Sigma Alpha Iota

ANNUAL AMERICAN COMPOSERS UPDATE SAI Member • Friend of the Arts • • National Arts Associate • • • Honorary Member • • • • Member Laureate • • • • • MOLLIE O'MEARA NEWS: After a hiatus during the final illness and death of my husband, Jay Huff, I have returned to composing. Two new songs for a Christmas program in 2011, plus two older songs from my 1996 Christmas cantata were performed at Paradise o'meara Hills United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, NM. Inspired by the work of a local visual artist, I composed eleven short pieces during the last eleven days of 2011: three for solo oboe, five student level duos for violin and viola, and three songs for soprano and piano for which I also wrote the texts. None of these compositions has been performed as yet. I have a commission from the chamber group, Musaica in New Orleans which will be performed in the spring of 2013. PREMIERES: Easter Child, Easter Children Cantata PERFORMANCES: Easter Cantata, Chancel choir, Paradise Hills United Methodist Church, April 1, 2012. Love is of God, M. O'Meara, piano, St. Mark's on the Mesa Church, Sept. 15, 2012. Holy Spirit, fall on me. MARGA RICHTER NEWS: The University of Illinois Press has published a full-length of biography of me entitled Marga Richter, included in their women composers series. The author is Sharon Mirchandani. I have also been elected to serve on the board of New York Women Composers. PREMIERES: Shrewsbury: Summer of 2011, Suite for Piano, Marga Richter, piano, Bellport, Long Island, Nov. 2011. Pastorale for two oboes, Emily Watson, Dylan Masters, and Gigue for two oboes, Harry Mulligan, Sonya Li, Freeport Memorial Library, Freeport, NY, March 4, 2012. PERFORMANCES: Quantum Quirks of a Quick Quaint Quark No.3, and Sonata for Piano, Michael Skelly, piano; Serenade No. 2, for Guitar and Piano, Sorce/Lodge Duo (Jay Sorce/Andrea Lodge); Fandango Fantasy for piano, violin, cello and clarinet, Ace Chamber Ensemble, Long Island Composers Alliance's 40th anniversary celebration honoring its founders, Marga Richter and Herbert Deutsch, South Huntington Public Library, Melville, NY, March 3, 2012. Serenade No.2 for Guitar and Piano, was performed by the Sorce/Lodge Duo, Stony Brook University, March 16, 2012; also, Tuckamore Festival in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, Aug. 2, 2012. Summer Reveries on a Mountainside, Chester Howard, solo clarinet, Brant Library, Roslyn, NY, Oct. 14, 2012. NEW PUBLICATIONS: Ode to the Grand Canyon for solo oboe (also arranged for two oboes); Pastorale for two oboes and Gigue for two oboes. All by Prairie Dawg Press. NEW RECORDINGS: CD, Persichetti and Pupils, March, 2012, Albany records, includes: Sonata for Piano, Eight Pieces for Piano and Remembrances, Richard Zimdars, piano. WEBSITE: margarichter.com EUGENIE ROCHEROLLE NEWS: Rapsodie des Pyrenees for two pianos, Neil A. Kjos Music Co., was a selection for the U.S. International Duo Piano Competition, The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO, January 4-6, 2012. Mrs. Rocherolle received a Foundatiion Fellow Award from the Music Teachers National Association at the annual conference, New York Hilton, March 26, 2012. PERFORMANCES: An American Portrait, Neil A. Kjos Music Co., chamber strings, Tamara Paige, conductor, School of Creative and Performing Arts, San Diego, CA, February, 2012. Jambalay - A Portrait of Old New Orleans, 2 pianos, 8 hands, Hal Leonard Corp., Golden Fingers Quartet, Central Java, March, 2012. Century Music- Piano rocherolle Trio No. 3, Nicola Gruen, violin, Melissa Westgate, cello, Kathleen Theisen, piano, Neil A. Kjos Music Co., Connecticut Composers, Inc., Wilton Library, Wilton, CT, April 15, 2012. An American Rhapsody - Piano Trio No. 2 & Century Music- Piano Trio No. 3, Sakurako Waseda, violin, Masanori Taniguchi, cello, Yasumi Taki, piano, Neil A. Kjos Music Co., 1st Chichibu International Music Festival, Chichibu, Japan, Aug. 20-26, 2012. TRILOGY: A Setting of Three Psalms, First Congregational Church Choir, Joe D'Eugenio, director, Memorial Music Sunday, First Congregational Church, Cheshire, CT, Nov. 6, 2011. NEW PUBLICATIONS: Disney Classics (solo piano arrangements with companion CD), Treasures, original piano solos, Christmas Together, (piano duet arrangements with companion CD) Hal Leonard Corp. ROBERT XAVIER RODRÍGUEZ • • • NEWS: Robert Xavier Rodríguez's latest commission, jointly from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, was to create an orchestral version of his theater piece The Dot and the Line, originally for narrator and chamber ensemble, with text by Norton Juster. The original chamber version of The Dot and the Line was commissioned and premiered by Voices of Change in 2005. The new orchestral version was premiered on the DSO's family concert series on March 25, 2012. Rodríguez's A Colorful Symphony, based on Juster's classic children's book The Phantom Toll Booth, was performed on the same concert. The narrator for The Dot and the Line was Jamie Bernstein, who performed the chamber version in New York in April, 2010 on the Music from Copland House series. In 2012, Rodríguez also had residencies at the American Academy in Rome and at the Copland House. PREMIERES: The Dot and the Line (G. Schirmer), Norton Juster, text, Jamie Bernstein, narrator, Richard Giangiulio, conductor, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, March 25, 2012. PERFORMANCES: (all titles published by G. Schirmer) A Colorful Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Jamie Allen, narrator, Richard Giangiulio, conductor. Frida, Contemporary Opera Marin, Kentfield, CA, June 22-24, 2012, July 1, 2012. The Food of Love, Music from Copland House, Mt. Kisco, NY, Oct. 14, 2012. Monkey See, Monkey Do, Federal City Family Opera/ Opera America, Oct. 23-26, 2012. Scrooge, George Cordes, baritone, Warren Symphony, Warren, MI, Dec. 9, 2012. NEW PUBLICATIONS: (all published by G. Schirmer): An Opera House (for soprano and piano), commissioned by Opera America. Caprichos (for piano solo). Gambits (new version for tuba and piano). NEW RECORDINGS: Robert Xavier Rodríguez: Complete Music for Cello and Piano, Jesús CastroBalbi and Gloria Lin, includes Tentado por la samba, Máscaras, Ursa, Favola I, Lull-A-Bear, Albany, TROY 1355. SHARON ELERY ROGERS • NEWS: Rogers is completing a new hymn-tune organ collection, with minimal pedaling, on three staves at the request of many organists who have enjoyed playing her many organ pieces throughout the years. She has just completed a new collection of Preludes and Postludes of sacred music for the piano on the intermediate level. At present, she has several handbell and handchimes pieces being reviewed by publishers as well as some new choir anthems. Rogers has been commissioned by Choristers Guild publishers to write a Volume II of Music of the Masters, a reduction of famous classics for handbell or handchime ringers for schools and church for all ages at Level 2 and 2+. It is written for two or three octaves of handbells or handchimes. A few new techniques are suggested rogers and explanations given on how to execute them. Music of the Masters, Vol. I, is now in print and widely used. It includes composers' biographical information and pictures of the composers, as well as teaching help for directors. It also is written for two or three octaves of bells on a Level I and I+, and includes a notation chart with directions. PREMIERES: My Faith Looks Up to Thee, Mary Vaughn, organ, Nokomis, FL, Methodist Church, Aug. 13, 2012. All Hail the Power of Jesus Name, Sarita Roche, piano, Passe de Grille Presbyterian Church, Anna Maria Island, FL, Sept. 23, 2012. PERFORMANCES: Happy Birthday to the Masters, S.E. Rogers, Andrew Galuska, pianos, Venice Presbyterian Church, Venice FL, May 23, 2012. NEW PUBLICATIONS: Sheep May Safely Graze (J. S. Bach) (handbells), Chorister's Guild. A Carol Jubilee (handbells), Alfred Publishers. Several pieces published in Ring and Rejoice, handbell mazagine, Lorenz Publishers, 2012. RECORDINGS: Above publications available via Internet through publishing companies listed. 28 PAN PIPES WINTER 2013 sai-national.org winter 13 PP.indd 28 2/12/2013 2:15:38 PM

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