The English Symphony Orchestra Presents Composer Portrait Concert Celebrating the Music of Steven R. Gerber

In partnership with the Steven R. Gerber Trust, The English Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Woods, conductor, will present a special Composer Portrait concert celebrating the music of the late Steven Gerber on Friday, February 26 @ 7:30PM GMT, originating from Wyastone Concert Hall in Monmouth, England. See the concert at https://www.eso.co.uk/gerber/.

Featured works will include Two Lyric Pieces for Violin and Strings (2005), with soloist Emily Davis, Sinfonietta No. 1, Daron Hagen's arrangement for orchestra of Gerber's 1991 Piano Quintet, Sinfonietta No. 2, Adrian Williams' arrangement for orchestra of String Quartet No.6, (2011), and much more.

Founded by William Boughton and former members of the Midlands Radio Orchestra in 1976 as the Vivaldi Chamber Orchestra then later the English String Orchestra, the ESO soon earned an international reputation for performances of English music, made over fifty recordings and began touring regularly in Europe. Over time, the orchestra's repertoire expanded to include the full breadth of orchestral music, and the ESO grew to become the English Symphony Orchestra. Kenneth Woods has been the orchestra's Principal Conductor since 2013. Learn more about Maestro Woods and the ESO at https://www.eso.co.uk/.

The Steven R. Gerber Trust is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the music of Steven Gerber through the support and creation of projects, programs, and initiatives which elevate exposure to, increase interest in, and highlight aspects of, the composer's work.

Steven Gerber was born in 1948 in Washington, D.C. He held degrees from Haverford College and from Princeton University, where he received a 4-year fellowship. Gerber's music composition teachers included Robert Parris, J. K. Randall, Earl Kim, and Milton Babbitt.

His music gained international attention as a result of recorded CD releases featuring several of his major works for orchestra as well as concertos. His Symphony No. 1, Dirge and Awakening, the Viola Concerto and Triple Overture were recorded by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra under Thomas Sanderling, with Lars Anders Tomter, viola, and the Bekova Sisters Trio on the Chandos label. Koch International Classics released his Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto, and Serenade for String Orchestra, with performances by the National Chamber Orchestra under Piotr Gajewski, with soloists Kurt Nikkanen (violin) and Carter Brey (cello). In 2007 Arabesque records released a CD with three of Gerber's orchestral works, Spirituals for string orchestra, Clarinet Concerto, and Serenade Concertante, featuring the St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony, conducted by Vladimir Lande, with clarinet soloist Jon Manasse. Other releases included recordings of his music with Composers Recordings, Inc., and Opus One record labels. One of his last orchestral works, Music in Dark Times was commissioned by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the four World Premiere performances took place in March, 2009 with Maestro Ashkenazy conducting the San Francisco Symphony.

Gerber's catalog of works also includes many song cycles, choral works and pieces for solo instruments. His compositions are published by Mobart Music Publications / Boelke-Bomart, Inc. and Lauren Keiser Music.

Steven Gerber passed away on May 28, 2015. Information about him, including a complete list of works and discography is available at www.stevengerber.com.

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