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I’ve known members of Rogue Music Project (thanks to twitter) for several years, and I’m thrilled that pianist Jennifer Reason chose this early work of mine, Fairy Movements, to perform on this weighty and beautiful concert. Being programmed alongside Dale and Julia was a special treat, and Omari’s “meditations” on the composer’s names blew me away. I won’t soon forget the effort, care, and love that RMP put into this event.
-Steph
PROGRAM.
Meditation on “Dale Trumbore" — Omari Tau (b. 1974)
Where Go the Boats? (2012) — Dale Trumbore (b. 1987) text by Robert Louis Stevenson
Fairy Movements — Stephanie Ann Boyd (b. 1990)
1. To Float
2. To Ensconce
3. To Pirouette
Meditation on “Julia Seeholzer" — Omari Tau
Portraits of Disquiet (2016) — Julia Seeholzer (b. 1990), texts by Kendall A.
I. Prayer at my parting
II. Black and Blue
III. As yet untitled
Meditation on "Stephanie Boyd" — Omari Tau
Meditation on "Emma Lou Diemer" — Omari Tau
Psalm 23 (1943) — Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927)
In the Middle (2005) — Dale Trumbore, text by Barbara Crooker
Program Note.
fairy movements| PIANO, Op. 2
Written for lina song
This piece was written for a friend of mine from sophomore year in college, Lina Song. The piece is based upon actual physical movements of whimsical creatures, and I created three watercolor pencil and pen-and-ink fairy drawings to go along with each movement of the piece, and these were projected onto a screen during the premiere. (If by some reason you happen to do a search of my pen name, you can find my published fairy coloring book.) My deep thanks to one of my dearest and oldest friends, Eric Hiller, for making the definitive recording with recording engineer extraordinaire Jason Carlock.
rogue music project
Rogue Music Project (RMP) is a collective specializing in opera and classical music on the fringe. RMP creates adventurous productions that push artistic boundaries and break genre rules in order to reinvigorate the concert and theater-going experience. RMP’s mission to entertain and enlighten audiences — creating an atmosphere of music, art, and fellowship.
More here
jennifer reason, piano
Hailed as a pianist "in the league of Carnegie Hall," a "rising star" whose playing is "lush, sensual and colorful: like a painting" (Sulzbach-Rosenberger, Germany), and a "powerhouse" (Victor Forman, CapRadio) who possesses an "extraordinary skill" (D. Frantztreb, S.C.C.), Jennifer Reason is making her mark in Sacramento in a variety of different roles and has been recognized as such with the Sacramento Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, 2016.
In the nonprofit sector, Ms. Reason can be found as Artistic Director of RSVP, a 16 voice acapella ensemble that raises money for underfunded local charities through captivating concert series created to musically highlight each charity’s mission, and 100% of the proceeds are donated to those organizations, totaling over 35 so far. She is also a founding member of 10-year-old new music ensemble Citywater, an acoustic sextet with whom she is dedicated to educating all ages on the boundless possibilities in music, and with whom many living composers and brand new artistic endeavors are supported. She extends this passion for education and exposure to her mash-up band, the ReAssemblers of Whimsy, a group who expertly arranges opera arias with pop, jazz, rock, and many other genres!
Professionally, Ms. Reason has performed all over the world, and has appeared at multiple international festivals as a soloist and ensemble member, and also in world-renowned venues which also include the likes of the Vatican and Carnegie Hall. She recently completed her 9th European appearance as a touring member of the California Youth Symphony in June 2018. She also extends her love of performance to the theater and has acted as Musical Director to productions such as the world premiere of Max Understood at Cowell Theater San Francisco, and Disney’s Shakespeare Understood for Marin Theater Co. Away from the piano, you can hear her as the Midday Classical Host for Capital Public Radio.
More at www.jennifer-reason.com
STEPHANIE ANN BOYD, COMPOSER
Michigan-born, Manhattan-based American composer Stephanie Ann Boyd (b. 1990) writes melodic music about women’s memoirs and the natural world for symphonic and chamber ensembles. Her work has been performed in nearly all 50 states and has been commissioned by musicians and organizations in 37 countries. Boyd’s five ballets include works choreographed by New York City Ballet principal dancers Lauren Lovette, Ashley Bouder, NYCB soloist Peter Walker, and XAOC Contemporary Ballet’s Eryn Renee Young. Eero, a ballet commissioned by Access Contemporary Music and Open House New York, was written for the grand opening of the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport. Her music has been praised as “attractive lyricism” (Gramophone), “[with] ethereal dissonances” (Boston Globe), “[music that] didn’t let itself be eclipsed” (Texas Classical Review), “arrestingly poetic” (BMOP), and “wide ranging, imaginative” (Portland Press Herald).
Boyd’s music has been commissioned and performed by concertmasters of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the Des Moines Symphony, the Faroe Islands Symphony, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Smith Symphony, the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, and principal players in the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Her music has been commissioned and/or played by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the New England Conservatory Philharmonic, the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, the New York Jazzharmonic, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the Roosevelt University Orchestra, the Eureka Ensemble, the JVL Festival Orchestra, the Texas State University Symphony, the Cremona International Academy Orchestra, the UW La Crosse Symphony, the Detroit Civic Orchestra, and the El Paso Youth Symphony. Her work has been presented by the Thalia and her Sisters concert series, the Moirae Ensemble, and Sandcastle New Music in New York City; Æpex Contemporary Music in Michigan; Juventas New Music, Collage New Music, and the New Gallery Concert Series in Boston; Cincinnati Soundbox, and others. Stephanie has worked with conductors such as Andrew Litton, Lina Gonzales, Earl Lee, Nathan Aspinall, Cliff Colnot, Gill Rose, Julian Benichou, Kristo Kondakci, and Kevin Fitzgerald.
The 2020/2021 season includes commissions from the Wyoming Symphony, Astral Artists with cellist Tommy Mesa, violinist Megan Healy, pianists Lara Downes, Lise de la Salle, Marta Aznavoorian, Lucille Chung, Susie Maddocks, Adrienne Park, Diane Kaztenburg Braun and Music Street, Sarah Bob and the New Gallery Concert Series, Holly Roadfeldt, Marianne Parker, Eunbi Kim, the Kurganov-Finehouse Duo, and others. This season also includes performances by the Lincoln Trio, Juventas New Music, Jennifer Reason, Lisa Pegher, Shouthouse, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, including concerts at the Kaufman Center, the Boston New Music Festival, the Festival of New American Music, Pianoforte in Chicago, live on Chicago’s WFMT radio station, and elsewhere.
Stephanie holds degrees from Roosevelt University and New England Conservatory, and she was one of the last violin students of renowned pedagogue John Kendall.