History

Our 6th season was held in the beautiful lakeside town of Maccagno, high in the Italian Alps. From 14-25 July, the festival brought together participants and faculty from 13 countries. The first annual Composer in Residence fellowship was awarded to Patricia Alessandrini, whose music was the focal point of several lectures and performances, including a new trio composed for soundSCAPE faculty. Voice participants gave concert readings of four chamber operas, pianists joined forces in a collaborative performance of George Crumb’s Makrokosmos books I & II, the soundSCAPE improv collective presented their first performance, and the festival hosted an evening devoted to screenings of new films whose soundtracks were by festival composers.

soundSCAPE awards

Each season, soundSCAPE recognizes the overall contributions of two participants during the festival period. The soundSCAPE Commission Award carries a cash prize of 250 USD, and a commission to compose a piece to be premiered by faculty performers at the following year’s festival. The 2010 recipient of this award was Ju Ri Seo. The soundSCAPE Performer Prize also carries a cash prize of 250 USD, and was awarded to cellist Jennifer Bewerse.

guest artists

Guest residencies provide an opportunity for participants to mentor with leading artists in a variety of disciplines. 2010 soundSCAPE guest artists included guitarist Mauricio Carrasco, composer/guitarist Stephen Goss, pianists Brendan Kinsella, Shoko Kinsella, and Richard Reber.

performances

Performances at soundSCAPE were sponsored by Associazione Culturale Sconfinarte and hosted at the Auditorium Città di Maccagno. The series featured nine concerts in as many days, with over 20 pieces receiving a premiere performance. The following participants were selected to perform solo recitals: Ahmet Sönmezler guitar, Jennifer Bewerse cello, Ward De Vleeschhouwer piano, and Masako Kunimoto percussion. Click below to download complete program details:

participants

*awarded the ’08 commission prize
†auditor in composition

The fifth season featured exciting new programming in both courses and concerts. The Florestan Recital Project mentored composers and performers in the creation and performance of new art song at the festival. The European premier of Brian Hulse’s chamber opera “The Letter” along with themed programming of electro-acoustic and a “Passing Tributes” recital rounded out the concert series. Held from 14-26 July, the festival was produced in part by the Associazione Culturale Biquadro, and hosted at the Vittadini School of Music.

soundSCAPE awards

Each season, soundSCAPE recognizes the overall contributions of two participants during the festival period. The soundSCAPE Commission Award carries a cash prize of 250 USD, and a commission to compose a piece to be premiered by faculty performers at the following year’s festival. The 2009 recipient of this award was Timothy Mauthe. The soundSCAPE Performer Prize also carries a cash prize of 250 USD, and was awarded to guitarist Andrew Booth.

new faculty

Our artist faculty provide participants an opportunity to work closely with leading professionals in a variety of disciplines. New faculty to soundSCAPE in 2009 were percussionist Aiyun Huang, mandolinist Avi Avital, baritone Aaron Engebreth, tenor Joe Dan Harper, musicologist Judith Lochhead.

performances

Performances at soundSCAPE were hosted at the Vittadini School of Music in Pavia. The series featured thirteen concerts in a span of nine days, with over 40 pieces receiving their world premiere. The following participants appeared in solo recitals: Jenna Anderson violin, Artem Vovk guitar, Ariana Lamon-Anderson clarinet, Amie Watson and Trent Petrunia percussion, Dorothea Hayley soprano, and Bryan Kelly piano. Click below to download complete program details:

participants

*awarded the ’08 commission prize

Formerly known as the Cortona Contemporary Music Festival, the fourth season of this event ushered in many changes and new ideas. First and foremost, the festival adopted the new name of soundSCAPE, and began a fruitful relationship with the city and people of Pavia. Held from 15-25 July, the festival was produced in part by the Associazione Culturale Biquadro, and hosted at the Vittadini School of Music.

soundSCAPE awards

Each season, soundSCAPE recognizes the overall contributions of two participants during the festival period. The soundSCAPE Commission Award carries a cash prize of 250 USD, and a commission to compose a piece to be premiered by faculty performers at the following year’s festival. The 2008 recipient of this award was Andrew Colella. The soundSCAPE Performer Prize also carries a cash prize of 250 USD, and was awarded to soprano Amanda DeBoer.

guest artists

Residencies provide participants an opportunity to work closely with leading artists in a variety of disciplines. 2008 soundSCAPE guest artists included pianist Alfonso Alberti, mandolinist Avi Avital, composer Karl Korte, composer Michael Quell, musicologist Martin Scherzinger, and pianist Omri Shimron.

performances

Performances at soundSCAPE were hosted in historic venues throughout the city of Pavia. The series featured eleven concerts over a span of eight days, with 26 pieces receiving their world premiere. The following participants were featured in recital: Andrew Booth guitar, Marco Fusi violin, Rachel Beetz flute, Dustin Donahue percussion, Amanda DeBoer soprano, and Bobby Mitchell piano. Click below to download complete program details:

participants

*awarded the ’07 commission prize

From 2005 to 2007, soundSCAPE was held in Cortona, Italy and aptly named the Cortona Contemporary Music Festival. The Medieval hill town of Cortona is perhaps best known as the setting for movies such as Under the Tuscan Sun, and Life is Beautiful. The festival was held from 13-22 July and was produced by Toscana Americana; Patrick Mahoney, Executive Director. Innovations included the addition of a composition laboratory, featuring electronic keyboards with headphones for use by participant composers. For a first-hand account, visit Anne Ku’s travelogue, which contains many wonderful photos and mp3s.

soundSCAPE award

The ratio of composers to performers being 4/1, the festival was witness to a wonderful variety of new pieces. Inspired by these individual voices, the faculty decided to commission one participant composer for a piece. Presented at the close of the festival, the first soundSCAPE Commission was awarded to Chris Williams, a student at the University of Sydney in Australia. Chris’s piece Moonlight, and the sorrow will be premiered by the faculty in 2008.

guest artists

Residencies provide participants an opportunity to work closely with leading artists in a variety of disciplines. 2007 Cortona guest artists included pianist/career coach Anne Ku and guitarist Robert Bekkers.

performances

Performances at Cortona were hosted in various halls of the hotel conference center. The series featured seven recitals, with 22 pieces receiving their world premiere. The following participants were featured in recital: pianists Antoine Françoise and Michele Chiasserini, and composer-pianist Man-Ching Donald Yu. Download complete program details here.

participants

From 2005 to 2007, soundSCAPE was held in Cortona, Italy and aptly named the Cortona Contemporary Music Festival. The Medieval hill town of Cortona is perhaps best known as the setting for movies such as Under the Tuscan Sun, and Life is Beautiful. The festival was held from 15-22 July and was produced by Toscana Americana; Patrick Mahoney, Executive Director. The 2006 season primarily attracted performers, who presented the world premieres of pieces submitted through the festival’s call for scores by well-known composers from around the world.

guest artists

Residencies provide participants an opportunity to work closely with leading artists in a variety of disciplines. 2006 Cortona guest artists included guitarist Robert Bekkers, pianist Kathryn Fouse, flutist Mary Fukushima, pianist Michael Kirkendoll, and pianist/career-coach Anne Ku.

performances

Performances at Cortona were hosted at the Sala Neumann/Hotel Oasi, and outdoors at the Monti del Paterre Anfiteatro (pictured above). The series featured eight recitals, with over 30 pieces receiving their world premiere. Download complete program details here:

participants