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novas o c i e t y o f c o m p o s e r s , i n c .a c a p s t o n e r e c o r d s p r o d u c t i o n

p h i l l i p s c h r o e d e r v e r a i v a n o v a m a r ke n g e b r e t s o n c h a nj i k i m l e o n a r dm a r kl e w i s a l e k s a n d e rs t e r n f e l d-d u n n

piotrszewczyk

alanchan

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METAPHORS (2007) | 7:07Phillip SchroederPhillip Schroeder, narrator and fretless electric bass; Marty Walker, clarinetRecording Engineer: Scott Frasor

Metaphors is based on three poems by Marck L. Beggs, Professor of Literature at

Henderson State University. His poetic images are rich and full of multiple

meanings and interpretations. The three musical voices – narrator, clarinet and

fretless electric bass – “float” so that each part is somewhat flexible in its precise

placement and relationship with the other parts. Inevitably, each rehearsal or per-

formance will be slightly different, demanding that the players be completely

secure with the other parts.

Clarinetist Marty Walker is internationally known for his recordings and

performances of new music. The Los Angeles Times has described his playing as

“masterfully expressive.”

– Phillip Schroeder

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Temporal Photograph

In the end the artist drew

with smoke so that each line

dissipated as a new line

took shape, a creation to move

into uncreation, new space.

In my heart, the reverse

occurs: each hole unearthed

fills with your beautiful face

vacant and necessary as blue air.

I am drawing words for you

with the thinnest pen, all hues

of blue ink, blue heart, blue air

Each word unlocks air from my lungs,

each word gasping to say it, beautiful one.

Landscape

Today the world is half exposed.

Mud and leaves soak up

a sifting of snow, a mass of scar tissue

gazing out from a torn white dress.

We all know how it will all change.

Green sprigs will cast long shadows

to hide brown, a lover’s tongue

tracing scars like an artist’s apprentice.

Or, perhaps, this is all wrong.

The snow could turn over night

into killing frost, the scars

pulsating beneath the lover’s pale skin.

Yet it is the same with the earth

as with the heart, there to be claimed.

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My Daughter’s Books

The witches can swim, of course,

but they are set free – off course –

from the shackles of dark-minded Puritans,

free to grow happy as a matter of course.

To clear one name, by which means

another must be smeared, is no mean

feat or antiquated notion. They lived then

as now: grubby, hungry, and mean.

We hardly noticed the birds

perching at strange angles. A bird

per metaphor: the heroine shakes open

her wings as her suitor stands tall to crow.

All I know of reading – to mean it well

as a matter of course – is to hear the bird in a bell.

– poems by Marck L. Beggs

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AFTERTOUCH (2006) | 7:27Vera IvanovaDaniela Mineva, piano

The word aftertouch is a term used to describe the response of a key on electronic

MIDI-keyboards to pressure. On an electronic keyboard with aftertouch, a performer can

change the amplitude of the pitch after the attack by varying the pressure with which

one holds the key. While this feature is not an option on a classical acoustic piano, where

the sound of the pressed key simply fades out after the attack, the richness and variety

of the piano timbre is far more superior and individual on every single instrument.

Exploring the sensitivity of the piano keys to the different types of pressure (including

the silent pressure of the keys with the sustained pedal held) is my interpretation of the

term aftertouch, if one can apply it to the acoustic piano. On the other hand, this title

implies the composer’s intent to make the listener pay attention to the life and death

of each sound with regard to the variety in attacks and decays. This variety and timbral

richness of the instrument, along with the resonances of short and sustained sounds,

which produce quite different effects, were the main inspiration for this piece.

– Vera Ivanova

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TWO DUOS (2008) | 8:05Mark EngebretsonDue East | Erin Lesser, flute; Greg Beyer, percussionRecording Engineer: Dan Nichols

Two Duos was composed for the ensemble Due East (Erin Lesser,

flute and Greg Beyer, percussion) in the course of a composi-

tion/performance/recording collaboration involving the duo and

composers David Maki, Mark Engebretson, Alejandro Rutty, Carl

Schimmel, Jeff Heriott and John Allemeier.

The movement titles are taken, respectively, from the name of a

game and a toy. “Whac-a-Mole” is an arcade game in which players

use plastic mallets to hit figures of moles when they pop up from

holes. See www.whacamole.com for more information and links

to online versions of the game. According to the web site www.

floamit.com, Floam is a “microbead modeling compound.” It’s

kind of like a space-age Play-Doh made of small Styrofoam beads

that are colored and sticky. You can make sculptures out of Floam,

but it doesn’t dry out, so it can be re-shaped over and over again.

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The music is appropriately sticky and

gooey. Be sure to check out the “Floam-

bot” video.

On a more serious level, both move-

ments, and especially “Floam,” represent

a renewed attempt to discover and

develop means of working with harmony

in ways that are both somewhat “tradi-

tional” and at the same time, appropriate

to our time and place. “Whac-a-Mole”

further tries to maximally exploit a mini-

mum of percussion instruments (snare

drum, bass drum, and hi-hat) in a virtuosic

context (especially for the flute), along

with metric modulations for both.

– Mark Engebretson

Whac-a-Mole, Floam, and Play-Doh are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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9 YEARS (2009) | 7:36Chan Ji KimThe Bartok Trio | Emil Sein, directorEmil Sein, clarinet; Julia Sein, cello; David Garcia Moreno, pianoRecording Engineer: Mark Quathamer

9 YEARS, Trio for Clarinet in B flat, Cello, and Piano is dedicated to my dear friend and teacher,

Ron Mazurek who passed away a couple of years ago. He was the first teacher I ever had in

New York when I moved to America. For nine years, I was blessed to know Dr. Ron Mazurek.

For nine years, I learned not only about music but also a bigger picture of artistic direction

through collaboration. For nine years, I have been looking for my own compositional voice

that he told me to find through my music. For nine years, I have been trying to find musical

originality and the answer the question he asked me at my first lesson - why I am a com-

poser? Suddenly it happened. I lost him but I will always remember all the lessons I learned

from him. I will miss him.

– Chan Ji Kim

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THREE ETUDES FOR PIANO (2008) | 12:18Leonard Mark LewisMatthew Manwarren, pianoRecording Engineer: Dennis HopsonMastering: Joe Miller

Three Etudes for Piano was written for pianist, Matthew Manwarren. Each etude explores

a different timbre and pianistic technique. The overall structure of each etude is through-

composed with slight variations in the techniques being explored through repetition. An

extension of the “study” in this work is through the harmonies presented at the beginning

of each movement as though the harmonies were being stretched while pulling out various

timbres and colors from each chord.

– Leonard Mark Lewis

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Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano (2006) | 7:03Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn Eric Palmquist, alto saxophone; Emily Sternfeld-Dunn, pianoRecording Engineer Jeremy Krug Recording Producer: Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn

Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano blends traditional forms with a modern harmonic

and melodic language. The three-movement work borrows from the baroque fugue, and

classical rondo forms and usesa traditional fast-slow-fast structure. At the same time the

harmony and melody are rich in chromaticism and textures alternate from dense polyphony

to a leaner homophony. The work is in the style of “pure music” with no intention to tell a

story or convey a specific emotion.

– Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn

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APPARITIONS (2006) | 5:40Piotr Szewczyk Yuna Lee, violin; Michael Gordon, flute; Robert Woolfrey, clarinet; Aaron Merritt, cello; Seth Ruse, percussionRecording Engineer: Piotr Szewczyk

Apparitions is a five-and-a-half minute long piece for flute, clarinet, violin, cello,

and percussion. It is inspired by a dream I had of walking through a forest at

night and encountering a variety of ghostly apparitions floating around the trees.

Each of the apparitions had varied characters and behaviors that I depict in music

by sharp contrasts of character, color, harmonic language, and sudden tempo

changes. Each of the sections of the piece captures musically the character of

each apparition. The sections are marked with descriptions like brisk and spar-

kling, charming, with menace, and furious among others describing the character

or behavior of each of the apparitions. Fast and rhythmic sections alternate with

free-flowing, meditative, and lyrical sections. The sections transition from one to

another in variety of ways, from sudden, abrupt contrasts, to gradual dissipation

—imitating how each apparition entered and left the forest in my dream.

– Piotr Szewczyk

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DAUGHTER’S LULLABY (2008) | 5:08Alan Chan University of Southern California Thornton Symphony Orchestra | Donald Crockett, condutorCourtney Huffman, sopranoRecording Engineer: Benjamin A. Mass

Daughter’s Lullaby is a musical setting of the second part of Without a Trail to Lace, a

serial poem by Nicky Schildkraut written in 2006. It is the story of a girl’s journey as a Korean

child adopted by Western parents. Each part of the serial is spoken by a different character

– mother, daughter, and father. Daughter’s Lullaby explores the emotional conflict of a

child torn between the instinct to know her biological parents and her bitterness at having

been abandoned by them. The child’s voice switches to spoken words, as she imagines the

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circumstances of her conception. It is only after a maddening flourish at the end of the

piece that the child comes to terms with her grief of the brutal reality of her father’s aban-

donment of both mother and child. The original version for voice and vibraphone received

the first place of the 2008 Percussive Arts Society Composition Contest and is published by

HoneyRock.

– Alan Chan

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Daughter’s Lullaby

I never heard you trill a lullaby so softly

above my crib where a paper star drifts—

you were tilting the ground below me,

shaking the roots free from yellow weeds,

and watching the sun sink into the marsh.

You were singing to my father’s shape

beside you, even though his ears were missing

and his beard was jagged with gray.

You shouted anyway, clear as the horns

that were faraway on the ships sailing on glass.

You mourned for the life you’d given

away, every fragment of my moon-sliced

eyes, chiseled tongue that would always cry

for the shape of you hurrying toward the dark.

– Nicky Schildkraut

(from Without a Trail to Lace, Part II)

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eyes, chiseled tongue that would always cry

for the shape of you hurrying toward the dark.

– Nicky Schildkraut

(from Without a Trail to Lace, Part II)

biographies

The music of PHILLIP SCHROEDER

(b. 1956, Rancho Cordova CA) for soloists, chamber ensembles, live electronics, orchestra, band, and choir, has been described by critics as “wonderfully evocative,” “ethereal,” “rich in subtle detail,” and “full of elegant nuance.” He has appeared as a guest composer,

lecturer, and performer at venues throughout the United States and Europe and has been very active and dedicated New Music advocate as performer, producer, and festival/conference host.

His life as a musician began early and has continued to parallel the diversity of his surroundings, now having lived in twelve states: piano performance, experimental improvisation ensembles, orchestral and chamber conducting, trumpet in concert bands, choirs, and electric bass in rock/jazz bands. Schroeder currently teaches at Henderson State University

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and has taught at Grinnell College, Butler University, Hamilton College, Sam Houston State University, and the University of Iowa. He received a B.M. from the University of Redlands, M.M. from Butler University, and Ph.D. from Kent State University. Recordings are available on the Capstone, Innova, Boston, Albany, Vienna Modern Masters, Cold Blue. and Ravello labels.

Among the important influences on his life and work are Taoism and other mystical traditions, daily meditations, nature, stillness, and the love and patience of friends.

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VERA IVANOVA (b. 1977, Moscow, Russia) graduated from the Moscow Conser-vatory (HonoursDiploma), Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (M.M. with distinction), and the Eastman School of Music (Ph.D. in Composition). Her works have been performed in Russia, Europe, and the United States.

Her teaching positions include Assistant Professor of Theory and Composition at the Setnor School of Music of Syracuse University and Assistant Professor of Music in the College of Performing Arts at Chapman University (current).

Ivanova is a recipient of the Sproull Fellowship at Eastman, the Gwyn Ellis Bequest Scholarship at Guildhall School, Moscow Culture Committee grant, Honorable mention at the 28th Bourges Electro-Acoustic Competition, 3rd Prize at the 8th International Mozart Competition, 1st Prize in Category “A”

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at International Contest of Acousmatic Compositions Métamorphoses 2004 (Belgium), ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award, André Chevillion-Yvonne Bonnaud Composition Prize at the 8th Inter-national Piano Competition at Orleans (France), and Special Award from Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Mu-sic, a Staunton Music Festival commission, a Boston Contempo Music Festival award, and she is a winner of the 2013 Athena Festival Chamber

Her music is available in print from Universal Edition, SCI Journal of Music Scores (vol. 45), on albums from Ablaze Records (Millennial Masters series, Vol. 2), Quartz Music, Ltd, Musiques & Recherches (Métamorphoses 2004), Centaur Records (CRC 3056), Navona Records (ALLUSIONS) and on her website at www.veraivanova.com.

MARK ENGEBRETSON (b. 1964, Modesto CA), is Associate Professor of Composition and Electronic Music, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The composer comments: “Melody, timbre, virtuosity, clear and balanced formal structure, the integration of new media, multiple levels of associations, and a desire for fresh, engaging expression all drive my creative

work. Of course, the concept of melody can be interpreted quite broadly: a melody could be a singing, arcing line, a single tone with constant microtonal or timbre changes, a jumping, jagged, asymmetrical riff, or a lick played on a snare drum. A fascination with both performance and compositional virtuosity joins melody to form the basis of my ongoing interest in writing works that

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push my boundaries as a composer and that engage superstar performers in technical and musical challenges. Such works teach us something about music, endless possibilities, and ourselves.”

He has received commissions from the Fromm Music Foundation, North Carolina Artist Fellowship, Thomas S. Kenan Institute. Founder: UNCG New Music Festival. Performances of his music have taken place at SEAMUS, ICMC, Wien Modern, Third Practice, Festival of New American Music, ISCM, BGSU Festival of New Music and Art, Carnegie Hall, and in Argentina, Albania, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, China, and Terre Haute. His music is recorded on the Capstone, Albany, Innova, and Lotus labels. Engebretson was awarded the 2011 Composer Fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council for his Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra.

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CHAN JI KIM (b. 1974, Dae-gu, South Korea) composes for dance, chamber ensembles, orchestra, multimedia per-formances, and fixed media. Her re-search and music areas of interest include collaboration between composer and choreographer, Korean folk music, and interactive media composition. Recently,

her music was performed by the Nabla ensemble in Rome, Italy and the Bartók Trio ensemble in Malaga, Spain.

Her major performances include International Music Days in Constanta, Romania; Berlin New Music Concert performed by the Anton Webern Quartet; New Music Society concert in Seoul, Korea; International New Music Consortium concert series in Bucharest, Romania; Summer Music Festival in Florence and Assisi, Italy; International Double Reed Society conference, Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival; Congress of the International Alliance of Women in Music; International Composers and

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Interactive Artists at the Symphony Space in New York City; Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference; Millennium Dance Concert in New York City; and World Music Days in Timisuara, Romania. Her article “Music for Clara Schumann” is published by Jihak Sa in Seoul, Korea and her music has been published by Calabrese Brothers Music, TrevCo Music, and The Sejong Cultural Society. Her music is also available on the album Mosaic by Emeritus and on The Era of Modern Bassoon album Collection by Akashibu Gakufu in Japan.

Chan Ji Kim studied music composition at E-Wha Women’s University in Korea (B.A.), New York University (M.A.), and University of Florida (Ph.D.). She is Associate Professor of Music at the Eastern Florida State College.

For more information visit www.chanjikim.net

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LEONARD MARK LEWIS (b. 1973, Great Yarmouth, England) holds a D.M.A. in Composition from the University of Texas, and an M.M. in Composition from the University of Houston. He is also a conductor and pianist specializing in new music. Lewis, a member of BMI, is the recipient of awards from ASCAP (Morton Gould Young Composer Award), BMI, Columbia University (Bearns Prize), Voices of Change (Russell Horn Young Composers Award), and MACRO.

While on the faculty at the University of Missouri, Lewis was named Missouri’s Composer of the Year (2002) by Missouri Music Teacher’s Association (MMTA). His Concerto for Orchestra, was chosen for inclusion in the 2001 American Composers Orchestra Whitaker New Music Readings series, and was conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.

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In addition to his catalog of solo works, compositions by Lewis have been commissioned and performed by an array of ensembles including the North/South Consonance, Truman State Orchestra, AURA (University of Houston), Symposium for New Band Music, University of Texas Composer’s Orchestra, New Music Camerata (East Carolina University), NACUSA, Concordia Trio, Charlotte Civic Symphony, Hyperion Ensemble, and numerous wind ensembles. His music is published by Dorn, Manhattan Beach, Southern, and Haggelstein. Lewis’s main composition teachers were Carlisle Floyd, Dan Welcher, and Robert Nelson. Lewis has served on the faculty at the University of Missouri-Columbia and Cy-Fair College (Chair and Associate Professor of Music). He is currently Associate Professor at Winthrop University.

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ALEKSANDER STERNFELD-DUNN (b. 1980, Vallejo CA) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, was educated on both coasts and now finds himself in the middle of the country. His music combines a frenetic rhythmic language, lean textures, and lyrical sensitivity. His music has been recorded and performed throughout the

United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia by ensembles and organi-zations including the Kiev Philharmonic, The Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Huntsville Alabama Army Band, Composers Inc, Conundrum, The Yale Brass Trio, Scott/Garrison Duo, and Vox Novus. Soloists like Richard Kriehn, Diane Maltester, Craig Hultgren, and Robert Young have also been champions of his music. His works are published by FJH Music, Dorn Publications, Trevco Music, Alry, and Boom Crash Music and can be heard on the Capstone, ERM, and Navona Records labels.

Sternfeld-Dunn is winner of the “Best in Show” Award from the Global Music Awards (2012) for his works Antiphonal Fanfare and Joker’s Wild and won first prize in the William R. Riley Exposition for Research for his composition Sonata for Alto Saxophone (2005). He has also received

awards and funding from organizations such as Meet the Composer; ASCAP and the Washington Visual; Performing; and Literary Art’s Committee.

He completed a D.M.A. in Composition with a minor in music theory from the Hartt School of Music. He holds a Masters Degree in Composition from Washington State University as well as a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University East Bay. His primary teachers have included Robert Carl, Martin Rokeach, Stephen Gryc, Charles Argersinger, Ryan Hare, Greg Yasinitsky, and Frank LaRocca.

As well as being an accomplished composer he is also active as a conductor and string bassist. As a conductor he recently guest conducted the new music ensemble Turn on the Music for their album The Darwin Effect on Capstone Records. He has conducted various orchestras, wind ensembles, and theatre productions. As a bassist he has held principal positions with several San Francisco Bay Area Orchestras, as well as numerous jazz small groups and big bands. He is the featured bassist on Bay Area jazz pianist Marty Namaro’s album Abstractionisms. He serves on the faculty at Wichita State University where he teaches composition, electronic music, and music theory.

For more information visit www.aleksandersternfelddunn.com27

PIOTR SZEWCYK (b. 1977, Swidnik, Poland) holds the degrees of B.M. and double M.M. in violin and compo-sition from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is currently finishing his D.M. at Florida State University.

As a composer, Szewczyk has received many awards including those from American Modern Ensemble, Rapido! Composition Contest by Atlanta Chamber Players, Third Millennium Ensemble, American Composers Forum, Society of Composers, Jacksonville Symphony Fresh Ink, VoxNovus 60x60 Project, Fauxharmonic Adagio Contest, UPBEAT Hvar - Croatia, ACCENT Competition at Music X Festival, and others.

Mr. Szewczyk’s music has been performed by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Florida State Uni-versity Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble GREEN, ALIAS Ensemble,

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Sybarite Chamber Players (Carnegie Hall), Juventas Ensemble, Chroma Quartet, Eastern Music Festival, and many others. He was featured on NPR Performance Today and CBS Early Show.

As a violinist Szewczyk is the creator and performer of the Violin Futura Project, a series of recitals of brand new, short, exciting, and innovative solo violin pieces written and dedicated to him by renowned composers from around the word.

Szewczyk is a violinist in the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, which he joined in 2007 after completing a three-year fellow-ship at the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas where he served as a rotating concertmaster and was a winner of the 2006 Concerto Competition.

For more information visit www.verynewmusic.com

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ALAN CHAN (b. 1978, Hong Kong, China) is a multi-facet-ed composer. His genre-shaking works can be heard in an array of venues serving Classical (Taiwan National Concert Hall), experimental (the Stone, NYC) and jazz (Typhoon at Santa Monica Airport), as well as international conferenc-es and festivals. Alan has received awards and fellowships from ASCAP, ArtEZ (Netherlands), New Music USA, RTHK4 (Hong Kong), the Ucross Foundation, and Percussive Arts

Society (PAS), among others. His commissioned pieces have been performed by groups such as the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Lien Percussion (Taiwan), St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra (Los Angeles), Melody of China (San Francisco), Hexnut (Netherlands), Firebird (Boston), and sTop Percussion (Slovenia). He founded the Alan Chan Jazz Orchestra in 2012. He holds a D.M.A. degree from the University of Southern California and is a former faculty member of the University of Redlands and the Walden School Young Musicians Program. His compositions are published by HoneyRock, Keyboard Percussion Publications, and Meridian Publishing.

For more information visit www.alanchanmusic.com30

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Executive Producers: Richard Brooks, Vera Stanojevic, Thomas Wells, SCI, Bob Lord

Product Manager: Jeff LeRoy

Mastering: Shaun Michaud

Art & Production Director: Brett Picknell

Graphic Designer: Ryan Harrison

A&R: Mike Jouzokas

PR Coordinator: Rory Cooper

Label contact: info@navonarecords.com www.navonarecords.com 223 Lafayette Rd., Suite 6B North Hampton NH 03862

1-3 Metaphors 7:07 Phillip Schroeder Phillip Schroeder, narrator and fretless electric bass; Marty Walker, clarinet Recording Engineer: Scott Frasor 4 Aftertouch 7:27 Vera Ivanova Daniela Mineva, piano

5-6 Two Duos 8:05 Mark Engebretson Due East: Erin Lesser, flute; Greg Beyer, percussion Recording Engineer: Dan Nichols

7 9 Years 7:36 Chan Ji Kim The Bartok Trio: Emil Sein, director Emil Sein, clarinet; Julia Sein, cello; David Garcia Moreno, piano Recording Engineer: Mark Quathamer

8-10 Three Etudes for Piano 12:18 Leonard Mark Lewis Matthew Manwarren. piano Recording Engineer: Dennis Hopson Mastering: Joe Miller 11-13 Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano 7:03 Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn Eric Palmquist, alto saxophone; Emily Sternfeld-Dunn, piano Recording Engineer: Jeremy Krug

Recording Producer: Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn

14 Apparitions 5:40 Piotr Szewczyk Yuna Lee, violin; Michael Gordon, flute; Robert Woolfrey, clarinet; Aaron Merritt, cello; Seth Ruse, percussion Recording Engineer: Piotr Szewczyk

15 Daughter’s Lullaby 5:08 Alan Chan University of Southern California Thornton Symphony Orchestra | Donald Crockett, conductor Courtney Huffman, soprano Recording Engineer: Benjamin A. Mass

HUBBLE PHOTO CREDITS: NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Space Telescope Science Institute (STSci), Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

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