All posts by Erik

Perfection vs Feeling – Making Music in Your Own Voice

How does a musician balance a pursuit of perfection with the infusion of energy? In this segment with Noted Endeavors’ Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson, pianist Bruce Levingston talks about that balance in musicians past and present.

Bruce Levingston is a concert pianist and one of the country’s leading figures in contemporary classical music. He is known for his “extraordinary gifts as a colorist and a performer who can hold attention rapt with the softest playing” (MusicWeb International). Many of the world’s most important composers have written works for him, and his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances have won notable critical acclaim. The New York Times has praised his “mastery of color and nuance” and called him one of “today’s most adventurous musicians”; the New Yorker has called him “a force for new music” and “a poetic pianist with a gift for inventive — and glamorous — programming.”

For more about Bruce, go to:
brucelevingston.com

Mohammed Fairouz Full Interview

In this wide-ranging interview, Mohammed Fairouz talks with Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of Noted Endeavors about various issues facing musicians, the state of the world, and the aesthetics of being a successful composer. Thanks to Carnegie Hall for hosting!

Mohammed Fairouz, born in 1985, is one of the most frequently performed, commissioned, and recorded composers working today. By his early teens, the Arab-American composer had journeyed across five continents, immersing himself in new sounds and experiences. His catalog encompasses virtually every genre, including opera, symphonies, vocal and choral settings, chamber and solo works. His voice as a composer is personal, filled with imagination and surprises.

For more about Mohammed Fairouz, go to:
MohammedFairouz.com

Good Things Happen when You Speak to Presenters

As pianist Anthony de Mare’s fabulous project, LIAISONS: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano, took shape, he and producer Rachel Colbert found that having Anthony speaking passionately about the project with presenters yielded great results. Here, Mr. de Mare discusses with Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson (founders of Noted Endeavors) how artists speaking with presenters can result in securing a concert.

ANTHONY DE MARE is one of the world’s foremost champions of contemporary music. Praised by The New York Times for his “muscularly virtuosic, remarkably uninhibited performance [and] impressive talents”, his versatility has inspired the creation of over 60 new works by some of today’s most distinguished artists, especially in the speaking-singing pianist genre, which he pioneered over 25 years ago with the premiere of Frederic Rzewski’s groundbreaking ‘De Profundis’.

He has performed Liaisons programs across the U.S., Canada and Cuba including Virginia Tech Center for the Arts, The Ravinia Festival, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, the Virginia Arts Festival, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Schubert Club in Minneapolis, Mondavi Center at UC Davis, Rockport Music Festival, the Cliburn Series in Fort Worth, and Music at Meyer in San Francisco.

For more about Anthony, go to:
anthonydemare.com

Talk Openly About Budgets and Finances

When discussing budgets and finances in a project, be honest, open, and timely. Be respectful of others’ budgets. In this segment with Noted Endeavors’ Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson, pianist Bruce Levingston talks about paying musicians and fitting within a budget.

Bruce Levingston is a concert pianist and one of the country’s leading figures in contemporary classical music. He is known for his “extraordinary gifts as a colorist and a performer who can hold attention rapt with the softest playing” (MusicWeb International). Many of the world’s most important composers have written works for him, and his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances have won notable critical acclaim. The New York Times has praised his “mastery of color and nuance” and called him one of “today’s most adventurous musicians”; the New Yorker has called him “a force for new music” and “a poetic pianist with a gift for inventive — and glamorous — programming.”

For more about Bruce, go to:
http://brucelevingston.com

Joan Tower: Make Music on Your Own Terms

Joan Tower refused to be defined by competition and institutional committees; instead, she started her own ensemble, the Da Capo Chamber Players. In this segment with Noted Endeavors’ Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson, Ms. Tower talks about composers (and performers) making music on their own terms rather than waiting for validation from others.

Joan Tower is widely regarded as one of the most important American composers living today. During a career spanning more than fifty years, she has made lasting contributions to musical life in the United States as composer, performer, conductor, and educator. Her works have been commissioned by major ensembles, soloists, and orchestras, including the Emerson, Tokyo, and Muir quartets; soloists Evelyn Glennie, Carol Wincenc, David Shifrin, and John Browning; and the orchestras of Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Washington DC among others. Tower was cofounder and pianist for the Naumburg Award winning Da Capo Chamber Players from 1970-1985.

For more about Ms. Tower, go to:
musicsalesclassical.com/composer/short-bio/joan-tower