William Bolcom’s Concert Suite

Soloist/Co-soloist with International Symphony Orchestra “Taurida”;
Mihail Golikov, conductor;
Music of Etezady, Glazunov, Villa-Lobos, d’Indy, Bolcom

Timothy McAllister, saxophones; Liz Ames, piano - French standards and contemporary American works

Robert Boardman, conductor

In celebration of their 2016 Christopher Kendall Award, PRISM is presented in masterclass and recital 12:30-2:30 pm on Friday, October 21 as part of the 2016 SMTD alumni weekend.

University Symphony Orchestra;
Kenneth Kiesler, conductor

DCWS highlights pioneering female composers Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn and Ellen Taffe Zwilich. Kristin Kuster’s “Jelly Fish” will be performed by a new DCWS member, Tim McAllister. And don’t miss a special interview with Christine Ammer, an esteemed musicologist and author of “A History of Women in American Music.”

Together with the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, KCH highlights the contribution of women to the world of chamber music, featuring works by pioneering female composers Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn and Ellen Taffe Zwilich. Kristin Kuster’s “Jellyfish” will be performed by new DCWS member Tim McAllister and pianist Liz Ames.

William Albright Sonata;
Florian von Radowitz, piano

Jeffrey Kahane, conductor and piano
Gershwin-Rhapsody in Blue (jazz band version) ||
Bernstein-Symphonic Dances from West Side Story ||
Rachmaninoff-Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

James MacMillan’s Sinfonietta; James MacMillan, conductor

PRISM and Sō Percussion premiere a new work by Steven Mackey and a new arrangement of Donnacha Dennehy’s “The Pale.” Mackey, who previously composed masterful works for both ensembles separately, creates the first major octet combining saxophone and percussion quartets. Dennehy’s work is a musical imagining of the area encompassing Dublin called the Pale, where British rule was at its strongest in the 14th century. According to Dennehy, “they even protected this area with ditches and fences to keep the barbarous, thuggish Irish out—the great unwashed were, as the phrase became, ‘beyond the pale.’” Also on the program: the Philadlephia premiere of Georg Friedrich Haas’ “Saxophone Quartet,” Bryce Dessner’s “Music for Wood & Strings,” and Hymn from Kati Agócs’ “Coluratura.”

Britten Sinfonia da Requiem
Donald Runnicles, conductor

Friday, April 29, 2016 at 8:00pm – Tampa, Straz Center (STRAZ)||
Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 8:00pm – St Petersburg, Mahaffey Theater (MAH)||
Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 7:30pm – Clearwater, Ruth Eckerd Hall (REH)
Michael Francis, conductor

PRISM is joined by jazz saxophone greats Diego Rivera and Andrew Bishop for three works on the program: Improvisations by Chris Potter, “one of the most studied (and copied) saxophonists on the planet” (DownBeat), Found by PRISM’s own Matthew Levy, and Dave Liebman’s arrangement of John Coltrane’s ballad, Dear Lord. The program also spotlights PRISM in performances of “Radical Alignment” from 15 Places At The Same Time by Steve Lehman, Leafless Trees by David Laganella, and the world premiere of Schumann Bouquet, Pulitzer Prize-winner William Bolcom’s new adaptation of piano works by Robert Schumann.

The PRISM Quartet presents a breathtaking program of freshly minted saxophone quartets by Barlow Prize winner Ben Hjertmann; Goddard Lieberson and Guggenhiem Fellow James Primosch; Pew and Guggenhiem Fellow Anna Weesner; Jay Reise, whose work has been supported by the Fromm Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts;Kyle Bartlett, of counter)induction fame; and Jane Lange, winner of the PRISM/Walden School Commissioning Award.

Friday, March 18, 2016 @ 7:30 PM
New Works
World premieres of compositions by UPenn doctoral students Andrew Davis, Marc LeMay, Jacob Walls, Finola Merivale, Kevin Laskey, Kai-Young Chan, and Joshua Hey; and previous PRISM commissions from UPenn alumni Jennifer Higdon (“Bop”), David Ludwig (“Josquin Microludes”), and David Laganella (“Leafless Trees”).

Walla Walla (WA) Chamber Music Festival January 14-17, 2016

PRISM will perform Julia Wolfe’s “Cha” at Chamber Music America’s National Conference on Friday, January 8th at 8 PM at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music located at 450 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018. Tickets may be available to attendees of the CMA conference only. Check with CMA at www.chamber-music.org for more info.