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.

GRANTS & GRANTEES

Jymie Merritt

Recognized as a pioneering jazz bassist and composer who has played with numerous musical luminaries over his 60-year career, Merritt composes work that brings forth collective improvisation within a complex rhythmic and harmonic language.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Rudresh Mahanthappa

Rudresh Mahanthappa is a saxophonist and composer who hybridizes progressive jazz and South Indian classical music.

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Questions of Practice

Fellows Friday: Q&A with Composer Andrea Clearfield

Composer and Pew Fellow Andrea Clearfield on what inspired her to dedicate her first opera to the life of an 11th-century Tibetan yogi, the influence of composer Margaret Garwood on her practice, and more.

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Event

WXPN Concert Featuring Leon Chavis & The Zydeco Flames + Koray Broussard & The Zydeco Unit

Join WXPN for two free performances, featuring Leon Chavis & The Zydeco Flames and Koray Broussard & The Zydeco Unit.

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Grants & Grantees

Tan Dun's "Tea: A Mirror of Soul"

Opera Philadelphia presented the East Coast premiere of Tan Dun's 2002 opera, which uses elements of Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies to tell a tragic love story.

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GRANTS & GRANTEES

Fatu Gayflor

Fatu Gayflor (Pew Fellow, 2014) learned music, dance, and traditional arts at an early age in rural Liberia. She states that her goal is "to use singing and songwriting to build cooperation and community among Liberians."

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Event

OutBeat: America's First Queer Jazz Festival

The William Way LGBT Community Center presents OutBeat: America's First Queer Jazz Festival. The four-day festival will highlight intersections between sexual orientation, gender identity, and jazz history and culture.

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Grants & Grantees

Mending Wall

Composers Martin Bresnick, George Lewis, Arturo O’Farrill, and Juri Seo create new works exploring the metaphorical meaning of walls in contemporary society, performed by PRISM Quartet.

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Grants & Grantees

(Dis)placed: Expressions of Identity in Transition

Four artists of Arab heritage came together in an international collaboration to create new poetry, music, and visual art works grappling with notions of displacement.

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Grants & Grantees

New Paths Festival

Ars Nova Workshop presented this citywide concert series in May 2014, at which celebrated jazz artists played in unconventional venues throughout Philadelphia, known for their rich histories.

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Grants & Grantees

Close Music for Bodies

An immersive, participatory vocal performance, developed from the sounds, stories, and movements of individual bodies, will place audiences amidst performers, creating an intimate experience of group voice.

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Event

Heritage/Evolution: The PRISM Quartet with Tim Ries and Miguel Zenón at Symphony Space

The PRISM Quartet presents the New York performance of new works composed and performed by Tim Ries and Miguel Zenón.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Centrala

Founded in 2013 by Michał Zadara, Centrala is a theater company based in Warsaw, Poland.

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Event

Telemann 360º: The Case for Telemann

Tempesta di Mare – Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra presents “The Case for Telemann,” a live talk show and performance about baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann.

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Event

Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia's Big Sing

The Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia opens its 141st season on Sunday, October 26 with its biggest BIG SING ever, laying the foundation for the North American premiere of the Bach-Mendelssohn St. Matthew Passion.

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Grants & Grantees

Bang on a Can Marathon

FringeArts partnered with Bang on a Can to present this event at its 2010 festival: a 12-hour concert that explored contemporary American compositional currents.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Jessie Montgomery

Jessie Montgomery is a violinist, composer, and music educator, who currently serves as composer-educator for the Albany Symphony Orchestra.

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Grants & Grantees

Music and the Visual Arts: 6 New Commissions

Network for New Music commissioned six new works for the Network Ensemble that paired composers with visual artists.

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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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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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