Composer Debra Kaye's HOWLAND QUARTET Makes World Premiere

Acclaimed American composer Debra Kaye's Howland Quartet (String Quartet No. 2), commissioned and presented by the Howland Chamber Music Circle, will celebrate its world premiere on Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 4:00 PM. The concert will also include Beethoven's Cavatina from String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130, Britten's Playful Pizzicato from Simple Symphony, Op. 4, Mendelssohn's Adagio-Allegro vivace from String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Philip Glass' Quartet No. 2, and Pannonia Boundless by Aleksandra Vrebalov. The 25TH Anniversary Friends Concert program, featuring the Voxare String Quartet, will take place at the historic Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main Street, Beacon, NY at 4:00 PM. This final concert of the season is the Howland Chamber Music Circle's gift to its community of subscribers, donors, volunteers and new friends. Tickets are free, but reservations are recommended and can be made at www.howlandmusic.org/Friends.html

The Howland Quartet (String Quartet No. 2), written in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Howland Music Circle, honors the musical community of which Kaye has been an active member. The composition tells the story of its founding, growth, and the ongoing spirit that sustains it and which remains an enduring legacy. Says Kaye, "The three movement work begins with shimmering harmonics and gains energy as imitations pass through the four voices along the notes of harmonic series for a feeling of incipience and creative excitement. The final movement erupts into a lively dance, a story of the regenerative spirit of the Circle now entering a second generation. A chorale tune emerges and morphs into Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring and leads to a joyous fiddling finish."

Kaye has been hailed as "a unique voice in American music" for her "transcendent, witty, colorful and profound" works blending deep classical roots with a wide range of influences including jazz, world music, folk, experimental improvisation, world events and sounds of daily life. With a catalogue of close to 50 works including chamber and orchestral music, art song, choral and theatrical compositions, her work has been honored with multiple ASCAP Plus Awards for her "creative contributions to American music." Her debut CD And So It Begins, produced by Grammy winning Judith Sherman, was recognized as "an album that will surely stand the test of time," and was included on Ted Gioia's list of top 100 CDs.

Kaye's 2017-18 season features a number of new commissions including Fantasy for flute and piano, a commission from Composers Concordance for an electro-acoustic work entitled Citi-Zen, and a work for solo guitar, Variations in Gold. Last season's highlights included the premieres of five new works, Mouth of the Sky and The Dance the Turtle Dreamed from Kaye's String Quartet No. 1, Encountering Lorca for string orchestra, and two related works based on the myth of Ikarus, Ikarus - Duo for Binya for violin and viola, commissioned by the Community Music Center of Portland, and Ikarus Among the Stars commissioned by the Portland Youth Philharmonic.

The gifted Voxare String Quartet has received critical praise for its inventive programming, technical prowess, attention to detail and passionate performances. As one of the most acclaimed and innovative young string quartets in the US, Voxare's performances have included appearances at Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic, the Guggenheim Museum, Carnegie Hall, and at Lincoln Center. Voxare has been in residence at Dartmouth College, Columbia University, and New York's Bargemusic.

The Howland Chamber Music Circle, founded in 1992 by Gwen and Bill Stevens, has been recognized as a leading arts organization in the Hudson Valley when it was awarded the Dutchess County's Executive Arts Organization Award. This award recognized the HCMC for the quality of its programming, the depth of its reach and for enriching the lives of residents of Dutchess County and beyond.

For more information, visit www.debrakayecomposer.com.

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