In December 2006, the League and Meet The Composer announced that eight composers and orchestras have been selected for short-term residencies for the eighth season of Music Alive. Lasting from two to four weeks, these residencies will provide orchestras with resources and tools to support their presentation of new music and build support for new music within their institutions. Composers will guide the host orchestra through the presentation process of their new work and are also on hand so that the public can "meet the person behind the music," further engaging the orchestra and its various audiences and providing a personal context for their works. Additionally, composers will serve as advocates for new music in the organization by interacting with board members, musicians, administrative staff, and the community in education and outreach activities.
The participants were selected through a highly competitive application process by a distinguished panel comprised of John Luther Adams (composer), John Mackey (composer), Gil Rose (Artistic Director, Boston Modern Orchestra Project), Connie Linsler Valentine (Executive Director, Nashville Chamber Orchestra), and Robert Wagner (Principal Bassoon, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra).
John Corigliano's residency will include participation in the Brooklyn Philharmonic's education, community engagement, and social service initiatives, helping to increase the community's knowledge and appreciation of contemporary American music. The residency will celebrate his extensive contribution to the cultural life of his native Brooklyn and the field of music in general.
During his residency, Harold Meltzer will help to foster a greater understanding for new music through pre-concert lectures and workshops for adults, trustees, and students. Collaborating with New Jersey poet B.J. Ward, he will also help to expand and deepen the educational exploration into the synergy between words and music through a new composition for narrator and orchestra. Other educational activities for students are also being planned.
Belinda Reynolds will bring new music to the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, as well as to local middle and high schools through lectures. She will help to usher young people into the world of composing (including holding composition master classes) and encourage orchestra members to give feedback for early drafts of a newly commissioned piece for full orchestra.
Augusta Read Thomas plans to compose a ballet, "The Magic Thread," for a collaborative effort between the Orchestra and the Orlando Ballet School at the Patel Conservatory. She will also promote the art of composition for young musicians and the audience, and participate in a documentary film pertaining to the process of composition.
Jennifer Higdon's residency will include various community outreach activities centered around her work. (Further details on this residency will be announced by The Philadelphia Orchestra in January, 2007.)
Mark Grey plans to compose a 60-minute oratorio for orchestra, chorus, and baritone solo, based on a traditional Navajo story from the Navajo Creation Mythology. A new libretto will be written by Navajo poet Laura Tohe. The work will be performed in February 2008 by conductor Michael Christie, baritone Scott Hendricks, The Phoenix Symphony and The Phoenix Symphony Chorus. The Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio will also serve as a vehicle for community outreach. He will work with students on Native American culture; for example, he will hold public panel discussions on Navajo traditional stories and how they relate to ancient/modern times, as well as his compositional ideas.
Goals of the residency include highlighting Aaron Jay Kernis's commissioned work in its world premiere performances in February 2008, reinforcing the Symphony's commitment to new music, engaging with new audiences (which may include pre-concert lectures, a presentation at the local library, and holding a session for young musicians), as well as sharing his insight with local composers.
In this residency, Randall Woolf plans to introduce works using electronic components, expand current outreach programs (particularly to at-risk members of society), and help to build young audiences for modern classical music through a pre-concert lecture and a demonstration for parents and children.
As with any live concert experience, programs and residency plans are subject to change.