A Composer's Portrait

Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia

2010

$75,000

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presented A Composer's Portrait, featuring a commissioned work by American composer and electric guitarist Steven Mackey, conducted by Music Director Dirk Brosse. Mackey's awards include a Guggenheim fellowship, a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and two awards from the Kennedy Center for the performing arts. He participated in post-concert discussions, a workshop, and a composer forum presented in collaboration with the Curtis Institute, University of the Arts, and the American Composers Forum, Philadelphia Chapter.

Collaborators & Colleagues

Simon Carrington

Simon Carrington is a singer, double bass player, and conductor who maintains an active schedule as a freelance conductor and choral clinician, leading workshops and masterclasses around the world.

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Event

Clone of Gospel Roots of Rock & Soul: St. Thomas Gospel Choir

In conjunction with its Center-supported project Gospel Roots of Rock & Soul, WXPN presents the St. Thomas Gospel Choir in concert at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.

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Grants & Grantees

Muhal Meets the Wonderful Sound

Warriors of the Wonderful Sound commissioned and premiered a composition from Muhal Richard Abrams, co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

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GRANTS & GRANTEES

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders (Pew Fellow, 2014) is a multidisciplinary theater artist whose practice is rooted in set design.

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GRANTS & GRANTEES

Bobby Zankel

Bobby Zankel is a musician and a 1996 Pew Fellow.

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Event

Bach/Mendelssohn St. Matthew Passion

Supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia celebrates their 140th season with the North American premiere of Felix Mendelssohn's 1841 revision of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

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Grants & Grantees

Sounds of India: Influences and Integration of Folk Melodies in Carnatic Music

Sruti presented two concerts that explored the influence of native and folk traditions upon Carnatic (South Indian classical) music.

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News

Pew Fellows News: Rennie Harris’ New Work for Alvin Ailey Praised, James Ijames and Major Jackson Featured in New York Times, Alex Da Corte Named to “Most Influential Artists of 2018”

As 2018 comes to a close, our Pew Fellows remain active with public art, exhibitions, performances, residencies, and national press coverage. See the latest news updates in our roundup below.

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GRANTS & GRANTEES

Orrin Evans

Orrin Evans (Pew Fellow, 2010) never stops thinking about the traditions and evolution of jazz music, as well as renewing jazz's legacy in the African-American community.

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Event

OutBeat Jazz Festival: Fred Hersch Trio

The William Way LGBT Community Center presents *OutBeat: America's First Queer Jazz Festival*. The Festival continues with the Fred Hersch Trio.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Zeena Parkins

Zeena Parkins is a pioneer of contemporary harp practice and performance, and has extended the language of the harp with unusual playing techniques, preparations, and layers of electronic processing.

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Grants & Grantees

Enduring Exile

An exploration of the Shiraz Arts Festival, a significant yet under-recognized event held annually in Iran from 1967 to 1977, informs future exhibitions and programs examining the festival’s history and artistic legacy.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Dan Blacksberg

Spanning avant-garde jazz, modern classical music, improvised music, and klezmer, 2012 Pew Fellow Dan Blacksberg pushes at the technical and textural extremes of his instrument, the trombone.

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Grants & Grantees

Liberian Women's Chorus for Change

The members of the Liberian Women's Chorus for Change will adapt existing folk songs and write new ones in traditional styles, in the hopes of subverting historical narratives in which women are blamed, stigmatized, or victimized.

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Event

Sounds of the Circle: Primiere

Pew Fellow and pioneering jazz saxophonist Odean Pope presents Sounds of the Circle, a composing, performance, mentoring, and archival project honoring some of North Philadelphia’s jazz innovators of the mid-twentieth century.

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Event

Departure and Discovery Panel Discussion

The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society will hold a panel discussion exploring the effect that accumulated knowledge and experience has on artistic creation.

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Grants & Grantees

In Plain Air

A new composition by Nathan Davis and Phyllis Chen, performed by the highly acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), activates Christ Church’s historic campus and celebrates the installation of a new custom-built pipe organ.

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Grants & Grantees

Free/Form: Composer Portraits

Ars Nova Workshop's six-concert series featured the music of trumpeter Don Cherry and saxophonist Tim Berne.

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In Search of Eastman

The possibilities of presenting a contemporary artist's work posthumously will be explored in this discovery project dedicated to Julius Eastman, an African American composer who was active internationally in the 1970s and 80s, but who died at 49, leaving an incomplete but compelling collection of scores and recordings.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Bobby McFerrin

Master improviser, classical conductor, and 10-time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin is recognized for his extraordinary vocal range and technique.

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