From February 22 to 24, 2012, EarShot (the National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network) and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), JoAnn Falletta, Music Director, will present the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra New Music Readings at Kleinhans Music Hall (3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo). On Thursday, February 23 at 7pm at Kleinhans Hall, the public will have the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at the process of bringing brand new orchestral works to life, as music by the four selected composers is read by the BPO under the baton of associate conductor, Matthew Kraemer. The composers – Stephen Gorbos, Elizabeth Lim, David Marenberg, and Daniel Schlosberg – were selected through a national call for scores, and during the Readings will receive feedback from mentor composers Margaret Brouwer, Sebastian Currier, and Derek Bermel, the conductor and BPO principal musicians.
In addition, EarShot and BPO will offer composers, students, or anyone interested in learning more about the business of being a composer, a series of free professional development workshops on Thursday, February 23 from 12-5pm at Kleinhans Music Hall. Workshop topics include music engraving and copying, copyright and legal issues, an overview of the music industry today, and an opportunity to discuss community engagement and outreach with the mentor composers Margaret Brouwer, Sebastian Currier and Derek Bermel. Industry representatives from American Composers Forum, New Music USA, as well as Jesse Rosen, President of the League of American Orchestras will serve as presenters. (The workshops are free, but a reservation is required. The reservation deadline is February 17, 2012. To RSVP call Robin Parkinson, BPO Director of Education at 716-242-7808, or email education@bpo.org.)
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra New Music Readings are a part of EarShot, a nationwide network of new music readings and composer-development programs. EarShot is the nation's first ongoing systematic program for identifying emerging orchestral composers. The program provides composers professional-level working experience with orchestras from every region of the country and increases awareness of and access to their music throughout the industry. EarShot is a partnership among American Composers Orchestra, American Composers Forum, the League of American Orchestras, and New Music USA. To date more than three dozen composers have been selected for New Music Readings with orchestras including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Pioneer Valley Symphony (MA), and the New York Youth Symphony.
Over the decades, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has matured in stature under the leadership of William Steinberg, Josef Krips, Lukas Foss, Michael Tilson Thomas, Julius Rudel, Semyon Bychkov, Maximiano Valdes, and now Music Director, Maestro Falletta. Since 1940, the Orchestra's permanent home has been Kleinhans Music Hall, a National Historic Site with an international reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the United States. The BPO presents more than 120 Classics, Pops and Youth Concerts during a 37-week season and its award-winning education programs reach over 35,000 students per year. During the tenure of Maestro Falletta, the orchestra has rekindled a distinguished history of broadcasts and recordings, including the release of 18 CDs of a highly diverse repertoire on the NAXOS and Beau Fleuve labels. The BPO's recording of composer John Corigliano's Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan, featuring soprano Hila Plitmann, on the NAXOS label, won Grammys in two categories. Its concerts are heard regularly in over 200 cities across the U.S. on American Public Radio's Performance Today. As Buffalo's cultural ambassador, the BPO has toured widely across the United States and Canada including a recent tour to Florida, the first multi-city tour since the 1988 European tour. The BPO has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall as a participant in the prestigious Spring for Music festival in 2013. This will be the orchestra's 24th appearance at Carnegie Hall and its first since Maestro Falletta led the orchestra in a much-heralded appearance there in June 2004.
