2011 MacArthur Fellow Francisco J. Núñez Leads Transient Glory Symposium

Eight conducting fellows from across the U.S. and Canada have been selected by the Carnegie Hall Choral Institute and the Young People's Chorus of New York City to take part in the Transient Glory Symposium, led by 2011 MacArthur Fellow and symposium artistic director Francisico J. Núñez, which from February 15 to 18, will provide three days of intensive training workshops and performances of new music commissioned for young voices for the Transient Glory series.

Transient Glory was created in 2001 by Mr. Núñez to spotlight the children's chorus as a serious and glorious instrument during that fleeting period of time when a child's voice imbues music with a particular poignancy and innocence and to demonstrate that young performers are capable of music-making of the highest quality.

The Carnegie Hall Institute is a program of the Weill Music Institute designed for choral teachers that annually offers a series of workshops and concerts, each aimed at introducing participants to different approaches to preparing and conducting music for chorus. The Transient Glory Symposium will enable participating conducting fellows, associates, and auditors to communicate and demonstrate to their students and audiences back home that new music can be approachable and accessible, especially to young people.

The eight conducting fellows will work one-on-one with composers Derek Bermel, John Corigliano, Douglas J. Cuomo, David Del Tredici, Paquito D'Rivera, Michael Gordon, Bright Sheng, and Joan Tower; artists-in residents the JACK Quartet and the Young People's Chorus of New York City; Francisco Núñez; and Guest Conductors Grant Gershon, Music Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale; Professor of Music at Ithaca College Janet Galván; and Artistic Director/Founder of VocalEssence Philip Brunelle in three days of workshop activities in score analysis, technique, and rehearsals leading up to evening concerts at Le Poisson Rouge (February 16), the 92nd Street Y (February 17), and Zankel Hall (February 18).

Hosted by WNYC's John Schaefer, each concert will be a festival in itself, including mini-concerts within the whole. Every Transient Glory composition will be followed by a related chamber work, as well as the world premiere of a one- to two-minute choral work written for the occasion by each composer. In addition, Mr. Schaefer will interview each composer about his or her musical decisions and thinking.

The selected fellows, all conductors and teachers in the profession, are:

Ana Alvarez will conduct and work with Bright Sheng on The Boatmen's Song, his 2004 Transient Glory commission. Currently a DMA student at the University of Toronto, under the supervision of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, Ms. Alvarez is conductor of the University of Toronto Women's Chorus and a member of MacMillan Singers.

Karen Cooksey will conduct and work with David Del Tredici on Four Heartfelt Anthems, his 2003 Transient Glory commission. Ms. Cooksey currently serves as associate chorus master at Los Angeles Opera, where she has assisted Associate Conductor/Chorus Master Grant Gershon and conducted offstage ensembles since 2008.

Jennah Delp will conduct and work with Douglas J. Cuomo on Fortune, his 2007 Transient Glory commission. Ms. Delp joined the artistic staff of the Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley this past fall as the assistant conductor for the Ensemble and Vocalise choirs.

Composer/conductor Dominick DiOrio will conduct and work with Paquito D'Rivera on Tembandumba, Mr. D'Rivera's 2010 Transient Glory commission. Mr. DiOrio was a participant in YPC's first choral symposium at NYU in 2005. He is currently director of choral activities and associate professor of music at Lone Star College-Montgomery.

Rebecca Lord will conduct and work with Derek Bermel on A Child's War, his 2006 Transient Glory composition. Ms. Lord is the associate director of choral activities at UCLA and the chorus master for the Arizona Musicfest.

Stephanie Mowery will conduct and work with Michael Gordon on Exalted, a 2011 YPC co-commission with the Kronos Quartet. Ms. Mowery was appointed artistic director of the Syracuse Children's Chorus last July and directs the Kantorei and Chorale ensembles.

Tian Hui Ng will conduct and work with Joan Tower on Can I, her 2007 Transient Glory composition.Mr. Ng is currently the director of orchestral activities at Mount Holyoke College, where he has conducted premieres of music by Colin Britt, Curt Cacioppo, Zhangyi Chen, Reena Esmail, and Americ Goh.

Dr. Troy David Robertson will conduct and work with John Corigliano on One Sweet Morning, his 2006 Transient Glory commission. Dr. Robertson, assistant professor of music education at Ithaca College, conducts the Campus Choral Ensemble, is a faculty mentor for the Junior Vocal Student Teaching Program, and teaches conducting.

For composer bios, program notes, a listing of workshop activities, and more Transient Glory Symposium information please visit http://www.ypc.org/TransientGlory2012.html

CONCERTS

Thursday, February 16, 2012 | 7:30 p.m.
Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street

Young People's Chorus of New York City
Francisco J. Núñez, Artistic Director/Founder
Dominick DiOrio, Conductor
Rebecca Lord, Conductor
Stephanie Mowery, Conductor
JACK Quartet
Jon Holden, Piano
Dov Scheindlin, Viola
Joshua Roman, Cello
Chris Thompson, Percussion
John Schaefer, Host

Michael Gordon Potassium (chamber work)
Michael Gordon Exalted (TG commission)
Michael Gordon One minute choral work
(World Premiere commission - TBA)
Derek Bermel Soul Garden (chamber work)
Derek Bermel A Child's War (TG commission)
Derek Bermel YPChant (World Premiere commission)
Paquito D'Rivera Invitation to the Danzón (chamber work)
Paquito D'Rivera Tembandumba (TG commission)
Paquito D'Rivera One-minute choral work
(World Premiere commission - TBA)

Friday, February 17, 2012 | 8 p.m.

Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y (at Lexington Avenue)
Tickets: $20
Call 212-415-5500
www.92y.org

Young People's Chorus of New York City
Francisco J. Núñez , Artistic Director/Founder
Ana Alvarez, Conductor
Karen Cooksey, Conductor
Tian Hui Ng, Conductor
JACK Quartet
Courtney Budd, Soprano
Jon Holden, Piano
Jacqueline Kerrod, Harp
Chris Thompson, Percussion
John Schaefer, Host

Joan Tower Incandescent (chamber work)
Joan Tower Can I (TG commission)
Joan Tower Descent (World Premiere commission)
Bright Sheng String Quartet No. 5 "The Miraculous"
(chamber work)
Bright Sheng The Boatmen's Song (TG commission)
Bright Sheng Thirty-Mile Village (World Premiere commission)
David Del Tredici String Quartet No. 1 "Innocence" (chamber work)
David Del Tredici Four Heartfelt Anthems (TG commission)
David Del Tredici Credo Fugue (World Premiere commission)

Saturday, February 18 | 8 p.m.
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall (881 Seventh Avenue)
Tickets $20
Call 212-247-7800
www.carnegiehall.org

Young People's Chorus of New York City
Francisco J. Núñez , Artistic Director
Ana Alvarez, Conductor
Karen Cooksey, Conductor
Jennah Delp, Conductor
Dominick DiOrio, Conductor
Rebecca Lord, Conductor
Stephanie Mowery, Conductor
Tian Hui Ng, Conductor
Troy David Robertson, Conductor
JACK Quartet
Courtney Budd, Soprano
Jon Holden, Piano
Jacqueline Kerrod, Harp
Chris Thompson, Percussion
John Schaefer, Host

Joan Tower Can I (TG commission)
Michael Gordon Exalted (TG commission)
John Corigliano Snapshot: circa 1909/ String Quartet No. 1
"Scherzo" (Chamber works)
John Corigliano One Sweet Morning (TG commission)
John Corigliano Upon Julia's Clothes
(World Premiere commission)
David Del Tredici Movements from Four Heartfelt Anthems
(Transient Glory commission)
Derek Bermel A Child's War (TG commission)
Douglas J. Cuomo A Far Playground (chamber work)
Douglas J. Cuomo Fortune (TG commission)
Douglas J. Cuomo How to Survive in the Woods
(World Premiere commission)
Bright Sheng The Boatmen's Song (TG commission)
Paquito D'Rivera Tembandumba (TG commission)

Young People's Chorus of New York City
The Young People's Chorus of New York City (YPC), founded in 1988 by its Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez provides children of all backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance, while maintaining a model of artistic excellence and humanity that enriches the community. Not only is YPC recognized for its powerful and authentic performances of music from all periods and styles, but especially for convincing today's most respected composers of the importance and value of composing for children's voices through its Transient Glory commissioning series. Created in 2001, the series has added over 60 compositions to the repertoire, playing an important role in the ever-evolving fabric of music in the 21st century. A 2011 recipient of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the nation's highest award for youth programs, YPC has also been recognized and as a "national model of artistic excellence and diversity" by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities under the Clinton and Bush administrations and has received two Chorus America/ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming and Chorus America's Education Outreach Award.

Francisco J. Núñez
2011 MacArthur Fellow Francisco J. Núñez is a composer, conductor, visionary, and leading figure in music education. He founded the Young People's Chorus of New York City to provide children of all backgrounds with a safe haven for personal and artistic growth and to date has changed the lives of thousands of young people. Mr. Núñez is currently working with the Dominican Republic to create a national children's choral movement inspired by YPC to unite the country's children-rich and poor. He is also sought after as a guest conductor, master teacher and advisor for choral workshops, demonstrations, and festivals and as a composer of compositions and arrangements for children's and adult choirs, orchestras, and solo instruments, including numerous commissions. Among Mr. Núñez's many other honors are an ASCAP Concert Music Award, the New York Choral Society's Choral Excellence Award, and the 2009 La Sociedad Coral Latinoamericana's Man of the Year Award.

Weill Music Institute
The Weill Music Institute creates broad-reaching music education and community programs that play a central role in Carnegie Hall's commitment to making great music accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Woven into the fabric of the Carnegie Hall concert season, these programs occur at Carnegie Hall as well as in schools and throughout neighborhoods, providing musical opportunities for everyone, from preschoolers to adults, new listeners to emerging professionals. With access to the world's greatest artists and latest technologies, the Weill Music Institute is uniquely positioned to inspire the next generation of music lovers, to nurture tomorrow's musical talent, and to shape the evolution of musical learning itself. The Weill Music Institute's school and community programs annually serve over 170,000 children, students, teachers, parents, young music professionals, and adults in the New York metropolitan area and across the US, with more than an additional 100,000 people taking advantage of WMI's online music education resources.