Between Tides
Five unique composers and five outstanding works in Between Tides, kick off the 18th season of challenging and innovative music making for newEar contemporary chamber ensemble on Saturday, September 11 at 8pm at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO.
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Tōru Takemitsu |
Peiying Yuan |
The centerpiece of the evening is Tōru Takemitsu's Between Tides (for piano trio) in which the influence of Duke Ellington and Olivier Messiaen can be heard undulating, interwoven amongst the various elements of the piece. In addition, this engaging concert features works by Roderik de Man, Bonnie Miksch and Edward Jacobs and a brilliant new piece, Five Elements, from newEar Composers' Competition student winner Yuan Peiying.
A pre-concert talk with composer Peiying Yuan will begin at 7:15pm.
Tickets for Crossing Tides are $20 and $10 for students with ID. For ticket information call the Central Ticket Office 816-235-6222 or toll-free at 888-286-4849.
For more information on concerts, artists and downloadable photographs visit newEar.org or contact Jedd Schneider at 816-294-5481.
Meet composer and newEar board member Billy Lackey
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Billy Lackey |
"Lackey has orchestrated an emotionally moving, multimedia work called Ritual of the Body Electric." - Nick Malewski, Kansas City Star - September 4, 2008.
The music of William J. Lackey has been featured at the Festival of New American Music (Sacramento, CA), Quixotic Performance Fusion, Bowdoin International Summer Music Festival, Dartington International Summer School, the Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East, New York University's "Music for the XXI Century" Festival and California's Festival of the Arts. His music has been performed by The New York Art Ensemble, the California E.A.R. Unit, newEar, mezzo soprano Linda Hirst, soprano Rebecca Sherburn, clarinetist Alan Hacker, saxophonist Mary Joy Patchett, saxophonist Keith Michael Bohm, percussionist Joby Burgess, and percussionist Chris Brannick. Lackey was selected to participate in the 2009 Etchings Festival for Contemporary Music at Moulin à Nef in Auvillar, France. He was also selected as a resident artist for Troika Ranch's 2008 Live - I Workshop held at the 3LD Art and Technology Center in New York. Lackey won the 1998 New York Art Ensemble Young Composers Competition.
Currently, he is Administrative Director for the Mizzou New Music Summer Festival and the Admissions and Publicity Coordinator for the University of Missouri School of Music. He serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for newEar contemporary chamber ensemble and a member of the board of directors for the Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance (KcEMA). Lackey received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Composition from the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Conservatory of Music and Dance. He studied composition with James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, and Jennifer M. Barker. To find out more about his music visit williamjlackey.com.
Chromatic Collaboration with Owen/Cox Dance Group
Friday, April 29 & Saturday, April 30, 2011 8:00PM
Union Station – H&R Block City Stage Theatre
newEar is thrilled to present a blockbuster partnership with Kansas City’s preeminent dance collective, the Owen/Cox Dance Group. For two performances only, this intense, vibrant event will be a brilliantly hued feast for the senses! Works by the never-dull Jacob TV (Garden of Love for sax and boombox) and Hyekyung Lee (Shadowing for clarinet and alto sax) will be performed, among other collaborative and solo gems, as well as Louis Andriessen’s amazing Worker’s Union. Don’t miss this dazzling intersection of music and motion!
This special event is separate from the newEar subscription season as tickets are available from the Union Station box office only. Please call 913-338-1500 for more information.
Spectra 2010/11
newEar announces its 18th season with a with a sweeping spectrum of dazzling concerts and a not-to-be-missed special collaborative event – the first of its kind in our history!
Concert 1: Between Tides
Saturday, September 11, 2010 8:00PM
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
In addition to works by Roderik de Man, Bonnie Miksch and Edward Jacobs, this engaging concert features a work by the student winner of the first newEar Composers’ Competition, Yuan Peiying: 5 Elements. The centerpiece of the evening will be Takemitsu’s coruscating, gorgeous Between Tides for piano trio.
Concert 2: Pulitzer Autumn Reflections
Saturday, November 13, 2010 8:00PM
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
Curated by long-time newEar pianist Robert Pherigo, this program features works by recent winners of the Pulitzer Prize in music. A bouquet of chamber and solo pieces by John Corigliano, Steven Stucky, Jennifer Higdon, Paul Moravec, and Leon Kirchner compose this distinguished and variegated collection, many of which are Kansas City premières.
Concert 3: Vocalissimus
Saturday, February 19, 2011 8:00PM
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
Grawemeyer Award-laureate Sebastian Currier’s massive soprano / chamber ensemble song cycle, Vocalissimus, tethers a concert of vivid aural bliss. Prismatic pairings by Sofia Gubaidalina, Leon Kirchner, and Sara Graef balance the program, along with a solo work by Tomas Svoboda.
Information about season ticket packages can be found at newear.org. To become a newEar season subscriber, please call the Central Ticket Office at 816.235.6222 or toll-free at 1.888.286.4849.
Chromatic Collaboration with Owen/Cox Dance Group
Friday, April 29 & Saturday, April 30, 2011 8:00PM
Union Station – H&R Block City Stage Theatre
newEar is thrilled to present a blockbuster partnership with Kansas City’s preeminent dance collective, the Owen/Cox Dance Group. For two performances only, this intense, vibrant event will be a brilliantly hued feast for the senses! Works by the never-dull Jacob TV (Garden of Love for sax and boombox) and Hyekyung Lee (Shadowing for alto sax and clarinet) will be performed, among other collaborative and solo gems, as well as Louis Andriessen’s stultifyingly amazing Worker’s Union. Don’t miss this dazzling intersection of music and motion!
This special event is separate from the newEar subscription season as tickets will be available from the Union Station box office ONLY. Please call 913-338-1500 for more information.
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James Mobberley |
Season finale curated by James Mobberley
“the most enjoyable and cohesive of any programs … from the ensemble in the past few years.” More accolades for the “Regenerations” concert can be seen here.
Preview of Concert 4: Regenerations
James Mobberley and his music play a significant role in newEar's musical direction. newEar will honor this long-standing collaboration by dedicating this concert to his music, the music that has inspired him, and his pedagogical impact. Mobberley's intricately moving Two Studies in Perpetual Motion is the centerpiece of our final concert of the season. We will perform Mobberley student Michael McFerron's gripping Torrid Mix (featuring DJ Jazzy King and Master L.T.) for piano and tape. Performances of Mobberley's mentors will include Roger Hannay's Oh, Friends! and Donald Erb's alluring Three Poems for violin and piano. Also included on this program are Violin Sonata No.4 by Charles Ives and Density 21.5 by Edgard Varèse. Lansing McLoskey's Requiem, v.2.001, winning work of the First Annual newEar Composers' Competition, will also be performed on this concert, (funded in part through Meet The Composer's MetLife Creative Connections program).
We also invite you to join us for a pre-concert talk moderated by David D. McIntire with composers James Mobberley, Michael McFerron and Lansing McLoskey at 7:15pm.
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James Mobberley |
Michael McFerron |
Lansing McLoskey |
Location: All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, Missouri.
We invite you to participate in "Current Conversations with newEar"
January 29, 2009
Two courses offered through the University of Missouri Kansas City's Communiversity will serve as pre-concert conversations for newEar's two remaining performances of our 17th season. newEar's mission, for the two courses, is to provide a forum for music enthusiasts to learn and converse about contemporary composers and their music while placing the music in a larger social context.
Want to know what a zheng sounds like? Come to Section A, held on Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM, University Center, Alumni Room, 50th and Rockhill Road. This section will focus on a discussion around Concert 3: China Rising-Saturday, March 13, 2010.
Want to know how much of an influence a composer's mentor has on their creative process? Come to section B, held on Thursday, April 29, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM, Grant Hall, Room 333, 52nd and Holmes. In section B we will focus the discussion around Concert 4: Regenerations-Saturday, May 1, 2010.
A recommended reading list will be posted on the newEar website one month prior to each class. To signup for the class, please visit the UMKC website. There is a small fee for the class but each class participant will be provided a FREE ticket to the concert being discussed. Come take part in this dynamic conversation that will aid you in your concert going experience!
Spotlight on Ingrid Stölzel
January 29, 2009
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Ingrid Stölzel, President of the newEar Board of Directors is a composer whose music is being performed across the United States, Canada and Europe. Ingrid is the winner of the 2010 NewMusic@ECU Festival Orchestra Composition Competition for her orchestral work Genius Loci-Spirit of Place (2009) and has been invited to the IC[CM] 2010 International Conference on Contemporary Music in A Coruña, Spain, where her piano trio The Road is All (2007) will be performed in April. Her piano trio will also be featured on the NACUSA National Conference in Portland, Oregon. In addition, Ingrid will be a featured composer on the Boston New Music Initiative Concert in February of this year.
Stölzel received her doctorate in composition at the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music and Dance in Kansas City, where she studied with James Mobberley, Chen Yi and Zhou Long and holds a Master of Music in Composition from the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut.
Ingrid has written for ensembles including newEar, NOISE/San Diego New Music, California E.A.R. Unit, Adaskin String Trio, Erato Chamber Orchestra, Allegresse Trio and Synchronia. She is a frequent guest composer and her music has been heard at numerous music festivals around the country including the soundOn 2008 Festival of Modern Music, 30th Sacramento State Festival of New American Music, Oregon Bach Festivals, Ernest Bloch Festivals, 2007 Women in New Music Festival, Chamber Music Conference of the East, Otterbein Contemporary Music Festival, and Indiana State Contemporary Music Festival, among others.
The First Annual Composers' Competition Winners
December 29, 2009
newEar contemporary chamber ensemble is pleased to announce Lansing McLoskey and Peiying Yuan as the winners of the First Annual newEar Composers' Competition. Over one hundred works were submitted from around the world and reviewed by a panel of judges for the competition. newEar is excited to work with both composers and is looking forward to programming their works on a concert in the near future.
The First Annual newEar Composers' Competition was split into two categories. Composers submitting in category one were studying composition privately or enrolled in a degree program. Composers submitting in category two were not enrolled in a degree program.
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Category two winner, Lansing McLoskey submitted his work Requiem, v.2.001 for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion. Lansing will receive a performance of Requiem, v.2.001 on newEar's main concert season, rehearsal time and mentoring sessions with newEar, an invitation to participate in a pre-concert lecture, a professional recording of the performance of his work and a $1,000.00 honorarium. For more information on Lansing and his music, visit LansingMcloskey.com.
Category one winner, Peiying Yuan submitted her work Five Elements for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. Peiying is guaranteed rehearsal time and a mentoring session with newEar performers, a reading session of Five Elements, a professional recording and a $500.00 honorarium. Her work will also be considered for possible performance on one of newEar's outreach concerts. For more information see Peiying's myspace page.
For more information on the First Annual newEar Composers' Competition or the recipients, visit newEar or contact William J. Lackey at 757-870-0479.
Francis Families Foundation Grant
December 29, 2009
newEar is pleased to be one of 47 recipients of the Francis Families Foundation Small Arts Grant Program. $3,900 was received in general operating support for our 17th Season, with a view to increasing audience; educational outreach programming and the 1st Annual Composers' Competition.
Donate Now
December 29, 2009
With your continued support, we look forward to bringing even more new music to Kansas City audiences. newEar is a registered 501(c)3. Please consider making a tax-exempt year-end contribution in any amount by clicking on our secure webpage through the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. It's quick and simple. Our EARS thank you!
newEar gets the most from Minimalism at September concerts
September 29, 2009
"You never quite know what you're going to get in a concert by newEar but you know you're in for an intriguing evening."
"… newEar's performance was infused with vigor."
“…New Ear is, to begin with, a superb group – they played some very difficult music very well … Vladimir Tosic’s Arios for piano and cello was quite beautiful and highly formalized."
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| Left to right: Robert Pherigo, Tony DeMarco, Lyra Pherigo, Jan Faidley, Tom Aber, Mark Lowry, Lawrence Figg. (photo by Scott Unrein) |
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| Lyra and Robert Pherigo (photo by Scott Unrein) |
Flutist Lyra Pherigo and pianist Robert Pherigo of Olathe were featured in the Music and Minimalism concert in September. In addition to playing for newEar, Lyra has played with several local orchestras including Starlight, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, the Kansas City Ballet Orchestra and the Civic Opera. She has sung with the Kansas City Chorale and the Civic Opera. Lyra teaches and has a private studio of voice, flute and piano students.
Robert is a pianist, composer, and tenor who frequently appears with newEar. He is the accompanist for several professional musicians including members of the Kansas City Symphony and serves as staff pianist at Unity Temple on the Plaza. Robert sang with the Kansas City Chorale for 10 years and is on 5 of their recordings. This holiday season Robert will be conducting the Civic Opera's production of "Wise Women."
newEar’s First Annual Composers’ Competition Update:
September 29, 2009
newEar has received over 100 submissions for the First Annual newEar Composers Competition. Submissions were received from around the world including Greece, China, Korea, the United Kingdom, Italy and more. Review of the submissions will begin the first weekend in October. The selection committee's target date for announcing the recipients of the awards is October 31, 2009. Keep your eyes and ears open for this exciting announcement.
newEar looks forward to seeing you at
American Currents (curated by Stephen Hartke)
September 29, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009, 8pm
All Souls Unitarian Church
4501 Walnut, Kansas City, Missouri
What can you do for newEar?
September 29, 2009
Bring a friend to a concert.
Make a donation.
Purchase an ad in our concert program.
Don't miss newEar's 17th Season: DIRECTIØNS
Get four great concerts for the price of three!
Place your season ticket order by August 21th
August 7, 2009
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Music and Minimalism
(Curated in collaboration with the 2nd Intl. Conference on Minimalist Music)
Thursday, September 3, 2009, 8:00 PM
White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, UMKC
4949 Cherry, KCMO
or
Saturday, September 12, 2009, 8:00 PM
Bell Cultural Events Center
MidAmerica Nazarene University
2030 East College Way, Olathe, KS
American Currents (Curated by Stephen Hartke)
Friday, November 6, 2009 8:00 PM
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
4501 Walnut, KCMO
China Rising (Curated by Chen YI)
Saturday, March 13, 2010 8:00 PM
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
4501 Walnut, KCMO
Regenerations (Curated by James Mobberley)
Saturday, May 1, 2010, 8:00 PM
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
4501 Walnut, KCMO