Programs Announced For Kaufman Music Center's Luna Composition Lab Showcase

On Wednesday, May 8 (7 pm), the five 2019 Fellows in Kaufman Music Center's Luna Composition Lab mentorship program for young, female-identifying, non-binary and gender non-conforming composers will premiere their commissions at Merkin Hall. As part of Kaufman Music Center's multi-year Solar Flare series, the program also includes Shelley Washington's A Kind of Lung, Mary Halvorson's Spirit Splitter and music by Alex Temple. Tickets are $15, available at kaufmanmusiccenter.org. The concert will also be live-streamed via Kaufman Music Center's Facebook page.

The 2019 Luna Composition Lab Fellows range in age from 13 to 18 and hail from New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, Tulsa and Eastchester, NY. They are: Tiffany Cuaresma (age 17), Abby Harris (age 13), Yuri Lee (age 14), Joanna McDonald (age 17) and Charlie Meenaghan (age 18). Details on their pieces appear below.

In addition to premiering the 2019 commissions, the May 8 concert will mark the first time that all of NYC's major pre-college music programs have joined forces for a single concert. Performed by a range of ensembles including quartets, trios, and a brass quintet, the five commissioned works draw inspiration from a wide variety of sources. The 2019 works explore the creation of the world, the liberation of women from oppression, the struggle between tension and peace, the experience of trauma, and the fascinating energy of ostriches.

The performance features some of NYC's finest young musicians, who hail from from Kaufman Music Center's Face the Music teen new music program and Special Music School High School along with players from NYC's top conservatory programs Juilliard Pre-College, Mannes Prep at The New School's Open Campus and the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College.

We're thrilled to bring together so many wonderful musicians and educators to help close the gender gap in the classical music field, says Kaufman Music Center Executive Director Kate Sheeran. I'm grateful to the students, faculty and staff of the pre-college programs at The Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, and Manhattan School of Music as well as Kaufman Music Center's own Face the Music and Special Music School for coming together for this concert and initiative.

Said Luna Lab co-founders Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid, As Luna Composition Lab approaches the conclusion of its third year, we continue to find ourselves inspired and overwhelmed by these young composers' creativity, bravery and originality. We are honored to have a glimpse into the thrilling future of the classical music field, and we are proud to be one of the initiatives that help make this field more diverse and welcoming to all.

In addition to the May 8 concert at Merkin Hall, the five Luna Composition Lab Fellows will immerse themselves in NYC's vibrant contemporary music scene for five days, attending concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, touring the Metropolitan Opera, and participating in masterclasses at New York University and Mannes School of Music with artists including Julia Wolfe and Jennifer Koh. The fellows will have an unprecedented opportunity to meet major players in the music world, developing their professional network and connecting with prominent mentors and role models.

Founded in 2016 by Grammy nominee Missy Mazzoli one of the first two women to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and Ellen Reid the first composer to have been commissioned by Los Angeles' four major classical music institutions NYC's Kaufman Music Center's Luna Composition Lab addresses the gender gap in the field of classical music by inspiring young, female-identifying, non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals to compose.

During the year-long program, the five Fellows are mentored by established female composers: Ellen Reid, Reena Esmail, Kristin Kuster, Gity Razaz and Tamar Muskal. The Fellows receive one-on-one coaching and a high-quality recording of their work, and will gain access to a network of professional composers and performers.

Luna Composition Lab has been nominated for the 2019 Classical:NEXT Innovation Award and has garnered attention from The New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR, Forbes, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and NY1 News. In 2016, MusicalAmerica named Mazzoli and Reid Innovators of the Year for their work with Luna Lab.

Program:

Tiffany Cuaresma Hope

Performed by a piano trio from Mannes Prep at the New School

Hope is dedicated to oppressed women around the world: to the 62 million girls who are denied education worldwide, to the 750 million girls and women who are married before the age of 18, to the 71 percent of people who are human trafficked globally, to the 70 percent of women who have experienced domestic violence.

Abby Harris Sheva

Performed by a violin, clarinet and piano trio from Kaufman Music Center's Special Music School High School

My composition for piano trio is titled Sheva, which means seven. I often think about what the soundtrack to the creation of the world might sound like. So many composers have sought to answer that question... On May 8, I am presenting the first part of Sheva, which musically describes the first three days of the seven days of creation story. Day 1 - when light was created; Day 2 - when the heavens were created; and Day 3 - when land was created.

Yuri Lee Ostrich March

Performed by a brass quintet from Kaufman Music Center's Face the Music program

The energy of the brass instruments motivated me to write a lively piece, and when I was trying to decide on the theme, I thought of ostriches and their spirit. Ostriches are fascinating animals: they are the largest birds in the world with long legs and necks and cannot fly... In Ostrich March, an ostrich takes a wild journey and explores the life of 'chaotic happiness.'

Joanna McDonald Peace

Performed by a flute, clarinet, oboe and piano quartet from Juilliard Pre-College

One peaceful morning, waiting to attend my piano lesson, I felt a gentle breeze blow through the car window as I heard my piano teacher's wind chimes ring on her front porch. A melody immediately started to develop inside my head though I never took the time to further it. I felt like this [commission] was a perfect opportunity to utilize the melody!

Charlie Meenaghan Somatic

Performed by a string quartet from the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College program

Throughout the compositional process, I was burdened by anxiety and trauma that made it difficult for me to compose as usual In Somatic, I set this emotion to the electronics, conjuring massive clusters of manipulated bell samples at pivotal moments throughout the piece...As in real life, a lasting peace is achieved only as the emotion is endured in its overwhelming entirety.