Oregon Bach Festival Commissions Grammy-Winning Composer Richard Danielpour

Grammy-winning composer Richard Danielpour has been commissioned by Oregon Bach Festival to compose a set of fifteen miniatures, titled "An American Mosaic", for celebrated pianist Simone Dinnerstein to be premiered Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 2 PM PT. Each miniature commemorates segments of the American population that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including parents, caretakers and those who have lost their lives to the virus.

Los Angeles-based Danielpour and New York-based Dinnerstein embarked on this collaborative project this summer; all communications have taken place through Zoom. Likewise, the December premiere will be virtual.

Music has the unique ability to connect artists from coast to coast and bring people together. "In these challenging and unparalleled times, I believe that music and our accessibility to it is even more important than it might have been in the past," says Danielpour. "When certain artistic works speak to all of us, and unite us, rather than divide us, these works become a catalyst for hope, courage, and consolation."

This commission follows Oregon Bach Festival's 2018 commission of Danielpour's 100 minute-work, The Passion of Yeshua, with the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the SDG Foundation. The work premiered at Oregon Bach Festival with JoAnn Faletta conducting and has since seen other performances in Los Angeles and Buffalo, New York. A recording was released on Naxos in March 2020.

Stay tuned for further details.

www.oregonbachfestival.org