Bridging the Gap IV

Name: Bridging the Gap IV
Start: 2017-04-30T19:00:00-04:00
End: 2017-04-30T20:00:00-04:00
Location: National Sawdust

Music by and conversation with composers from the Yale School of Music

Curated by Robert Sirota

Sunday, April 30th @ 7pm

Tickets

Bridging the Gap IV

Panel discussion at 7PM, followed by concert

Music by and conversation with composers from the Yale School of Music: William Gardiner, Paul Kerekes, David Lang, Hannah Lash, Daniel Schlosberg, and Christopher Theofanidis

Moderated by Robert Sirota

Program

Daniel Schlosberg – the vast unbuilt abscesses of our [void] energy future for two guitars
Christopher Theofanidis – Flow, my tears for solo viola
William Gardiner – Songs from Dictee for soprano, two violins, cello, and harpsichord
David Lang – ark luggage for soprano and piano
Hannah Lash – Tree Suite for solo harp
Paul Kerekes – She kept talking for soprano and piano

Performers

Jiyeon Kim, guitar
Gulli Björnsson, guitar
Julia Clancy, viola
Molly Germer, violin
William Gardiner, violin
Katie Rietman, cello
Molly Netter, soprano and harpsichord
Paul Kerekes, piano

About the Series

Bridging the Gap, created by National Sawdust Curator Robert Sirota, is a series of concerts of chamber, choral, and solo compositions that explore the student/teacher and mentor/mentee relationships between generations of composers.

The series will emphasize the influences that brought about the expansion of musical styles and approaches over the past 20-30 years. How has music changed? What are the aesthetic values and sound worlds from which this new music is emerging? What are the roles of academic vs. non-academic influences? How have older composers been influenced by the work of their younger colleagues?

Each concert will be preceded by a discussion with composer mentors, mentees, and performers, led by a distinguished thought leader. The concerts themselves will include performances of works by both younger composers and the teachers who have influenced their development.

Robert Sirota

Over four decades, composer Robert Sirota has developed a distinctive voice, clearly discernible in all of his work – whether symphonic, choral, stage, or chamber music. His music has been performed by orchestras across the US and Europe, ensembles such as yMusic, Chameleon Arts, Dinosaur Annex; the Chiara, American, Ethel, and Blair String Quartets; the Peabody and Webster Trios; and at music festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, Yellow Barn and Bowdoin.

Robert Sirota’s extensive work as a teacher and administrator has given him a unique perspective on the interactions between generations of composers. Before becoming Director of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in 1995, he served as Chairman of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at New York University and Director of Boston University’s School of Music. From 2005-2012, he was the President of Manhattan School of Music, where he was also a member of the composition faculty.

A native New Yorker, Robert Sirota received his music education at Juilliard, Oberlin, and Harvard and divides his time between New York and Searsmont, Maine with his wife, Episcopal priest and organist Victoria Sirota. They frequently collaborate on new works, with Victoria as librettist and performer, at times also working with their children, Jonah and Nadia, both world-class violists.