World Premiere and More Set for Hoff-Barthelson's 2016 Festival of Contemporary Music

Scarsdale, New York - "Celebration 2016: The Music of Our Time," Hoff-Barthelson Music School's 27th annual Festival of Contemporary Music, will be held Monday, May 9, 2016, through Sunday, May 15, 2016.

Performances occurring during the Festival will include student and faculty recitals, performances by the Festival Orchestra, Viola Clubs, Jazz Ensembles, Junior Voices and Chamber Choir.

Performances and Events at Hoff-Barthelson Music School:

Faculty and student soloists and ensembles can be heard in recitals held at the Music School, 25 School Lane, Scarsdale, on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, at 8:00 pm; Thursday, May 12 and Friday, May 13, 2016, at 6:15 and 8:00 pm; and Saturday, May 14, 2016, at 2:00, 4:00 and 8:00 pm.

Performances of student compositions will be presented on two recitals - "The Compose Yourself! Project Recital" on Saturday, May 14, 2016, at 6:00 pm; and "The Young Composers' Workshop Recital" on Monday, May 9, 2016, at 6:15 pm. "The Compose Yourself! Project" encourages students to create original works worthy of performance in "The Music of Our Time Festival." This year, guest composers and Aaron Copland House fellows Robert Honstein and Jeremy Gill provided valuable feedback to students in a master class setting. Students were initially coached by HBMS faculty.

On Monday, May 9, 2016, at 8:00 pm, students and faculty from the Jazz Studies Program will be featured in "Jazz A to Z."

All events held at the School are free of charge and open to the public. For additional information, call 914-723-1169, email hb@hbms.org, or visit www.hbms.org.

Performance at Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation:

The Festival culminates with a concert on Sunday, May 15, 2016, at 7:00 pm, at the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 468 Rosedale Avenue, White Plains. A highlight of the Festival, the concert will feature a wide-range of music -- everything from Frank Zappa, performed by students and faculty from the Jazz Department; to the music of Stephen Sondheim, performed by the Chamber Choir and students from the Vocal Department; to a performance of Arvo Pärt's "Fratres" by a combined student and faculty ensemble.

"The Ocean of Peace," a piano quartet commissioned by the School for a student ensemble and composed by Copland House Fellow Gerald Cohen, will receive its world premiere. Mr. Cohen has been recognized with numerous awards and critical accolades. His work has been hailed by Gramophone magazine for its "linguistic fluidity and melodic gift, as well as its very personal modernism that offers great emotional rewards." Mr. Cohen's compositions have been performed by the Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Riverside Symphonies, Westchester Philharmonic, Plymouth Music Series Orchestra, Borromeo String Quartet, New York Concert Singers, and Princeton Pro Musica, among many others.

Also featured will be performances of two works for viola choir composed by HBMS faculty members - "Stations" by Alexei Stevens; and "Good Working Order" by Conrad Winslow. The HBMS Viola Club was invited, through a competitive process, to perform Winslow's "Good Working Order" at the International American Viola Society Festival at the Oberlin Conservatory in June.

The concert concludes with a performance by the Festival Orchestra of Carl Nielson's rarely heard "Helios Overture," under the direction of Jun Nakabayashi. Admission is a suggested donation of $15. Students may attend for free.

Hoff-Barthelson Music School presents an annual series of recitals and concerts that explore specific periods of music. "The Music of Our Time Festival" highlights the music of the 20th and 21st centuries and is held annually in May. "The Baroque and Beyond Festival" and "Spanning the Centuries . . . 1750-1900 Festival" focus on music of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods and take place in alternating years.

One of Westchester County's most cherished and active cultural resources, Hoff-Barthelson Music School has achieved national recognition as a premier community music school for its unsurpassed leadership in education, performance and outreach for more than half a century.

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