Gordon Beeferman to Lead Residency and Concert at New England Conservatory

New England Conservatory will welcome New York City-based composer, pianist, and improviser Gordon Beeferman to campus to work with students during a residency and concert.

Beeferman, whose work draws on a multitude of genres and influences, leads a discussion exploring his creative practice, interdisciplinary collaborations, and the role of experimentation in contemporary music on Wednesday, October 14 at 10:30 a.m. in Pierce Hall.

A special residency concert on Thursday, October 15 at Jordan Hall features CMA Department Chair Eden MacAdam-Somer, guitarist and faculty member Joe Morris and CMA students in a program that includes songs and compositions by Beeferman, as well as improvisations on solo piano and scored improvisations for trio and large ensemble. A highlight of the concert is MacAdam-Somer's performance of “The Sway,” a piece Beeferman wrote for her in honor of the department's 50th anniversary. The extraordinary solo piece, performed with voice, violin, and foot percussion, will also be featured on MacAdam Somer's upcoming recording. Admission for the 7:30 p.m. concert is free but tickets are required.

Gordon Beeferman is a composer, pianist, and improviser based in New York City. He has created and performed innovative opera, chamber and orchestra music, avant-jazz, and numerous collaborations with choreographers, writers, and video artists. His varied projects include bands that perform his compositions: an Organ Trio; Other Life Forms, a quartet; and Music for an Imaginary Band, a septet, described as “a commanding avant-jazz ensemble” (Time Out New York). Beeferman has composed three operas with librettist Charlotte Jackson: “The Rat Land,” praised as “complex and daringly modern” by The New York Times, “The Enchanted Organ: A Porn Opera,” scenes of which have been performed to sold-out theater and nightclub audiences in downtown Manhattan, and “The Ninth Floor,” a one-act supported by the MAP Fund. His music has been performed by New York City Opera orchestra, Momenta Quartet, Minnesota Orchestra, Albany Symphony, California EAR Unit, St. Urban Concerts, Talea Ensemble, Quartet New Generation recorder collective, and others. He has received commissions from the MAP Fund, Fromm Foundation, the BMI Foundation, and Concert Artists Guild, three BMI Student Composer Awards, a Tanglewood fellowship, and residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, the Copland House, and Ucross. An active member of the New York music scene for over 25 years, Beeferman has performed at venues and series including Roulette, MATA, and the Vision Festival. Beeferman's recordings are available on zOaR, Minor Amusements, Different Track, Clang, Innova, OutNow, Generate, Genuin, and Summit Records. He is a 2016 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow.