American Composers Forum

Quiet Art: Bach’s Goldberg Variations
2021-02-02, 2021-02-03, 2021-02-04, 2021-02-05, 2021-02-06, 2021-02-07
About

Kinetic is back at MATCH with Quiet Art, our first concert of 2021, live-streamed from Matchbox 4. Opening with Jennifer Higdon’s Quiet Art for string quartet, a work reflecting on the solitude in which artists create their work, this program draws us into a deeply introspective and intimate musical space. The centerpiece of the program is J.S. Bach’s monumental keyboard work, Goldberg Variations, which Kinetic will perform in a new string ensemble arrangement. Quiet Art offers an intimate, yet invigorating musical musing that speaks to the solitary state of our current times.
This concert will be presented as a virtual live stream performance on Sunday January 24, at 7:30 PM CT.
After the live stream concludes, the concert recording will be available On Demand until Sunday, February 7, 2021.
Learn more here.

Program

Jennifer Higdon (a BandQuest and ChoralQuest composer): Quiet Art for string quartet
J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, arr. by Giancarlo Latta

Performers

Natalie Lin Douglas, violin
Samuel Park, violin
Mary Grace Johnson, violin
Jacob Schafer, violin
Natalie Lee, violin
Sergein Yap, viola
Tonya Burton, viola
Sebastian Stefanovic, viola
David Olson, cello
Bree Ahern, cello
John Belk, cello
Mas Podgorny, bass

FIFTH HOUSE ENSEMBLE IN RESIDENCE
2021-02-02 11:30 - 12:30, 2021-02-04 11:30 - 12:30, 2021-02-05 10:40 - 11:30, 2021-02-08 16:30 - 18:00 (America/Chicago)
AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY MUSIC in collaboration with MACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC invites you to share virtually with the FIFTH HOUSE ENSEMBLE IN RESIDENCE

Deep Listening: 5 consecutive 15-minute sessions; guided meditations, daily rituals, improvised text scores, and movement exercises; Deep Listening provides multiple tools for mindfulness, creativity, and communal music making.
Friday, January 29, 2021 at 10:40AM CST
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021 at 11:30AM CST
Thursday, February 4th, 2021 at 11:30AM CST
Friday, February 5th, 2021 at 10:40AM CST
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Join on Zoom.

WE ARE GOOD: 5 consecutive 90-minute sessions; Deep Listening and story gathering rooted in collective decision making through creative acts. Fosters authentic inquiry among participants of varied social and political back-
grounds, uses Deep Listening to bring strangers together through communal music-making. Each session culminates in a creative act, including the development of new text scores, graphic scores, or other work products.
Mondays, February 8, 22, March 8, 22, April 5, 2021 all sessions 4:30—6:00 p.m. CST
REGISTER AT THIS LINK by February 3rd, 2021.

DEEP LISTENING JAM SESSION: The residency culminates in a Deep Listening Jam, which includes the creative work and dialogue captured throughout the 5 WE ARE GOOD sessions.
Monday, April 12, 2021 at 4:30—6:00 p.m. CST
REGISTER AT THIS LINK by April 7th, 2021.
ADDITIONAL ONE-TIME WORKSHOPS will be offered in chamber music, entrepreneurship, and music composition between February 15 and May 5. If you are interested in these workshops, please email musicdept@augsburg.edu to be added to the reservation list. You will receive advance information with dates, times, and the Zoom link. Additional information about the Deep Listening and We Are Good experiences is available on the Fifth House

TUES@7: Creating an Album
2021-02-02 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
Why do artists release their work as albums? What’s the process behind creating an album with or without a record label? How do recording projects come to fruition? Find out on February 2nd!
Ensemble members Jacob Greenberg and Wendy Richman join Audio Engineer Ryan Streber (Oktaven Audio) for a deep dive into the process behind creating an album.
Learn more about Wendy’s journey in creating her debut album “vox/viola” focused on commissioned works for solo viola/voice and Nate Wooley and Ash Fure’s thinking behind their newest release with the Ensemble, “Something to Hunt.” Jacob takes us through the producing magic behind the Ensemble’s in-house TUNDRA label (an imprint of New Focus Recordings). The stream will conclude with a mini-documentary about Oktaven Audio, a haven for recording new music. Interested in releasing your own album? After the stream, we will have a conversation over Zoom about releasing on a label vs. independently.
Date & Time: Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 6pm CST | 7pm EST
RSVP to receive YouTube stream link and Zoom info.

Professional Development Webinars co-presented by the American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and the American Composers Forum (ACF),
2021-02-03 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago)
The following Professional Development Webinars are co-presented by the American Composers Orchestra (ACO) and the American Composers Forum (ACF), and feature panel discussions by esteemed professionals in the industry about topics including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Entrepreneurship and Creating an Ensemble; Film Composition; Fundraising via Supportive Individuals; Programming and Digital Curation; Publishing, Self-Publishing, and Management; Recording Law and Practice; Project Production and Recording; and more.
Volume One runs from October 14, 2020 through February 3, 2021. All Professional Development Webinars are free of charge, with registration required.
Schedule:

Monday, November 9, 2020 at 2pm CDT / 3pm ET: Fundraising via Supportive Individuals
Learn how to raise funds for your next project by leveraging the support of generous individuals. ACO Acting President and Director of Development Lyndsay Werking leads a panel of artists and administrators fluent in grassroots fundraising. Q&A with audience will follow.
Panelists: Bonnie Marshall, American Composers Forum VP of Development; Nicholas Phan, tenor; Dafnis Prieto, drummer, composer, and educator; Somi Kakoma, vocalist & songwriter

If you require an interpreter, closed-captioning, or any other accommodations to fully engage, please contact Laura Krider via lkrider@composersforum.org within 48 hours of the event.

Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 2pm CDT / 3pm ET: Entrepreneurship & Ensembles for Composers
How can composers help guide their own careers? What part does creating an ensemble play in that? Frank J. Oteri moderates a panel of innovative ensemble creators to explore topics of entrepreneurship and career advancement as a composer. Q&A with audience will follow.
Panelists: Afa Dworkin, Sphinx Organization; Nadia Sirota, yMusic; Sugar Vendil, The Nouveau Classical Project

Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 2pm CDT / 3pm ET: Finding Your Voice Online
How can composers find their true artistic message and convey that effectively online? Dameun Strange, Director of Community and Belonging at ACF, moderates a panel and Q&A exploring topics of authenticity and effectiveness online.
Panelists: Anthony R. Green, composer & performer; Mary Prescott, composer and interdisciplinary artist; Beth Stewart, Verismo Communications founder

Laraaji and L’Rain presented by Bang on a Can, BOMB Magazine, and the Jewish Museum
2021-02-04 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Bang on a Can and BOMB Magazine, in collaboration with the Jewish Museum, present musicians Laraaji and L’Rain on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 6:30pm CST | 7:30pm EST. This bill showcases a pair of artists, both long champions of NYC’s DIY music scene, who represent two distinct voices in the evolution of ambient music. Bang on a Can and BOMB Magazine will present a live concert performance by Laraaji from his home studio in New York City, and L’Rain and Laraaji in conversation.
The program will be fully live and streamed on Bang on a Can’s new online venue-website, live.bangonacan.org. These events will be free to stream and the featured artists are being compensated by Bang on a Can, but please consider purchasing a ticket. Doing so will help Bang on a Can to do more performances, pay more players, commission more composers, and share more music worldwide.
Visit their website.
About L’Rain: Brooklyn native Taja Cheek is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist who often performs under the mononym, L’Rain. She is interested in exploring the complex interwovenness of grief and joy, using voice memos and other manipulated samples recorded in her hometown as inspiration and source material. Since the release of her self-titled debut in 2017, her work has been featured in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, and Hyperallergic, and she has performed at institutions and venues including The Whitney, The Getty, and The Kitchen, along with festivals including Basilica Soundscape and FORM Arcosanti.
About Laraaji: A 77 year-young American multi-instrumentalist Laraaji, is one of the pioneers of the new-age and ambient philosophies. In the early 70s, Laraaji lived in New York, admired Eastern mysticism, and performed in parks playing a vintage stringed instrument called “zither.” In 1978 Brian Eno saw one of Laraaji’s street performances and helped him record and release an album called “Ambient 3: Day of Radiance.” The release introduced this American musician to a wide audience, and his next 40 albums made him a true legend of meditative music. His most recent record release is a three album project of solo piano improvisation entitled “SUN PIANO”, “MOON PIANO” and “THROUGH LUMINOUS EYES” on ALL SAINTS RECORDS available online at laraajimusic.bandcamp.com. Laraaji also has traveled the world guiding therapeutic laughter release playshops and deep listening celestial music sessions.

Where Water Meets Sky
2021-02-04 19:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective presents our sixth #C4GoesRemote livestream concert: Where Water Meets Sky. Our program will include the following pieces:
Blue from Cromosaturación, by Germán Barboza
Snow, by Misa Ogasawara
Sunset from Watercolors, by Christopher Fludd
La cuidad sumergida (The Submerged City), by Adrienne Inglis
The Campers at Kitty Hawk, by Michael Dellaira
We’re honored to sing with our C4 Network friends from Inversion Ensemble for this concert!
When Water Meets Sky is free to attend, but virtual tips are welcomed. Virtual tips are accepted through C4’s Venmo account: @c4ensmble. Donations can also be made via credit card through our website, as well as through PayPal at info@c4ensemble.org. Thank you for supporting the creation of new choral music during this time!
Date & Time: Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 7:30pm CST | 8:30pm EST
Learn more here.

Lara Downes' new digital recording: Rising Sun Music
2021-02-05
Inspired by her own mixed-race heritage and career-long engagement with diverse musical traditions, pianist Lara Downes creates and curates a new digital recording venture, Rising Sun Music, that sheds a bright light on the music and stories of Black composers over the past 200 years. Featuring a wide range of leading instrumentalists and vocalists (including Ms. Downes) whose work defines the creative energy of this generation and the next, the series presents a new EP of music-each exploring a different theme -to be released the first Friday of every month starting February 5.
Rising Sun Music is distributed digitally worldwide by [PIAS] and available on all major streaming and download platforms including Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Primephonic, and Idagio.
Friday, February 5, 2021: Remember Me to Harlem
BENNY GOLSON: Classical Dreams – Lara Downes, piano
Eubie Blake: Love Will Find A Way – Lara Downes, piano
William Grant STILL: Song for the Lonely – Lara Downes, piano & Titus Underwood, oboe
Margaret Bonds/Langston Hughes: When the Dove Enters In – Lara Downes, piano & Davóne Tines, bass-baritone
Friday, March 5, 2021: Phenomenal Women
Hazel Scott: Peace of Mind – Lara Downes, piano
Margaret Bonds: What Lips My Lips Have Kissed – Lara Downes, piano & Nicole Cabell, soprano
NORA HOLT: Negro Dance – Lara Downes, piano
Florence Price: Andante con Espressione – Lara Downes, piano & Rachel Barton Pine, violin
Friday, April 2, 2021: Spring Fever
BETTY JACKSON KING: Spring Intermezzo – Lara Downes, piano
NKEIRU OKOYE: When Young Spring Comes – Lara Downes, piano
H. Leslie Adams: L’extase d’amour – Lara Downes, piano & Jordan Bak, viola
ALVIN SINGLETON (a BandQuest composer): Changing Faces – Lara Downes, piano

MNIATURES: SHORT WORLD PREMIERE OPERAS FROM MINNESOTA ARTISTS
2021-02-05, 2021-02-09, 2021-02-12
Release Dates:
Friday, February 5, 2021
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Friday, February 12, 2021
Tuesday, February. 16, 2021
Tiny operas, big ideas. This program features newly commissioned 8-10-minute operas from Minnesota artists with a variety of creative backgrounds. The MN Opera new works team will collaborate with four pairs of artists selected through a competitive application process to support the musical, visual, and dramatic development of their work.
Creative teams include:
KASHIMANA AHUA (ACF’s In Common awardee) & KHARY JACKSON
ASAKO HIRABAYASHI (McKnight awardee) & REBECCA NICHLOSON
RITIKA GANGULY & ROSHAN GANU
CHARLIE MCCARRON & OANH VU
2021 Spring Season digital offerings will be available for FREE on YouTube, Facebook, and mnopera.org. Learn more and receive an email reminder by signing up for our newsletter.
Sign up here.
Learn more here.
Free digital access to the 2021 Spring Season is made possible by our generous community. As we find new ways of advancing our mission to provide access to innovative opera for all, please consider supporting MN Opera and the 2021 Spring Season.

J’Nai Bridges Headlines Adolphus Hailstork’s ‘TULSA 1921’
2021-02-05
J’Nai Bridges is set to world premiere “TULSA 1921,” a Narrative work for Mezzo and String Ensemble by Adolphus Hailstork, a BandQuest composer, set to text by Herbert Martin.
The performance will be filmed on Friday, February 5, 2021 and will feature the Harlem Chamber Players. The livestream premiere will take place on YouTube in February 2021.
Stay tune for more details on Operawire’s website.

Jupiter String Quartet: Reflection and Renewal
2021-02-05 12:00 - 12:30, 2021-02-12 12:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago)
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is presenting a free, digitally delivered four-part concert series featuring the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Music’s Jupiter String Quartet. The tight-knit ensemble consisting of violinists Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law) is in their 19th year together. Of their in-demand and award-winning artistry, The New Yorker remarked, “The Jupiter String Quartet, an ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene.”
For this new Krannert Center Reflection and Renewal series, the quartet explores diverse composers and themes. They have chosen programs with contrasting styles and genres of music, each moving from a quartet masterpiece in a minor key to a more hopeful, major-key contemporary work. The quartet’s hope is that each short concert and the personal reflections the members will share will provide a musical meditation for audiences. The performances will be viewable on demand beginning at noon on the day of each concert through March 5, 2021.
Reflection and Renewal with Jupiter String Quartet
Part I on Friday, February 5, 2021 at 12pm CST
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95, “Serioso” – IV. Larghetto espressivo—Allegretto agitato—Allegro Kati Agócs: Imprimatur
Part II on Friday, February 12, 2021 at 12pm CST
Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810, “Death and the Maiden” – II. Andante con moto Michi Wiancko: To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores – VI. “Follow the Water” & VII. “Rise Up”
Part III on Friday, February 19, 2021 at 12pm CST
Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80 – II. Allegro vivace assai Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76, No. 5 – II. Largo. Cantabile e mesto Dan Visconti: excerpts from Ramshackle Songs
Part IV on Friday, February 26, 2021 at 12pm CST
Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 12 – IV. Molto allegro e vivace George Walker: Lyric for Strings William Bolcom: “Incineratorag” from Three Rags for String Quartet
Learn more on their website here.

Nouveau: new music for violin
2021-02-05 20:30 - 21:30 (America/Chicago)
“Nouveau: new music for violin” is an at-home, DIY, highly imperfect production by composer, conductor, violinist, Curtis student, and interdisciplinary performer Maya Miro Johnson (a NextNotes creator), dedicated to the belief that promoting contemporary work as a household value is the salvation of arts organizations everywhere in this time of crisis.
Nouveau is a full-length evening of music spanning from 1932 to 2020, including interviews with the composers and also featuring pianist Daniel Tselyakov. Thanks to Devin Maxwell, Nicole Coleman, and Drew Schlegel for their assistance with recording.
Date & Time: Friday, February 5, 2021 at 8:30 PM CST
The concert is absolutely free, but if the spirit moves you, donations are encouraged and all proceeds will be donated to New Music USA: gf.me/u/zgu48a
Stay tuned for more new music made and curated by Maya in early 2021!
mayamirojohnson.com
***YouTube Premiere Link will be posted shortly prior to the concert here: https://mayamirojohnson.com/nouveau/

New Opera as Art and Social Discourse
2021-02-10 18:30 - 2021-02-17 19:30, 2021-02-12 18:30 - 2021-02-19 19:30 (America/Chicago)
Joshua Frankel and Judd Greenstein (a ChoralQuest composer) will discuss their multimedia opera, A Marvelous Order, which explores the epic struggle between Robert Moses, master builder, and Jane Jacobs, self-taught oracle of urban insight, over the fate of New York City in the mid-twentieth century.
The conversation will include a video featuring highlights of their work in progress. Their discussion will center on the genesis and development of the opera, which features a libretto by former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith.
Watch the live event on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 6:30pm CST | 7:30 p.m. EST.
A recording will be available for streaming on Friday, February 12, 2021 at 6:30pm CST | 7:30 pm to Friday, February 19, 2021 at 6:30pm CST | 7:30 p.m.
Join on the virtual event here.

Courtroom Concert Series Composer-in-Residence: deVon Russell Gray
2021-02-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, United States
This concerts will be presented online and will be available for viewing on Schubert Club’s website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page (with no live audience present) on their originally scheduled dates, and will be free to watch for a month following the performance date unless otherwise specified.
deVon Russell Gray (Past ACF McKnight Fellow)
Date & Time: Thursday, February 11, 12:00 pm CST
Find more information on their website.

Premiere Works of 2019-20 Fellows in the KMC's Luna Composition Lab program
2021-02-11 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
Date & Time: Thursday, February 11, 2021, at 6pm CST | 4pm PT
The virtual program, filmed in Zipper Hall at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, includes LACO artists performing new works by teen composers Olivia Bennett (age 18, a NextNotes creator), KiMani Bridges (age 18, a NextNotes creator), Madeline Clara Cheng (age 16), Ebunoluwa Oguntola (age 15), Anya Lagman (age 18), Sage Shurman (age 15), Chloe Villamayor (age 17) and Emily Webster-Zuber (age 16).
Watch on https://www.laco.org, LACO’s YouTube and Facebook live channels.

Paul Mejia's Nutcracker Act II
2021-02-12
Avant Chamber Ballet presents a new was to experience the performing arts in the comfort of your home, featuring new as well as beloved productions with live music and exceptional dancing.
This holiday classic is designed to take the whole family on a magical trip to the Land of Sweets through Clara’s eyes with Tchaikovsky’s rich score and ACB’s professional production.
The ballet features commissioned music by Quinn Mason (a NextNotes creator) performed by MAKE Trio.
Viewers have two options to purchase the performance. They may rent the show for $30 and get 48 hours of access or subscribe for $99 and get unlimited access to the latest performance and three other productions including Nutcracker Sweets, which was released in December. Subscribers may also choose to the deluxe subscription for $199 and receive access to archival performances and behind-the-scenes videos and interviews.
The new performance will begin streaming on Friday, February 1, 2021. To rent it or to purchase a subscription, go to avantchamberballet.org.

Simone Dinnerstein: A Character of Quiet
2021-02-12 14:00 - 23:59 (America/Chicago)
Simone Dinnerstein’s virtual concert for Meany Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Washington features music from her latest album, A Character of Quiet, released in fall 2020 by Orange Mountain Music. The album and concert include Philip Glass’s Etudes No. 16 and No. 2 paired with Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960.
The performance will be available for seven days, beginning on Friday, February 12, 2021 at 2pm CST | 12pm PT, for free on-demand viewing.
Dinnerstein recorded the album over the course of two evenings at her home in Brooklyn in June 2020, during the quiet of the New York City lockdown, with her longtime producer and friend Adam Abeshouse. It reached the number one spot on the Billboard Classical Chart, and was described by NPR as, “music that speaks to a sense of the world slowing down,” and by The New Yorker as, “a reminder that quiet can contain multitudes.”
For more information, visit their website.

Great Falls Symphony's 62nd Live Concert Series - 2020-2021 Season
2021-02-13 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Denver)
Great Falls Symphony announces their 100% FREE concert season this year until May 2021. “All of us at the Great Falls Symphony are fully committed to fulfilling our mission to infuse cultural vibrancy into the Great Falls community through transformative music events and education programs.”
All live performances will be FREE of charge, but need to be picked up in advance at the Mansfield Center for the Performing Arts box office. Two performances are offered during each GFSA concert in order to accommodate two smaller, socially distanced live audience. Venue location will vary – detailed information can be found at gfsymphony.org.
All performances will be recorded and broadcast later on the KRTV app so patrons can enjoy a virtual concert experience.
Virtual concerts will be broadcast to the general public one week after each live performance date. See schedule here.
See the upcoming schedule:
Fri OCT 9, 7:00pm “Native Views” Cascade Quartet
Sat NOV 7, 3:00pm “Vistas” *PREVIEW Thu NOV 5
Sat NOV 7, 7:30pm EVOCATIVE MUSIC OF OPEN SPACES
Fri NOV13, 7:00pm “Innovators” Chinook Winds
Sun NOV 22, 3:00pm FallConcert Youth Orchestra AND Sinfonia
Sun DEC 6, 3:00pm “Christmas” *PREVIEW Thu DEC 3
Sun DEC 6, 7:30pm HOLIDAY MUSIC FAVORITES
Sat JAN16, 3:00pm “Virtuoso” *PREVIEW Thu JAN 14
Sat JAN16, 7:30pm FEATURING Dorian Antipa, BASSOON
Fri JAN 29, 7:00pm “ViolaPower” Cascade Quartet
Sat FEB 13, 3:00pm “Heart Strings” *PREVIEW Thu FEB 11
Sat FEB 13, 7:30pm FEATURING Luis Angel Salazar, VIOLIN & Alyssa Roggow, VIOLA
Fri FEB 19, 7:00pm “Greatest Hits” Chinook Winds
Fri MAR 12, 7:00pm “Voices” Cascade Quartet
Sun MAR 28, 3:00pm SpringConcert Youth Orchestra AND Sinfonia
Sat APR 24, 3:00pm “Testament” *PREVIEW Thu, APR 22
Sat APR 24, 7:30pm FEATURING Supaman
Fri MAY14, 7:00pm “Together Again”

Composers Concordance Presents Low-Key Chamber Concert Series
2021-02-13 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Low-Key Chamber Concert Series
An eclectic concert series, ensemble, record label, and presenting organization for music with a 34-year history of premiering good music that is pushing the boundaries of sound and composition.

Saturdays, February 6 through March 14, 2021 at 4pm CST | 5pm EST
Live-streamed on the Composers Concordance Facebook page.

Event listing:
Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 4pm CST | 5pm EST
TAP: Milica Paranosic and Brian DuFord, music, voice, guitar
FACEBOOK EVENT

Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 4pm CST | 5pm EST
Max Pollak, dancer
Gene Pritsker, electric guitar
FACEBOOK EVENT

Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 4pm CST | 5pm EST
Sean Satin, classical guitar
Gene Pritsker, electric guitar
FACEBOOK EVENT

Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 4pm CST | 5pm EST
Jay Rodriguez, saxophone, flute, and clarinet
Gene Pritsker, electric guitar
FACEBOOK EVENT

Sunday, March 14, 2021 at 4pm CST | 5pm EST
Charles Coleman, voice
Gene Pritsker, electric guitar
FACEBOOK EVENT
