{"id":440013,"date":"2022-09-07T13:24:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T17:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newmusicusa.org\/?post_type=nmusa_news&p=440013"},"modified":"2022-09-07T13:37:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T17:37:38","slug":"amplifying-voices-expands","status":"publish","type":"nmusa_news","link":"https:\/\/newmusicusa.org\/newsroom\/amplifying-voices-expands\/","title":{"rendered":"New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices Expands to Include Over 45 Orchestras in the US and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

Announcing Two Additional Composers to be Co-Commissioned:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Katherine Balch \u2013 New York Philharmonic & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Clarice Assad \u2013 The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Amplifying Voices will present 13 Orchestral Premieres During the 2022-23 Concert Season in London, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Houston, Atlanta, & More<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Already Participating Composers are Valerie Coleman, Juan Pablo Contreras, Vijay Iyer, Tania Le\u00f3n, Jessie Montgomery, Brian Raphael Nabors, Nina Shekhar,\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Tyshawn Sorey, and Shelley Washington<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amplifying Voices Fosters Collaboration Toward Racial and Gender Equity\u00a0<\/span><\/b>in New Orchestral Music<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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New York, NY \u2013 <\/span>New Music USA\u2019s Amplifying Voices program<\/a><\/span><\/b>, which launched in 2020 to foster collaboration and collective action between U.S. orchestras and composers through a network of co-commissions, has expanded rapidly to soon include over forty-five orchestras across the U.S. and beyond. Today, New Music USA announces two additional composers to the existing nine-composer roster for co-commissions<\/span>,<\/span> Katherine Balch <\/span><\/b>and <\/span>Clarice Assad<\/span><\/b>.<\/span> Balch and Assad\u2019s commissions are being created by new funding from the <\/span>Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katherine Balch<\/span><\/b> will write a new piece co-commissioned by lead orchestras the <\/span>New York Philharmonic<\/span><\/b> and <\/span>Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra<\/span><\/b>. Described as \u201csome kind of musical Thomas Edison \u2013 you can just hear her tinkering around in her workshop, putting together new sounds and textural ideas\u201d (<\/span>San Francisco Chronicle<\/span><\/i>), Balch is a composer interested in found sounds, playfulness, intimate spaces, and natural processes. A recipient of the 2020-21 Rome Prize, Balch’s music has been presented by leading ensembles and festivals including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Tokyo Symphony, IRCAM ManiFeste, and Tanglewood. Her music is published exclusively worldwide by Schott Music.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clarice Assad<\/span><\/b>\u2019s new work will be premiered by lead commissioner <\/span>The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra<\/span><\/b>, with additional premieres by <\/span>American Composers <\/span><\/b>Orchestra<\/span><\/b> (New York),<\/span> the <\/span>C<\/span><\/b>hicago Sinfonietta<\/span><\/b>, and <\/span>ROCO<\/span><\/b> (Houston) to take place in future seasons. A powerful communicator renowned for her musical scope and versatility, Brazilian American Clarice Assad is a significant artistic voice in the classical, world music, pop and jazz genres. A Grammy-nominated composer, celebrated pianist, inventive vocalist, and educator, she is renowned for her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range. As an innovator, her award-winning education program, Voxploration, has been presented throughout the United States, Brazil, Europe and Qatar.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amplifying Voices aims to make major strides in diversifying orchestral repertoire. According to the Institute for Composer Diversity\u2019s 2022 Orchestra Repertoire Report, p<\/span>r<\/span>ogrammed works by women composers and composers of color increased overall from 4.5% in 2015 to 22.5% in 2022<\/span>. <\/span>Amplifying Voices is a long-term program which contributes to this momentum, increasing the support and promotion of composers who have been historically marginalized, creating space for their contributions to artistic-planning at major national orchestras, and making major strides toward transforming the classical canon for future generations. In addition to facilitating co-commissions, Amplifying Voices also asks orchestras for a commitment to sharing existing repertoire by BIPOC and women composers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>At New Music USA we believe that the programming of more pieces <\/span>by living composers<\/span> from a multitude of backgrounds will transform orchestral music for current and future generations<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d says Vanessa Reed<\/strong>, New Music USA’s President and CEO. \u201cIt\u2019s encouraging to see the pace at which orchestras are expanding their repertoire. To sustain this momentum, long-term commitments and collaborations are key. That\u2019s why we\u2019re honored to receive new and continued funds through which we\u2019re building on the work facilitated by our founding partners in 2020 to create long-lasting change for composers, orchestras and their audiences.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I am honored to participate in such an exciting project with these fantastic orchestras that I genuinely admire\u2014each with <\/span>a<\/span> unique vision for the future of today’s music<\/span>,\u201d says <\/span>Clarice Assad<\/span><\/b> on being a part of Amplifying Voices<\/span>. \u201c<\/span>I get to write and share the stage with them, so in a way, it is like a dream coming true for me.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>It was an enormous thrill to hear about the chance to participate in New Music USA\u2019s Amplifying Voices program<\/span>, adds <\/span>Katherine Balch<\/span><\/b>. \u201c<\/span>Already it has incubated new works by some of my favorite composers today. This project frees me to write the music of my dreams with the assurance that it will be in the caring and passionate hands of a consortia of orchestras committed to sharing historically marginalized music with audiences at the highest level of artistry.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the 2022-23 concert season, Amplifying Voices will have fostered <\/span>eleven <\/span>thirteen <\/span>orchestral premieres taking place in London and across the U.S., including new works by <\/span>Tania Le\u00f3n<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>Shelley Washington<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>Brian Raphael Nabors<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>Vijay Iyer<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>Juan Pablo Contreras<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>Tyshawn Sorey<\/span><\/b>, and <\/span>Nina Shekh<\/span><\/b>ar<\/strong>.<\/span> Works by <\/span>Jessie Montgomery<\/span><\/b> and <\/span>Valerie Coleman<\/span><\/b> will be premiered during the 2023-24 concert season. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each of the composer\u2019s pieces will be performed by a minimum of four orchestras over the course of three years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vijay Iyer\u2019s piece <\/span>Human Archipelago <\/span><\/i>will be premiered by cellist Inbal Segev and the London Philharmonic Orchestra on October 1, with subsequent performances by the Oregon Symphony on January 14-16, 2023 and the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra on February 23. A concerto for cello and orchestra, Iyer\u2019s new piece borrows its title from a book project by author Teju Cole and photographer Fazal Sheikh, about the entanglement of climate change and forced migration.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shelley Washington\u2019s work <\/span>Both<\/span><\/i> was premiered in July 2022 by the Aspen Music Festival and School, and will have its West Coast premiere on October 15 and 16 with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. <\/span>Both <\/span><\/i>is inspired by the many dualities within Washington\u2019s personal and professional life with respect to her racial, geographical, and musical influences.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian Raphael Nabors\u2019s piece <\/span>Upon Daybreak<\/span><\/i> is inspired by Dr. Maya Angelou\u2019s poem \u201cA Brave, Start<\/span>l<\/span>ing Truth,\u201d and will be premiered by the Berkeley Symphony on October 16 <\/span>with a special pre-concert talk moderated by New Music USA\u2019s Vanessa Reed,<\/span> as well as ROCO in Houston<\/span>, <\/span>on February 18, 2023, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra on April 27-29, 2023. <\/span>Nabors says, <\/span>\u201cI am overjoyed to be a part of the Amplifying Voices program for so many reasons. This program is groundbreaking through its promise of a continued influx of impactful music from a multitude of perspectives. My colleagues and I are so very fortunate to be a part of a movement that will bring us closer to Maya Angelou\u2019s vision of a future of peace and acceptance for all people.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tania Le\u00f3n’s <\/span>Pasajes<\/span><\/i> was premiered by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in April, and will be performed by the Auburn Symphony Orchestra in Auburn, WA on October 9, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on December 5, and the Orlando Philharmonic on March 4 and 5, 2023. <\/span>Pasajes<\/span><\/i> recalls scenes from Le\u00f3n’s life growing up in Cuba, including a song reminiscent of the melodies of Latin American cultures, rhythms indicating the pulse of Caribbean culture, and the dances of carnaval.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Juan Pablo Contreras’s piece <\/span>MeChicano<\/span><\/i> was premiered by the Las Vegas Philharmonic in May, and will be performed by the Richmond Symphony on February 25 and 26, 2023. He says of the piece, “<\/span>MeChicano<\/span><\/i> (a combination of Mexican and Chicano) \u2013 is the first piece that I composed as a Mexican-American composer, having finally become a U.S. citizen after living here for the past 15 years.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tyshawn Sorey\u2019s work <\/span>Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith)<\/span><\/i>, premiered at the Lucerne Festival by saxophonist Timothy McAllister and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra on August 20, with a second performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra planned for <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>March 16-1<\/span>8<\/span>, 2023.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina Shekhar\u2019s piece for youth ensemble, which will be premiered by Youth Orchestra Los Angeles in spring 2023, draws on a popular word game to allow students to create their own musical narratives. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>She explains, \u201cthe piece consists of short stories and musical settings that contain \u2018blanks;\u2019 the students then fill in the story blanks with words of their choosing, then come up with sounds that represent those chosen words. The musical arrangements include corresponding \u2018blank\u2019 noteheads, in which the students can fill them in by playing a designated sound that they chose. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This framework serves as an identity metaphor in which kids can insert themselves into these stories and choose to center any kind of character, and it guides students through the creative process to learn how to compose a piece themselves.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2022-23 Amplifying Voices Performances:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n