Inaugural SEason Work: Concertino for Solo Flute
This Concertino takes the lively French chamber wind literature of the early 20th- century as its starting point, but this piece views the “French” style through an odd lens, twisting and bending the language of that neo-Classical genre in order to run the music through very different stylistic approaches. In the later movements, the Franco-survey is expanded to other inspirations – to not only the techniques of other French nationals, but also of those [Newman] considers “French” in spirit, such as Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. In writing the piece I was particularly excited to explore these styles while juxtaposing the virtuosity of the soloist with the delicate intimacy of the chamber ensemble.
The Concertino is dedicated to flutist Sarah Kruser Ambrose, for whom it was written.
The Concertino is dedicated to flutist Sarah Kruser Ambrose, for whom it was written.
Inaugural Season Composer: Jonathan Newman
Jonathan Newman composes music rich with rhythmic drive and intricate sophistication, creating broadly colored musical works that incorporate styles of pop, blues, jazz, folk, and funk into otherwise classical models. Trained as a pianist, trombonist, and singer, his work is informed by an upbringing performing in orchestras, singing in jazz choirs, playing in marching bands, and accompanying himself in talent shows. From opera to bubblegum pop, Newman delivers a new perspective on American concert music. His most recent work, Pi‘ilani and Ko‘olau, is a large-scale “imagined ballet” on a scenario by playwright Gary Winter, commissioned by the Florida State University College of Music. Other recent work includes Mass for chorus, vocal trio, and chamber orchestra with texts by poet Victoria Chang which premiered with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street as part of their 2018 Mass Reimaginings commissioning program. In 2016 he was appointed Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Composer-in-Residence; CYSO’s 2011 commission Blow It Up, Start Again has been performed by orchestras worldwide, including the Minnesota Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, the Brussels Philharmonic, the 2015 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the 2015 BBC Proms. Other recent commissions include Prayers of Steel for Chicago’s Gaudete Brass and These Inflected Tentacles for chamber quartet. Newman’s ensemble transcriptions include arrangements of Beck, George Harrison, Puccini, Sufjan Stevens, Eric Whitacre, Led Zeppelin, and electronica recorded on Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin. As a MacDowell Fellow, he began work on an opera based on the 1962 cult horror film Carnival of Souls, also in collaboration with Winter. Newman holds degrees from Boston University’s School for the Arts and The Juilliard School, where he studied with composers John Corigliano and David Del Tredici. He and his spouse, the conductor Nadège Foofat, reside with their children in Virginia, where he serves as Director of Composition & Coordinator of New Music at Shenandoah Conservatory. www.jonathannewman.com
