Composition
Luca Cori studied composition at the Conservatory of Milano obtaining the summa cum laude diploma in 1992; during the same period he studied with Franco Donatoni, Brian Ferneyhough, and Gérard Grisey in Milan, Rome, and Siena. He has been assistant to Franco Donatoni at the Universidad Autónoma de México; in 2003 he also gave masterclasses in composition, analytical conferencies, and the lectio magistralis “The youngest generation of Mexican composers” at Centro Nacional de las Artes in México City. Furthermore, he gave some readings about his own music for the radio (Radio opus 94 and Radio UNAM) and the television (DGTVE). He has written an analytical monography on the structures of the Art of Fugue, which has been published between 2001 and 2004 by Hortus Musicus. He writes also for the Mexican quarterly Pauta, the most important Mexican musicological magazine. Luca Cori teaches composition at the Conservatory of Vicenza, Italy.
ANN CLEARE – Irish Artist in Residence
Ann Cleare is an Irish composer working in the areas of concert music, opera, extended sonic environments, and hybrid instrumental design. Her work has been commissioned and presented by major broadcasters such as the BBC, NPR, ORF, RTÉ, SWR, WDR for festivals such as Gaudeamus, Wittenertage fur Neue Kammermusik, International Music Institute Darmstadt, Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik, IMATRONIC, and MATA, working with ensembles such as: ICE, ELISION, JACK Quartet, Ensemble Nikel, Yarn/Wire, ensemble mosaik, and The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Ann has studied at University College Cork, IRCAM, and holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. She currently lectures in Composition at the University of York, England, and will soon commence as Assistant Professor of the Music and Media Technologies Masters at Trinity College Dublin. Her scores are published by Project Schott New York. website
JASON ECKARDT – Composer-in-Residence
Jason Eckardt played guitar in jazz and metal bands until, upon first hearing the music of Webern, he immediately devoted himself to composition. Since then, his music has been influenced by his interests in perceptual complexity, the physical and psychological dimensions of performance, political activism, and self-organizing processes in the natural world. Three portrait albums are available on the Mode and Tzadik labels and his music is published by Carl Fischer. He teaches composition at City University of New York’s Graduate Center and Brooklyn College and lives in the Catskill Mountains. website
SHAWN JAEGER – Composer Fellow
Composer Shawn Jaeger’s music often draws inspiration from Appalachian folksong. His works have been performed by Dawn Upshaw and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the JACK Quartet, Ensemble Dal Niente, Talea Ensemble, and Alexi Kenney, and he has received commissions from Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the American Composers Forum, Roulette/Jerome Foundation, the BMI Foundation/Concert Artists Guild, and Chamber Music America. Jaeger holds a DMA in composition from Northwestern University and is a 2016-18 Arts Fellow at Princeton University. website
MARCELA PAVIA– On Leave 2018
Marcela Pavia received her Masters in Composition at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Argentina), and also in Electronic Music at the Milan Conservatory. She has participated in courses and seminars with Donatoni, Ligeti, Morricone, Pousseur and Torres Maldonado. She was Artist in residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (USA) and at the Aargauer Kuratorium in Switzerland. Awards include SONOM, Erasmus Competition Universitè VIII (Paris), “Trinac”, and the “Miriam Gideon” Prize among others. website
Ensemble-in-Residence
Vertix Sonora Ensemble
Since its appearance in 2010, Vertixe Sonora Ensemble became in a veritable boost of Galician society. Its permanent new works premiere allows that Galicia participates of the international sound creation for the first time in its history with an active and challenging role. An irreplaceable reference for the latest young generation of international composers that find in their productions the opportunity for developing their musical ideas with a global perspective and in a constant state of upheaval, in the pursuit of artistic excellence. Associated to the Galician Institute of Sonology (IGS) a platform for sound investigation and experimentation with new digital methods and tools, Vertixe Sonora Ensemble is integrated by prominent soloists of contemporary music in Galicia and Portugal, including sound and visual artists, jazz musicians, classical performers, and people of the theatre and dance. From an awareness of the diversity in the approach to sound, it provides a constant dialogue and interaction with the thought, science, technology and other forms of contemporary art with a cosmopolitan perspective, integrative and cross-cultural that do not renounce nor the rigor, nor the transgression nor the spirit of the avant-garde.
Performance
TONY ARNOLD, soprano – On Leave 2018
Soprano Tony Arnold is recognized internationally as a leading proponent of new music. “Simply put, she is a rock-star in this genre” (Sequenza 21). Member of the International Contemporary Ensemble. Soloist with Ensemble Modern, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, L.A. Philharmonic. Festival appearances include Darmstadt, Cervantino, Lucerne, Santa Fe, Tongyeong, Witten. Collaborations with Crumb, Furrer, Kurtág, Aperghis, Lang. Premiered over 200 works; has over 25 recordings including a Grammy nomination. Taught at SUNY Buffalo, Eastman. website
LISA CELLA, flute
A champion of contemporary music and Associate Professor at UMBC, Lisa Cella performs throughout the United States and abroad. She is a founding member of new music ensemble NOISE, the flute duo inHale, and the flute and cello duo C2. She is a faculty member of the Soundscape Festival of Contemporary Music in Maccagno, Italy. She received degrees from Syracuse University, Peabody Conservatory, and the University of California, San Diego. website
LUCY DHEGRAE, voice
Vocal versatility and an omnivorous curiosity” (New York Times) are the hallmarks of Lucy Dhegrae, a passionate vocalist whose flexible technique fits a variety of styles. She has performed with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), the Albany Symphony, and Talea Ensemble, among others, at such venues as Miller Theatre, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. Dhegrae, who is “everywhere new music is being sung” (New York Classical Review) regularly premieres new vocal works and operas, and has worked closely with such composers as Unsuk Chin, Jason Eckardt, Susan Botti, Alexandra Vrebalov, and Sky Macklay. As “soprano and raconteur” (The New Yorker) she directs Resonant Bodies Festival, which she founded in 2013. website
FELIX FAN, cello
Felix Fan’s versatility has made him one of the most sought after cellists of his generation. As a chamber musician, he has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham and Janos Starker, in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Musikverein and Royal Festival Hall. Fan’s recent solo engagements include the San Diego and Pacific Symphonies, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Macau Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. In 2006, Fan and violinist Cho-Liang Lin recorded Gordon Chin’s Double Concerto with Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony (Naxos). website
MARK FEWER, violin
Described as “genre-bending” by the National Post, and “intrepid” by the Globe and Mail, Mark Fewer has performed around the world to critical acclaim in virtually every role asked of a violinist – and then some. His regular musical diet includes performances from the early baroque to the avant-garde, with recent performances as soloist with groups as wide-ranging as the Melbourne Symphony (Australia), the Fodens-Richardson Brass Band (UK), the Zapp Quartet (Amsterdam), and the McGill Percussion Ensemble (Canada). He is also a dedicated chamber musician, jazz violinist, artistic director, and teacher. website
DIETER HENNINGS, guitar
Dieter Hennings is director of guitar studies at the University of Kentucky. He has won several prestigious competitions including the 2008 Aaron Brock International Guitar Competition, 2005 Eastman Guitar Concerto Competition, the 2002 Villa de Petrer, Alicante (Spain) International Competition, the 2001 Portland Guitar Competition. Has recorded for Bridge, Nonesuch, Parma, Bridge and Quindecim labels. Member of Duo Damiana with Grammy-winner flutist Molly Barth. website
Matilda Hofman conducts regularly in Europe and elsewhere. In 2011 she performed Luigi Nono’s Prometeo at the Salzburg Festival and Berliner Festspiele with Ensemble Modern, alongside Ingo Metzmacher. Subsequent performances have included at the Holland Festival and at the Tonhalle in Zurich, the 2015 Ruhrtriennale and the Paris Autumn Festival. Other recent guest conducting appearances include with the Bochumer Symphoniker, SWR Sinfonie-Orchester Freiburg, Kammerakademie Potsdam in Germany and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Canada in their New Music Festival in a performance which was broadcast on CBC radio. website
Aiyun Huang enjoys a musical life as soloist, chamber musician, researcher, teacher and producer. She was the First Prize and the Audience Award winner at the Geneva International Music Competition in 2002. A champion of new music, Aiyun has premiered over 100 works over the last two decades internationally. She holds the position of Associate Professor in Percussion and was recently appointed a William Dawson Scholar at McGill University. website
THOMAS ROSENKRANZ, piano
Hailed as “One of the best new music performers around” (American Record Guide), Thomas Rosenkranz enjoys a musical life as a soloist, chamber musician, and artist teacher. Since winning the Classical Fellowship Award from the American Pianists Association, his concert career has taken him to four continents. He is currently an Associate Professor of Piano at the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University. website
WENDY YATES, viola
Wendy Yates holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature and a minor in conducting from the Eastman School of Music where she also received her Masters in Music. Her undergraduate work in both Music Performance and Music Education was at the University of Northern Colorado. During the semester before her student teaching at UNC, she won the concerto competition and performed as soloist with the University Orchestra. While at Eastman, she served as teaching assistant for George Taylor and as viola instructor for students at the University of Rochester.
Staff
NATHANAEL MAY, founder and artistic director
As a festival producer, concert organizer, recording artist, consultant, educator, and pianist, Nathanael May seeks to open doors for musicians in today’s competitive marketplace. He performs widely as a member of the Strung Out Trio and was awarded the American Prize for solo performance in 2012. Additional recognitions include the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award from UW-Whitewater and awards for Service-Leadership and Faculty Scholarship from MWSU. He lectures as an associate professor at Missouri Western State University. website
JAMIE LEIGH SAMPSON, executive director
Jamie Leigh Sampson is a bassoonist, composer, author, and entrepreneur. She is the author of Contemporary Techniques for the Bassoon: Multiphonics and has presented her compositions and research at internationally respected conferences and festivals. Jamie is an instructor at SUNY Fredonia. website
AARON CRAWFORD, head recording engineer
CURTIS RUMRILL, web design
The music of Curtis Rumrill explores the intersection of literary form and modern chamber music. His works with writer, naturalist and visual artist Webberly Ebberly Finnich (née Zachary Webber) tell stories of animals in desperate or violent predicaments. He is also the composer of instrumental chamber music with and without electronics, works for tape, and studio compositions. website