2015 Cortona Sessions for New Music

2015 CORTONA SESSIONS FOR NEW MUSIC

june 28 - july 12cortona | italy

www.cortonasessions.com6th edition

2015 Cortona Sessions for New Music

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DSFfor the creation of new music

w w w . d u o s o l o . c o m

DuoSolo Foundation

presented by the DuoSolo Foundation

with support from

www.cortonasessions.comdirected by Michael Kirkendoll & Mary Fukushima


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Welcome to the 2015 Cortona Sessions! Every June, I arrive in Cortona with an almost uncontrollable amount of musical energy and excitement. The Cortona Sessions have become, for me, the most fulfilling and soul-satisfying two weeks of my musical year. The magic that surrounds this idyllic hill-town is palpable, and one cannot help but be charmed, inspired, and spritually enriched by it. The Sessions provides each of us with a unique opportunity to create, share, and explore our musical passions in an environment dedicated to fostering support and love alongside some of the most jaw-dropping musicianship imaginable. It is my hope that these two weeks can inspire, comfort, excite, and encourage each of you in ways that last long after the intoxicating scents of Cortona’s jasmine flowers have faded into memory.

Salute!Michael Kirkendoll, artistic director - Cortona Sessions for New Music

BENVENUTO!

The Cortona Sessions for New Music was founded in 2010 by Michael Kirkendoll and Mary Fukushima. To date, the Sessions have welcomed over 150 Fellows from the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, Azerbaijan, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, and presented over 300 world premiere performances. 2015 marks the sixth season for the Sessions, and also its largest with 46 Fellows in attendance, a faculty of 14 brilliant musicians, the innaugural Cortona Fellow-in-Residence, and our first guest composer-in-residence, Frederic Rzewski. In addition, the 2015 Sessions will see the continued partnership with the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, and also welcomes guest artists to the first Cortona Saxophone Sessions. The 2015 Cortona Contemporary Performance Competition will showcase the largest field of performers to date, and the annual Iron Composer Competition promises even more laughter and miniature musical marvels than ever before. A highlight for all, the wine tour will once again return to the magical montalcino estate of Terralsole, and the historical Fattoria dei Barbi for a brilliant day of tasting and relaxation. Most of all, the Sessions is about music, love, and peace – three things that being in Cortona truly inspires.

ABOUT THE SESSIONS


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2010Stephen Bachicha

Jason Barabba Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer

Breanna Ellison Gilbert Galindo

Anne GuzzoLeo Hurley

Laura Marsh Nicholas Omiccioli

Marcílio Onofre Julie Penner

Christopher Prosser Jessica Rudman

Julia SnellHainu Tan

Sophia Tegart Jeanette Wong

2011Ron Amchin

Jason Barabba Kelley Barnett

Julian Day Kristen Dye

Caitlin Foster Jacob Gunnels

Kay HeDana Limpert

Cesar Mantufar Paul Poston

Ramteen Sazeghari Björn Sikström Michael Spicer Matthew Taylor Erin Tomkins

Ryan Woodhouse

2012Michael Catania Jason Charney Caitlin Foster

Jason Gerraughty Alice Hinshaw Anna Hoard Kevin Laba

Yayu LiDaniel Liu

Yangzhi MaPaige Martin

Ryo Nakayama Chris Prosser

Jared Redmond Kim Rivera

Jacob Sachs-Mishalanie Theresa Silveyra

Tom StrauserTina Tallon

Mallory Turlington MoJiao Wang Sharra Wagner Dave Waugh

Jennifer Weiman

2013Kelley BarnettAdam Borecki

Brendan Faegre Patrick Gutman Alice Hinshaw

Devinder Kumar Kyle Malone Lisa Neher

Kelly Lynn Pierce Theresa Silveyra

Nick Virzi Dakota Wayne

Yiguo Yan Chun-Ju-Yen Mary Young

2014Clay Allen

Grant Bingham Sean Bradley

Yu-Hsin Chang Andrew Cole Ariel Downs Kate Duncan

Frederick Evans Antoine Fachard Stella Fiorenzoli

Edo Frenkel Turkar Gasimzada

Caitlin Gilmore Ana María Hernandez

Jake Hewitt Peter Katz

William Kenlon Aaron Kirschner

Chelsea Komschlies Steven Kowaleski

Lindsay Laird Dana Malseptic Curren Myers Lauren Parks

Samuel Parilla Alexandra Porter Dave Reminick Jonathan Russ

Aaron Singleton Tina Tallon

Catalina von Wrangell Andrew Yoon

2015Jeffrey Allardyce

Hayden AndersonDavid Angelo

Daniel BeilmanDavid BerriosAlex Betsold

Grant BinghamSunny Byun

Mary CervantesKanako Chikami

Richard ChowenhillMegan CooneyAmy Dauphinais

Jenny DavisTom DempsterKate DuncanKristen DyeJacob Egli

Matthew ErnsterFrancesca Ferrara

Nina FronjianJonathan Graybill

Robbie HarveyWill Healy

Audrey HerrenJake Hewitt

Alice HinshawAshlin Hunter

Zach JonesWilliam Kenlon

Bin LiKerrith Livengood

Jordan LulloffConnor MikulaChrsty MunceyWen-Ting Ong

Eden RayzJeremy Rapaport-Stein

Jonathan RussAaron Singleton

Eliza SmithTai-Jung ‘Fofo’ Tsai

David VessKatherine von Bernthal

Rachel WhelanJack Yarbrough

Fellows of the Cortona Sessions for New Music


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The Cortona Collective2015 faculty marked with *

flute | mary fukushima*clarinet | michael norsworthy* gregory oakessaxophone | h2 quartet* geoffrey deibel* jeffrey loeffert* kimberly loeffert* jonathan nichol*violin | ari streisfeld*cello | kivie cahn-lipman*piano | amir khosrowpour* michael kirkendoll*percussion | ji hye jung*voice | rachel calloway, mezzo-soprano* laura bohn, soprano sarah tannehill-anderson, sopranoconductor | jake wallace*composers | forrest pierce* gabriela lena frank stevan tickmayer

executive assistant/intern for 2015: kate duncan

2015 Special Guests

Composer-In-ResidenceFREDERIC RZEWSKI

Resident Fellowdavid reminick

Guest Lecturers from the Civitella Ranieri Foundationluciano chessa, composer | okkyung lee, composer

fang man, composer | pauline oliveros, composer | du yun, composer

Saxophone Sessions Guest Performerschristopher creviston, saxophone

hannah creviston, piano

Guest Percussionistw. lee vinson


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2015 Cortona Sessions Faculty Bios

mary fukushima | fluteA flutist for the 21st Century, Mary Fukushima has packed away her Mozart and Poulenc scores in exchange for wildly-adventurous and innovative contemporary music. Despite successful and immensely gratifying past performances of the traditional repertoire, including solo performances of Mozart Concerti with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mary’s passion and inspiration is fully focused on the works of living composers. Mary ventured fully into modern music for her 2006 Carnegie Hall debut, which was praised as a “powerhouse performance” by critics from NY Concert Review…there was no looking back. Over 50 world-premiere performances later, she is still on a mission to seek out and commission new works for her flute/piano duo, DuoSolo, and to introduce them to new audiences and communities, particularly smaller communities in the Great Plains. These performances, as well as collaborative and chamber performances with ensembles such as the Manhattan Sinfonietta and the Gotham City Orchestra, as well as regular performances with friends and colleagues at the Cortona Sessions for New Music, are why she plays the flute. In addition, Mary still performs regularly with a number of regional orchestras in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. In 2008, Mary and her duo partner Michael Kirkendoll formed the DuoSolo Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the creation, performance, and education of new music. In 2010, the foundation presented the first annual Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy, bringing performers and composers together for two weeks of performance, study, and collaboration. The DuoSolo Foundation’s educational programs have supported the creation and performance of over 300 new works since 2009. Mary holds degrees from the University of Kansas (DMA), Manhattan School of Music (MM), and Long Island University (BFA), where her primary teachers were David Fedele, Linda Chesis, and Bradley Garner. In addition to her musical endeavors, Mary is also a yogi, and is the founder and ownder of the Euodra Yoga Center in Eudora, KS. When she is not learning some crazy new work or practicing “Darth-Vader” yoga breathing, you will likely find Mary running with her dog Mr. Sam, or ‘hanging out’ on the rock wall at the climbing gym.


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michael norsworthy | clarinetMICHAEL NORSWORTHY’s virtuosity and unique voice on the clarinet have made him a sought after soloist and chamber music collaborator and garnered praise from critics and audiences around the globe. His performances have taken him to distinguished concert venues including Vienna’s Musikverein, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Philharmonie Hall, New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall and Miller Theatre, Boston’s Jordan and Symphony Halls, St. Louis’ Sheldon Concert Hall, Festival Casals de Puerto Rico and the Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Norsworthy is one of the most celebrated champions of the modern repertoire. To date, he has given over 125 world premieres with leading contemporary music groups, including Klangforum Wien, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Manhattan Sinfonietta, Fromm Players at Harvard, Boston Musica Viva, Callithumpian Consort in Boston, Ensemble 21 in New York and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. He has collaborated with a veritable who’s who of composers from around the globe including Pierre Boulez, Harrison Birtwistle, Elliott Carter, Chris Dench, Brian Ferneyhough, Michael Finnissy, Lukas Foss, Hans Werner Henze, Helmut Lachenmann and Magnus Lindberg among many others. Recent seasons have included world premieres of works written for him by Michael Finnissy, Hans Tutschku and Pozzi Escot, domestic and international recital tours with pianists Marilyn Nonken, Tyson Deaton, David Gompper and Yoko Hagino, radio appearances on Boston’s WGBH, multiple performances on the Composer Portraits Series at New York’s Miller Theatre, concerto performances with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Manhattan Sinfonietta, concerts with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Portland Chamber Music Festival and and Midwestern tours with the Iowa Center for New Music and the Maia String Quartet. Norsworthy is interested in breaking down barriers that exist between classical music and popular and jazz as well as collaborating with artists working in other mediums. He has shared the stage with such popular and jazz icons as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Savion Glover and Bela Fleck. He worked in the motion picture industry and toured with numerous musical theater productions as a woodwind doubler on saxophone and been presented by the New Gallery Concert Series, Cy Twombly Gallery in Houston and the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston alongside works by major visual artists. His current discography numbers over 40 releases and can be found on the Albany, Mode, Gasparo, Canteloupe, BMOP/sound, ECM, Nonesuch, Cirrus Music and Cauchemar labels. Future projects include a CD of chamber music by composer Magnus Lindberg, clarinet music by Michael Finnissy and a recital CD of American music with pianist, David Gompper

Michael Norsworthy is a Selmer Paris Artist and Artistic Advisor as well as an artist/clinician for D’Addario Woodwinds. Most recently, he collaborated with D’Addario on the development of the Reserve Classic line of reeds for B-flat clarinet and bass clarinet. Also with D’Addario, he has begun a series of educational videos that can be found online at the D’Addario website.

Currently, Norsworthy is Professor of Clarinet and Bass Clarinet, Co-Chair of the Woodwind Department and Director of Contemporary Music Performance at The Boston Conservatory. He is constantly in demand at schools of music around the world and has presented masterclasses and clinics at prestigious schools all over the USA, Canada, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. He has served as artist in residence at Harvard University with the Harvard Group for New Music and was on the artist faculty at Columbia University. He is an active board member for American Century Music and Massachusetts State Chairman for the International Clarinet Association.

Mr. Norsworthy holds advanced degrees from New England Conservatory and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and has attended Michigan State University. Mr. Norsworthy currently resides in Boston.


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h2 quartet

Declared “an ensemble to watch for years to come” by the American Record Guide, the award-winning h2 quartet has been wowing audiences since 2002. A dynamic and innovative chamber ensemble, h2 constantly seeks to defy perceptions and expectations of the saxophone. h2 takes advantage of the great expressive capacity of their instrument by programming traditional, avant-garde, minimalist, and jazz-influenced works in surprising and compelling ways. h2 has performed throughout the United States, and has performed in Europe, the UK and in Asia. The ensemble has presented recitals at venues such as the Walt Disney Hall (Los Angeles), the National Concert Hall (Dublin), the Guarnerius Arts Center (Belgrade), the Cankarjev dom (Ljubljana) and the Times Center and Merkin Hall in New York City.

The ensemble has released four critically-acclaimed recordings: Generations, Times & Spaces, Groove Machine and Hard Line. Each of these albums introduces audiences to a different side of the saxophone, with the latter three comfortably bridging the gap between the popular and avant-garde sides of American music. The h2 quartet has been featured on NPR and PBS programs, including the nationally-syndicated Backstage Pass, which offers viewers a first-hand look at the inner workings of music groups through in-studio performances and ensemble interviews. Their recording of Groove Canon by Marc Mellits was featured as the monologue theme music for the Broadway show The Heidi Chronicles, starring Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) and Jason Biggs (Orange is the New Black).

h2 is dedicated to commissioning and performing compelling new works for saxophone quartet, and operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The growing list of composers the group has commissioned includes Drew Baker, Karl Blench, Claudio Gabriele, Murray Gross, Takuma Itoh, Igor Karača, David MacDonald, John Mackey, Victor Marquez-Barrios, Roger Petersen, Forrest Pierce, David Rakowski, Jesse Ronneau, and Daniel Wohl. Additionally, the ensemble has premiered works by Ross Bauer, Marc Mellits, Matthew Schoendorff, Elliott Sharp, and Amy Williams.

The h2 quartet has won prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (First Prize, Gold Medals) and the North American Saxophone Alliance Saxophone Quartet Competition (first prize), among others. The group has also been named finalists in the Concert Artists Guild Competition, and has earned Honorable Mentions at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, the Chesapeake Bay Chamber Music Competition, and the Coleman Chamber Music Competition. The group was also a recipient of an Aaron Copland Fund Recording Grant in 2010 for their album Times & Spaces.

The h2 quartet is a Vandoren and Yamaha Artist Ensemble.


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geoffrey deibel, saxophoneA Washington, D.C. native, Geoffrey Deibel is emerging as an important voice for the saxophone and contemporary music. He maintains a multi-faceted career as performer, teacher, and researcher. Recent concert highlights include performances at Merkin Hall and Zankel Hall (NYC), and recitals in Stuttgart, Germany, Cortona, Italy, and in Wichita, KS. Geoff has been an invited guest lecturer at Die Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Stuttgart, at University College Cork, Ireland, and many Universities in the US. He has appeared at the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt, the International Iannis Xenakis Festival in Athens, Greece, and World Saxophone Congresses in the UK, Europe, and Thailand.

Geoff has commissioned new works by both established and emerging composers, including Drew Baker, Nathan Davis, Claudio Gabriele, David Rakowski, and Jesse Ronneau. He has also premiered the music of Jason Eckardt, Hiroyki Itoh, Pierre Jodlowski, Marc Mellits, David Reminick, Elliott Sharp, Jagoda Szmytka, Mari Takano, Hans Thomalla, and Amy Williams, and has worked with John Adams, Bernard Rands, Howard Sandroff, and Christopher Adler, among many others. Geoff has been frequently featured on the New Music Chicago and Soundfield series in Chicago, and has been a guest at the Drake University New Music Series and Chamber Music Midwest.

Geoff is a member of the critically acclaimed h2 quartet, first prize winners at the Fischoff Competition, recent finalists at the Concert Artists Guild Competition, and recipients of an Aaron Copland Fund Recording Grant. The American Record Guide has hailed h2 as a group of “artistic commitment...boasting superb blend, solid technique, [and] tight rhythm.” h2 has three recordings available (Generations, Times & Spaces, and Groove Machine), and maintains a non-profit organization to promote the creation of new works for the saxophone quartet. Geoff is also a seasoned orchestral performer, and serves as principal saxophonist with the Wichita Symphony. He has also performed with the New World Symphony (Miami) and Grant Park Symphony, as well as numerous regional orchestras in Michigan, and has worked with conductors such as David Robertson, Roberto Abbado, and HK Gruber.

As a jazz musician, Geoff has performed with the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra and the Truth in Jazz Orchestra, and has performed locally on the Fisch Haus Jazz Series. He has also had the opportunity to perform alongside Ruben Alvarez, Ron Blake, Allison Miller, James Moody, and Matt Wilson. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Wichita Jazz Festival.

Geoff holds degrees in history and music from Northwestern University, and a doctoral degree from Michigan State University. His principal teachers have included Joseph Lulloff, Frederick Hemke, Leo Saguiguit, and Reginald Jackson. Geoff has held teaching positions at Grand Valley State University, Alma College, and the University of Florida. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Director of Jazz Studies at Wichita State University. Geoff is a Vandoren performing artist, and performs on Vandoren reeds, ligatures, and mouthpieces exclusively.


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jeffrey loeffert | saxophoneJeffrey Loeffert is the Associate Professor of Saxophone and Theory at Oklahoma State University. During the summer months, Loeffert teaches at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan, the Great Plains Saxophone Workshop in Oklahoma, and the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy.

Loeffert is featured on seven commercially available discs and a DVD, as well as on a PBS television episode of Backstage Pass. Loeffert graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Music double major in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies. At Northwestern, Loeffert won the Program

Honors Award for his graduating class. A Frank Huntington Beebe Scholar, Loeffert studied in Paris at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy-Pontoise where he received the Médaille d’Or à l’Unanimité - Saxophone, and the Médaille d’Or à l’Unanimité - Musique de Chambre. Loeffert also studied at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Boulogne-Billancourt where he received the diploma Cycle d’Orientation Professionnel with an emphasis in contemporary music. Loeffert completed graduate studies at Michigan State University (MSU) as the recipient of a University Distinguished Fellowship. He received a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance as well as a Master of Music degree in Music Theory Pedagogy. At MSU, he was awarded the Paul Harder Award for music theory and composition. Loeffert is a Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist and plays exclusively on Yamaha saxophones and Vandoren reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures.


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kimberly loeffert | saxophoneKimberly Goddard Loeffert serves as Lecturer of Music Theory at Oklahoma State University where she coordinates the saxophone quartet program. Her current research interests include performance and analysis of chamber music, musical gesture, and the theory and analysis of music since 1980.

Loeffert has taught music theory, saxophone, and chamber music at Michigan State University and music theory and aural skills at Florida State University where she is a PhD Candidate in Music Theory. Loeffert earned a DMA and MM in Saxophone Performance, as well as an MM in Music Theory Pedagogy from Michigan State University. She holds a BM in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies from Northwestern University. Her primary saxophone teachers have included Joe Lulloff, Frederick Hemke, and Joseph Wytko.

An active chamber musician, Loeffert has won numerous chamber music prizes as a member of the h2 quartet, including First Place at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and First Place at the North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition, among others. She can also be heard on five commercially available discs and a nationally-syndicated PBS television episode of Backstage Pass.

Loeffert has performed at prestigious venues around the world, including the Cankar Dom (Slovenia), the Guarnerius Center for the Performing Arts (Serbia), Merkin Hall (New York City), the National Concert Hall (Ireland), the Sarajevo Music

Academy (Bosnia), the Siam Paragon (Thailand), the University of St. Andrews (Scotland), and the Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), in addition to university recital halls across the country. An advocate for new music, Loeffert has commissioned and/or premiered works by Drew Baker, Karl Blench, Jongyun Choi, Benjamin Fuhrman, Takuma Itoh, Igor Karača, David MacDonald, John Mackey, Marc Mellits, Victor Marquez-Barrios, Roger W. Petersen, David Rakowski, Jesse Ronneau, Bill Ryan, Matthew Schoendorff, Amy Williams, Kevin Wilt, and Daniel Wohl, among others.

Loeffert is a Vandoren and Yamaha Performing Artist and plays exclusively on Vandoren reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures, and Yamaha saxophones.


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jonathan nichol | saxophoneJonathan Nichol is the Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Oklahoma. He holds both a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (2010) and Master of Music degree (2007) from Michigan State University, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Central Michigan University (2005). Nichol’s primary teachers have been John Nichol, Joseph Lulloff, Rob Smith, Diego Rivera, and Rodney Whitaker.

Jonathan Nichol was a semi-finalist in the 2009 International Concert Artist Guild Competition and a finalist in the 2012 International Concert Artist Guild Competition with h2 quartet. He is a recipient of the prestigious Michigan State University Distinguished Fellowship and is a Presser Scholar. Nichol was the winner of the Central Michigan University Concerto Competition and two-time winner of the Michigan State University Concerto Competition. He has performed Michael Torke’s Saxophone Concerto with the Alma Symphony Orchestra and William Bolcom’s Concert Suite with the Grand Valley State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

Jonathan Nichol is a member of the acclaimed h2 quartet, recipients of the prestigious Gold Medal at the 2007 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the First Prize Award at the inaugural North American Saxophone Alliance Chamber Music Competition. h2 Quartet’s CD Generations (BGR 185) was released in August 2008 on the Blue Griffin Recordings label. h2’s second CD, Times and Spaces (BGR 211) and the Blue Griffin Label received a 2010 Aaron Copland Fund Recording Grant. In March 2012, h2 quartet released its third album, Groove Machine (BG 245), which was named to the 2012 American Record Guide Critics Choice List.

Dr. Nichol has also recorded with Billband, a New York based mixed-chamber group dedicated to realizing Grand Valley State University Professor Bill Ryan’s compositions. Sparkle, from Billband’s album Towards Daybreak (Innova 841) was selected by NPR music as one of the Best 50 Songs of 2013.

Jonathan Nichol is a Yamaha Performing Artist and a Vandoren Performing Artist.


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ari streisfeld, violinPraised for his “dazzling performance” by the New York Times and “scintillating playing” by New York Classical Review, violinist Ari Streisfeld has quickly established himself as a leader in contemporary classical music. A founding member of the internationally acclaimed JACK Quartet, Mr. Streisfeld has performed in the world’s leading concert halls and festivals including Wigmore Hall (London), La Salle Pleyel (Paris), Teatro Colon (Argentina), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Bali Arts Festival (Indonesia), Carriage Works (Sydney, Australia), Venice Biennale (Italy), Carnegie Hall, The Library of Congress, The Morgan Library (New York), and the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland). He has collaborated with many of today’s most prominent composers including John Luther Adams, Caroline Shaw, Julia Wolfe, Helmut Lachenmann, Matthias Pintscher, Georg Friedrich Haas, Steve Reich, and Salvatore Sciarrino. He frequently performs with some of today’s leading contemporary music ensembles, including Ensemble Signal, Worldless Music Orchestra, and the Cortona Collective. Mr. Streisfeld is also a member of Shir Ami, an ensemble dedicated to the performance and preservation of Jewish art music.

Hailed as “imaginative” by the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Streisfeld’s arrangements of madrigals and motets for string quartet by Machaut and Gesualdo have been performed to acclaim both at home and abroad. A recipient of the Morton Gould Young Composer Award, Mr. Streisfeld most recently premiered his arrangements for voice and violin at The Stone (New York) and the Cortona Sessions for New Music (Italy) alongside critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway.

A passionate and committed music educator, Mr. Streisfeld serves on the faculty of New York’s Special Music School, Face the Music, and the Cortona Sessions for New Music (Italy).

Mr. Streisfeld attended the Eastman School of Music (Bachelor of Music), Northwestern University (Master of Music), and Boston University (Doctor of Musical Arts). He has recorded for Mode, Albany, Carrier, Innova, Canteloupe, and New World Records. He currently resides in New York City with his wife, Rachel Calloway, their daughter Eleanor, and mini-dachshund Wesley.


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kivie cahn-lipman, celloKivie Cahn-Lipman holds degrees from Oberlin and Juilliard and is a DMA candidate at CCM. He is the founding cellist of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) with which he performs regularly to international critical acclaim, as well as gambist, lironist, and director of ACRONYM, a new period-instrument ensemble. An avid performer of contemporary music, Kivie has played more than 500 solo and small ensemble world premieres. He has recorded for the Naxos, New Focus, Bridge, New Amsterdam, Tzadik, ECM, Kairos, Mode, Tundra, Starkland, Olde Focus, and Nonesuch labels. As a chamber musician, Kivie has performed frequently in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and other major venues on three continents, as well as live on WNYC 93.9 in New York and WFMT 98.7 in Chicago. His 2014 recording of the complete Cello Suites of J.S. Bach was praised for its “eloquent performances,” “fresh thinking,” and “energy and zeal” (The Strad). Kivie taught cello in a full-time position shared between Smith College and Mount Holyoke College from 2005-2012 and has been a faculty member at the Cortona Sessions for New Music since 2012.


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amir khosrowpour | pianoDescribed by the Los Angeles Times has having “irresistible verve, unpretentious directness, and fingers of steel,” pianist and composer Amir Khosrowpour “seeks out what is new and vital and delivers it with passion” (NY Concert Review). Recent engagements include performance art in Milan (playing “Ode to Joy” while standing in a hole cut out of the middle of a piano), “Super-Live Sound Accompaniment” in Austin, Texas (scoring people’s daily lives with a portable keyboard), and an upcoming new album release by his awesome vaudevillian-esque piano duo, Corky Has a Band (with David Broome). He lives in The Bronx with his Steinway, his brand new wife, his fat black cat, and his stash of Benjamins under the mattress. www.amirpiano.com


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michael kirkendoll | pianoCalled “the very model of a 21st Century musician” by critics of the Indianapolis Star, pianist Michael Kirkendoll has established himself at the forefront of contemporary pianism. A dedicated advocate for the music of the 20th and 21st centuries, Michael has presented over one hundred new works in both solo and collaborative settings. His performances are musical journeys that often span the history of keyboard repertoire, including a sixteen-piece program entitled Musical Gastronomy, featuring works of Scarlatti, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Ives, Schoenberg, Ligeti, Rzewski, and a host of other living composers. Michael has been featured at prestigious venues in China, Singapore, Italy, France, and throughout the United States, and was a finalist in the 2009 American Pianists Association Classical Fellowship Awards, where his performances were heralded as “inspired” showcasing “extraordinary” technical gifts and “superior intelligence.” Past performances of works including Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, and recitals featuring music of Frédéric Chopin, have been called “astonishing, regal, and eloquent.” A devoted educator, particularly of both musicians and audiences about the excitement of contemporary music, Michael founded the Cortona Sessions for New Music in 2010 (www.cortonasessions.com). The Cortona Sessions offer young performers and composers from around the world two weeks of focused study, performance, and collaboration with

a faculty of esteemed contemporary music specialists. Located near the Tuscany-Umbria border in the hill-town of Cortona, Italy, the nightly concert at the Sessions showcase nearly 100 works, including over 50 world premieres by both students and faculty. Fellows of the Sessions have created new music series, pursued graduate degrees in contemporary performance, and been awarded some of the most prestigious composition prizes in the world. Annually, members of the Cortona Collective (the faculty performance ensemble) present concerts featuring major contemporary repertoire alongside works of Fellows at universities and concert halls around the U.S. In addition to collaborative performances with the Cortona Collective, Michael performs regularly as part of DuoSolo with his wife, flutist Mary Fukushima. DuoSolo performs genre-bending concerts featuring both solo and duo repertoire for flute and piano, combining the most avant-garde contemporary repertoire with rarely heard works of the past. In 2008, they formed the DuoSolo Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to support the commissioning, performance, recording, education, and promotion of contemporary music. Michael is Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Kansas, where he also earned his doctoral and bachelor’s degrees, and also holds a masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music. When not at the piano, Michael can be found enjoying fine wine, cooking, golfing, or playing with his dog, Sam. Michael is also the author of the food and wine blog, The Uncorked Pianist, and can be followed on Twitter @UncorkedPianist.


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ji hye jung | percussionPraised as “spectacular” by the Los Angeles Times and “extraordinary” by the Ventura County Star, the Times describes percussionist Ji Hye Jung as “a centered player who can give the impression of being very still yet at all places at once”.

Ms. Jung began concertizing in her native South Korea at the age of nine where she performed more than 100 concerts including solo appearances with every major orchestra in Korea. Soon after coming to the United States in 2004, Ms. Jung garnered consecutive first prizes at the 2006 Linz International Marimba Competition and the 2007 Yale Gordon Concerto Competition.

With percussion repertoire still in its formative stages, Ms. Jung feels strongly about collaborating with composers to further the creation of a new voice for the art form. She has commissioned and premiered works by several important composers including, Kevin Puts, Alejandro Viñao, Paul Lansky, John Serry, Lukas Ligeti, and Jason Treuting. In 2013 she made the premier recording of Michael Torke’s marimba concerto Mojave and in 2014 recorded Phillip Glass’ Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra for the Naxos label.

Ms. Jung frequently performs with many of today’s most important conductors and instrumentalists. For six years she has served as principal percussionist with the west coast-based chamber music ensemble Camerata Pacifica, with whom she has premiered works by Bright Sheng and Huang Ruo. She has also recorded Stravinsky’s Les Noces with JoAnn Falletta at the Virginia Arts Festival, performed as soloist with David Robertson conducting an all Messiaen program at Carnegie Hall, and made her concerto debut with the Houston Symphony under the baton of Hans Graf in 2005. Other performance credits include appearances at Portugal’s Tomarimbando Festival, the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Ireland, The Intimacy of Creativity in Hong Kong, the Grand Teton Music Festival, Germany’s Schleswig-Holstein Festival, and the Grachtenfestival in Holland.

In 2015 Ji Hye Jung was named Associate Professor of Percussion at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. She previously served as Associate Professor of Percussion at the University of Kansas for six years. An active educator and clinician, Jung has presented masterclasses at the Curtis Institute, the Peabody Conservatory, Rice University, Beijing’s Central Conservatory, and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland.

Ji Hye Jung completed a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, both under the tutelage of Robert van Sice. As an artist endorser, she proudly represents Pearl/Adams instruments, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, and Zildjian cymbals.


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rachel calloway | mezzo-sopranoMezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway, an internationally recognized leading interpreter of contemporary and modern music, brings versatility and compelling insight to stages worldwide. Her work has been praised by the New York Times for “penetrating clarity” and “considerable depth of expression” and by Opera News for her “adept musicianship and dramatic flair.”

Season highlights include the New York premiere of Steven Stucky and Jeremy Denk’s The Classical Style at Carnegie Hall (Zankel), the world premiere of Donnacha Dennehy’s The Hunger with Alarm Will Sound in St. Louis, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Omaha Symphony, Helmut Lachenmann’s TemA With Ensemble Signal, John Zorn’s Holy Visions at The Cloisters, the world premiere of Jeff Myers’ Requiem Aeternam with JACK Quartet, the music of Stefan Wolpe at the Dimenna Center, Mandy Fang’s Earth at the Southern Exposure Series, and performances with the new music vocal ensemble Ekmeles at the Avant Music Festival, Miller Theater (New York), and New Music New College (Sarasota, FL). She also appears with Shir Ami, an ensemble dedicated to the preservation and performance of lost Jewish art music, in concerts in New Jersey, Florida, and Kansas.

Recent engagements include appearances with leading contemporary music ensembles including Ensemble Signal, Ekmeles, Talea Ensemble, Argento Ensemble, and Continuum. Ms. Calloway made her debut with Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt, Germany in the spring of 2014 under the auspices of Alte Oper in Alban Berg’s Der Wein recorded for a national radio broadcast by Hessischer Rundfunk. She has collaborated with today’s foremost composers include Gabriela Lena Frank, Georg Friederich Haas, Unsuk Chin, Steven Stucky, Oliver Knussen, Stefano Gervasoni, Beat Furrer, Nico Muhly, and Mohammed Fairouz. Ms. Calloway has also appeared with the PROTOYPE Festival, Festival Internacional Cervantino, Lincoln Center Festival, Next Wave Festival at BAM, the Amernet String Quartet, Berkeley Symphony, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Ojai Music Festival, the Castleton Festival, CalArts, Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Series (Green Umbrella), New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Girls’ Chorus, Dolce Suono Ensemble, and American Opera Projects.

She made her European operatic debut as “Mrs. Grose” in The Turn of the Screw at Opéra de Reims, Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jovet (Paris) and Opéra de Lille. She has also appeared with Gotham Chamber Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, the Castleton Festival, Tulsa Opera, and Central City Opera. She is a nominee for Carnegie Hall’s inaugural Warner Music Prize and was a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

Ms. Calloway holds degrees from The Juilliard School (BM) and Manhattan School of Music (MM). She joined the faculty of the Cortona Sessions of New Music (Italy) in 2014 and can be heard on Albany Records. Ms. Calloway lives in New York with her husband, violinist Ari Streisfeld, there daughter Eleanor and dachshund Wesley. www.rachelcalloway.com


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jacob wallace | conductorAn accomplished conductor, educator, and writer, Jacob Wallace is an emergent personality in the performance of contemporary instrumental music. His efforts to present innovative and approachable programming of new works have brought modern trends to atypical places, with performances being lauded by audiences and professionals alike. Ensembles under his direction have presented world, national, and regional premieres by such composers as Rusty Banks, John Mackey, Michael Markowski, Jonathan Newman, and James Syler, among others.

In 2015, Dr. Wallace joins the faculty of South Dakota State University, where he serves as Assistant Professor of Instrumental Conducting. In this capacity, he conducts and supervises instrumental ensembles; teaches coursework in conducting, literature, and education; and administrates the wind ensemble activities of the Department of Music as a whole. Prior to this, he served as Director of Instrumental Activities at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where his active efforts included the new music initiative projekt (n), which engages student musicians directly with composers in collaborations on new works for wind ensemble. His writings on music have been published in seven volumes of GIA’s Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series and

he has become known for a series of engaging program notes, commissioned directly from a number of composers, which have helped fresh audiences understand new works on their first listening.

Dr. Wallace holds the degree Doctor of Musical Arts from The University of Georgia. He also has degrees from Baylor University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His principal conducting teachers have been John Lynch, Kevin Sedatole, and Carolyn Barber. In his free time, he enjoys food and beverage culture and writing twitter updates that always seem to be five characters too long.


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forrest pierce | composerForrest Pierce composes music steeped in religious mysticism and contemporary virtuosity. Sincere, often triadic, and blatantly tuneful, it draws on both non-western and rock-era traditions to depict an authentic world of sacred unity and natural beauty. His works have been performed in sacred and concert settings around the world, on noteworthy concert series and by diverse ensembles such as the BBC Singers, Brave New Works, the Chamber Players of the Society of New Music/ISCM, the BMOP chamber series, DuoSolo, the Chamber Orchestras of Portland and Kansas City, Khorikos, the Indianapolis and Walla Walla Symphonies, Volti, the Concord Ensemble,

Octarium, the Seattle New Music Ensemble, the Latvian Radio Choir, the Oregon and Northwest Repertory Singers, the Boston Choral Ensemble, the Dublin and Canadian International Organ Competitions, Songfest, and by numerous distinguished soloists in North America and abroad. Pierce is the past resident composer of the Seattle New Music Ensemble and was the founding artistic director of Portland’s Friends of Rain Contemporary Ensemble. His catalog is led by over 50 works for voices, including operatic, choral, and solo vocal forces. He has been the winner of the 2012 Barlow Prize in Composition, the Robert Avalon International Composition competition, was named a winner of the 2012 Ortus International competition, was first prize recipient of the Boston Choral Ensemble and Boston Chamber Singers choral competitions, and was composer-in-residence of the beautiful—if short-lived—International Meeting of Choral Music at the University of São Paulo—Riberão Preto, Brazil.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Forrest Pierce was raised in the empty Columbia Plateau region of eastern Washington State, the grandson of Dust Bowl emigrants. A pianist and cellist in his youth, Pierce began composing at an early age. It was on a steady stream of top-40 radio, record-store punk, new wave, and common-practice music from the local NPR station that Pierceʼs compositional voice developed. Pierce attended the University of Puget Sound, where he sank all available time into composing, roaming

beaches and mountains, and reading the classics of world religion. He graduated from the Honors Program in the Classics in 1994, summa cum laude, having won a Watson Fellowship to study the traditional music of Madagascar. He got married, instead, and papered the walls of Minneapolis with love songs.

Two years of study under the great American operatist Dominick Argento at the University of Minnesota cemented for Pierce a passion for the vocal instrument and the people who wield it. A Doctorate at Indiana University, where he was awarded the Deanʼs Prize in Orchestral Composition, completed Pierceʼs formal training, with the help of teacher Don Freund. Since that time, Pierce has enjoyed teaching positions at the University of Texas-Austin, at Lewis & Clark College, and at the University of Kansas, where he is Associate Professor of Composition.

At one time or another a student of Tango, piano, North Indian classical singing, cello, poetry, and Chishti Sufism, he teaches and drinks espresso at the University of Kansas, and serves on the vividly convivial faculty of the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Tuscany.


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guest composer-in-residenceFREDERIC RZEWSKI

I was born in Westfield, Mass., in 1938. Both of my parents were pharmacists, both of Polish background. My father, who arrived in America in 1920, earned his way through Clark College in Worcester by working in my maternal grandfather’s drugstore. (He watched Dr. Goddard launch one of his first rockets in a nearby field.) He was proud to be able to put me (his eldest son) through Harvard without asking for a scholarship. My early memories growing up in the 1940’s and early 50’s: the war, the atomic bomb, my music teacher Mr. Mackey in Springfield, Shostakovich, the Rosenbergs, war again, apparently never-ending war and yet more war. This has continued on into adulthood and old age. My whole life has been framed by war, with (as Thomas Paine put it), occasional brief periods where they sat down, weary of bloodshed, and called it “peace”. In the middle of this I was able to carve out a career as a musician,

something on which I am still busy.


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saxophone sessions guest performerschristopher creviston, saxophone

hannah creviston, piano

Christopher Creviston, saxophone Hailed as “one of the world’s top saxophone artists…” (Audio-phile Audition) with “the personality and fingers of a first rate soloist…” (American Record Guide), “subtle, perceptive phrasing, and flawless control of vibrato…” (Fanfare Magazine), Yamaha Artist Christopher Crevis-ton has played venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Paisley Park and the Apollo Theater.

As soloist and with the Capitol Quartet, Creviston has been featured with bands and orchestras across the U.S., including Baltimore, Indianapolis and National Symphony Orchestras, working with conductors André Previn, Neeme Järvi, Randall Craig Fleischer, Jack Everly and Steven Reineke, to name a few. In demand as a recitalist and clinician, he performs regularly with the Capitol Quartet, and in duos with pianist Hannah (Gru-ber) Creviston, guitarist Oren Fader, and harpist Frances Duffy.

Presently on faculty at Arizona State University, Dr. Creviston has held positions at the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam), the Greenwich House of Arts (NYC), the University of Windsor (Canada), and the University of Michigan. His mentors include Donald Sinta, James Forger and Trent Kynaston. Creviston can be heard on recordings released on the Albany, Chandos, Einstein, Equilibrium, White Pine, Daddy-O, Shady Bear, Rock-ing Chair and Swirling Record labels.

Hannah Creviston, piano Described as “impressive and expressive” (Fanfare Magazine) and “superb...[with] great dexterity, rhythm, and touch” (American Record Guide), Hannah Creviston is Assistant Professor of Practice (Piano Pedagogy), Director of the Music Prep Program, and Coordinator of Class Piano at Arizona State University. She received her B.Mus. in Piano Performance and Music Education with a Piano Pedagogy concentration from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, studying with Eugenia Tsarov. A researcher and presenter on the effects of music on children with autism, she holds an M.M. in Piano Performance and an M.MuED in Early Childhood/Elementary Music Education from the University of South Carolina where she studied piano with Scott Price.

As a soloist, she won the Crane Annual Concerto Competition and was a finalist in the Arthur Fraser Piano Competition. An avid performer of contemporary music, Creviston has premiered many compositions, includ-ing works by Whitney Ashe, Cameron Britt, David Heinick, Katherine Hoover, John Fitz Rogers, Timothy Sul-livan, Brian Vlasak and Mark Weiser. Most notably, in 2007, she premiered Stacy Garrop’s Pieces of Sanity at Carnegie Hall with saxophonist Christopher Creviston.

As an accompanist, she has performed in festivals and competitions throughout the United States and abroad, and has collaborated with various artists, including Christopher Creviston, Geoffrey Diebel, Joe Lull-off, Jeffrey Loeffert, Timothy McAllister, David Pittman-Jennings, David Stambler, James Umble, Robert Young, and members of the United States Military Bands. She also performs regularly in a duo with her husband, Christopher Creviston. Together, they have recorded Snell Sessions and Columbia Sessions, both on the Al-bany Records label, and Sunday Afternoon, available through CD Baby.


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guest percussionistw. lee vinson

W. Lee Vinson is currently a freelance percussionist based in Lawrence, Kansas. For four seasons, from 2007 through 2011, he was a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and from 2000 to 2004 served as a mem-ber of the United States Navy Band in Washington, DC. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music where he was a student of John Beck, and has done graduate study at Boston University. He also at-tended summer music festivals at Interlochen, Tanglewood, and the Brevard Music Center.

Mr. Vinson has performed as an extra percussionist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Sym-phony, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Rochester Philharmonic. In 2012 he performed with Toronto Sym-phony Orchestra on their tour of Montreal and Ottawa, and in 2013 performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall as part of the Spring for Music festival.

In the Fall of 2014 Mr. Vinson will be a lecturer at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and will also join the faculty of the University of Kansas in an adjunct capacity. He was previously a faculty member at Boston University and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and in the summer of 2011 taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp.

As a clinician and guest artist Mr. Vinson has appeared at colleges and universities across the United States including the Eastman School of Music, Florida State University, Indiana University, Michigan State University, the Hartt School, the Boston Conservatory, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Mr. Vinson is active within the Percussive Arts Society as a member of the Symphonic Committee and was for-merly Vice President of the Massachusetts Chapter. He has performed at the PAS Day of Percussion in Maryland and Massachusetts, and in the Fall of 2009 was a featured symphonic clinician at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. At the 2010 Convention, he organized and moderated the Symphonic Panel Discussion entitled “Orchestral Percussion in the College Curriculum.”

An avid vintage and antique snare drum collector and historian, Mr. Vinson has contributed articles to Not So Modern Drummer Magazine and Percussive Notes. His personal snare drum collection numbers greater than sixty instruments, more than forty of which were manufactured in Boston dating from the 1860s through the 1930s. In 2011 he authored and designed BostonDrumBuilders.com, a website dedicated to researching and preserving the instruments produced by the early 20th century Boston based drum makers.

W. Lee Vinson is a performing artist and clinician for Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, and Malletech LLC. Mr. Vinson is originally from Auburn, Alabama.


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schedule of eventssee individual/master schedules for rehearsals/lessons

sunday | 28 juneall day | lobby check-in6pm | cantina welcome banquet

monday | 29 june9am | sala neumann session 1: welcome/discussion10am | sala dolcetto composition symposium6pm | sala beato angelico concert 1: cortona collective

tuesday | 30 june9am | sala dolcetto composition symposium10am | sala beato angelico concert 2: contemporary performance competition semi-finals3pm | sala neumann presentation: music of forrest pierce6pm | sala neumann concert 3: h2 quartet

wednesday | 1 july9am | sala neumann session 2: the composer/performer relationship10am | sala beato angelico finals: contemporary performance competition2pm | sala dolcetto composition symposium5pm | sala neumann improvisation workshop6pm | sala beato angelico concert 4: cortona collective

thursday | 2 july8am | lobby EXCURSION: FLORENCE (all participants)3pm | castello di civitella concert 5: cortona collective @ civitella ranieri

friday | 3 july10am | sala dolcetto composition symposium2pm | sala neumann improvisation workshop6pm | sala beato angelico concert 6: michael kirkendoll, piano

saturday | 4 july10:30am | sala neumann presentation: music of frederic rzewski2pm | sala neumann improvisation workshop6pm | sala beato angelico concert 7: frederic rzewski, piano

sunday | 5 july10:30am | sala beato angelico composition masterclass w/frederic rzewski3pm | sala beato angelico workshop: percussion music of frederic rzewski5pm | sala beato angelico concert 8: cortona plays rzewski

monday | 6 july9am | sala dolcetto composition symposium 11am | sala beato angelico concert 9: guest recital | christopher creviston, saxophone3pm | sala beato angelico concert 10: iron composer competition


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The Cortona PrizeIn 2014, the DuoSolo Foundation and the Cortona Sessions for New Music awarded the first Cortona Prize for Composition. The Cortona Prize is an open call for scores fitting the instrumentation of the Cortona Collective, who also serve as the judges. The winner of the Cortona Prize is offered a scholarship to attend the Cortona Sessions, where the winning work will be performed by members of the Collective. In addition, they will have the opportunity to compose a new work for the Cortona Collective, to be premiered at the fol-lowing-year’s Sessions. Submissions that are of particular interest to members of the Colelctive are chosen as Special Selections and may also receive per-

formance during the Cortona Sessions.

WINNER OF THE 2015 CORTONA PRIZEBin Li | Fuzhou, 1860 for violin and piano

2015 Cortona Prize Special SelectionsFederico Garcia-De-Castro | Rendering

WINNER OF THE 2014 CORTONA PRIZEDave Reminick | Consort for 4 soprano saxophones

2014 Cortona Prize Special SelectionsJason Barabba | Torschlußpanik

Antoine Fachard | Choral VariationsKerrith Livengood | 4 Jennifer L. Knox Songs

Carolyn O’Brien | Caprice for Solo ViolinCarolyn O’Brien | Things Contained

Tina Tallon | corpus fractumCatalina von Wrangell | Introspection


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concert 1 Cortona Collective

29 june 2015 | sala neumann6:00pm

________________________________

OPENING CONCERTQueen of Heaven (2009) Forrest Pierce (b. 1972)

DuoSoloMary Fukushima, flute

Michael Kirkendoll, piano

Run in a Graveyard (2008) Du Yun (b. 1977)Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello

Rendering (2014) * Federico Garcia-De Castro (b. 1978)Amir Khosrowpour, piano

*2015 Cortona Prize Special Selection

Interstitial (2015)* Clay Allen (b. 1999)Cortona Fellow: 2014

Grant Bingham, bassoon*world premiere

*commission award from the 2014 Cortona Contemporary Performance Competition

Bug (1999) Bruno Mantovani (b. 1974)Michael Norsworthy, clarinet

Sarx Ergon (2014) Martin Iddon (b. 1975)Geoffrey Deibel, saxophone

The loneliness of Santa Claus (1994) Fredrik Andersson Ji Hye Jung & W. Lee Vinson, marimbas


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concert 2 Cortona Sessions Contemporary

Performance Competition29 june 2015 | sala beato angelico

10:00am________________________________

Hayden Anderson, saxophoneMai | Ryo Noda

Beat Me | Barry Cockroft

David Angelo, clarinetParable XIII, Op. 126 | Vincent Persichetti

Fantasie für Klarinette solo | Jörg Widmann

Katherine von Bernthal, saxophoneCaprice en Forme de Valse | Paul Bonneau

1, 2, 3 | Beata Moon

Sunny Byun, pianoPiano Sonata No. 6, Op. 82, IV: Vivace | Sergei Prokofiev

Jettatura | John Psathas

Mary Cervantes, fluteAchte Stücke (selections) | Paul Hindemtih

Idee Fixe | Doug Davis

Kanako Chikami, percussionMirage | Yasuo Sueyoshi

Rhythmic Caprice | Leigh Howard Stevens

Jenny Davis, fluteDensity 21.5 | Edgard Varèse

East Wind | Shulamit Ran

Kristen Dye, fluteScrivo in Vento | Elliott Carter

Laconisme de l’Aile | Kaija Saariaho


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Matthew Ernster, percussionSix Elegies Dancing | Jennifer Stasack

Not Everything Which Happens is in the Newspaper | Fredrik Andersson

Francesca Ferrara, fluteImage pour Flute seule | Eugène Bozza

Honami | Wil Offermans

Nina Fronjian, violinFugue for Solo Violin | Alfred SchnittkeA Stream Flows, Mvt. 1 | Bright Sheng

Jordan Lulloff, saxophoneTre Pezzi, Mvt. I & II | Giacinto Scelsi

Ventriloquist | Christopher Fisher-Lochhead

Connor Mikula, saxophoneMai | Ryo Noda

Based on Magical Subcultures | Christopher Newman

Wen-Tin Ong, pianoToccata, Op. 155 | York Bowen

An Autumn Improvisation | Leo Ornstein

Tai-Jung Tsai, percussionTo the Earth | Frederic Rzewski

Burritt Variation | Alejandro Viñao

Jack Yarbrough, pianoMakrokosmos, Bk. 1, No. 11 “Dream Images (Love-Death Music)” | George Crumb

Etude, Book 2, No. 17 | Philip Glass

The Cortona Sessions Contemporary Performance Competition was established in 2012 to en-courage future collaboration between Cortona Fellows. The winning performer will receive the Hiebert Prize: a small cash award as well as an honorarium to commission a new work from a

Composition Fellow attending the current Sessions. Previous winners of the Hiebert Prize are:

Grant Bingham, bassoon (2014)Kelley Barnett, flute (2013)

Jennifer Weimann, mezzo-soprano (2012)


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concert 3 h2 Quartet

30 june 2015 | sala neumann6:00pm

________________________________

h2 QuartetGeoffrey DeibelJeffrey Loeffert

Kimberly LoeffertJonathan Nichol

Echolocation (2009) Takuma Itoh (b. 1984)

Corpus Fractum (2013) Tina Tallon (b. 1990)Cortona Fellow: 2012, 2014

Scream When it Sighs (2012) Drew Baker (b. 1978) Michael Kirkendoll, piano

Bombinate (2013) Jeffrey Loeffert (b. 1982)

Alaric I or II (1994) Gavin Bryars (b. 1943)

The Kansas Rapture (2015)* Forrest Pierce (b.1972)Mvt. I, Cantillation FanfaresMvt. II, CimarronMvt. III, Bison ZikrMvt. IV , Wichita Vortex Sutra *world premiere


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1 july 2015 | sala beato angelico6:00pm

________________________________

Solo for Voice (1970) John Cage (1912-1992)Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano

Wire & Wool (2009) Ashley Fure (b. 1982)Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello

Toccatina (1986) Helmut Lachenmann (b. 1935)Ari Streisfeld

O My Dove (2012/rev. 2015) Forrest Pierce (b. 1972)Jeffrey Loeffert, soprano saxophoneJonathan Nichol, tenor saxophone

Under the Resurrection Palm (1993) David Liptak (b. 1949)Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano

Ari Streisfeld, violin

Charme (1969) Gerard Grisey (b. 1946)Michael Norsworthy, clarinet

Silver Birch Scroll (2009) Forrest Pierce (b. 1972)Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello

Thinking Songs (2015) Lukas Ligeti (b. 1965)Ji Hye Jung, marimba


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concert 5 Cortona Collective at Civitella Ranieri2 july 2015 | castello di civitella ranieri

umbertide, italy time TBA

________________________________

PROGRAM TBA

In 2013, the Cortona Sessions for New Music and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (www.civitella.org) began a unique partner-ship for the sharing of music, art, and ideas between two excit-ing institutions. Each summer, composition fellows of the Civi-tella Ranieri Foundation visit the Cortona Sessions, presenting lectures on their music for the Cortona fellows and faculty. In return, the Cortona Collective visits the Civitella Ranieri Fellows at the beautiful Castello di Civitella to present a concert of con-temporary music. Past Civitella Fellows to work with the Cor-tona Sessions include Andrea Clearfield, Amelia Cuni, Werner Durand, Alexandre Lunsqui, Larisa Vrhunc, and Eric Wubbels.

2015 Civitella Music FellowsLuciano Chessa

Okkyung LeeFang Man

Pauline OliverosDu Yun

the Civitella Fellows will present lectures at the Cortona Sessionson July 9, from 9:30am-noon.

http://www.civitella.org


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Cortona Collective at Castello di Civitella Ranieri, 2014


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concert 6 Michael Kirkendoll, piano


________________________________

Narrative Piano Music of Frederic Rzewski

The Road, mile 58, “Marriage” (2008)based on Tolstoy’s ‘Kreutzer Sonata’

De Profundis (1992)based on the letters of Oscar Wilde


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concert 7Frederic Rzewski, piano


________________________________

Dreams (2012-2014)*

Part One1. Dream

2. Cabrioles 3. A Mensch

4. Illusions Perdues

Part Two5. Bells

6. Fireflies7. Ruins

8. Wake Up

*world premiere of complete cycle


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________________________________

Music of Frederic Rzewski

Piano Trio (1998)Nina Fronjian, violin

Kivie Cahn-Lipman, celloAmir Khosrowpour, piano

Schtick (1990)Michael Norsworthy, clarinet

To The Earth (1985)Ji Hye Jung, flower pots

Histories (1993)h2 Quartet

Coming Together (1971)Cortona Collective & Fellows

Jacob Wallace, conductor


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concert 9 Saxophone Sessions Guest Recital

6 july 2015 | sala neumann11:00am

________________________________

Christopher Creviston, soprano saxophoneHannah Creviston, piano

AYRES based on songs of John Dowland (2011)* Katherine Hoover (b. 1937)Can She Excuse My WrongsWeep No More Sad FountainsFine Knacks for Ladies

Flash (2014)* Mark Lanz Weiser (b. 1968)BlinkSparkleBlazeShimmer

Tailgate (2014)† Mischa Zupko (b. 1970)

Breaking (2011)* John Fitz Rogers (b. 1963)break openbreak withbreak inbreak intobreak offbreak downbreak upbreak freebreak throughbreak away

* European Premiere† World Premiere


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concert 10 Iron Composer Competition


________________________________

The Cortona Sessions Iron Composer Competition has been a tradition since the first Sessions. The competition is inpsired by the television food competition show Iron Chef and pits all of our composition fellows into a fast-paced compositional showdown. Staged in three rounds, composers are given a ‘secret theme ingredient’ on which to compose a one-minute work. After a brief time to compose, the works are distributed to performance fellows who quickly learn the works and return to perform them. Sessions faculty serve as judges and after two rounds, 3-4 composers are selected for the final round. The winning composer receives the title Cortona Sessions Iron Composer, and various prizes.

Cortona Sessions Iron Composer Champions2014 | Dana Malseptic2013 | Dakota Wayne2012 | Dave Waugh

2011 | Ramteen Sazeghari2010 | Leo Hurley & Christopher Prosser (tie)

2015 Iron Composer Competition Rules• all works must be one minute in length. excessive timing over/under one minute will be penalized.• all works must have a title.• secret ingredients and instrumentation will be announced prior to each round

round 1 composition time: 45 minutes performer practice time: 30 minutes




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concert 11 Resident Fellow Concert

7 july 2015 | sala neumann3:00pm

________________________________

Cortona Sessions Resident Fellow ConcertDAVID REMINICK

winner of 2014 Cortona Prize2014 Cortona Fellow

Shoshana (2014)Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano

Bird Songs (2015)*I. Beaks and Gizzards [for the chicken]

II. Peck [for the pigeon] III. Old Familiar Songa [for the shrike]

IV. Song Without Words, July 3, 1844 [for the great auk]V. Partners in Crime [ for the honeyguide]

VI. Crowded Branches [for the crow]VII. What They Seem [ for the burrowing owl]

Members of the Cortona CollectiveMary Fukushima, flute

Michael Norsworthy, clarinetGeoffrey Deibel, saxophones

Ari Streisfeld, violinKivie Cahn-Lipman, celloMichael Kirkendoll, pianoJacob Wallace, conductor

*world premiere

David Reminick is a composer and performer living in Chicago. He is the singer/guitarist for the Chicago-based post-punk band Paper Mice, whose 2012 album The Funny Papers was released on the infamous San Diego label Three One G, and was the founding saxophonist for the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). David’s music has been performed and/or commissioned by the International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Dal Niente, the Spektral Quartet, the Anubis Quartet, the H2 Quartet, Marcus Weiss, Wild and Wulliman, Weston Olencki, Andy Costello, and the New York Miniaturist Ensemble. He is currently completing a cycle of works for singing string quartet with Chicago’s Spektral Quartet and an evening-length song-cycle entitled Bird Songs for the Cortona Collective.

David has received Masters Degrees in Saxophone (MM) and Music Theory (MA) from the University of Michigan, a BM in Saxophone Performance and a BA in Psychology from Oberlin Conservatory and College. He is a doctoral candidate in Composition at Northwestern University, where his teachers include Lee Hyla, Hans Thomalla, and Jay Alan Yim.


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concert 12 Saxophone Sessions Concert


________________________________

2015 Cortona Saxophone SessionsJeffrey Allardyce, SQ | Hayden Anderson, SQ | David Berrios, DV

Geoffrey Deibel, SQ | Kate Duncan, SE | Robbie Harvey, TA | Jake Hewitt, SQ Jeffrey Loeffert, DV | Kimberly Loeffert, TA/DV | Jordan Lulloff, DV | Connor Mikula, TA

Aaron Singleton, TA | Jonathan Nichol, TA | Katherine Von Bernthal, DV

SQ = Snoopy Quartet | TA = Ti Amo Quartet DV = Dolce Vita Quartet | SE = Sax Ensemble

The Invention of Singing† Jeremy Rapaport-Stein (b. 1992)Alice Hinshaw, clarinet | Robbie Harvey, saxophone | Nina Fronjian, violin

Audrey Herren, cello | Tai-Jung Tsai, percussion | Eliza Smith, sopranoChristina Muncey, conductor

Upper West Stomp (2015)†* Will Healy (b. 1990) Cortona Sessions Saxophone Ensemble

Megan Cooney, conductor

Old Books (2015)† William Kenlon (b. 1983) Snoopy Quartet

You’ve Been Talking in Your Sleep (2010) David Biedenbender (b. 1984)Ti Amo Quartet

In Solitude I Sit (2015)† Richard Chowenhill (b. 1988)Ti Amo Quartet

Anamorphosis (2014) Turkar Gasimzada (b. 1988)Cortona Fellow: 2014

Jake Hewitt, soprano | Aaron Singleton, alto Hayden Anderson, tenor | Kate Duncan, bari

written for and premiered at the 2014 Cortona Sessions


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Univocity (2009) Amy Williams (b. 1969)Dolce Vita Quartet

…dreaming, breathing in brightness… (2015)† David Vess (b. xxxx)Dolce Vita Quartet

Falling Up the Down Escalator (2009) David MacDonald (b. )Snoopy Quartet

Cortona Sessions Saxophone EnsembleIn Dreams (2008)* Roger Petersen (b. 1976)

Discordant Thoughts of a Seething Mind (xxxx)* Jeffrey Loeffert (b. 1982)

Coefficient de viscosité angélique (2005)* Claudio Gabriele (b. 1963)

† world premiere written for the 2015 Cortona Sessions* will be performed by the Cortona Sessions Saxophone Ensemble

at the 2015 World Saxophone Congress in Strasburg, France


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concert 13 Cortona Percussion Ensemble


________________________________

Alex BetsoldKanako ChikamiMatthew Ernster

Ji Hye JungTai-Jung Tsai

W. Lee Vinson

Music for Pieces of Wood (1973) Steve Reich (b. 1936)

Rain Tree (1981) Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)

Ambient Resonances (1994) Peter Klatzow (b. 1945)

Once Removed (2003) John Fitz Rogers (b. 1963)


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Vocalise (2009) Taylor Brook (b. 1985)Ari Streisfeld, violin

4 Jennifer L. Knox Songs (2014)* Kerrith Livengood (b. 1981)Rachel Calloway, mezzo soprano

Mary Fukushima, fluteMichael Kirkendoll, piano

Four Ostinato Pieces, No. 4 (2014) Andrew Yoon (b. 1994)Cortona Fellow: 2014

Amir Khosrowpour, piano

Der Turm zu Babel (2002) Mauricio Kagel (1931-2008)Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano

Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)Kivie Cahn-Lipman, celloMichael Kirkendoll, piano

Hunk o’ Chunk (2015) David Alan Broome (b. xxxx)Mary Fukushima, flute

Kivie Cahn-Lipman, celloAmir Khosrowpour, piano

Canticle Variations (2015) Forrest Pierce (b. 1972)Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano

Ari Streisfeld, violin

* 2014 Cortona Prize Special Selection


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concert 15 Premiere Concert 1


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Fuzhou 1860 (2013/rev. 2015)† Bin Li (b. 1987)Ari Streisfeld, violin | Amir Khosrowpour, piano

†winner of the 2015 Cortona Prize

There, There Zachary Jones (b. 1991)Kristen Dye, flute | David Angelo, clarinet | Nina Fronjian, violin

Audrey Herren, cello | Jack Yarbrough, piano Amy Dauphinais, conductor

Bienentänze Thomas Dempster (b. 1980)Daniel Beilman & Grant Bingham, bassoons

Four Songs Jonathan Graybill (b. 1983)Jenny Davis, flute | Audrey Herren, cello

Matthew Ernster, percussion | Wen-Ting Ong, piano Eliza Smith, soprano | Megan Cooney, conductor

Bright Solo William Kenlon (b. 1983)Grant Bingham, bassoon

Love Bade Me Welcome Rachel Whelan (b. 1992)Mary Cervantes, flute | David Berrios, saxophone

Kanako Chikami, percussion | Eliza Smith, soprano

…along the fracture planes… Jacob Egli (b. 1991)Kristen Dye, flute | Alice Hinshaw, clarinet | Nina Fronjian, violin

Alex Betsold, percussion | Jack Yabrough, pianoChristina Muncey, conductor

Form and Place Jonathan Russ (b. 1985)Francesca Ferrara, flute | David Angelo, clarinet

Nina Fronjian, violin | Wen-Ting Ong, piano Alex Betsold, percussion | Megan Cooney, conductor


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concert 16 Conducting Workshop: Pierrot Lunaire


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Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Tiel 1

conductorsMegan CooneyAmy DauphinaisChristina Muncey

ensemble2015 Cortona Fellows and Cortona Collective

1. Mondestrunken2. Columbine3. Der Dandy

4. Eine blasse Wäscherin5. Valse de Chopin

6. Madonna7. Der kranke Mond


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concert 17Premiere Concert 2


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Ugly Fugly Figgly Party Kerrith Livengood (b. 1981)Kristen Dye, flute | David Berrios, saxophone | Sunny Byun, piano

Lullaby in Black and White Jeremy Rapaport-Stein (b. 1992)Audrey Herren, cello | Kanako Chikami, percussion

concrete sky/shrine David Vess (b. 1991)Daniel Beilman, bassoon | Alex Betsold, percussion

Cocetto Spaziale 2: Ludwig’s Last C Minor Bin Li (b. 1987)Francesca Ferrara, flute | Alice Hinshaw, clarinet

Ari Streisfeld, violin | Wen-Ting Ong, pianoChristina Muncey, conductor

Cortona Shuffle Jonathan Russ (b. 1985)Kate Duncan, bari sax

spin, sing, leap Thomas Dempster (b. 1980)Nina Fronjian, violin | Audrey Herren, cello | Sunny Byun, piano

That Silent Evening Ashlin Hunter (b. 1996)Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano | Jack Yarbrough, piano

Assorted Beads Jonathan Graybill (b. 1983)Alice Hinshaw, clarinet | Tai-Jung Tsai, percussion

Happy Up Here Eden Rayz (b. 1991)Mary Cervantes, flute | Jenny Davis, flute | David Angelo, clarinet

Grant Bingham, bassoon | David Barrios, saxophone Matthew Ernster, percussion | Amy Dauphinais, conductor


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Florence Excursion

All participants in the Cortona Sessions will enjoy round-trip train transportation for a memorable day-trip to Florence. Just over an hour away from Cortona, Florence is one of the most beautiful, interesting, and historic cities in the world.

Train departs Camucia-Cortona: 8:24am Train arrives Firenze S.M.N.: 9:48am

Florence To Do / To See

The Duomo: walk to the top for stunning views

Uffizi Gallery: Giotto, Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, etc.

Galleria dell’Accadmia: home of Michelangelo’s David

Museo 900: modern art (including an exhibit on 20th/21st Century music)

Boboli Gardens: beautiful palatial gardens overlooking the city

San Lorenzo Market: fabulous shopping stalls near train station and Duomo

Trattoria Mario: one of the most incredible meals you will ever eat (Via Rosina 2r near Mercato Centrale - open noon-3:30)

super local - very italian

JUST WANDER! A GREAT WALKING CITY!


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2015 Cortona Sessions Wine Tour

The annual Cortona Sessions Wine Tour is an incredible journey into the sould of Tuscany. The focus of the tour is to experience and taste the most important and powerful wine in Tuscany: Brunello di Montalcino. We will visit two wineries in Montalcino (about 1.5 hours from Cortona) for extended tastings, highlighting the complexity and diversity of this remarkable wine. In addition, we will taste Rosso di Montalcino (the less-expensive ‘Baby Brunello) and IGT or Super-Tuscan wines (wines made by blending the Italian Sangiovese grape with French grapes). We will also enjoy a brilliant home-cooked lunch at the Terralsole estate, full of local flavor. Wines and olive oil will be available for purchase at both estates and are truly outstanding.

schedule8:30am | depart hotel

10:00am | Fattoria dei Barbi12:00pm | Terralsole

4:00pm | visit Montalcino town5:30pm | depart Montalcino

7:00pm | arrive Cortona


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2015 cortona fellows biosjeffrey allardyce | saxophone In my journey of becoming the best performer I can be, I have found that I must challenge myself in all genres of music. Although I have become accustomed to classical and jazz music, with my most recent achievement in classical saxophone being the third place finisher in the North American Saxophone Alliance’s High School Competition, I know that I still need exposure and practice in the art of contemporary music. Seeing as how contemporary music is becoming a cornerstone in saxophone repertoire, I understand it to be vital to my future as a player and teacher. I am excited to immerse myself in this new style of music at the Cortona Sessions, and challenge myself to excel and succeed.

hayden anderson | saxophone Hayden Anderson (Tulsa, OK) is pursuing a Bachelor’s in Music Education. He is currently a sophomore at Oklahoma State University. He enjoys playing all kinds of literature from classical to jazz to contemporary. He is currently tenor saxophonist in Chrono Quartet, alto saxophonist in the Hybrid Quartet, tenor saxophonist in Supersax, and tenor saxophonist in Jazz Ensemble II at OSU.

david angelo | clarinet David Angelo was born in Houston, TX and currently resides in Boston, MA as a clarinet performance major at the Boston Conservatory. He began studying clarinet at age 11. He has had many musical endeavors, including singing in the Royal School of Church Music choir, conducting children’s musicals, playing in youth symphonies, competing in concerto competitions, volunteering in several musical outreach programs, playing with ensembles at The American Festival for the Arts, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, MIT’s Concert Chorus, the Master d’Arezzo Festival, and the Boston Conservatory. He is also the winner of several awards, including the Marine Band’s Semper Fidelis Award and the American Prize’s Outstanding Solo Award.

daniel beilman | bassoon Daniel Beilman, bassoonist and contrabassoonist, has been heard in concert across the USA and Europe in major concert halls including the Royal Concertgebouw, De Doelen, Boston’s Jordan Hall, and Sanders Theater, Mechanics Hall, Kentucky Center for the Arts and Santo Domingo’s Teatro Nacional in the Dominican Republic. He has performed regularly with groups in including The Boston Philharmonic, Sound Icon, North End Music and Performing Arts Center, Gloriae Dei Artes Foundation, Longwood Symphony, New Bedford Smphony, Muncie Symphony in Indiana and the Boston Civic Symphony. As a teacher, he has been in residence with the Fundacion Sinfonia with the National Youth Orchestra for the Dominican Republic and taught privately for many years. He holds a degree in bassoon performance from the Boston Conservatory, has attended Ball State University, and is currently attending graduate school at Boston University. His teachers include Ronald Harotounian, Margaret Phillips, Keith Sweger, Roger Soren and Adrian Morejon, respectively. In addition to his playing and teaching activities, Daniel enjoys spending time in his garden and baking when he is not busy making reeds for his clients.

katherine von bernthal | saxophone Katherine is working on her Bachelor of Music in classical saxophone performance at the University of Michigan. She currently studies under Dr. Timothy McAllister. She has also studied with Donald Sinta and Joe Girard of the Donald Sinta Quartet. She enjoys composing and improvising, having been taught by Bright Sheng, Paul Shoenfeld, Matthew Browne, and Ed Sarath. Upon the completion of her Bachelor’s degree, Katherine plans to further pursue her formal education in classical saxophone performance while also expanding on her personal artistic endeavors.

alex betsold | percussion Alex Betsold received his bachelor’s degree in percussion from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied with Ayano Kataoka and Thom Hannum. Currently, Alex is a member of the graduate percussion studio at the University of Kansas, where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in percussion performance with Professor Ji Hye Jung.

david berrios | saxophone Born and raised Lakewood, New Jersey, David Berrios is a versatile musician who specializes in the baritone saxophone. Born in 1987, David has accomplished a great deal in his short career. He has received awards and scholarships for his playing from numerous institutions across the country. As a versatile musician, David has played in several different ensembles. Classically, he has performed with: the New Jersey Symphony, the Colonial Symphony of Morristown, New Jersey, the Topeka Kansas Symphony, the Montclair State University Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Kansas symphony orchestra. David has also played with The New Jazz Order Big Band, The Powerhouse Big Band, Funktion 11, The Frank Simmons Band and most recently performed with the vocalist Deborah Brown at the Montreaux Jazz Festival with the University of Kansas Jazz Band. As a doubler, David has played for many musicals and is currently working with the New Theater in Overland Park Kansas.David received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Montclair State University in New Jersey, His masters in Saxophone Performance from the University of Kansas and will start his candidacy for a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Kansas in the fall of 2015.


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grant bingham | bassoon Grant Bingham is an undergraduate student studying bassoon at the University of Kansas under Dr. Eric Stomberg. During his time at KU, Grant has performed with the wind ensemble, symphony orchestra, varying chamber groups, and the contemporary ensemble, “Helianthus.” This past fall Grant was asked to join Classical Revolution Kansas City for a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s “Histoire du Soldat,” and has since become an integral member of the ensemble. He frequently performs contemporary music, and can often be found enthusiastically helping other musicians explore this genre of music. In his spare time, Grant enjoys composing, furthering his knowledge of Germany and the German language, spending time with his rabbit, Buttons, and making oh so many reeds. He plans to begin a Masters in Music this fall.

sunny byun | piano Korean-Canadian pianist Sunny Byun started piano lessons at the age of six. Two years later, she was an award recipient at the Korean International Piano Competition. Since then, she has accumulated a wide array of repertoire and musical experiences, ranging from solo classical studies to chamber music to working as a pianist in wind ensembles, orchestras, choirs and theatre groups. Her recent ensemble performance includes Lutoslawski’s Jeux Venetians and Joseph Schwantner’s …and the mountains rising nowhere.Sunny holds the Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, under the tutelage of renowned Canadian pianist Jane Coop from Univeristy of British Columbia. She also holds Licentiate of London College of Music and Associate of Royal Conservatory of Music titles, both in Piano Performance.Currently, she is enrolled in Masters of Music in Piano Performance, studying under Dr. Corey Hamm. She is also involved with UBC Laptop Orchestra “SUBCLASS: as the main pianist. She is also the Vice Principal of the Salina Cheng Music Academy, where she specializes in private piano lessons, Music for Little Mozart group piano lessons for young beginners, and music theory. Besides her work at the academy, she teaches at various preschools as an Orff-based music instructor.

mary cervantes | flute Mary Cervantes, a student of David Shostac, is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Cal State Northridge. She has recently appeared as a soloist with the Beverly Hills International Chamber Music Festival orchestra and with the Cal State Northridge University Orchestra. Mary has performed in masterclasses with Jim Walker, Catherine Karoly, Heather Clark, Jean Ferrandais, Larry Kaplan, Liisa Ruoho, and Dr. John Barcellona. She is currently assistant director of the Sterling Flute Choir and has a private flute studio in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valley areas.

kanako chikami | percussion Japanese Percussionist Kanako Chikami began studying marimba and piano at the age of three in Kobe. She won first prize the Mid Missouri Percussion Arts Trophy and won the concerto audition at the University of Kansas in 2012. She also won first prize the Japan Percussion Society in Tokyo in 2008, second prize at the Kansai Percussion Society in Osaka in 2008, and special prize from the Mayor of Kobe in 2007. Kanako has participated and performed in masterclasses with Tom Freer, Michael Burritt, Martin Grubinger, Mard Ford, Colin Currie, Steve Reich, Nancy Zeltsman and So Percussion. She was accepted to Round Top Music Festival in 2013. Kanako is also a passionate chamber musician. She has attended the Neue Eutiner Festspiel-Opera Festival (Eutin, Germany) in 2013, the So Percussion Summer Institute, Chosen Vale, and Duff Class in 2011. She collaborated with electronic artist Dan Decon and performed the world premiere of “Purse Hurdler” at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City.

richard chowenhill | composition Richard Chowenhill is an award-winning composer and guitarist. His music has been performed across North America by Talea, the Lydian String Quartet, the Talujon Percussion Ensemble, the Beat City Percussion Ensemble, the Wellesley Composers Conference Orchestra, Music From China, members of the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, members of the UC Davis Early Music Ensemble, the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble, and numerous other soloists and ensembles. Originally from California, Richard has performed as a guitar player in numerous California-based bands and chamber ensembles. Currently he performs with the Boston-based experimental group Ehnahre, and will appear on the group’s forthcoming record. Drawing influence from his experiences performing in rock and metal bands, chamber ensembles, orchestras, jazz groups, an early music ensemble, several theatre productions, and a Hindustani vocal ensemble, his compositions frequently reflect his diverse musical background. Richard is currently the resident composer and associate artistic director with the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble and is pursuing a Ph.D. in music composition and theory at Brandeis University.

megan cooney | conducting Ms. Megan Cooney is the director of the Luther North College Prep Concert Band, Wildcat Pep Band, and Jazz Band. She also serves as the instrumental music teacher at Pilgrim Lutheran School, St. John’s Lutheran School, and Lutheran Unity West. She coaches solo and chamber ensembles (small music groups) and teaches individual/group music lessons before and after school.Ms. Cooney received her bachelors degree in music education grades K-12 instrumental, choral, and general music from Rowan University in New Jersey. In 2014 Ms. Cooney completed her masters degree in wind conducting at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is also a trained classical percussionist who loves performing.While at Rowan University she received the W. Clarke Pfleeger Award for Musical Excellence. During her time at UMass, she was nominated for the UMass Amherst Distinguished Teaching Award, the highest award given at the university for teaching faculty or graduate students. She has held professional teaching and staff appointments with Cherokee High School, Marlton, NJ, Shawnee High School, Medford NJ, Pitman High School, Pitman, NJ, Washington Township High School, Washington Township, NJ, and has


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led numerous secondary, collegiate, youth, and community ensembles.Ms. Cooney is new to Chicago and resides in Lincoln Square where she lives with her cat, Clara Schumann. During her free time, she loves to cook, watch sports (GO PATRIOTS!), practice, read, study scores and go into the city to watch live music, dance, theater and art.

amy dauphinais | conducting Amy Bovin Dauphinais is the current Director of Bands at Bristol Eastern. She holds a Masters of Music in Instrumental Conducting (where she studied with Dr. Jeffrey Renshaw and Dr. David Mills), a Bachelors of Arts in Music with a concentration in flute (where she studied with Dr. Barbara Hopkins) and a Bachelors of Science in Education with a concentration in Music all from the University of Connecticut. Mrs. Dauphinais has participated conducting clinics taught by Glen Adsit, Michael Haithcock, Michael Colgrass, Charles Peltz, Frank Battisi and Frank Ticheli. Mrs. Dauphinais was the National Vice President for Communication and Recognition of Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Sorority, Inc. where she had the opportunity to work with 140+ collegiate chapters and bands across the country. In addition, she given presentation, workshops and conducted ensembles at various universities and conventions each year including but not limited to the University of Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Baylor University and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago.

jennifer davis | flute Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Jennifer Davis is an active chamber musician, orchestral player, soloist and teacher in the Boston area. She recently received her Masters degree from Boston University, where she studied with Linda Toote. At BU she performed with the BU Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and various chamber groups. In addition to performing, Jennifer also directs the Boston University Flute Ensemble and is Teaching Assistant at the Boston Flute Academy. She was a finalist in the 2015 James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition as well as a winner of the 2011 Beethoven Club Young Artist Competition and Bachfest Competition. Jennifer has been a performer at festivals such as New Music on the Point and the Luna Nova Belvedere Chamber Music Festival. She received her undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a performance certificate from Trevor Wye’s Flute Studio in Kent, England.

thomas dempster | composition Thomas Dempster is a composer of chamber, electroacoustic, and multimedia works. With over 70 completed works to his name, his output ranges from solo miniatures to extended works for orchestra with soloists. His music bears accessible yet decidedly individualistic traits, from tonal references to extended techniques, from works touching on classical forms to experimental soundscapes and video works. His music has been performed widely throughout North America and Europe, including GEMDays (UK), Di_Stanze (Italy), Toronto Intenational Electroacoustic Symposium, the San Francisco New Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, Electroacoustic Barn Dance, NYCEMF, University of Kentucky new Music Festival, ICMC, the Indiana State University Music Now! Series, SEAMUS, Society of Composers Inc., College Music Society, the National Flute Association, the North American Saxophone Alliance, and numerous others. Dempster is a recipient of awards, honors, and grants from BMI, ASCAP, the South Carolina Arts Commission, and others. Among the commissions he has received are those from the Greenbrook Ensemble, the Blue Mountain Ensemble, the Governor’s School of North Carolina, the Ohio State University New Music Ensemble, and others. Several of his works are commercially available from Potenza Music Publishing. He is an affiliate composer of Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) www.thomasdempster.com

kate duncan | saxophone & executive/administrative intern Driven to explore both the inner workings of the music world as well as the ways it relates to popular society, Kate Duncan is a hybid performer and arts advocate. An active chamber musician, Kate is a recent national finalist of the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition, where she was the first in the program’s history to simultaneously advance to the national finals in two divisions - the string division with Trio Sienna, and the wind division with Admeta Quartet. Kate has also performed multiple times with the Mid-Europe Music Festival in Schladming, Austria. As a proponent for new music, she has premiered works by Igor Karača, Stella Fiorenzoli, Chelsea Komschlies, Frederick Evans, Steven Kowaleski, Charlotte Dumesnil, Jonathan Russ, and Turkar Gasimzada. She especially enjoys commissioning new works for Trio Sienna, which focuses on the integration of saxophone with stringed instruments in a modern medium. Equally interested in the academic study of new music, she recently presented research on Mathew Rosenbaum’s Möbius Loop at the regional North American Saxophone Alliance conference. Kate is a strong advocate for community arts outreach and artist job creation. As the founder of Stillwater Arts Outreach, she has taken instrumental teachers to rural towns to provide free and discounted private lessons to young musicians. SAO draws from both university student bodies and local adult musicians to perform in nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. She also maintains an active private studio and has been on faculty at the OSU Summer Woodwind Institute. Kate holds a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance from Oklahoma State University, where her primary mentor and professor was Dr. Jeffrey Loeffert. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Arts Leadership and Administration at Colorado State University, where she studies with award-winning playwright and renowned arts advocate, Dr. Constance Devereaux. At CSU, Kate is also active in the saxophone studio and university ensembles. Besides her university studies, she is the coordinator for northern Colorado’s chapter of MusicLink Foundation, a program which procures teachers and funds for young musicians in need of affordable private study.In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, watching The Office, and studying German and French. Her preferred gelato shop in Cortona is Snoopy’s, and she always gets a medio coppete di cookie.


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kristen dye | flute Kristen is a freelance flutist based in Boston. A native of New York, she has been a performer in New England and Colorado. She is a co-founder of the Aquila Summer Concert Series in Greeley, CO which ties contemporary music in with local businesses. Kristen has been a fellow with both the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice (SICPP) in 2014 and the Cortona Sessions for New Music in 2011. She was a founding member of the By the Numbers Soundpainting Ensemble, which has performed throughout the Front Range of Colorado. Currently, she teaches elementary band in North Reading, MA.

jacob egli | composition Jake Egli is a Boston-based composer, arranger, sound designer/engineer, and conductor who works in a variety of genres. His work is influenced by the sciences, visual arts, and the intersections between natural and artificial structures. He has had his music played by performers such as Ryan Muncy and Matthew Oliphant, and by members of ensembles including Fonema Consort, Ensemble dal Niente, Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, and others. He is a member of CanvaSounds Collective, a Boston-based international composers collective that focuses primarily on new music multi-media projects. He has also served as an arranger, conductor, and sound designer and engineer on various projects. Jake received his B.M. in composition at Columbia College Chicago, where his teachers included Marcos Balter, Drew Baker, Kenn Kumpf, Francisco Castillo Trigueros, and Dan Dehaan. He has also participated in a masterclass with Julio Estrada, as well as additional studies with guest instructor Ken Ueno. He is currently pursuing his M.M. in composition at The Boston Conservatory.

matthew ernster | percussion Matthew hails from the state of Minnesota, where he studied percussion performance with Rich MacDonald at Winona State University. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Music degree at the University of Kansas, studying percussion with Ji Hye Jung and Lee Vinson.

francesca ferrara | flute Francesca Ferrara will be a senior performance major this coming Fall at The Boston Conservatory, studying with Sarah Brady. She has been a member of both the Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble and Orchestra, and a member of various chamber groups as well as a performer for student composers. Francesca was also a member of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under the direction of Benjamin Zander. She has performed in master classes with, Trevor Wye, Michel Debost, Christina Jennings, and contemporary flutist Claire Chase. She has also attended summer festivals including ARIA International Summer Academy, InterHarmony, and the Orford Arts Centre, where she’s studied with Bonita Boyd, Renee Krimsier, Linda Toote, and Robert Langevin. In 2013, she was a member of the World Peace Orchestra in New York City where she performed with them at Lincoln Center.Previous to college, Francesca was a student of Jennifer Roth in Santa Monica, California. Along with school ensembles, she was principle flute of the Colburn School Youth Wind Ensemble, and also a member of her county’s Junior Chamber Music program. In addition to performance, Francesca has taught flute privately to students from her home community.

nina fronjian | violin Nina Fronjian began her violin studies at age nine, and holds a bachelors degree in violin performance from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee as well as a masters degree from the University of Colorado. After years of mostly playing orchestral repertoire and solo works of the classical canon during her studies, the study and performance of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time inspired a new interest in music of the 20th/21st century. She began collaborating with composers during the pursuit of her masters degree, and has found performing new music to be especially rewarding. She strives to include the study and performance of new music in her pursuits and aspirations as much as possible, and is thrilled to be doing so at Cortona Sessions. Currently residing in Boulder, Colorado, she enjoys teaching violin students of all ages as well as performing with the Fort Collins Symphony, Boulder Chamber Orchestra, Sphere Ensemble, and Colorado New Music Ensemble.

jonathan graybill | composition Jonathan Graybill earned his B.M. in composition from the Eastman School of Music, his M.M. at Indiana University and completed his D.M.A at the University of Maryland in College Park. Recent ensembles and organizations that have featured his work include the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Butler Symphony, Knox/Galesburg Symphony, the Oberlin Contemporary Ensemble, Eastman Musica Nova, the ImageMovementSound Festival, Indiana University Concert Band, pLAy Ensemble, New York Miniaturist Ensemble, the Hammer and Nail Project, Meridian Arts Ensemble, Mid-West Composers Symposium, New Music and Art Festival at Bowling Green State University and the annual Festival of New Music at Ball State University. Graybill has taught theory and aural skills at Ball State University and the University of Maryland at College Park.

robbie harvey | saxophone Robbie Harvey is currently pursuing a DMA in Performance at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS where he is a Graduate Teaching Assistant under the direction of Professor Vincent Gnojek. During his time at the University of Kansas Robbie has appeared as a guest artist with the KU Wind Ensemble, received the award of Honors in Performance as well as being a runner-up in the 2014-15 concerto competition. Mr. Harvey holds a MM in Performance from Mannes College: The New School for Music in New York, NY where he studied under the direction of New York City performer Allen Won. While obtaining a BM in Music Education from The John J. Cali School of Music in Montclair NJ, Robbie performed Ibert’s - Concertino da Camera with the Cali School of Music Symphony Orchestra as a concerto competition winner. Mr. Harvey appeared as a guest artist with the World Choir Festival at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, New York City. As a student fellow at the Virginia Tech Band Directors Institute he had the privilege of studying conducting under the tutelage of Jerry Junkin and Travis Cross.


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william healy | composition WILLIAM HEALY (b. 1990) is a composer, pianist, and trumpeter based in New York. Dedicated to both classical composition and the creation of music that spans many genres, Healy is director of the new music ensemble ShoutHouse. An accomplished pianist, Healy has been featured as a concerto soloist on numerous occasions, and he performed Bach’s complete Goldberg Variations in a series of concerts in April 2013. He currently studies composition with Kevin Puts. When he was announced as the Vassar College recipient of the W.K. Rose Fellowship in May 2014, the committee wrote, “Healy’s compositions exhibit both technical skill and lyricism, they are meticulously constructed, daringly orchestrated, and beautifully phrased.” He was a composition fellow at the Aspen Music Festival Schumann and Ford Center for Composition Studies from June-August 2013, where his wind quintet, Synapses, was selected for a subscription concert. During the festival, he studied with Steven Stucky, George Tsontakis, Stephen Hartke, John Corigliano, and John Harbison. His commissions include harpist Nancy Allen (principal harpist, New York Philharmonic), Half-Stick Duo, Kyo-Shin-An Arts, the Mahagonny Ensemble, the Marymount School, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. Mr. Healy studied composition with Harold Meltzer and Richard Wilson at Vassar College, and he is currently a Teaching Artist Associate with the New York Philharmonic Education Program.

audrey herren | cello Award-winning collaborative and solo cellist Audrey Herren has conquered both studio and stage with her striking musical performances. Graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance in 2011, she spent much of her time there participating in various ensembles and projects ranging from baroque to contemporary art/experimental music on cello, percussion and voice. A dual major in Psychology, she studied the effects of music on cognition, particularly its effects on attention. Currently she is studying at the University of Kansas toward a Master of Music in Cello Performance.Ms. Herren continues to manage and book multiple chamber ensembles, including a string quartet and her newest endeavor, a cello/classical guitar duo. Working also as a freelance cellist, she contributes to all ranges of projects from classical to rock and pop. She has shared the stage with acclaimed groups including Kansas, Yesterday and Today, Trampled by Turtles, Sleeping at Last, Skypiper, Benjamin Shafer, and her twelve-piece group Danny Sabra & Friends among others. She accompanies national acts regularly such as Tim Halperin, Rave On!, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Studio collaborations include local and regional artists Danny Sabra & Friends, Skypiper, Adelaide, A Million Pardons, and Aaron Hadenfeldt, to name a few. Ms. Herren maintains a modest studio, teaching beginner cellists and coaching. She also performs with various churches across Nebraska and Kansas, some of which attract congregation members viewing from around the world.When not performing or teaching, Ms. Herren enjoys photography, editing and other creative projects. Ms. Herren is a leadership board member of the Omaha Film Festival and an ambassador and artist instructor for the 402 Arts Collective. Through these and other outlets, Audrey enjoys finding and creating opportunities to bring arts and music to the community in new and exciting ways.

jake hewitt | saxophone Jake Hewitt is currently a Junior at the University of Oklahoma working towards a Bachelor of Music degree in saxophone performance. At OU Jake is involved with the Wind Symphony, jazz band, saxophone ensemble, and is the bari sax player in the n2 quartet. Jake is interested in working with composers to produce new music for the saxophone, recently attending the Cortona Sessions in Italy and working with student composers at OU. Jake’s primary teachers have included Mr. Cullen McCarthy, Professor John Nichol, and Dr. Jonathan Nichol.

alice hinshaw | clarinet Alice Hinshaw has studied clarinet performance with Dr. Cindy Doggett and Dr. Gregory Oakes. She has recently graduated with her bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance from Iowa State University in May 2015. In the fall, she will be attending a graduate program which she will hopefully have chosen by the time this is in print! In her free time she enjoys fishing, knitting, watching movies, and playing video games.

ashlin hunter | composition Ashlin Hunter is a composer and flutist from Stillwater, Oklahoma. Her previous compositions have received first place awards in the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association and Music Teachers National Association composition contests, as well as winning the Oklahoma City University Project21 Prize for Music Composition. Ashlin is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Composition and Theory at Bowling Green State University. She is studying music composition with Dr. Christopher Dietz and Dr. Mikel Kuehn. At BGSU, she is involved with the Combustible Arts Contemporary Music Ensemble and Praecepta, BGSU’s student-led new music organization. In addition to music, Ashlin enjoys cats and poetry.

zachary jones | composition Zach Jones (b. 1991) is a composer, pianist, drummer, and published scholar from Bethlehem, PA, USA. He graduated with honors from Lafayette College with a B.A. in Music and Sociology. At Lafayette, Zach was a Marquis Scholar and inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. As a pianist and drummer, Zach has performed in a variety of ensembles covering classical, contemporary, and popular music. He has composed rock and instrumental music since 2005 and began composing concert music while at Lafayette, where he studied with Kirk O’Riordan. He recently had music performed at the 2014 Atlantic Music Festival and will have his international premiere in Finland during the College Music Society International Conference in June 2015. Stylistically, Zach admires how cinematographers carefully frame a shot and capture an image to help tell a story, and he frames his music in a way that seeks to capture images, create storylines, and convey some kind of emotional experience. He strives to unite the worlds of contemporary music with rock, alternative, and post-rock music through his compositions. He is currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant for music theory at Arizona State University, where he is earning his MM in composition.


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william kenlon | composition William Kenlon (b. 1983), dually based in Washington D.C. and Boston, is a composer specializing in music for chamber, choral, and jazz ensembles. Described as “pointed and groovy” (New Music Box), Kenlon’s music continues to garner praise for its “lyrical personality that is original and strong,” and for its sophisticated tonal explorations: “solid without being dense, clear without being sparse, and ever-changing without being random” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). Kenlon has studied with composers from a variety of traditions and backgrounds, including John Hilliard, Jason Haney, Chuck Dotas, John McDonald, and (at present) Mark Edwards Wilson; he has also participated in lessons and masterclasses with Forrest Pierce, Gabriela Frank, Chen Yi, Yehudi Wyner, David Sanford, Hanspeter Kyburz, and Steve Reich, among others. Kenlon obtained a B.M. degree (magna cum laude) from James Madison University and an M.A. from Tufts University, and has also completed studies at McGill University and at the New England Conservatory. In 2013, he was awarded the prestigious Flagship Fellowship to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Maryland, which will be his home through mid-2016.

bin li | composition Bin Li (b. 1987, Fuzhou, China) is an emerging composer based in New York City. His music has been performed internationally at festivals and venues such as the Aspen Music Festival, the Avantin Suvisoitto (Finland), the Palais Montcalm (Quebec), the Neuen Synagoge (Berlin), the Yogyakarta Contemporary Music Festival (Indonesia), the Cortona Sessions (Italy), the Etching Festival (France), the Bowling Green New Music Festival, the Chinese National Contemporary Music Symposium, the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, the Midwest Composers Symposium, the Electronic Music Midwest, and SoundCrawl. Leading performers including the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and members of the Jack Quartet have featured his music. Bin is an award-winner of the SCI/ASCAP Commissioning Competition, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Composition Competition, the Cortona Prize, and the Jacobs School of Music Dean’s Prize. Additionally, he has received recognition from the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, the BMI Composer Awards, the International Society of Bassists, the Chinese Fine Arts Society, and the Brian M. Israel Prize. Bin holds degrees from the Jacobs School of Music and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. His principle teachers were P.Q. Phan, David Dzubay, Claude Baker and Jeffrey Hass (Electronic). Additional studies include Samuel Adler in Berlin (2012), George Tsontakis in Aspen (2012), Georg Friedrich Haas and Fred Lerdahl in France (2013), Jukka Tiensuu and Jouni Kaipainen in Finland (2014), and Reiko Fueting in NYC (present). Bin currently works at the New York Times.

kerrith livengood | composition Kerrith Livengood (b. 1981) composes a wide variety of chamber music, art songs, orchestral pieces, electronic music and graphic scores. She is also a flutist, drummer, vocalist and improviser, performing with groups such as Alia Musica Pittsburgh, and at the Music09 and Music11 Festivals in Blonay, Switzerland. Her works have been performed at festivals such as June in Buffalo, New Music on the Point, Music11, the Atlantic Music Festival, and Alia Musica Pittsburgh’s Conductors Festival. Her music features timbrally complex and harmonically rich sounds that generate unexpected musical forms, often featuring patterns subverted by secondary musical events. Her music includes text-based, graphic, and open form works, inspired by her participation in the experimental and improvisatory music community in Pittsburgh. Livengood won the inaugural American Philosophical Society’s Composition Award in 2009 for her flute, harp, and viola trio Persiflage. Between September 2010 and September 2011, she created a piece of music every day for a year, posting the recordings online. She is a native of Springfield, Missouri, and currently teaches at the University of Illinois.

jordan lulloff | saxophone Saxophonist Jordan Lulloff is a senior music performance major at Michigan State University, studying with Professor Joseph Lulloff. Jordan is a member of the MSU Wind Symphony, the Psogo Saxophone Quartet, and the J4 Saxophone Quartet. He has been the featured soloist with the United States Air Force Band, University of Memphis Wind Ensemble, and the Lansing and Ann Arbor Community Concert Bands. In February 2015, Jordan performed Michael Colgrass’s saxophone quartet concerto, Urban Requiem with the MSU Wind Symphony. In June 2012, Jordan performed a solo recital at the 16th World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland. He will be performing another solo recital at the 17th World Saxophone Congress in Strasbourg, France this July.Jordan is a founding member of the J4 Saxophone Quartet, performing with them at the 2010 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the 2012 Michigan Music Conference, 2015 Region IV NASA Regional Conference, and the 2012 & 2014 NASA Biennial Conferences. Jordan in an advocate of new music, performing premiers of compositions by David Maslanka, David Gillingham, Charles Ruggiero, Victor Marquez Barrios, Jay Batzner, Christopher Lucius Newman, Joe Krycia, and Christopher Howe.

connor mikula | saxophone Connor James Mikula is a 2015 graduate from the Michigan State University saxophone studio. Connor is a lover and supporter of new music and has taken part in and commissioned multiple new works from composers like Dr. David Biedenbender.

christina muncey | conducting Comfortable in front of a wind band or an orchestra, Christy Muncey has enjoyed a career conducting a variety of ensembles. Ms. Muncey was recently appointed to be a Band Officer with the United States Air Force and will begin her new position this spring. Ms. Muncey’s previous appointments include Director of Bands at The Johns Hopkins University, the


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director of the Colorado State University Concert Orchestra, assistant conductor for the Colorado State University Symphony and Opera CSU, assistant conductor of the Thornton Community Band, Apprentice Conductor with the Fort Collins Symphony, and Instrumental Music director at Wheat Ridge High School. Ms. Muncey is also an in-demand as a guest conductor, having given clinics in Georgia, Colorado, Maryland, and Arizona.Ms. Muncey has a Masters of Music in Conducting and Bachelors of Music in Music Education from Colorado State University. She currently attends The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University where she is working towards a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting. Ms. Muncey’s primary conducting teachers are Harlan Parker, Wes Kenney and Steven Moore.

wen-ting ong | piano Wen-Ting Ong started the piano at seven years old with other interests in art and music composition, winning regional and state awards for watercolor painting and composing. However, her involvement in music grew more exponentially than her time in the art studio and she began competing in solo piano and concerto competitions. She won first place in the Chopin Fine Arts Club Competition, IMTA, and Honorable Mention in the MTNA Junior Division. Wen-Ting later attended Andrews University, majoring in Piano Performance and Pre-med Studies and finished her Master’s Degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In her time there, she won second place in the Darius Milhaud Solo Performance and Chamber Competition and debuted at the NeoSonicFest with FiveOne, a contemporary music ensemble featuring works such as Missy Mazzioli, Judd Greenstein, and David Cromwell. She entered the University of Kansas in 2014 to pursue doctoral studies in Piano Performance with Dr. Jack Winerock. During her time in Kansas, Wen-Ting won the 2014 Fort Hays Concerto Competition, received the Patronus Award from the 2015 SAI Scholarship, was awarded Honorable Mention under Piano Duo at the 2015 International Bradshaw and Buono Piano Competition and was given a grant from the Koch Cultural Fund to support her contemporary musical ventures at the 2015 Cortona Sessions in Italy. Wen-Ting also enjoys integrating music with dance and is currently a ballet accompanist at the Lawrence Arts Center.

jeremy rapaport-stein | composition Jeremy Rapaport-Stein (b. 1992) is a Boston-based musician currently pursuing an M.F.A in composition and theory from Brandeis University. Jeremy grew up in Princeton Junction, New Jersey and received his undergraduate degree in music and political science from Swarthmore College. His previous primary composition teachers were David Rakowski and Gerald Levinson and he currently studies with Martin Boykan. Additionally, he has had lessons or participated in masterclasses with Steven Mackey, Christopher Theofanidis, Stephen Coxe, Craig Levesque, Phil Orr, David Tcimpidis, Lowell Liebermann, Stefan Young, and Chen Yi. Jeremy’s music has been presented by the wind ensemble, jazz band, and orchestra of Swarthmore College, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, California Summer Music, Westminster Choir College Conservatory, Philadelphia Composers Ink, New Music Brandeis, and the Oregon Bach Festival. He has won several prizes and fellowships for his work, including nomination as a finalist for the 2014 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer competition. Jeremy is also an award-winning cellist and jazz pianist. He has performed or heard his work premiered in parks, churches, chinese food restaurants, dive bars, and Carnegie Hall.

eden rayz | composition Eden Rayz is an Ohioan composer, cellist, vocalist and songwriter currently pursuing her masters degree in music composition at The Boston Conservatory. After studying composition at Berklee College of Music, she went on to write and orchestrate for The Contemporary Youth Orchestra and the Almeda Trio, tour internationally as part of various rock acts including her rock band The Furies, and write for members of The Cleveland Orchestra. Eden is a composer and performer as part of CanvaSounds Collective, an international composer collective and ensemble focused in collaborative multimedia and educational outreach, and Bleep Blop Ensemble, an electro-acoustic music collective who’s recordings are set to be distributed this year on Arturia Records. Her objective is to produce new strains of music that challenge and engage the senses and emotions of the listener and the participant.

jonathan russ | composition Composer and songwriter Jonathan Russ is dedicated to exploring the space between contemporary classical music, indie rock, and musical theater. Jonathan was recently featured in a portrait concert by the American Chamber Ensemble, with whom he is currently Composer-In-Residence. He has worked with the Ludovico Ensemble, Quartetto Apeiron, and members of the JACK Quartet and International Contemporary Ensemble, as well as clarinetist Stanley Drucker, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Beattie, and pianists Amir Khosrowpour and Marilyn Lehman. Jonathan has participated in the New Music On The Point Festival, Cortona Sessions, soundSCAPE Festival, and highSCORE Festival. He is the 2014 winner of the MA-ASTA Composition Competition and a winner of the Boston Conservatory Choral Composers’ Competition.A Long Island native, Jonathan holds a BA from Brown University in music and international relations and an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in musical theater writing. He has studied composition with Dalit Warshaw and Andy Vores and has had lessons with Christopher Theofanidis, Dmitri Tymoczko, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Marcela Pavia, Gabriela Lena Frank, Forrest Pierce, and Chester Biscardi. Jonathan is currently studying with Curtis Hughes at The Boston Conservatory, where he is pursuing a master’s in composition.

aaron singleton | saxophone Aaron Singleton is from Richardson, Texas and is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education at Oklahoma State University with Dr. Jeffrey Loeffert. An avid chamber musician, Aaron is the alto saxophonist in the Chrono Quartet, who recently received Honorable Mention at the MTNA state chamber music competition, an alto in the Symphonic Band and Jazz Band II at OSU, an alto in the OSU Saxophone Ensemble, and a clarinetist in the Concert Band at OSU.


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Aaron has performed as a soloist and ensemble member at the Biennial NASA Conference and Region IV NASA Conference, as well as the Midwest Clinic, TMEA, and TBA.A graduate of L.V. Berkner High School, Aaron works as a marching band technician during the summer months with his former band director and mentor Frank Troyka. Aaron also teaches private saxophone lessons to middle school students at Perkins Middle School in Perkins, OK. Fascinated my music pedagogy Aaron aspires to be a high school band director. This is his second year to attend the Cortona Sessions for New Music.

eliza smith | voice Eliza has been singing for as long as she can remember thanks to her parents belief in early childhood music education. Her love of music was fostered by her participation in children’s choirs and later her exploration of instrumental music including piano, cello, and percussion. She started her wonderful adventure at Iowa State University in Fall 2012 as Cunegonde in the University’s production of “Candide”. She hasn’t looked back since! After she graduates from the program in spring 2015, Eliza plans to attend graduate school to complete a double masters in Opera performance and Gender Studies in Musicology.

tai-jung ‘fofo’ tsai | percussion Tai-Jung (Fofo) Tsai is a current doctoral student at the University of Kansas in percussion performance under the instruction of Ji- Hye Jung. As a soloist, Post-Crescent news in Appleton described “Tai-Jung Tsai’s technique was sheer perfection”. She currently serves as the principal percussionist of The University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, described by the New York Times as “one of America’s most esteemed concert bands.”Ms. Tsai is a founding member of a new music percussion quartet, Ad Astra Percussion. Ad Astra Percussion performs the work of living composers throughout the Kansas City and Lawrence area. In 2012, they co-commissioned and premiered a percussion Quartet piece, Locomotion (2012) by American composer Dave Hollinden. Ad Astra Percussion is sponsored by TreeHouse Drums.Ms. Tsai received her Master of Music with honor from New York University and her Bachelor of Music in Chinese Music from Tainai National University of Arts in Taiwan.

david vess | composition David Vess (b. 1991) is a Boston based composer and tubist. His most recent activities include the premiere of his Concerto for Horn with soloist Nick Auer at the Boston Conservatory. He was the winner of the 2014 Boston Conservatory Sinfonietta Composition Competition, with his piece, Rift, which was premiered by the Boston Conservatory Sinfonietta. Upcoming projects include spectre for the Boston Conservatory Composer’s Orchestra and small set of piano preludes. His music has been performed in the US and Canada and he has been commissioned by groups such as Boston Musica Viva, the Ludovico Ensemble and IKTUS percussion and piano duo. David is originally from Spruce Pine, North Carolina. He holds a Bachelor of Music in tuba performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a Master of Music in composition at the Boston Conservatory, studying under Jonathan Bailey Holland and Curtis K. Hughes. He is planning on returning to complete a Professional Studies Certificate in composition at the Boston Conservatory this fall.

rachel whelan | composition Rachel Whelan is a burgeoning composer who dares to break convention in the field of new music. A native of the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, Whelan won contests for songwriting. Upon arriving to university, she began to write works for wind band. She has won recognition in Nebraska as a songwriter, performing at the Lied Center’s Johnny Carson Theater, and as a chamber composer, with a chamber work premiered by members of the Omaha Symphony in the Holland Center for the Performing Arts. Whelan also collaborates with student filmmakers across three different states to score short films. As a graduate student in music composition at the University of South Carolina, she oversees both the New Voices student concerts and the Southern Exposure New Music Series. She also works as assistant director for Treefalls: New Music, a concert series dedicated to the performance of music by living composers, based in Spartanburg, SC.

jack yarbrough | piano Jack Yarbrough is an 18-year-old pianist from Birmingham, AL. He has been studying piano at the Alabama School of Fine Arts for the past 6 years, where he accompanies and performs with the choir, as well as various jazz ensembles. He also is a member of a trio consisting of Piano, Cello, and Double Bass, which mainly performs 20th century and contemporary music. Jack is especially devoted to performing music of the early 20th century, and has studied works by such composers as Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Olivier Messiaen and George Antheil. He has won multiple awards at piano competitions, most recently including alternate at MTNA state competition. Jack is an avid record collector, and in addition to music enjoys studying Japanese art films and drinking craft coffee.

2014 Cortona Sessions Fellows & Faculty


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Complimenti a tutti per una fantastica estate! Besti auguri per una vita musicale pieno di

amore, passione, e grande successo!


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GRAZIE MILLE!

Thank you to the following people and places for their support of the Cortona Sessions for New Music

Civitella Ranieri FoundationDave and Gunda Hiebert

Adams PercussionHotel Oasi Neumann

2015 Cortona Sessions for New Music

Documents

Transcript of 2015 Cortona Sessions for New Music