PSO Soundtracks Announced With Composers Derek Bermel And Saad Haddad

On Wednesday, May 9 at 7 pm, in partnership with the Princeton Public Library, Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents a talk about the interest and challenges inherent in integrating cultural sounds and Western music. Composers Derek Bermel and composer Saad Haddad share insights gained from writing their orchestral works. The Princeton Symphony Orchestra performs the World Premiere of Saad Haddad's latest composition Risala on May 20, 2018, and has co-commissioned Derek Bermel's Mango Suite for performance in May of 2019.

Composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel has been widely hailed for his creativity, theatricality, and virtuosity. Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, Bermel is also curator of the Gamper Festival at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Director of Copland House's emerging composers institute Cultivate, and recently enjoyed a four-year tenure as artist-in-residence at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton. An ongoing engagement with other musical cultures has become part of the fabric and force of his compositional language, in which the human voice and its myriad inflections play a primary role.

Saad Haddad is a composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and electroacoustic music who achieves a "remarkable fusion of idioms" (New York Times), most notably in his work exploring the disparate qualities inherent in Western art music and Middle Eastern musical tradition. His music delves into that relationship by transferring the performance techniques of traditional Arab instruments to Western symphonic instruments, while extending their capabilities through the advancement of technology.

The talk, to be held in the Princeton Public Library's Community Room, is free and open to the public and includes an audience Q&A. Refreshments will be served.