CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Upcoming projects:
New work for clarinetist Jean Kopperud and percussionist Tom Kolor, for an evening of premieres by John Aylward, Mario Davidovsky, Matthew Rosenblum, Yiorgos Vassilandonakis, and Karchin.

Commission from the Network for New Music, Philadelphia, PA, Linda Reichert, Director. Song cycle for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble based on poetry of Seamus Heaney.

Continued work on a new opera based on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, in collaboration with American Opera Projects.

December 3 Karchin will conduct NY premieres of works by Sheree Clement and Morris Rosenzweig with the Washington Square Ensemble, Merkin Concert Hall, 8 PM.

December 6-7 European premiere of Three Epigrams (2008) at Chamber Recital Hall of La Fenice, Venice, Italy. Colloquium and master class for Italian student composers.

March 28 Rustic Dances performed by the Claremont Ensemble, Manhattan School of Music, Daniel Grabois, Director.

April 7, 2010 Premiere of Chamber Symphony (for 14 instruments) (2009), by the Washington Square Ensemble, Merkin Concert Hall.

July 4-12, 2010 Composer-in-Residence at Moulin a Nef, Auvillar, France, in collaboration with the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Recent activities:
The debut of the Orchestra of the League of Composers took place on June 10, 2009, at Miller Theatre, an event that brought together some supremely talented composers, performers and soloists. We presented works by Christopher Dietz, Alvin Singleton, Elliott Carter, Julia Wolfe and Charles Wuorinen. Host John Schaeffer of WNYC interviewed all five composers just before their works were performed. I was honored to conduct this concert, greatly aided by the contracting efforts of Sue Ann Kahn, and the energetic fundraising and administrative work of League President David Gordon.

Click to read Anthony Tommasini's New York Times review.

Julia Wolfe with John Schaeffer
	Charles Wuorinen with the orchestra, after performance of Synaxis
Aaron Boyd, concertmaster, Karchin, and the orchestra		Photos by Ron Gordon

We recorded my one-act comic opera, Romulus, for Naxos Records on Aug. 30, 31, and Sept. 1, 2009. The original cast from the Guggenheim performances and almost all of the original musicians returned for a week of rehearsals and three days of five-hour recording sessions at SUNY Purchase. We had outstanding help from our producer and recording engineer, Marlan Barry, assistant conductor Scott Voyles, and rehearsal pianists, Dan Beliavsky, and Matt Quayle.

Our talented cast, Katrina Thurman (soprano), Steven Ebel (tenor), Thomas Meglioranza (baritone), and Wilbur Pauley (bass) continues to win notable honors: Katrina was the winner of Classical Singer Magazine's 2008 National Vocal Competition, Steve was selected for roles by both James Levine and Lorin Maazel, and began a two year apprenticeship at the Royal Opera House at Convent Garden. Tom performed the premiere of John Harbison's Symphony # 5, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Wilbur continued his travels around the world, performing this summer in Japan, and at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago.

Contrabass player Kurt Muroki, also an avid photographer, found time to take these photos at the recording sessions:

L to R: Marlan, Katrina (twirling), Steve Ebel and Lou	L to R: Steve Gosling, Jayn Rosenfeld, Alan Kay, and Seth Baer The Vibes can never be too clean....	Alan Kay and Dan Grabois
Matt Gold and the percussion set-up
	Photos by Kurt Muroki
		Listening to playback: Marlan, Lou and Scott Voyles