News and music to start your week!
Congratulations to Missy Mazzoli who was named as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s new Composer in Residence! We look forward to how her influence, and music, impact the CSO programming in the coming seasons! A new commission for the CSO will premiere in the 2019-2020 season. Three cheers for this exciting honor!
The New York Times spoke to Camryn Cowan and Jordan Millers – two 11-year-old girls who had their work premiered by the New York Philharmonic. The girls were part of the Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers initiative, and received a great review by Anthony Tommasini. Read the article to get a chance to listen to both pieces!
The 1994 recording of Ethel Smyth’s The Wreckers has been re-released — and a newly staged version will be offered this fall by Arcadian Opera in Buckinghamshire, UK. Both of these performances tie in to a fascinating discussion about Smyth and the score of The Wreckers. You can listen on BBC Radio 4: Tales from the Stave! (not sure how long the program will be available). Smyth is something of a legendary figure, and the program raises the issue that her vivid personality was rather easily caricatured. The focus needs to be more on her music, and yet the lack of performing materials makes this a challenge. The Wreckers is the best-known of her six operas, yet there is no definitive edition of the work. Conductor Odaline de la Martinez discusses the score with musicologist Sophie Fuller, and tenor/conductor Justin Lavender.