DC Contemporary Classical Music Lovers

[GoddessOfGuinness]

The American Composers Forum presents:

NEW MUSIC SALON FEATURING LYRA
01/25/2005

As part of our ongoing "New Music Salon" series, ACF-DC presents a concert by our ensemble in residence: Lyra

Tuesday, January 25, 2005, 8:00pm, $15
At Flashpoint, 916 G Street, NW
(Metro: Gallery Place)


As part of both group's ongoing efforts to promote outstanding work by regional artists, Lyra will perform the second of three New Music Salon programs in the intimate Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint.

"We hope to introduce some new pieces, show what our group can do, and encourage other artists to participate," said artistic director, clarinetist and composer Pamela Helton, who started the Lyra Chamber Ensemble in 2000. Recognizing diversity in music, the group often performs works by women, minority, lesbian and gay composers.
Flashpoint is a creative laboratory for DC arts organizations and features a contemporary art gallery, theater lab, and dance studio. It also offers shared office space and strategic business services for arts-related entities and the resident organizations. ACF-DC has the privilege of being one of the resident organizations.

ACF-DC has been sponsoring composer residencies with community groups and presenting new music in DC since 1997, and is always looking for new ways to break down barriers between artists, new music, and audiences.

The Program:
Concerto a tre
by Ingolf Dahl (cl/vln/cello)


Assobio a jato (The Jet Whistle)
by Heitor Villa-Lobos (fl/cello)


Night Thoughts
by David Kidwell
Local premiere of version written specifically for Lyra


Symphonique #3 Good for Goodie
by MoonDog


Pas de Deux
by Lauren Bernofsky (vln/cello)

[MuseRider]

1. Ooooh

I wish I could be there! What a great group.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. It's going to be a fun concert

Wish you could come! :hi:

[MuseRider]

3. If you have time

and there is anything interesting(lol, gotta be) let me know. I am particularly interested in the clarinet stuff. I would love to start up a group around here that played something besides Brahms and Mozart etc. They are great and fine and all but there is so much cool new music that does not get heard out here in the cultural wasteland that is my home.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. The Dahl is extremely difficult

individually. It's quite virtuosic writing. At the same time, everything fits well together. If you've got a month or so to learn your part, it's a great piece.

The Kidwell is technically much less demanding piece in theme and variations format. Both pieces are well-written.

The Moon Dog is a wild jazzy number...We're using a conductor on it because it's just too easy to get lost!

I love contemporary music, and I've found that when I perform the genre in places that could be classified as "the sticks" (1.5 hours drive from DC/Baltimore), we get a surprizingly large audience, some of which come from even farther out in "the sticks".

There's grant money available for promoting new music. You might want to look into it.

[MuseRider]

5. You are playing?

That is awesome! When in NY visiting relatives we went to hear a FREE (I could not believe this was free) concert at Bard College. We heard the American Symphony Orchestra do a concert of contemporary music. I can't find my program but it was called something like The Vision of *somebody* Goelet. I got to hear it twice since they were recording it. I was stunned. It was so much fun and we get nothing like that here. My conductor manages to stick some newer work into our concerts and we always hear things like..."Well, it was hard to listen to. I would rather hear something I already know and can hum on my drive home." Egads, of course it was hard. It takes a little effort to learn these things but not one of them is willing to actually try to really listen to it. Ah well. I stay here because at least I can play in a good orchestra, I am terrified that if I moved I would never have that chance again.

Are you recording? If so, let me know. I would love to purchase a copy.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. I'm not sure if there'll be a recording or not,

but if we make one, I'll be glad to send you a copy. We won't be selling them.

The conductor of our orchestra almost always programs something 20th century or later. Contemporary music is his forte, and I feel so fortunate to play these pieces under his baton. We're holding our biannual composition competition this year, too. It'll be fun to see who wins.

[MuseRider]

7. Have a wonderful time.

We are doing "Rainbow Body" this weekend. Our first rehearsal was last night (we only get 3 for this concert :scared: because of the ice storms) and I am waiting for more complaints. What a beautiful, wonderful piece. That is about as far as we go. You should have heard them when we did the "Chairman Dances" by Glass. You would have thought we were shooting at them.

Enjoy yourself, it sounds wonderful.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. I love "Rainbow Body"!

We performed it last year.

What else are you doing? Any juicy clarinet solos?

I just did Lark Ascending the weekend before this last one. It's got such nice wind parts!

[MuseRider]

9. Lark Ascending

what a beautiful piece! We are doing the Afro-American Suite and one of my all time favorites, the Dvorak Cello Concerto. I have been waiting for this concert for a year to play it. Our principle cellist is playing it with us. It is simply a nice concert and thankfully not too difficult since we only get 3 rehearsals. The clarinet parts are nice in all of them but some juicy, to die for duet parts in the Dvorak.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. Who's playing the Dvorak?

That piece is really dear to my heart...
Who's the composer of the Afro-American Suite?

Our next concert includes Danse Negre by African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, which we just read last night. It's a lovely piece, perfect as an overture...very Dvorak-ish.

We're also playing the last movement of William Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony, (which I'm totally unfamiliar with), and Elgar's Enigma Variations.

[MuseRider]

11. Afro-American Suite by William Grant Still

I heard the Dawson last week it is wonderful. I don't know Danse Negre. Enigma, ahhhhhhh, what else needs to be said! I love Nimrod.:) Our soloist is Stephan Elisha our principle cellist. He plays beautifully.