03.17.24 Faculty Recital, Julianne Kirk Doyle, Clarinet

Evening Concert Series Sara M. Snell Music Theater

2023 – 2024 Season Sunday, March 17th at 3:00 PM

Consortium Premieres of the 2020’s Julianne Doyle, clarinet Re:Nu (2021) i. treat ii. imagine iii. run iv. engage

James Stephenson (b. 1969)

Lauren Becker, horn Rob Sanderl and Timothy Sullivan, percussion Commissioned to celebrate the retirement of Northwestern Professor of Clarinet Steven Cohen and Professor of Horn Gail Williams

Fin de la Terra (2023) Where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez Rock Sentries The World’s Aquarium

Jenni Brandon (b.1977)

Keilor Kastella, piano The chamber orchestra version premiered at ClarinetFest 2023 in Denver, CO. The piano version is supported by a commissioning consortium.

~Pause~

Sonata (2022) Slow dance Lively

Margaret Brouwer (b.1940) Julie Miller, piano

Commissioned in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the International Clarinet Association.

Eretz Hefetz (2023) Overture Intermezzo Two Fugues Passacaglia Freilach

Paul Schoenfeld (b.1947)

Christine Hoerning, clarinet Keilor Kastella, piano Lead Commissioners - the Painted Sky Ensemble of Corey Mackey and Jeremy Reynolds.

CONSORTIUM PREMIERES When we returned from the COVID pause, I was approached by a number of colleagues to take part in consortium commissions for new works. This was an exciting prospect to support these composers and I was excited to see the results of these various consortiums.

The first work on the program, Re:Nu, was commissioned to celebrate the retirement of Steven Cohen and Gail Williams, both faculty at Northwestern and great artists in their respective fields. I had the priveldge of studying with Steve Cohen at Brevard in the 1990s while spending a summer at Brevard. It was an honor to be able to contribute to the celebration of these two incredible careers. To my knowledge, this is the 2nd performance of this work after the world premiere in Evanston, IL. During 2020, I became more involved with the International Clarinet Association (ICA), serving as New York State Chair and I have continued to become more involved and passionate about this organization, now serving as Pedagogy Chair and as a member of the College and Pre-Professional Engagement Committee and Co-Chair of the Pedagogy Committee. The ICA celebrated 50 years in 2023 and commissioned the Margaret Brouwer Sonata as part of that celebration. This work was premiered by Thomas Piercy in New York City in the spring of 2023 and several members of the consortium have presented performances since.

Jenni Brandon’s music is familiar to most of our students and when I was approached by Jeremy Reynolds to be part of a Concerto Consortium for Jenni, it was an enthusiastic yes! Along with the Concerto, comes a solo clarinet work extracted from the cadenza which I performed earlier this semester.

Fin de la Terra was premiered last summer at the 50th Anniversary ICA conference and is a beautifully dynamic and exciting work that I am so excited to share. This will be the 2nd performance of the clarinet and piano work and the NY Premiere.

The final work on the program is a consortium led by Jeremy Reynolds and Corey Mackey. Paul Schoenfeld’s music is always engaging and exciting, pushing the performers to limits and explore new stles. Many call this new work a tour de force for Jewish Music. We are so excited to add this work to the Clarinet duo with piano repertoire. This performance will be the 3rd in the consortium and a NY Premiere.

I want to thank my colleagues for their preparation, time and work on these pieces. This performance would not be possible without their incredible artistry, dedication and musicianship. We are priveldged to have such an incredible faculty at the Crane School of Music and a musical community that celebrates collaboration.

PROGRAM NOTES

RE:NU (2021) JAMES STEPHENSON (B. 1969) Leading American orchestras, instrumentalists, and wind ensembles around the world have performed the music of Chicago based composer James M. Stephenson, both to critical praise and the delight of audiences. He came late to his full-time composing career, having first earned a degree from the New England Conservatory in trumpet performance, and then going on to perform 17 seasons in the Naples Philharmonic in Florida. His catalog now boasts concertos and sonatas for nearly every instrument, earning him the moniker “The Concerto King” from Chicago Symphony clarinetist John Yeh. The vast majority of those compositions came through commissions by and for major symphony principal players, in Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Washington DC, St. Louis, Oregon, Milwaukee, and Dallas, among

others. Jim originally hails from the Greater Chicago area, as does his wife Sally. In 2007 the couple, along with their four children, returned to the region to pursue the life they now share.

Re:Nu (2021) - To say that I was honored to be asked to write for Gail and Steve’s retirement recital at Northwestern might be the understatement of my career! Both Gail and Steve have been so supportive of my work over the years – I’ve truly been a very lucky composer. Furthermore, the support for this piece received from the clarinet and horn players listed below was fantastic, amazing, mind-boggling, and so very much appreciated. It’s all a testament to the legacy that Gail and Steve have created, and to the indebtedness we all feel toward them.

The music of this four-movement trio is not programmatic. The titles were created afterthe-fact, so that there might be a relationship to their careers at Northwestern. But never did I try to correlate the shape of the music to that of a long-standing career of teaching at Northwestern, or to that of a teacher-student relationship. The title does hint at a sense of “renewed” vigor at the thought of ending one chapter, and starting a new one. The pun is of course that of “Regarding Northwestern University”, or Re: NU. And the movements do start with the letters of Tire, so that when coupled with “Re”, they spell “Retire”. But I’d prefer they instead referred to what a “Treat” (I.) it would be to study with them, how they inspired everyone to “imagine” (II.) they’re personal journey of music-making, how everyone should “run” (III.) to study with both of them, and lastly, how they would always “engage” (IV.) to such a degree with their students over the many years. [And – each of these words can also be attached to “Re”, as in: Retreat, Reimagine, Rerun, Reengage.]

If one was to search for meaning, they would find it in repeated G’s, hinting at Gail’s influence on my hornwriting career. I think she’s directly supported or commissioned about eight new works from me. Or a more careful study would reveal direct quotes in the cadenzas of the 4th movement, from other works I’ve composed for Steve and Gail. The second movement uniquely has the horn and clarinet in unison most of the time, suggesting how they’ve been in this teaching career together for so long, but at the end, they do indeed go their separate ways. Lastly, knowing both of them personally, I know that they would not want a huge deal made about their departure. The humility they show and the love they have for their students always comes first, and so the piece comes to an end not with a lot of fanfare, but rather a quiet march to the finish.

A very special thanks to Northwestern percussion professor She-e Wu for her help in editing the percussion parts to my wishes, and for her performance in the premiere performance, along with percussionist Benjamin Krauss. ~ Jim Stephenson; December 10, 2021

FIN DE LA TIERRA: LAND’S END (2023) JENNI BRANDON (B. 1977) Jenni Brandon is a composer and conductor, creating music in collaboration with other musicians and artists. She writes music that is beautiful and lyrica, telling stories through memorable musical lines, often influenced by the collaborator’s story, nature, and poetry. She has been commissioned to write music for soloists, chamber ensembles, concerto, opera, and orchestra. Her music appears on over 20 albums and has been awarded the Sorel Medallion, Amercan Priza, Paderewski Cycle, Women Composers Festival of Hartford International Composition Competition, and Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition among others. As a conductor, she often conducts her own works and works by living composers. She conducted her one act opera 3 PADEREWSKIS in the terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in 2019. She also presents workshops and talks on collaboration and the business of music, striving to create a supportive environment where collaboration leads to an exploration of ideas. When she is not making music, Jenni is often on her yoga mat, either practicing or teaching yoga. Jenni also loves walking her dogs and travelling with her husband to snorkel in tropical waters. Visit jennibrandon.com to learn more.

Fin de la Tierra: Land’s End - At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula,in the state of Baja California Sur in Mexico is the famous “El Arco” (the Arch). The granite rock formations not only mark the most southwestern point of Baja, California, but also serve as a separation between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) known as “Fin de la Tierra” or Land’s End. A study in contrast, this area from El Arco and continuing around the eastern side of Baja into Cabo Pulmo National Park encompasses what Jacques Cousteau once called “the world’s aquarium”.

In this 17-minute concerto for Clarinet in B-flat and piano (version with chamber orchestra available), the diverse ecosystem of this area is explored. The clarinet soloist serves as a guide, taking us on a journey through this UNESCO World Heritage site to observe the beauty and diversity of the landscape, the water, the animals that live in and around it, and their symbiotic relationship that requires a delicate balance of conservation and exploration. The piano and the clarinet soloist provide that symbiotic relationship as the ensemble becomes the water, the rock sentries at Land’s End, and the many colors of the sea, underwater life, and wind and waves that make up the beauty of this seascape.

The clarinet gives us a view from above and below the water, sometimes with a bird’s eye view of the rock formations, then dipping below the surface of the Sea to follow the many colorful fish that make this area their home. Some that appear in this work include Sea Horses, a school of Goatfish, Trumpetfish, and Long-Spined Porcupinefish. A special part of this concerto is a solo by the clarinet as it tells the story of the Munk’s Devil Ray, or Mobula Ray. Tens of thousands of these rays gather here in April-June, breaching the water like popcorn and making a spectacular show unique to this area. This solo is also a stand-alone solo for Clarinet.

Beyond the exploration of this beautiful area through the colors of the clarinet and piano, this work hopes to bring attention to the importance of conservation of such places in the world that we all may continue to enjoy and protect these areas for generations to come. ~ Jenni Brandon Commissioned by Dr. Jeremy Reynolds, the chamber orchestra version premiered during the 2023 ClarinetFest in Denver, Colorado, and the piano version is supported by a commissioning consortium.

SONATA (2022) MARGARET BROUWER (B. 1940) Margaret Brouwer has earned critical accolades for her music's lyricism, musical imagery and emotional power. “Brouwer’s gift for melody, and her ability to weave together contemporary idioms with lines that allow the instruments to sing, make her a composer for whom chamber musicians (and listeners) should be grateful.”

(EarRelevant) Brouwer’s honors include an Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Meet The Composer Commissioning/USA award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Ohio Council for the Arts Individual Fellowship, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Ford Foundation and John S. Knight Foundation. The Music Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center has established a Margaret Brouwer Collection that will be available for research by scholars, composers and performers. Dr. Brouwer served as head of the composition department and holder of the Vincent K. and Edith H. Smith Chair in Composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music from 1996 to 2008. Residencies include those at the MacDowell Colony where she has been a Norton Stevens Fellow and at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center. Recordings of Brouwer’s music can be found on the Naxos, New World, CRI, Crystal, Centaur, and Opus One labels.

Sonata (2022) -The Sonata for Clarinet and Piano was commissioned by the International Clarinet Association with generous support of a co-commissioners’ consortium. The clarinet is such a beautifully lyrical instrument, has a broad range and the ability to produce many different colors. All of these elements are driving forces throughout the sonata. The first movement, Slow Dance is nostalgic and lingering in nature, with a prevalent melody throughout. Even though the melody often is in 5/4 time, the feeling is that of a slow, romantic waltz. The second movement, Lively, showcases the different registers of the clarinet with quick leaps between high and low notes, as well as the liquid quality of fast runs. Lively is lighthearted and playful as the clarinet and piano pass motives back and forth, almost as if they are saying: “But can you do THIS??” ~Margaret Brouwer Commissioned in honor of the 50 th Anniversary of the International Clarinet Association.

ERETZ HEFETZ (2023) PAUL SCHOENFELD (B. 1947) Paul Schoenfeld (born Pinchas Schoenfeld) was born in 1947 in Detroit, Michigan. He began to take piano lessons at the age of six, and wrote his first composition a year later. Among his teachers were Julius Chajes, Ozan Marsh and Rudolf Serkin. He holds a B.A. degree from Carnegie-Mellon University and a Doctor of Music Arts degree from the University of Arizona.

Schoenfeld was formerly an active concert pianist, as a soloist and with groups including Music from Marlboro. With violinist Sergiu Luca he recorded the complete violin and piano works of Béla Bartók. He premiered his own piano concerto, “Four Parables” with the Toledo Symphony in 1983.

His most well-known composition, Café Music, was commissioned by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and inspired by Schoenfeld's turn as house pianist at Murray's steakhouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It received its premiere during an SPCO chamber concert in January, 1987 with Schoenfeld at the piano. In 1994, the same year he was awarded the Cleveland Arts Prize, an evening of Schoenfeld's pieces was presented at Reinberger Hall by violinist Lev Polyakin and other members of the Cleveland Orchestra with the composer at the piano.

Schoenfeld's song cycle “Camp Songs” was commissioned by Seattle's Music of Remembrance (MOR) and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2003. Schoenfeld is a Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan. Mr. Schoenfeld is also a dedicated scholar of the Talmud and of mathematics.