Sigma Alpha Iota

ANNUAL AMERICAN COMPOSERS UPDATE SAI Member • Friend of the Arts • • National Arts Associate • • • Honorary Member • • • • Member Laureate • • • • • Beerbohm, libretto by Hugh Hayes Funk. PREMIERES: Love, SATB and piano or harp, text by George Meredith and the King James Bible translation of Psalm 23, Lancaster Bible College Chorale and Orchestra, conducted by Robert Bigley, April 28 and 30, 2012. PERFORMANCES: Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Merrie Siegel, soloist, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Spain, conductor, March 17, 2012. MARY JANE TASHIRO NEWS: With the Pan Pipes Spring 2012 issue and their printing my article, Keeping Music Alive, an overwhelming response came via email. Seventeen teachers from 10 states enquired and eleven ordered the Children's Course. Six months later, news came from the President of the Northern Westchester Music School who termed the Course, "revolutionary" and adopted it as the method to be used in the school as well as sending it to the Zambia Orphanage. On Aug. 18, 2012, I was asked to give a piano concert for a charitable event for the Angel Interfaith Network affiliated with CARES to benefit patients at the LAC+USC Medical Center. They received many generous donations and are continuing to receive donations through the CD of my 9 of my original compositions and 5 popular songs which I arranged for piano to connect to the theme of the event. With being commissioned to compose a 2 piano, 8 hands composition from Mr. Thomas Robb, the concert featured this work as a rousing ending to the program. The four young people who performed it wrote their impression of Jaunty. Their comments, "…fun to play and learn", "…more enjoyable than I had ever hoped", "… wonderful opportunity" and "…when older, I will remember this" was indicative of how contemporary sounds can be appealing to their spirit. PREMIERES: Jaunty, Op. 59, Rosemary Li, Kelly Yang, Joshua Sun, Michael Tong, 2 Pianos, 8 hands, St. James Episcopal Church, Scarsdale, NY, April 18, 2010. Timeless Piano Solos, Vol. 1, Op. 60, Vision, Embracing, Exhilaration, Nos. 1-3, and Unfolding, Op. 63, No. 3, composer at piano, Tokyo, Japan, June 4, 2010. Believing, Op 46, No. 1, Junko Takaramoto, Tokyo, Japan, June 4, 2010. Timeless Piano Solos, Vol. 2, Op. 63, Promise, Expectation, Nos. 1 and 2, composer at piano, Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 16, 2010. Waiting, Op 53, Junko Takaramoto, Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 16, 2010. Dreaming, Op. 66 performed by composer, CARES, 1st Presbyterian Church, Altadena, CA, Aug. 18, 2012 NEW PUBLICATIONS: Jaunty, Op. 59 for 2 Pianos, 8 hands. Songs from Melodic Piano Solos, Op. 61 (Believing, Waiting, Child of God, Unfolding). Timeless Piano Solos, Op. 60, Nos. 1-3, Timeless Piano Solos, Op. 63, Nos. 1-3. Dreaming, Op. 66. MJT Music Publisher. HOLLIS THOMS NEWS: Mr. Thoms has written a number of new works this year for his professional musician adult children: Serpent in Eden, a 70-minute opera based on the treason trial of Aaron Burr for soloists, chorus, and chamber ensemble for his oldest son, Dr. Jason Thoms, baritone and his wife Treva Foss, soprano; and, Triple Concerto for oboe, trumpet, horn and chamber ensemble for his daughter Sonja Winkler, oboe; her husband, Jordan, trumpet; and thoms youngest son, Jonas Thoms, horn. Newly composed Symphony 2 is being looked at by various symphonic groups for possible performance. PREMIERES: Baptism Response for soprano and organ was performed for the baptism of Priscilla Meyer and her parents at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, St. Louis, MO, March 4, 2012. Ascend, O Mighty One on High, text by Michael Meyer, for two trumpets, two trombones and organ, St. Paul's Lutheran Church Children's Choir, Glen Burnie, Maryland, Choir of Baltimore Lutheran High School, and Concordia College New York Tour Choir, Dr. Jason Thoms, director, Christ Lutheran Church Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD, May 20, 2012. Isaac, 20-minute dramatic work for soloists, treble choir, percussion and organ, T. Herbert Dimmock, director, Jason Thoms (Abraham), Treva Foss (Sarah), Jacqueline Thoms (Isaac), Kristopher Jean, narrator, Bach Concert Series at Christ Lutheran Church Inner Harbor, Oct. 7, 2012. PERFORMANCES: Marked with the Cross of Christ, Holy Communion Service, Joy Reigns Lutheran Church, Edgewater, MD, March 11, 2012. Contrasts, Fragments and Echoes 2, A Little Night Music (a concert of Art and Music for String Quartet), Concordia College, NY, Nov. 12, 2012. NEW PUBLICATIONS: CrossAccent (Association of Lutheran Church Musicians journal), Creating the Libretto and Music for Passion: Nicodemus' Transformation from Doubt to Faith. a description of the theological, literary and musical elements in Hollis Thoms' 90-minute Passion, premiered by the Bach Concert Series, March 17, 2011. The St. Johns Review (a journal of St. John's College, Annapolis), Rolling His Jolly Tub: Composer Elliott Carter, St. John's College Tutor, 1940-1942. A link to the article can be found at stjohnscollege.edu/news/ pubs/review.shtml Elliott Cook Carter, Jr., St. John's College Tutor, 1940-1942: A Musicological Find Right in My Backyard, Pan Pipes, Winter 2013. WEBSITE: hollisthoms.com. NANCY VAN DE VATE • • • • NEWS: The composer's recording of her new opera, Hamlet, continues to be frequently broadcast by Swiss Radio, as well as other international radio stations. All of her recordings, including Hamlet, are now included in the Naxos Music Library and are regularly downloaded and streamed worldwide. Her printed music is available from the Swiss distributor, Musica Neo, and can be downloaded directly from musicaneo.com. Dr. Van de Vate also continues as president and artistic director of the CD recording company, Vienna Modern Masters. In October 2012 VMM recordings were downloaded and streamed from the Naxos Music Library in 50 countries, continuing to reach a wide listening public all over the world. PERFORMANCES: Prelude for Organ, Ernst Wally, organ, Jesuitenkirche, Vienna, Austria, Oct. 3, 2012. van de vate Fantasy Pieces for Flute, Daniela Lahner, flute, Eisenstadt, Austria, Oct. 18 and Vienna, Austria, Nov. 2, 2012. Lento for Piano, Ruth Spindler, piano, Eisenstadt, Austria, Oct. 18, and Vienna, Austria, Nov. 2, 2012. Die Kinder des Krieges, First Austrian Women's Chamber Orchestra, Ruprechtskirche, Vienna, Austria, Nov. 3, 2012. Gema Jawa (Echoes of Jawa) for string orchestra, Czech Chamber Orchestra, Künstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria, Nov. 25, 2012. NEW RECORDINGS: Suite for Alto Saxophone, Centaur Recordings, CRC 3243, Women Composers and Their Music for Saxophone, Bill Perconti, saxophone. PERSIS PARSHALL VEHAR • NEWS: Vehar is in her 15th year as Composer-inResidence at Canisius College and is 2012-13 Composer-in-Residence for Nickel City Opera. Her 6th opera, SHOT!, commissioned by Dr. Judith Wolf, is scheduled to be premiered at ARTPARK in Lewston, NY, in August 2013. Nickel City Opera Company will premiere the opera. The Opera Buffs of Western New York presented Vehar with the 2012 Educator Award for her contributions to Opera in Feb. 2012. In Feb. 2012, Vehar presented a Master Class in Composition at Hamilton College and gave two lectures on Oct. 2012 & Feb. 2013 at Canisius College. Winning high school & college students performed The Annual Persis Vehar Competition for Excellence vehar in Composition works on March 19, 2013 at Canisius College. Vehar won her 28th Annual ASCAP Plus Award in 2012. PREMIERES: Love, Life and Timelessness, Andre Garcia-Nuthmann, tenor, Alyssa Baty, clarinet & Vehar, piano, V I F, commissioned & premiered at 2012 Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico Conference, Santa Fe, NM, Nov. 12, 2012. PERFORMANCES: Sea Pieces, Chamber Orchestra of Lapland, Finland, January 26, 2012. Eleanor Roosevelt (Opera), Syracuse Society for New Music, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, Feb. 12, 2012. In The Palace Of Time (song-cycle), Darryl Taylor, countertenor, & Maria Corley, piano, U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, March 25, 2012. Bright Phoenix Ascending, Tonie DePasquale, Solo Alto Saxophone, & SUNY Orange Symphonic Band, Kevin Scott, Conductor, SUNY Orange, Middletown, NY, May 12, 2012. Spring Swan, Matt Boehler, bass, & Benedicte Jourdois, piano, SPOLETO USA, June 3, 2012. sai-national.org winter 13 PP.indd 31 WINTER 2013 PAN PIPES 31 2/12/2013 2:15:44 PM

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