Tuesday Night New Music

Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series that offers the opportunity to hear music by the next generation of composers: current NEC composition students. The series is directed by Katherine Balch '14 Tufts/NEC and Neal Markowski '13, under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.

The notes on these works were written by the respective composers.

Xiaoxia Zhang The Chime
Sean Van Winkle, Andrew Grossman, Bryce Leafman, Samuel Chan, percussion

Musa Qubailat Medusa
Andrew Larson, piano

Ari Sussman Hashkiveinu
Meghan Jolliffe, soprano
Timothy Ayres-Kerr, baritone
Ari Sussman, piano

Hashkiveinu is a prayer from the “Ma’ariv” service (the daily evening service). Despite this setting having only an excerpt of the text, in its entirety the words speak of God putting us to sleep, protecting us from evil, and granting peace. Truly one of the most beautiful texts in all of Jewish liturgy, many composers have set it to music. My approach was a very peaceful and programmatic melody with a descant in the baritone line to complement the soprano. Towards the end, the soloists have a call-and-response with each other in Hebrew and English, which continues this peaceful and serene feel in the music.

Tyler Gilmore Wet/Dry Mix
Daniel Pencer, tenor saxophone
Jeremy Harman, cello
Tyler Gilmore, electronics

Sonnet Swire Wiosna Hop
Adrian Sanborn, flute
Tim Feil, oboe
Hunter Bennett, clarinet
Brittney Walker, bassoon
Paige McGrath, horn

Wiosna Hop, Polish for "Spring Dance," is a short piece for wind quintet with tonality present but enriched with bitonal elements and free chromatics. Piccolo and E-flat clarinet are used to imitate birds chirping and other sounds of spring for a brighter atmosphere and timbre. This is an easier-going composition of mine; no philosophy here, just music for the sake of writing music.

Soo Han Petit Morceau
Robert Anemone, violin
Maria Rindenello Parker, harp