Wednesday May 30, 2012 (Le) Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street 7:30 PM
Saturday June 2, 2012 The Theater at MMAC 248 West 60th Street 8 PM
C4 Acknowledgements The activities of C4 are funded, in large part, by grants and generous contributions. We wish to thank and acknowledge: For their major support: Nan Bases Kit Smyth Basquin Michael David & Lauren Mitchell Tracy and Stanley Shopkorn Daniel and Ellen Stafford-Sigg Meet the Composer/Cary New Music Performance Fund Phoebe Abelow Mary S. Basquin Francine Belkind Nathan Berkoff Michael Biello and Dan Martin Jennifer Borum Sandra Carlson Richard and Gillian Champlain Zachary P. Cummings Hugh D. and Kathryn Klein Eddy Vincent Fitz Gerald Jonathan David Nancy and Don Derham Mary Tacciole Devine Trevor Doherty Orianne Yin Dutka Kim Erle David Harris D.B. and S.M. Hayward Linnea C. Johnson Andrew Kadel & Paula Schaap Jeffrey M. and Kuniko K. Katz
Deborah Kilmer Jeanne and Paul Klainer Pamela Klainer Linda and Leslie Libow Stanley Lieblein Patricia Marino Elizabeth Marker Rose Caiola & Edward Mermelstein Peter and Christine Metz Ruth Mueller-Maerki Jon Minikes and Sue Backstrom Ian David Moss Bernard and Rochelle Natt Susan Obel Raymond Penn Jonathan & Suzanne Rosenzweig Bruce Saylor Ann & Richard Sarnoff Pat & Larry Siegel Martha Sullivan Kenneth and Jean Telljohann
Friends of C4 (watch for details on membership and perks... coming soon!)
Byron Gibbs Vincent Fitz Gerald Ernest Hood David McCorkle Zahra Partovi Linda Schrank Anne Thulin Susan Weill
SPECIAL THANKS
We also wish to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the following organizations and individuals for their support and assistance: Zahra Partovi, Dodger Theatricals, (Le) Poisson Rouge Rose Caiola and The Manhattan Movement & Arts Center
Sparks Fly! Wednesday, May 30, (Le) Poisson Rouge, New York, NY Saturday, June 2, The Theater at MMAC, New York, NY
The Hounds of Spring* David Harris, Conductor Soloist: Karen Siegel
Impermanence*
Hannah Carr, Conductor
Dia | Logoi*
Hannah Carr, Conductor
Requiem*
Rachel Samet, Conductor
1. Requiem Aeternam 2. Dies Irae 3. Tuba Mirum 4. Liber Scriptus 5. Rex Tremendae 6. Recordare 7. Ingemisco 8. Confutatis 9. Lacrimosa 10. Offertorio 11. Sanctus 12. Agnus Dei 13. Lux Aeterna 14. Requiem Aeternam Soloists: Timothy Brown, Kristopher Burke, Karen Devine, Mario Gullo, Martha Sullivan, Melissa Wozniak * World premiere
Jonathan David (b. 1965)
Karen Siegel (b. 1980)
Martha Sullivan (b. 1964)
Brian Coughlin (b. 1973)
Program Notes and Texts Putting a program together around a
is the myth of the Calydonian boar hunt.
challenges,
King of Calydon, Athena has sent down a
Requiem mass has significant conceptual so
when
Brian
Coughlin
approached C4 with the idea, the other composers chose to write for the ensemble combination and leave the concert flow to
chance. What emerged, however, combines
a fascinating artistic cohesion. The general thrust of a Requiem being to remind the
living that their time is coming and to mourn
the loss of an individual or the general eventuality of death, Brian’s composition
almost becomes a celebration of death and at the least sexes up the macabre. To that
end, Jonathan’s setting of Swinburne’s
chorus from Atalanta in Calydon, a chant to springtime with lust-filled images and sparks
of renewal throughout, counterbalances the program.
Karen’s and Martha’s pieces,
in their questioning, searching textual fragmentations and recombinations offer
concept glue. Stuck in between birth and
death images, each of which cheats to the other side of the extreme if only reflexively, their ponderings on the confusion of living,
of seeking and being denied, of insanity and calm, of torment, meditation, and good clean fun, release back into the opening
and closing pieces the complexities and similarities of renewal and demise. ~David Harris
The Hounds of Spring Jonathan David Swinburne’s chorus from his tragedy,
Atalanta in Calydon, is one of the great poetic
odes to springtime. The narrative context
In response to having been ignored by the
wild boar to terrorize the city. The menfolk organize a hunt to kill the boar and, with
one exception, are dismayed to be joined in it by the virgin huntress, Atalanta. Meleager
alone, who has a thing for her, welcomes her participation. In the end it is Atalanta who
draws first blood. Meleager then delivers the fatal blow to the boar, but he offers
the skin to his crush. Things all go rather badly later on, but this chorus is a love
song, a tale of sexual pursuit told through the imagery of the hunt and of the coming
of spring. It is also a paragon of Romantic
excess, of wild fancy, strange tangents and conflation with other myths (Procne and Philomela, the Bacchanalia, etc.). My
setting turns (naturally) to the spirit of
1970’s progressive rock, of Jesus Christ
Superstar and Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick, to name just a couple examples. Theatricality, elaborate structure, stark juxtapositions,
irregular and frequently changing meters
are all hallmarks of the piece. It is rich in
melodic material, but the germ for much of it is present in the music for the iconic first
line. Similarly, wide-ranging though it may be, one should still be able to detect a more classical ABA form, with A generally louder
and faster (cue the fuzzbox), and B softer
and slower (vocalise-ing back-up singers). An alto solo introduces an extended coda which describes, essentially, a drunken orgy, before fading into the night. ~Jonathan David
When the hounds of spring are on winter’s traces,
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
The mother of months in meadow or plain
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,
Fills the shadows and windy places
And in green underwood and cover
With lisp of leaves and ripple of rain;
Blossom by blossom the spring begins.
And the brown bright nightingale amorous
The full streams feed on flower of rushes,
Is half assuaged for Itylus,
Ripe grasses trammel a travelling foot,
For the Thracian ships and the foreign faces,
The faint fresh flame of the young year flushes
The tongueless vigil, and all the pain.
From leaf to flower and flower to fruit;
Come with bows bent and emptying of quivers,
And fruit and leaf are as gold and fire,
Maiden most perfect, lady of light,
And the oat is heard above the lyre,
With a noise of winds and many rivers,
And the hoofed heel of a satyr crushes
With a clamour of waters, and with might;
The chestnut-husk at the chestnut-root.
Bind on thy sandals, O thou most fleet,
And Pan by noon and Bacchus by night,
Over the splendour and speed of thy feet;
Fleeter of foot than the fleet-foot kid,
For the faint east quickens, the wan west shivers,
Follows with dancing and fills with delight
Round the feet of the day and the feet of the night.
The Maenad and the Bassarid;
Where shall we find her, how shall we sing to her,
And soft as lips that laugh and hide
Fold our hands round her knees, and cling?
The laughing leaves of the trees divide,
O that man’s heart were as fire and could spring
And screen from seeing and leave in sight
to her,
The god pursuing, the maiden hid.
Fire, or the strength of the streams that spring!
The ivy falls with the Bacchanal’s hair
For the stars and the winds are unto her
Over her eyebrows hiding her eyes;
As raiment, as songs of the harp-player;
The wild vine slipping down leaves bare
For the risen stars and the fallen cling to her,
Her bright breast shortening into sighs;
And the southwest wind and the west wind sing.
The wild vine slips with the weight of its leaves,
For winter’s rains and ruins are over,
But the berried ivy catches and cleaves
And all the season of snows and sins;
To the limbs that glitter, the feet that scare
The days dividing lover and lover,
The wolf that follows, the fawn that flies.
The light that loses, the night that wins;
~Chorus from Atalanta in Calydon by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909)
Impermanence Karen Siegel
of beautiful depictions of nature through the
Jonah’s prayer from inside the whale and
about these changes.
Rochelle Jewel Shapiro’s poem The fireflies
passing seasons that seem peaceful, until
the final line reveals an underlying anxiety
have barely winked their neon green involve
I have split the choir into two, with the men
and mood. Jonah recounts his near-death, a
singing Shapiro’s poem. The band is also
similar, though opposite, shifts in perspective
dark time for sure. Yet, his overall expression
is one of gratitude. Shapiro’s poem consists
singing the biblical text and the women split—the cello, electric bass and synthesizer
introduce and accompany the men; while the
piccolo, alto saxophone, violin and electric
They gradually influence each other, and
in the piano, do the same for the women.
never merge completely.
guitar, along with sympathetic vibration The alternating men’s and women’s voices inhabit very different sound-worlds at first,
singing in different textures and modes.
The fireflies have barely winked their neon green when the tiny tulips in their orange flame skirts have fallen from the arms of the yellow poplar. The rhododendron petals have fallen, too, leaving clumps of pea-like pods and brown shafts. Not long ago, the flowering pear showered its flurry of snowy blossoms and the pink bunched crepe paper flowers of the cherry tree drifted down, exposing dark scarred bark and gnarled branches. Just beyond the adamant white bloom of the Korean Dogwood, the pines will begin to drop their dried needles onto beds of shivering pachysandra and the impatiens, stricken by a sudden night frost, will be felled against the spotted grass. Hold me. ~Rochelle Jewell Shapiro
eventually do come together, though they
Impermanence was a semifinalist in the 2011 Sorel competition for women composers, in its original version for chorus and organ. The inspiration of the organ can be heard
in the different, yet consistent, colors of the instrumental part. ~Karen Siegel
You threw me into the heart of the ocean, and water swirled around me, your waves washed over me. I went down into the depths of the mountains, trapped forever in this underworld. But you saved me. I am grateful. Waters nearly choked me to death. The darkness encircled me, weeds tangled in my hair. Those who cling to hollowness have lost your trust. When my soul died within me I remembered you. I have turned away, but I keep looking for you. —Jonah 2:4-10, translated and altered order of lines by Karen Siegel
Dia | Logoi Martha Sullivan This
piece
started
blue notes at the end). The two musical
ideas engaged in heated dialogue (hence as
an
obsessive
instrumental riff and a harmonic progression
that was clearly for voices (it quotes a gesture both from a Beethoven piano sonata and from a choral anthem by Stainer, but I added
the Greek title), but I did not find a suitable
text until February of 2012. On February 9, I read the New York Times over coffee and noticed that there were many vivid words
on the first two pages, and that each had a word next to it that could be used to glue it to another word. I made
This is | about the | grip of | the odds.
a list of the two-word cells,
People played.
was” and “the outrage”
including pairs like “discord
More than | a few | would judge.
and “the hunt” and “is
No one | was plotting.
them together into a piece
After the | volley of | grievances and | discord was | over, foundering”, and over the next couple of days strung a | few people | prayed with | the chief. People played | the odds.
of found poetry. It reads
No longer.
post-Apocalyptic
Few people | died,
seems
In turn, | they faced | changes to | the odds.
course the words are all
almost as the narrative of a
survivor
seeking a safe haven, and to
evoke
many
because | the battle | did not | now allow | the hunt.
feelings of our own era. Of
Much about | the effort | is foundering.
culled from the news of our
The hunt | now lives.
In the finished piece, the
The final | freedom is | to halt
usually drives forward with
The final | freedom is | to gain
music,
The final | struggles to | hold off | the outrage | fell silent. time, so that makes sense.
instrumental
ensemble
The final | freedom is | to pool
mechanistic or bloodthirsty
The final | freedom is | to play
with, or interrupting the
Chaos grows.
music from each other and
chasing,
arguing
voices. The two groups steal
No one | will help.
transform it, but they do
I just | want to | slide and | carry out | the odds
voices end alone, it is not a
not reconcile. Although the
I just | want to | slide and | hold off | the hunt
triumph, but rather a plea
I just | want to | slide and | to gain | the chapel
for sanctuary.
~Martha Sullivan
~Martha Sullivan
Requiem Brian Coughlin
poetry, but though praise and pleas directed
The initial musical inspiration for the piece
meaning for a lot of people, and I did not
came from walking in the woods a few years ago right as fall was giving way to winter,
and the cold stillness of that New England forest at that time of year suddenly struck
a very strong chord for me emotionally.
Somehow the “dying” of nature seemed to be a metaphor for a sense of loss in my own
life: the loss of childhood innocence, the loss of friends and family who had died recently, the loss of a consistent connection to nature
in my life now that I spend most of my time in the city. It occurred to me that the seasons
-- all of the transitions that those woods had seen year after year -- created a kind of
endless, solemn ritual. Being there among the trees was my link to everything that had
happened before and served as a reminder
of how startlingly transitory life is, but also how reassuringly connected everything
is in the inevitable cycles of nature. There was something incredibly beautiful and
sad about it, and I felt strongly compelled to try to capture that feeling into music. It
is also about that time of year that, for some
reason, I always seem to listen to a lot of “early” music, such as Medieval chant and
early vocal polyphony, and while listening I had the idea that setting an ancient text would provide that sense of connection to
the past that I was looking for. The text of the Requiem mass, an ancient text dealing
with death and loss, seemed like a perfect fit. The prospect of setting the Requiem text
did pose some philosophical problems for
me initially. I am an atheist and the idea of setting a very religious text made me
uncomfortable. I read the text simply as
at a deity might have only metaphorical meaning for me, they have a very different
want my music to be mistakenly associated with religion. In addition, though the text
of the Requiem does have some incredibly powerful and passionate writing, it failed to
capture the whole picture of my inspiration for the piece. My solution was to take
an approach similar to the one used by Benjamin Britten for his War Requiem -- to substitute the strictly religious parts of the
text with new poetry that would provide a context and perspective for the traditional
Latin text. I brazenly decided to write my own “lyrics” for the substituted sections
using the titles of each of the Requiem texts
that I was replacing as a framework (for example, the “Recordare,” which means “Remember,” deals with impermanence and memory). Using the basic premise of the
original texts not only fixed the text problem
but also allowed me to keep the original
sequence and overall flow of the sections of the piece intact. It also turned out to be
an ideal way to bridge the musical worlds
of the choir and Fireworks. I found myself wanting to write in a somewhat archaic style for the choir, but in a more modern, rock-
oriented style for Fireworks. By setting the Latin text for the choir and the original texts
as songs for the band on its own, I was able to do both. The songs, along with the largely rock-inspired
instrumental
writing
for
Fireworks, provide a sharp contrast to the more traditional, somewhat anachronistic writing for the choir.
1. & 14. REQUIEM AETERNAM Requiem aeternam dona eis et lux perpetua luceat eis
Grant them eternal rest,
and let eternal light shine on them.
2. DIES IRAE
Dies irae, dies illa
solvet saeclum in favilla, teste David cum Sybilla.
Quantus tremor est futurus quando judex est venturus cuncta stricte discussurus.
This day, this day of wrath
will dissolve the world in ashes
as foretold by David and the sybil. What tremors there will be when the judge comes
to weigh everything strictly.
3. TUBA MIRUM
Tuba mirum spargens sonum per sepilchra regionum
coget omnes ante tronum. Mors stupebit et natura, cum resurget creatura judicanti responsura.
The trumpet, scattering its awful sound across the graves of all the lands summons all before the throne.
Death and nature shall be stunned when all creatures arises to answer to the judge.
4. LIBER SCRIPTUS These words, innocent enough. A mere sentence. (until it is carried out.) Out from the smoldering stacks, filled with ash and scars, spilled onto the white field, soiling one side to purge the other. Fear, pride, envy they mean, but they say something else. A weak translation: words become swords, lines coil like rope, their points, spear-sharp, scratch like matches ‘til they burn through— these words, words for those who cannot buy them, words for eyes too dark for them, words for those too old to believe in them. We’re too old to believe them. ~Brian Coughlin (and subsequent offset lyrics)
4. LIBER SCRIPTUS
Liber scriptus proferetur
The written book will be brought forth
unde mundus judicetur.
by which the world shall be judged.
In quo totum continetur
in which all is contained
Judex ergo cum sedebit quidquid latet apparebit,
nil inultum remanebit.
When the judge sits
6. RECORDARE She dreams, remembering colors brighter than those she has now. The flowers have dried, the photographs
5. REX TREMENDAE Rex tremendae majestatis,
qui salvandos salvas gratis,
salva me fons pietatis.
whatever has been
hidden will appear.
Nothing will remain unavenged.
faded. She dreams, forgotten. The mountain explodes; the meteor crashes. But in the mind of a child they walk in Pompeii and hunt in Pangaea. O Dream, where are you now?
King of tremendous majesty,
who saves those worthy of salvation,
save me, fount of pity.
Cold seeds in stony ground.
7. INGEMISCO
Ingemisco tamquam reus,
culpa rubet vultus meus.
What storm can shake these frozen towers, this pale dawn? She dreams; the memories drift. They play along the telephone.
I groan, like the guilty one.
Guilt reddens my face.
They say: “Life is like a candle: The faster it burns, the brighter the
8. CONFUTATIS
Confutatis maledictis Flammis acribus addictis
Voca me cum benedictis.
Oro supplex et acclinis, Cor contritum quasi cinis,
Gere curam mei finis.
flame.” They say: “Life is like a candle: You cannot see until it burns out.” O Dream, O clarion sound! Bold dreams: a thorny crown. How can this troth be wholly ours, this stale dawn? She dreams, remembering colors she will have been the last to see. What fragile form will die with you? What will die with me?
9. LACRIMOSA
Lacrimosa, dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.
When the damned are cast away
and sentenced to acrid flames,
call me among the blessed.
Bowed down I beg you, my heart as though crushed to ashes,
help me in my last hour.
In time will come a day to extinguish the last eyes to know Moloch, the last to know Christ. O Dream, O foaming prow
On this day of tears,
from the ashes arises
guilty man to be judged.
Safe deep or shallow drowned?
11. SANCTUS
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus
What wind can stop these holy hours from avalon, this frail dawn?
Holy, holy, holy.
Terra est coelestis gloria. Hosanna in excelsis!
The earth is full of heavenly glory. Hosanna in the highest! 12. AGNUS DEI
10. OFFERTORIO Once upon a time the sheep grazed on the hillside Everyone sighs with relief
and were content.
when the madman Abraham lets the boy live.
One day, Fox came along. “Sheep!” he called,
Everyone, of course, except the lamb.
“Why do you graze on the bony hillside when the
The sacrifice must still be made.
grass is green across the stream?”
The thin fat men in dark suits sit in small rooms
“Yes,” said the sheep, “The grass is green,” and
and speak grave sentences.
swam across the stream.
And the lambs move down the shambles,
But the water was swift and some sank.
and the boys move down the trenches
Fox was waiting below and ate them.
as lightning flashes overhead.
Some find the grass is more green on that side of
“And the people feasted and were free…”
the stream,
Then flags arrive.
but sometimes this can only be seen from mid-
Stabat mater dolorosa…
stream.
They return to Earth
Once upon a time, the sheep grazed on the hillside
to succor her in her torment:
and were content.
of fields on fire, her choking veins and highways.
Then Fox came along. “Sheep!” he called,
“And the children played among the spoils…”
“Why do you graze on the bony hillside when the
Smoke rises through the sunset,
grass is green across the ravine?”
turning white to red on blue.
“Yes,” said the sheep, “The grass is green,” and leapt
Shadows fall in the small rooms where thin fat
across the ravine.
men in dark suits speak grave sentences.
But it was far and some fell.
Smoke rises to the sky.
Fox was waiting below and ate them.
The light falls upon the holy face of the boy,
Some fast, some feast.
as she looks
Some on grass, some on sheep.
the hand slips
Some find the grass is as green on both sides of the
and the needle pierces through
ravine.
the weary hand that sews
Sometimes this can only be seen from the bottom of
another dark suit.
the ravine.
12. AGNUS DEI
Agnus Nobis, Agnus Dei Our lamb, lamb of God,
Qui tollis peccata mundi.
you take away the sins of the world.
“Sheep! Why do you sleep when you can dream?” “Yes! We can dream.” But the dreams of sheep are sometimes too deep. Some dream, some sleep. Some sink deep, some count sheep.
13. LUX AETERNA
Some may find the dream is as green as it seems.
May eternal light shine on them.
the dream.
Lux aeterna luceat eis.
Sometimes this can only be seen from the edge of Sometimes by the last light before the last sleep.
The Fireworks Ensemble Founded with the goal of creating a single,
a vast palette of styles and time periods into
the full scope of today’s musical diversity,
programs such as Dance Mix (700 years
small ensemble capable of representing
Fireworks combines the talents of eight classically-trained but musically omnivorous young virtuosi who pride themselves on being
able to play just about anything, regardless of style, time period, or instrumentation. An amplified chamber band with a repertoire that
encompasses
an
extraordinary
range of styles, including Frank Zappa’s
instrumental rock, traditional Americana,
classic cartoon music, ambient techno, and 20th-century orchestral music (to name a few), Fireworks presents a contemporary American vision of chamber music. With
its virtuosic performances, Fireworks has
led the charge to bring a fresh perspective to established audiences, and to create a
thrilling experience for new generations of
listeners beyond the concert hall. Fireworks defies convention with a jazz-like approach to repertoire that treats each piece as a canvas for a unique, personal interpretation.
Founded in 2000 by composer/bassist Brian Coughlin, Fireworks was one of New York City’s first indie-classical bands. Fireworks burst onto the music scene with Coughlin’s rock-inspired
version
of
Stravinsky’s
orchestral masterpiece, The Rite of Spring.
Called “adventurous and ahead of the curve,” “classically-trained but musically
fearless,” and “the bridge between the contemporary classical new music ensemble
and the mainstream popular audience,” Fireworks quickly drew the attention of critics and a national audience. Since then,
the ensemble has expanded its repertoire
with collections of Coughlin’s compositions and arrangements that combine music from
cohesive musical experiences. Fireworks’ of dance music from around the world), Cartoon (music and video inspired by
the golden age of animation), American Tapestry (great American folk, rock, jazz,
and classical masterpieces), and None of the Above (the virtuosic instrumental
music of Frank Zappa), have established the group as one of the country’s most vibrant
and creative young ensembles. Fireworks
tours throughout the United States each year and has appeared on many of the
country’s most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall, The Library of Congress, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society,
and The Chautauqua Institution. Passionate about its work with young people and dedicated to reaching new audiences of
all ages, Fireworks devotes a large part of
its time each year to educational activities.
The ensemble’s workshops, master classes, and residencies have reached thousands of students throughout the country. Fireworks has
participated
in
Chamber
Music
America’s Residency Partnership Program, Carnegie
Hall’s
Musical
Connections
program, and is currently ensemble-in-
residence at the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium.
www.fireworksensemble.org
C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective Daniel Andor started playing piano at
Kristopher Burke has earned degrees in
at The Purcell School of Music, London.
and Vocal Performance from Shenandoah
four and studied composition and piano
His compositions won numerous awards,
and were featured by the Society for the Promotion of New Music during 2000–2002. Drawn to making music with others, he took up trombone, conducting and singing.
Hayes Biggs studied with Don Freund, Mario
Davidovsky,
Fred
Lerdahl
and
Donald Erb. A 1998 Guggenheim Fellow, he has had residencies at Copland House and
the Tanglewood Music Center. His music
is published by C. F. Peters and APNM, and has been recorded on the Albany and Ravello labels. www.hayesbiggs.com
James Bilodeau grew up in the Adirondacks
music education from Shepherd University Conservatory. Kristopher has also sung as a
church soloists and on stage. He now works for the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Hannah Carr took her undergraduate degree in Music and French from Trinity College Dublin, where she won first prize for her
composition portfolio, and an advanced diploma in Choral Conducting at the Kodály Institute in Hungary. She has performed in
classical music as an organist, pianist and singer, as well as in groups from Traditional Irish music to Funk and other popular styles and teaches music at the Chapin School.
and currently lives in Ossining, NY. He
New York composer Jonathan David will
and various musical theater productions.
Commissions by Central City Chorus (NY);
participated in school and church choirs
After graduating from the Hartt School with a bachelor of music degree in music
production, he moved to NYC. He is employed as a voice talent and audio producer for Sirius XM Radio. Composer,
Singer,
Conductor
Timothy
Brown: 30 year veteran of the choral music world. A compositional fence-sitter.
Theater: Curious George national tour; songs
have eight world premieres this season:
Carroll University (WI, Italian premiere); Marble Collegiate Church Chereb Choir (NY); for baritone Daniel Neer (NY) and
for Jay Barksdale and the Sylvia Townsend Warner Foundation (NY; UK premiere);
Premiers by Cantaria (NC) and the Brooklyn
Youth Chorus’ Young Men’s Chorus (NY).
He is published by Oxford University Press. www.jonathandavidmusic.com.
showcased at BMI, Beechman Theater,
Brian Coughlin (Fireworks) Hailed by Mark
of Love.” Classical: Masters work at MSM;
as “like great Beatles standards,” Brian
Donnell Songbook, and showcase “A Trace premieres - Incidental Dance Suite at Merkin Hall; Drip Dream and In So Many Words by C4.
Greenfest of the New Music Connoisseur Coughlin’s music has been performed at
major venues throughout the United States including Carnegie Hall and the Library of
Congress by major classical, rock, and jazz
7/8 Chorus of The Collegiate School, plus
of Lincoln Center and The Eugene Opera.
www.davidharrismusic.net
groups such as The Chamber Music Society
some random other engagements.
Karen Devine completed a B.A. in Music
Magdalen Kadel sang for many years in the
conducting
Boys at Trinity Episcopal Church, Princeton,
at Kenyon College, studying voice and with
Dr.
Benjamin
Locke.
Choral music remained an important part of her life in NYC as she explored various
careers that actually paid. Finally settling
into massage therapy, she has become quite
successful - perhaps, in part, because of her
strict “no bad spa music” policy. She also thinks about practicing her accordion often.
Elizabeth Derham is an avid performer of new music as both a violinist and
singer. She plays frequently with the New Juilliard Ensemble and AXIOM. She has
Girls’ Choir and in the Choir of Men and where she served as head girl under the
direction of John Bertalot. She received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University,
where she was enrolled in the Institute for
Early Music, studying voice with Paul Elliott. She has had singing engagements with the
New York based contemporary music group Alarm Will Sound. She enjoys living in New York City, where she is soprano section
leader at Holy Apostles Episcopal Church, directed by David Hurd.
worked with artists such as David Lang,
Elizabeth Marker is a dedicated choral
Bill T. Jones, and has premiered numerous
Festival Chorus, the award winning Oregon
Magnus Lindberg, Robert Wilson, and
works by composers at Juilliard, Aspen, and Fontainebleau.
Mario Gullo has been seen in New York at
Alice Tully Hall, City Center, the Dramatist’s Guild and the Barrow Street Theater. His
favorite so far has been appearing with Barbara Cook in concert at Carnegie Hall. Regionally, he has performed at Artpart,
singer having sung with Tanglewood
Repertory Singers, the Russian Chamber Chorus and Cantori New York. She has
performed for Robert Shaw in workshops and with the Festival Singers. Many New York churches have heard her and she is
featured on two recordings: My Heart is Ready, music of Yuri Yukechev ; Le Vin Herbé by Frank Martin
the Theater of Youth, Tri-State Center for
Ian David Moss co-founded C4 in 2005. A
Philharmonic. He has had pieces performed
he is now Research Director at Fractured
the Performing Arts and the Hudson Valley by the New York City Master Chorale and Bridges Vocal Ensemble.
David Harris (DMA) writes, conducts and
sings with C4, The Brearley Singers and Chamber Orchestra, Columbia Glee Club,
Brooklyn Youth Chorus and the efforvescent
composer and conductor in his former life, Atlas, where he helps funders, government agencies, and others serve the arts more effectively through data. He writes regularly
for the Huffington Post, NewMusicBox, and his blog, Createquity.
Rachel Samet recently emerged from the
television, film, and theatre credits. Studied
of Choral Activities at the University of
College.
Pacific Ocean, where she was the Director Hawaii for four years.
She has worked
with Chris Theofanidis. Faculty CUNY, City
with numerous choirs from across North
Fahad Siadat is a composer/performer
conductor. She holds degrees from Oberlin,
voice that incorporate improvisation and
America as a clinician, adjudicator and guest Boston University and the University of Colorado.
Joseph N Rubinstein is a composer currently studying at Juilliard.
He would like to
thank C4 for bringing him on board for this
awesome project! www.josephnrubinstein.
specializing in theatrical works for the extended technique. He regularly writes for theater, film, and dance, and his one
act work SAHARAVA: A Ritualized DanceOpera will premier in at the NY Fringe
Festival this summer. For more info visit www.fahadsiadat.com
com
Melissa Wozniak is a teaching artist and
Composer and soprano Karen Siegel
NYC Opera. She holds a BME from SUNY
is a founding member of C4. composing
rhythmically
When not
challenging
choral music, she can be found writing a dissertation on Kaija Saariaho’s music for a
PhD program at the CUNY Graduate Center (where she studies with Tania León) and
singing lullabies to her one-year-old son. She is a graduate of Yale (BA in psychology)
and NYU (MM in music composition, School of Education). www.KarenSiegel.com
Bettina
Sheppard’s
compositions
and
commissions include opera, Stillwaters; Emily Dickinson song cycle; TraumNovela,
Barrow Street Theatre, Barcelona; Millay settings for American Cathedral in Paris;
365 Days/365 Plays, Suzan-Lori Parks, the Public Theater; The Picture of Dorian Grey, Stageworks. Singing credits: Lincoln Center; Carnegie Hall; St Sulpice, Paris; Public
Theatre; Barrow Street. Recordings: Solus (as
Brythonwen), Satin Dolls jazz trio, musical theatre cast recordings.
Also numerous
the
School
Program Administrator
at
Fredonia and an almost MM from the
University of Southern Mississippi. Nonmusical interests include TV shows about forensics, Scottish culture, and her husband, David.
C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective Sopranos Hannah Carr Elizabeth Durham Magdalen Kadel Karen Siegel Martha Sullivan Melissa Wozniak
Altos Karen Devine Elizabeth Marker Rachel Samet Bettina Sheppard
Tenors Kris Burke Mario Gullo David Harris Joseph Rubinstein Fahad Siadat
Basses Daniel Andor Jim Bilodeau Hayes Biggs Timothy Brown Ian David Moss
C4, the world’s first Choral Composer/Conductor Collective, is a unique vocal ensemble in New York City dedicated to performing music written in the last twenty-five years. A collaborative project of its singing members, it functions not only as a presenting ensemble in its own right, with a threeprogram, six-concert season, but also as an ongoing workshop and recital chorus for the emerging composers and conductors who form the core of the group. It is, as far as we know, the first ensemble of its kind. Please visit our website, www.c4ensemble.org.
The Fireworks Ensemble Brian Coughlin: bass, vocals James Johnston: piano, keyboards Esther Noh: violin Erin Rogers: saxophone
Elizabeth Janzen: flute David Mancuso: drums Gyan Riley: guitar Leigh Stuart: cello
Fireworks Ensemble would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their generous support. Richard Bornstein and Rabbi Sarah Reines John and Suzanne Bourdeaux Robert Carl Laura Conwesser Renata Cuff David Del Tredici Elmore Inscoe DeMott Gwen Ellison Gene Fader Oren Fader Keator Group, LLC
Christopher and Kathleen M. Healey I. and M. Klipper Nancy Kopans Fabienne Peyrat Robert and Joanne Sohrweide Miki Takane Westergaard Donald Ziegler and Janet Atherton Linda Tarrack Margrit Valliere Sam Coughlin Kristine Steensma, MD Vivian Sorvall
Both The Fireworks Ensembles and C4 have dynamic performing schedules throughout the year. Sign up for our mailing list and stay informed about where you can hear us next! fireworksensemble.org and c4ensemble.org