Benjamin Verdery, guitar, Feb 12, 2017

Robert Blocker, Dean

faculty artist series

Benjamin Verdery guitar

Morse Recital Hall February 12, 2017 • Sunday at 3 pm

Faculty Artist Series

Benjamin Verdery, guitar February 12, 2017 • Morse Recital Hall

Heitor Villa-Lobos 1887–1959

“Ária” from Bachianas brasileiras No. 5, W389 arr. Roland Dyens

Benjamin Verdery b. 1955

Now and Ever (2008) for David and Marie Russell I. II.

Ingram Marshall b. 1945

Soepa (1999) for electric classical guitar, digital delay, and loops composed for Benjamin Verdery I. II. III. intermission

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–1791

Adagio, K. 540 arr. Benjamin Verdery

Yale School of Music

Seymour Bernstein b. 1927

Searching for a Chorale (2016) World premiere composed for Benjamin Verdery

Verdery Choreographed by MICHIYAYA Dance

Now You See It (2000) World premiere of choreography I. Worry Knot II. Let Go III. Now You See It IV. Start Now V. Greed VI. Home MICHIYAYA Dance Aliza Russell Alexandra Wood NĂşria Martin Fandos Stephanie Carlos Belinda Adam

As a courtesy to the performers and audience, silence electronic devices.

Please do not leave the hall during selections. Photography or recording of any kind is prohibited.

Artist Profiles

Benjamin Verdery, guitar Described by The New York Times as “an iconoclastic player,” Benjamin Verdery has been hailed for his innovative and eclectic musical career. In a recent interview, Ben brought us up to date: “I had a fabulously exciting musical year in 2016, including several releases: The Ben Verdery Guitar Project: On Vineyard Sound, new guitar music from my extraordinary colleagues at Yale, released by Elm City Records, which I co-founded with my former student and dear friend Solomon Silber; a documentary shot in Korea for the ArTravel series on Arirang TV; and three videos including two protest videos: Chant for Peace and J.S. Bach’s Chaconne, subtitled An Interpretation Celebrating the Earth, Sky, and Sea. In addition, I was honored to perform an evening of my compositions including a new duo, From Aristotle, with beatbox champion Mark Martin for the Guitar Foundation of America.

I also presented concerts and master classes in Holland, Germany, and England, and hosted my seventeenth annual Maui Guitar Class.

“I begin 2017 with a premiere of Searching for a Chorale by one of my dearest mentors, Seymour Bernstein, and collaborations with the MICHIYAYA Dance company; curating and performing at the 92Y’s Guitar Marathon; and embarking on a new solo work for the Changsha International Guitar competition in China. I’m in my thirtysecond year as the guitar professor at the Yale School of Music and my tenth year as Artistic Director of 92Y’s Art of the Guitar series!”

Benjamin Verdery’s tours regularly take him throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, performing at venues and festivals including Theatre Carré (Amsterdam), Maverick Concerts (New York), the International Guitar Festival in Havana, Wigmore Hall (London), Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Taxco (Mexico), and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Metropolitan Opera in New York. He has recorded and/or performed with such diverse artists as Andy Summers, Frederic Hand, William Coulter, Leo Kottke, Anthony Newman, Jessye Norman, Paco Peña, Hermann Prey, John Williams, hip-hop artist Billy Dean Thomas, beatbox/vocal percussionist Mark Martin, and Nano Stern.

Ben’s discography includes more than fifteen recordings. In addition to recent releases, recordings include Happy Here with William Coulter; Branches, featuring works of Bach, Strauss, Jimi Hendrix, Mozart, and the traditional Amazing Grace; Start Now (2005 Classical Recording Foundation Award); Some Towns & Cities (winner of Guitar Player Magazine’s Best Classical Guitar Recording 1991), and collaborations with John Williams (John Williams Plays Vivaldi) and Andy Summers (First You Build a Cloud).

Future recordings include Searching for a Chorale, music by and inspired

by J.S. Bach, and a recording featuring his classical guitar arrangements of Randy Newman, Neil Young, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Eddie Vedder, The National, Cream, and Elvis Presley.

Artist Profiles

Many of the leading composers of our time have created music for Ben, including Ezra Laderman, Daniel Asia, Martin Bresnick, Aaron Kernis, John Anthony Lennon, David Leisner, Hannah Lash, Anthony Newman, Roberto Sierra, Van Stiefel, and Jack Vees. Of particular note was the commission by the Yale University Music Library of a work by Ingram Marshall for classical and electric guitars. Ben Verdery and Andy Summers premiered this work, Dark Florescence, at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra. Bryce Dessner (guitarist with The National) has been commissioned to compose a work for guitar and string quartet that will premiere in 2018 with the St. Lawrence String Quartet.

A prolific published composer in his own right, many of Ben’s compositions have been performed, recorded, and published over the years. He has been commissioned to compose works for The Assad Duo, guitarists David Russell, John Williams, and John Etheridge, the Pensacola Guitar Orchestra (Florida), Kyo-Shin-An Arts (New York), Wake Forest University, Thomas Offermann and the guitar ensemble of the Hochschule for Music and Theatre (Rostock, Germany), and the score for the documentary film Corida Goyesque. Ben’s Scenes from Ellis Island, for guitar orchestra, has been extensively broadcast and performed at festivals and universities in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Europe, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet included it on their CD Air and Ground (Sony Classical). Doberman-Yppan (Canada) is currently publishing his solo and

duo works for guitar, and Alfred Music distributes the solo pieces from Some Towns & Cities, as well as instructional books and videos. Other compositions are available at Ben’s website.

Benjamin Verdery uses D’Addario strings, and guitars by Garrett Lee and Otto Vowinkel. » benjaminverdery.com

Artist Profiles

MICHIYAYA Dance MICHIYAYA Dance is an all-women’s contemporary dance theater company based in New York City. Co-founded in fall 2015 by Anya Clarke and Mitsuko Verdery, MICHIYAYA Dance merges the worlds of Clarke and Verdery’s backgrounds in dance and visual art.

Clarke, who has a bachelor of fine arts degree from Long Island University, calls on her experience in choreography, adding visceral and intuitive movement.

Verdery, who has a bachelor of fine arts from Carnegie Mellon University, taps into her practice in performance and visual art, adding conceptually driven performative elements. Together, they produce collaborative and improvisation-based work with their dance artists. MICHIYAYA Dance was recently awarded the 2016 first prize for Choreographic Excellence at the 11th Annual International REVERBdance Festival. MICHIYAYA Dance has performed at the Brooklyn Museum, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Dixon Place, CPR-Center for Performance Research, and Infinito Gallery, among others. They have taught master classes and workshops at Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts Summer Intensive, LEIMAY, and CPR. They were guest choreo-graphers for LIU’s Dance Department in 2016. MICHIYAYA Dance is currently creating its next evening-length work, titled Spline. » michiyayadance.org

PETER OUNDJIAN

BRENTANO STRING QUARTET

YALE OPERA

Robert Blocker, Dean

We invite you into Yale’s celebrated concert halls to experience extraordinary solo, chamber, vocal, and orchestral performances of repertoire ranging from early to new music.

Come see and hear our distinguished faculty, gifted students and alumni, and acclaimed guest artists in more than 200 performances, many of which are free and streamed live online.

Collection of Musical Instruments

Oneppo Chamber Music Series

Historically informed performances by early music specialists in an intimate setting

Concert programs featuring the Brentano, Miró, and Jerusalem string quartets and the School’s illustrious faculty

Ellington Jazz Series

Yale Opera

A series launched with a historic convocation in 1972 that brings such legendary performers as Savion Glover to Yale

Ascendant vocalists present fully staged performances and opera scenes

Faculty Artist Series

Yale Philharmonia

Members of the School’s faculty perform solo and chamber music programs

Horowitz Piano Series

Recitals by celebrated keyboard virtuosi including Yefim Bronfman, Olga Kern, and Yale’s remarkable faculty

New Music New Haven

Contemporary works by award-winning Yale faculty and students, and esteemed guest composers

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival

Principal Conductor Peter Oundjian and guest conductors Yongyan Hu and Giancarlo Guerrero lead the School’s magnificent student orchestra

Student Performances

Performances of a wide variety of repertoire by the next generation of musical luminaries and cultural leaders

Yale in New York

Dynamic collaborations between Yale’s remarkable faculty, students, and alumni at Carnegie Hall

A summerlong series at the picturesque Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate, in Norfolk, Connecticut

music.yale.edu

Upcoming Events Argus Quartet february 12

Yale School of Music Ensembles The Argus Quartet, the fellowship quartet-in-residence at the Yale School of Music, presents a recital featuring music by YSM alumni composers Jacob Cooper, Christopher Cerrone, and Augusta Read Thomas Morse Recital Hall | Sunday | 7:30 pm Free Admission

Wai Yin Wong, piano february 13

Artist Diploma Recital Music by Liszt, Beethoven, Debussy, and Scriabin Morse Recital Hall | Monday | 7:30 pm Free Admission

Imani Winds february 14

Oneppo Chamber Music Series The Imani Winds return to Yale for a performance with YSM faculty pianist Wei-Yi Yang, featuring music by flutist Valerie Coleman, Stravinsky, Poulenc, and more Morse Recital Hall | Tuesday | 7:30 pm Tickets start at $26 • Students $13

Hannah Lash, harp/composer february 15

Faculty Artist Series Harpist and School of Music faculty composer Hannah Lash performs new music for and with harp Morse Recital Hall | Wednesday | 7:30 pm Free Admission

Ettore Causa, viola & Boris Berman, piano february 16 Faculty Artist Series Faculty violist Ettore Causa and faculty pianist Boris Berman perform works

by Schubert, Schumann, and Chopin Morse Recital Hall | Thursday | 7:30 pm Free Admission

Così fan tutte february 17-19

Yale Opera The Yale Opera presents Mozart’s ever-popular comedy Così fan tutte Shubert Theater Friday & Saturday, 8 pm; Sunday, 2 pm Tickets from $19, available online, at the Shubert Theater Box Office (247 College St.), and by calling 203-562-5666 Student tickets from $14 available at the Shubert Theater Box Office with ID

concert programs & box office Krista Johnson, Kate Gonzales communications Donna Yoo, Katie Dune, David Brensilver operations Tara Deming, Chris Melillo piano curators Barbara Renner, Robert Crowson, Brian Daley, William Harold recording services Matthew LeFevre, Travis Wurges

wshu 91.1 fm is the media sponsor of the Yale School of Music connect with us

facebook.com/yalemusic

P.O. Box 208246, New Haven, CT · 203 432-4158

@yalemusic on Twitter music.yale.edu

If you do not intend to save your program, please recycle it in the baskets at the exit doors.

Robert Blocker, Dean