?

Answer one or more and you might be a winner.