Blog Archives - MILLENNIUM COMPOSERS INITIATIVE

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: STEPHEN RYAN JACKSON, "CEILING SONG"

4/29/2019

This year, the Gruppetto Trio was selected as one of the winners of the annual New England Conservatory Honors Ensemble Competition. Their concert commemorating this will be taking place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday, May 13th, featuring a program that includes musical selections by Haydn, Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and one world premiere - MCI composer Stephen Ryan Jackson's "Ceiling Song," written for this trio and for this event.

Read on to learn more about the inspirations that drove the composer to create his new piece for this special occassion:

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: DUNCAN PETERSEN-JONES, "CONFLICTING EMOTIONS"

4/24/2019

On Sunday, April 28th, the world premiere of MCI composer Duncan Petersen-Jones's new string quartet "Conflicting Emotions" will be given by the Converge String Quartet. The concert will be taking place at the University of Michigan.

Read on to learn more about the inspirations which drove the composer to create this new work:

Describe your inspiration for composing the piece.
The inspiration for each of the three movements in this string quartet is of a different emotion. The first movement is "Bewilderment", which is essentially about being overwhelmed, as if trying to take a breath of air and not being able to. The second movement is "Isolating Loneliness", which is about being truly alone with the feeling the there is nobody you can rely on. The third movement is "Rigid Egos", which is about egos that are so strong that they battle everything until it crashes at the end.

What are some of the challenges you faced in writing the work?
While there were several challenges I faced, I can't say any of them without spoiling the surprise of the piece.

Is there anything specific about your piece that you'd like your audience to look out for?
A music video is being made of this string quartet, so keep an eye out for it!

What do you hope your audience ultimately take away the most from hearing your work?
I hope people will get the feelings that this piece is trying to relay, and I hope that they not only enjoy the music, but also think more about the emotions that they feel from it.

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: SALVADOR ALAN JACOBO, "COLORS EVER SO VIBRANT"

4/21/2019

On Saturday, May 4th, the Mid-America Freedom Band will be giving the world premiere of MCI composer Salvador Alan Jacobo's "Colors Ever So Vibrant." This new piece for concert band receives its world premiere as part of the band's theme for their 16th concert season - "Colors," a theme which (according to the group) "stems from [the colors] of the LGBT rainbow flag to shimmering metallics of the holidays and stark black-and-white photography of World War I."

We had the opportunity to speak with the composer about the inspirations which drove him to create this lyrical work for band. Read on to learn more about "Colors Ever So Vibrant" -

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: DANIEL DE TOGNI, "SING ME INTO SINGING" AND "ITERATIONS: 4 PIECES FOR NARRATOR, OBOE, AND PIANO"

4/21/2019

This week will see the world premieres of two new compositions by MCI composer Daniel de Togni. "Sing Me Into Singing" will be premiered at the San Fransisco Conservatory of Music on Wednesday April 24th, while "Iterations: 4 Pieces for Narrator, Oboe, and Piano" will make its debut on Friday April 26th at the University of Central Arkansas. The latter piece, as well as another work by the composer titled "BEAT," will also be performed at Rad Sol 2019, a concert series founded by de Togni which aims to promote and perform concert music by composers in Arkansas.

We had the opportunity to speak with the composer about both of his new works. Read on to learn more about the inspirations that compelled him to create this new music:

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: JANAY MAISANO,"MENAGE A TROIS" ORIGINAL SCORE

4/16/2019

Next week, on April 23rd, sees the debut of MCI composer Janay Maisano's original score for the student short film "Menage a Trois" at the University of Redlands. The score features a trio of musicians whose instrumentation consists of ukulele, alto saxophone, and piano. Maisano also served as conductor for the recording sessions of her music.

Read on to learn more about her process for creating this score:

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: DYLAN TRAN, "STRING QUARTET NO. 1 ON VIETNAMESE THEMES"

4/16/2019

Two performances of this brand-new work written by MCI composer Dylan Tran comprises the world premiere of his first string quartet, inspired by and exploring Vietnamese and Viet-American culture through music. The Musaica Chamber Ensemble will bring Tran's piece to life on Monday April 22nd and Thursday April 25th in New Orleans as part of two different concerts they will be hosting in the area.

We had the opportunity to speak with the composer about his new piece. Read on to learn more about the inspirations compelling him to create this music:

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: JOSH TRENTADUE AND "THE GREAT RIVER RAPID CHASE"

4/15/2019

This year, MCI composer Josh Trentadue's newest work for concert band The Great River Rapid Chase has received consortium premieres across the Midwest regions of the United States. On Wednesday, May 8th, this piece will make its debut in familiar territory for the composer - his alma mater Grand Ledge High School, as part of the Wind Symphony's final Spring Concert of the year.

For this special event, we've had the opportunity to discuss with the composer his thoughts on this upcoming consortium premiere. Read on to learn more about the piece and the inspirations behind it:

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: REBECCA NISCO, COMPOSITION RECITAL

4/15/2019

On Saturday, April 27th, MCI composer Rebecca Nisco will be hosting her Senior Composition Recital in Washington, D.C. This special event will feature performances of past works along with several world premieres composed for the occasion. Read on to learn more about the inspirations behind the composer's program:

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: NICHOLAS E. M. OSBORN, "TWO SNAKES"

4/4/2019

Sometimes, video games can become a source of inspiration for new musical works. The original Snake game became the spark that drove MCI composer Nicholas E. M. Osborn to create one of his latest works for flute and clarinet, Two Snakes. This piece receives its world premiere tonight at 8pm EST at Bowling Green State University by performers Taylor Francis and Kendra Sachs.

Read on to learn more about Nicholas's new piece and what drove him to create this new duet:

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: NICHOLAS E. M. OSBORN, "GROOVY GRENADILLA"

4/4/2019

Bluesy, improvisational-like material with rhythmic drive characterizes the clarinet and piano duet in MCI composer Nicholas E.M. Osborn's piece Groovy Grenadilla. The work was first premiered in 2017; since then, Osborn has created a newly revised version that will be making its debut this Saturday at Bowling Green State University, to be performed by Gretchen Hill and Steven Naylor as part of Gretchen's Junior Recital.

We had the opportunity to speak with the composer regarding the details behind Groovy Grenadilla. Read on to learn more about the piece:

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