Debra Kaye Premieres Four New Works

Award winning composer Debra Kaye is celebrating the season with the premieres of four new works, Mouth of the Sky and The Dance the Turtle Dreamed from Kaye's String Quartet No. 1, presented by the New York Composers Circle, Encountering Lorca for string orchestra presented by Composers Concordance, and Ikarus Among the Stars for orchestra commissioned by the Portland Youth Philharmonic. In addition to her compositions, Kaye's busy schedule this season will include creating a series of pieces for the New Music Box blog.

Hailed as "a unique voice in American music, transcendent...witty... colorful...profound," Debra Kaye is a star whose brilliance continues to grow. Her body of work blends her deep classical roots with a wide range of influences including jazz, world music, folk, experimental improvisation, world events and sounds of daily life. Kaye's catalogue of works includes close to 40 chamber music, art songs, choral and theatrical compositions, and continues to expand through her steady stream of commissions.

Last season's highlights included the premiere of five new compositions. Hey Yud Yud-Parallel Universes presented by Composers Concordance in their series Pitches at an Exhibition - CHORUS 72, Dance to Unknowing - a Klezmer Prelude, and The Impassioned Nightingale from Kaye's String Quartet No. 1, featuring the Klang Quartet. Ikarus - Duo for Binya for violin and viola, commissioned by the Community Music Center of Portland celebrated its premiere in Portland and subsequently its New York premiere on the National Association of Composers, USA's Spring Serenade concert. Kaye's composition, Freedom & Truth for voice and violin, inspired by women's rights activist Margaret Fuller's poem of the same name, was commissioned by BeaconArts (Beacon, NY) for the unveiling of a historic landmark in Fuller's honor. Buscando, Kaye's composition for solo harpsichord, commissioned by Arthur Haas of Yale University, was published by Bellmann Musik in their two volume collection, The Contemporary Harpsichordist.

Recognized with ASCAP Plus Awards since 2009 for her "creative contributions to American music," Kaye is the recipient of several grants and awards from Meet the Composer, Mannes College of Music, the Fort Wayne Children's Choir, the New School and the Edward T. Cone Foundation. She has held residencies at the Millay Colony for the Arts and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico. Kaye has been invited to participate in interviews focusing on women composers. Her most recent included an appearance on journalist Merle Exit's radio program and with conductor and author Adriano Bassi for his upcoming book.

Kaye's debut album on Ravello Records, And So It Begins, produced by Grammy

	Click on CD to view video clip

winner Judith Sherman, was included on Ted Gioia's list of top 100 CD's. The disc carries its listeners on expeditions through New York City streets, to the wonders of the Taos Mountains and into a world of dancing ducklings. Kaye's music embraces the pulse and feeling of each world. The recording was recognized as "a valuable discovery, given the quality and originality of the music that promises Kaye a bright future."

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