Two NEC Alumni Win Guggenheims
Darcy James Argue '02 M.M. and Andreia Pinto-Correia '06 M.M., '13 D.M.A. among 11 American and Canadian composers honored
NEC alumni Darcy James Argue '02 M.M. and Andreia Pinto-Correia '06 M.M., '13 D.M.A. are among 11 American and Canadian composers awarded 2015 Guggenheim Fellowships. Their selection, among 175 scholars, artists, and scientists, was announced last week by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Chosen from a pool of more than 3,100 applicants, the award winners were selected on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise.
In making the announcement, the Foundation said: "During this time of decreased funding for individuals in the arts, humanities, and sciences, the opportunities created by the Guggenheim Fellowship program are increasingly important." Edward Hirsch, president of the Foundation, called the recipients “the best of the best. Since 1925, the Guggenheim Foundation has always bet everything on the individual, and we’re thrilled to continue the tradition with this wonderfully talented and diverse group. It’s an honor to be able to support these individuals to do the work they were meant to do.” Since its establishment, the Foundation has granted over $325 million in Fellowships to almost 18,000 individuals, among whom are scores of Nobel laureates and poets laureate, as well as winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Fields Medal, and other internationally recognized honors. Find a list of NEC's past Guggenheim Fellows.
During her composition studies at NEC with Michael Gandolfi, Andreia Pinto-Correia '06 M.M., '13 D.M.A. was already picking up commissions from such organizations as the Minnesota and Berkeley symphony orchestras. In her native Portugal, Jornal de Letras has described her body of work as "a major contribution to the dissemination of Portugal's culture and language, perhaps a contribution larger than could ever be imagined." Pinto-Correia gave the title Azulejos to her D.M.A. concert at NEC in 2013, referencing the hand-painted ceramic tiles that are one of the most recognizable cultural artifacts of Portugal.
Pinto-Correia wrote NEC with news of the 2015 awards, describing herself as "thrilled with this news. I am also having an orchestral premiere at Tanglewood on July 20, at the opening of the Contemporary Music Festival." Timaeus, inspired by Plato's Dialogues, is an extended work for orchestra, dedicated to the memory of Elliott Carter for TMC's 75th anniversary.