Introducing the PSNY Greenroom

by Ted Gordon on April 21, 2014, 11:24 a.m.

We're thrilled to announce the launch of the PSNY Greenroom; a new series which makes it easier than ever to discover new music and see what ensembles across the country are listening to and performing.

The Greenroom highlights the ensembles and artists who are defining the landscape of contemporary music. Each month, an ensemble or artist will select works from the PSNY catalogue that they are excited about performing, listening to, or both. The Greenroom is your backstage pass into the ears and creative minds of your favorite artists; a place of discovery for anyone interested in contemporary music, driven by artists, for artists. 

Our first visit to the Greenroom is with Present Music, and features director Kevin Stalheim's favorite selections from the PSNY catalog. Based in Milwaukee since 1982, Present Music has just been awarded an NEA Art Works grant for its 32nd season finale concert, Home Place, in collaboration with Milwaukee artist Reginald Baylor's Typeface Project. As part of Home Place, Present Music partners with Milwaukee Opera Theatre to present a major public concert event on June 21 featuring music from Shelter by David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Michael Gordon, which is accompanied by a film by Bill Morrison. The concert also includes a performance of Passacaglia by Caroline Shaw and Language from Christopher Cerrone's Invisible Cities, as well as original music by Present Music's Creation Project students. 

So, needless to say, Present Music is on the cutting edge of commissioning new music, along with developing innovative performance opportunities that reach out to the wider community. Have a listen to director Kevin Stalheim's favorite PSNY works below, and stop by the Greenroom to read more about his selections. 

New Works from Evan Ziporyn, Lei Liang, René Leibowitz, Christopher Cerrone, and Hannah Lash

April 21, 2014, 8:54 a.m.

We're excited to announce that an amazing new batch of works are now available on PSNY!

From Evan Ziporyn, we have Tsmindao Ghmerto for solo bass clarinet and the Suite from ShadowBang. ShadowBang, a theater piece that combines aspects of traditional Balinese shadow puppetry with Western staging and music, has been recorded by the Bang on a Can.

From Lei Liang, just in time for spring, we have Listening for Blossoms. Check out a recording here: 

Newly available from René Leibowitz: Chanson Dada, the serialist's answer to anti-art. These short monodramas, for child's voice and small ensemble, are somewhere between Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire and Stockhausen's Gesang der Jünglinge, with a decidedly French touch. 

Continuing with dramatic works, Christopher Cerrone's I Will Learn To Love A Person, in a new version for soprano voice and piano. Containing settings of five poems by Tao Lin, this piece is a rumination on time, love, and communication.  

And finally, Hannah Lash's This Ease, for Chamber Orchestra, commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and slated to be premiered on April 26, 2014. Grab a copy of the score before the piece is premiered! 

"Invisible Cities" named 2014 Pulitzer Prize Finalist!

by Nick Comparato on April 16, 2014, 12:35 p.m.

After its tremendously successful premiere production last year at Los Angeles’ Union Station, Christopher Cerrone’s opera, Invisible Cities, was announced this week as a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Cerrone's Invisible Cities finds itself in good company: also named as a finalist is John Adams for The Gospel According to the Other Mary, with the 2014 Prize awarded to John Luther Adams for Become Ocean. Cerrone joins the ranks of Schott composers to be acknowledged by Pulitzer jurors, including Andrew Norman (whose The Companion Guide to Rome was a 2012 finalist) and Joseph Schwantner (who received the prize in 1979 for his Aftertones of Infinity).

Check out a recent trailer for Invisible Cities below: 

Cerrone has also recently been awarded a project grant from New Music USA for the production of a premiere studio recording of the opera, to be released by The Industry Records. Check out the New Music USA project site for more information.

The opera’s overture, Invisible Overture, is for sale now from PSNY, and a vocal score will be available shortly. The full opera will soon be published and available worldwide from Schott Music.