Composers

In May, I will be travelling to Austerlitz, New York to stay at the Millay Colony for the Arts. There I will have the physical, psychological, and temporal space to compose with force and focus. I'm excited for this opportunity and honored to have been offered this residency along...

12 April, 2015 /

From the chair of the music department at Webster, Dr. Jeffrey Carter: Department of Music 24 November 2014 David Werfelmann to succeed Bob Chamberlin The Department of Music announces the appointment of Dr. David Werfelmann as Assistant Professor of Music, teaching music theory and composition and leading the BA...

01 December, 2014 /

On May 2, 2014, Rafael Liebich performed What Lies Behind the Rain at the 4th annual Hear Now Festival. He played brilliantly, really owning the piece. The first review is in and here's what Paul Muller from Sequenza 21 has to say about it: What Lies Behind the Rain (2011)...

05 May, 2014 /
There is no shortage of Beethoven works that many (including myself) consider to be pivotal in the history of Western music. The Eroica Symphony broke through the symphonic barrier that Haydn and Mozart had erected in the 18th century only to construct a much more massive barricade that would overshadow symphonic composers for the next two hundred years. Remember that Beethoven embarked on his Third shortly after returning from his introspective sojourn at Heiligenstadt where he resolved to live on despite the agony of his demons because he still had things to say with his art. In many ways, his Third represents a similar turning point for the symphony - it would no longer be the charming, graceful instrumental genre that Haydn and Mozart articulated. The symphony now had something meaningful to say. Beethoven didn't make things easier on symphonic composers with his fifth, seventh, and, of course, his ninth symphonies either. And his single-handed advancement of sonata form guaranteed the form's enduring presence in the 19th and 20th centuries. But it is quite possible that Beethoven's most significant contribution to the Western musical tradition is through his string quartets, which continue to challenge the wits of todays performers and theorists alike. One in particular, his op. 133 Grosse Fuge, is in many ways confounding. Have listen if this one isn't familiar to you: http://youtu.be/6s0Mp7LFI-k
20 July, 2012 /