News
June in Buffalo: Once more with brio!
The Slee Sinfonietta is among the resident performance ensembles taking part in the 2012 June In Buffalo festival. Joining the ensemble in this photo was UB percussionist Tom Kolor (in orange shirt).
Since it was founded in 1975, June in Buffalo has been a landmark on the new music scene, a gathering place for musical visionaries and their works—several generations of the finest composers on the international scene.
This year is no exception. From June 4-10, an outstanding selection of new composers, senior composition faculty, performance ensembles and individual artists will convene in Buffalo to participate in the distinguished annual conference and festival for emerging composers of new music presented by UB’s Department of Music and Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music.
Look for Robert Beaser, David Felder, Julia Wolfe, Steven Stucky, Fred Lehrdal, Louis Andreissen, Roberto Fabricciani, Elliot Fisk, Brad Lubman, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, SIGNAL, Ensemble Interface, New York New Music Ensemble and other top new music ensembles, plus a host of emerging composers from around the world.
As it does every year, JIB, under the direction of David Felder, long recognized as one of the outstanding composers of his generation, takes place after a rigorous selection process involving 80 or so applicants who submitted their work for consideration. Twenty-seven have been selected to work with the festival’s senior composers in workshops and master classes. They then will have their music performed by the performance faculty and ensembles in a series of public afternoon concerts.
An additional eight spectacular evening concerts focus on the work of the senior composition faculty.
This year’s senior composition faculty—Felder, Andreissen, Stucky, Wolfe, Lehrdal and Beaser—are six globally recognized and critically acclaimed composers who, in addition to conducting master classes and workshops, will lecture and present their work in performance by top ensembles and individual artists.
The 2012 JIB resident performance ensembles are the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Interface, Genkin Philharmonic, SIGNAL, Slee Sinfonietta, Ensemble Interface and the UB Percussion Ensemble, each of which has a notable history of new music performance. They too, will participate in workshops and master classes, as well as perform throughout the week, joined by special guest performers.
The guest performers this year are distinguished Italian flautist and composer Roberto Fabricciani, inventor and performer of the hyper-bass flute; guitar virtuoso Elliot Fisk, one of the most adventurous and creative musicians performing today, and an enthusiastic advocate of music in schools and active musician involvement with the community; and Brad Lubman of the Eastman School of Music, a widely recognized conductor-composer and a frequent guest conductor of the world’s leading ensembles.
Morton Feldman, a major composer of the late 20th century, founded June in Buffalo in 1975 while Edgar Varese was chair of the UB Department of Music. He directed it until 1979, when it ceased operation as a new music festival. It was revived in 1986 by Felder, UB’s Birge-Cary Chair of Music, who celebrated his 25th year as artistic director of the festival in 2010. The festival has been widely acclaimed by national and international musicians, scholars and critics.
JIB 2012 updates, including concert program and additional information on the performance and composition faculty, can be found on the Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music website.
Reader Comments