Two Compositions to Receive World Premieres at Hoff-Barthelson's Contemporary Music Festival

Hoff-Barthelson Music School's 29th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music, The Music of Our Time, will be held Monday, May 14, 2018, through Sunday, May 20, 2018, and will include two world premieres commissioned by the School. The world premiere of Lansing McLoskey's "MÜHLFELDTÄNZE" for Clarinet Quintet and Jacob Morris Friedman's "Inner Voice" for Viola Choir will be performed at the Festival's culminating concert on Sunday, May 20, 2018, at 7:00 pm at the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation in White Plains.

A key component of the Contemporary Festival is the HB Compose Yourself! Project, a rare opportunity for students to receive feedback on works that they have written at a master class with renowned, award-winning composers. The 2018 guest composers are Martin Hennessy and Mark Roos. Works created for this project will be performed on the HB Compose Yourself! Project Recital, on Saturday, May 19 at 6 pm. A second recital, Young Composers & Improvisers, features works by the School's very youngest composers and takes place on Monday, May 14 at 6:15 pm. Both performances are held at the School.

"The School's relationship with Martin Hennessy is made possible by Copland House, with which Hoff-Barthelson has had a long and mutually beneficial relationship," says Peter Seidenberg, Artistic Director of the Festival. "Both organizations are devoted to introducing students and audiences to contemporary music and to the nurturing and development of emerging composers."

Faculty and student soloists and ensembles can be heard in recitals taking place at the School throughout the festival. A complete schedule of these recitals can be found at http://www.hbms.org/calendar-of-events.php

The Festival culminates on Sunday, May 20, 2018, at 7:00 pm, at the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 468 Rosedale Avenue, White Plains. A highlight of the Festival, this concert features a wide-range of music including the world premiere of Lansing McLoskey's "MÜHLFELDTÄNZE" for Clarinet Quintet performed by students Diogo Schaffa and Rohan Rajpal, violins; Joshua Kupka, viola; Ben Spector, cello; and Charles Simonds, clarinet; the world premiere of Jacob Morris Friedman's "Inner Voice" for Viola Choir; Ernst Toch's "Geographical Fugue" for Massed Choral Voices; performances by the Chamber Choir, Advanced Jazz Ensemble, Viola Clubs and Chamber Orchestra. Terry Riley's composition "In C" composed as a response to the sounds that dominated modern music for more than sixty years, will close the concert. Admission is a suggested donation of $20. Students may attend free of charge. All events held at the School are free of charge.

"The Contemporary Festival is one of the most exciting, creative events of the school year here at Hoff-Barthelson," says Executive Director Ken Cole. "We hope you'll join us for this dynamic celebration of new music!"

Described as "a major talent and a deep thinker with a great ear" and "a distinctive voice in American music," composer Lansing McLoskey has had his music performed in eighteen countries on six continents. He has won more than two dozen national and international awards, including the 2016 American Prize, the 2016 Robert Avalon International Composition Award, and the prestigious Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Jacob Morris Friedman is a composer and pianist whose work in film scoring, orchestral composition, world music and songwriting reflects his ability to cross musical borders and create a global aesthetic. Jacob has scored the music for numerous films including five feature-length documentaries for the Mysterious China Series directed by Chris Nebe and JJ Osbun and produced by Monarex Hollywood. Jacob is on the music composition, technology and theory faculty at Hoff-Barthelson Music School.

For additional information: 914-723-1169, hb@hbms.org, www.hbms.org.

Hoff-Barthelson Music School has achieved national recognition as a premier community music school for its unsurpassed leadership in education, performance and community service. With a faculty drawn from the region's most talented teachers and performers, the School has long been one of Westchester County's most cherished cultural resources. Whatever a student's age or level of musical interest, Hoff-Barthelson's diverse offerings provide the highest quality musical education, personally tailored to his or her specific passions and goals in a supportive and vibrant community.

The Contemporary Festival is made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with support from Westchester County Government, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Photo caption: Hoff-Barthelson Music School students to perform world premiere by Composer Lansing McLoskey. Photo by Raniero Tazzi.