WAC Newsletter, June 1998: Members' News

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		WAC Newsletter, June 1998
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Members' News

Performances of Al Benner's music include the premiere of the St. Norbert College Alma Mater(SATB and band) at the commencement exercises of St. Norbert College (De Pere) on May 17; Five Variations for Pianoat the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City by Stephen Brown on May 27; the premiere of A Psalm of Life (SSA choir) on April 20 by the St. Norbert College Women's Choir, directed by Lisa Benner; In My Father's Armsand Through a Baby's Eyeson April 3 by soprano Lisa Benner and pianist Elaine Moss on a SNC Faculty Recital; and Reoccurrence by cellist David Cowley on March 29 at The Music From Almost Yesterday concert held at UW-Milwaukee. The SNC Alma Mater was a commission by the college in celebration of its centennial year.

Benner also was invited to be a guest lecturer at Viterbo College and UW La Crosse. He gave three lectures entitled "An introduction to the music of Charles E. Ives"--two at UWLC on March 24 and 25, and one at Viterbo on March 25 during their New Music Festival 1998.

James Chaudoir's Sonata quasi una fantasia was played by oboist Andrea Gullickson and pianist Marianne Chaudoir at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City on May 27.

David Drexler is the new Assistant Editor of SCION (the SCI on-line opportunity updates). He will begin his duties in June.

Christopher Frye recently was awarded the third prize in the 1998 Jihlava international choral composition contest for his work Angelus. The work, for SSA chorus and trumpet, will be performed in the Czech Republic during the 1998 Jihlava Choral Festival June 26-28.

Performances of Joseph Koykkar's music include Triple Play for piano, Disklavier, sampler and technology as part of the John Downey Festival at UWM Fine Arts Recital Hall on Feb. 27; Touchings: A Love Story, a videotape/sound design work in collaboration with intermedia artist Michael Connors, was shown at the Sonic Circuits-Chicago Showcase held at Columbia College on Feb. 28; Expressed in Units for eight performers by the UW-Madison Sinfonietta under the direction of James Smith on March 1 at Mills Music Hall; Out Front (fl, cl, vln, vc, pno, perc) was conducted by Max Lifchitz as part of the 1997-98 North/South Consonance Series in New York City on March 15; With Wood, Wire, Hammers and Mallets by the Relache Ensemble as part of their 1997-98 series in Philadelphia on March 20; and another performance of Out Front by Synchronia in St. Louis on April 4.

Dan Maske was recently commissioned by the Milwaukee Youth Symphony--Junior Wind Ensemble. Thomas Dvorak commissioned the work to show gratitude for his ten years as conductor of the ensemble. The premiere is scheduled for Thursday, October 28, 1998 at the WMEA Convention in the Marriott Madison West Hotel, Madison, Wisconsin.

Michael Sinshack was informed by the Norwalk Symphony that his piece Concerto for Orchestra was selected as a second-place winner in the Quinto Maganini Competition. They said "the selection of Concerto from a field of 101 scores submitted by composers from around the country is a major accomplishment. One of our finals judges gave it a 10 out of a possible 10 score, and others made comments such as 'interesting,' 'very good orchestration,' [and] 'good composition.' "

A theater work for an actor/musician, synthesizers and visuals by Yehuda Yannay entitled In Madness There Is Order was played on a Music From Almost Yesterday concert, in collaboration with the Hamburg new music ensemble "L'Art Pour L'Art," on May 3 at the Walker's Point Center for the Arts, Milwaukee. "L'Art Pour L'Art," whose members include Astrid Schmeling, flute; Michael Schroeder, guitar; and Matthias Kaul, percussion, is one of the most prominent contemporary music ensembles in Europe. The group's U.S. tour was sponsored by the German government.

Music From Almost Yesterday is now the oldest continuing contemporary music forum in Milwaukee featuring exclusively living composers of national and international acclaim, as well as the works of Wisconsin and Midwest composers. The MFAY Ensemble was founded in 1971 at UWM by Yannay, and has presented hundreds of Milwaukee and world premieres to the public. MFAY has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board. Members of the Ensemble include UWM faculty members, freelance musicians, advanced students and special guest performers.

WAC Newsletter, June 1998
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