Anthony Cheung at the Cleveland Orchestra

by Ted Gordon on March 31, 2015, 9:57 a.m.

The Cleveland Orchestra, youngest of the "Big Five" American orchestras, has recently announced that PSNY composer Anthony Cheung will hold their 2015-2016 Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellowship. Cheung, who recently moved to the midwest to be an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Chicago, will not only be composing a new orchestral work for the orchestra—but will also be involved with educational programming throughout northeast Ohio. In addition, the Cleveland Orchestra will perform Cheung's Lyra in early 2016. 

Cheung's work shows a deep commitment to exploring the boundaries of pattern, form, and cohesion in composed music, while remaining intuitive, affective, and profound. Several of his works published by PSNY for ensemble showcase his intricate part-writing for small groups—such as Enjamb, Influse, Implode, and Centripedalocity. We look forward to seeing (and hearing!) how Cheung will use the forces of the Cleveland Orchestra to explore even further. 

For a peek into Cheung's compositional process for working with large ensembles, check out this 2012 interview with WNYC's John Schaefer:

Anthony Cheung at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

by Ted Gordon on Sept. 3, 2014, 2:52 p.m.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's MusicNOW series opens its 2014-2015 season with a performance of Anthony Cheung's SynchroniCities, a composition for a small ensemble of winds, strings, percussion, piano, and electronics. The capitalized "C" in the middle of the title is no mistake: Cheung's piece explores the synchronous, resonant pairings of city sounds, from the ambient buzz of cicadas to the high-pitched electronic beeping of the subway turnstile. Commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation for the Talea Ensemble in 2012, this work plays with the signification of sounds: dissonant, in tune, harmonius, ordered, or seemingly chaotic. Paired with works by John Luther Adams, Michael Gordon, and Mason Bates, SynchroniCities will set the mood for both the evening's concert program and the entire season. Be sure to check it out on September 29th! 

Also, if you haven't yet heard Chicago-based saxophonist Ryan Muncy's album Hot, on New Focus Recordings, then consider yourself reminded: Anthony Cheung's Refrain from Riffing is only one of several killer tracks on the album, which also contains works by Chaya Czernowin and Marcos Balter. Here's an excerpt of Refrain from Riffing:  

PSNY Composers at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music

by Ted Gordon on July 11, 2014, 10:21 a.m.

The Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood is one of the highlights of the national concert season, regularly featuring stunning performances and premieres of the most exciting and provoking new music from contemporary composers. This year the festival comes a bit early, though we can't complain! PSNY composers can be found on nearly every program throughout the 5-day festival, which features chamber music, theatrical works, and orchestral works. 

Starting things off on Thursday is Fred Lerdahl's  Wake, for soprano and chamber ensemble; on Saturday, Keeril Makan's  2, Hannah Lash's  Friction, Pressure, Impact, and Anthony Cheung's  Roundabouts will be performed on the same program. Sunday morning sees the world premiere of Bernard Rands' Folk Songs, and later in the evening Kate Soper's  Helen Enfettered, a theatrical work. 

And for those in the Northeast this weekend, don't miss the latest production of Tobias Picker's  An American Tragedy at Glimmerglass, running from July 20th to August 24th. The vocal score for this work is available from PSNY, in case you want to follow along from the house.