Composer to Center Stage Reading Session: Thursday, May 14, 7:30 p.m. (Concert Hall)
Julliard Jazz Orchestra Concert for Students: Friday, May 15, (Concert Hall)
Dogs of Desire Festival Concert: Friday, May 15, 7:30 p.m. (Theater)
Dogs of Desire-Juilliard Jazz Trio Reception: Friday, May 15, 10 p.m. (Evelyn’s Cafe)
Festival Preview: Friday, May 15, 12 p.m. (Albany Public Library, Washington Avenue Branch)
Pre-Concert Talk: Saturday, May 16, 6:30 p.m. (Concert Hall)
Festival Orchestra Concert: Saturday, May 16, 7:30 p.m. (Concert Hall)
Often times the art of a different medium influences others – the written word to the visual arts, the visual arts to music.
At this year’s American Music Festival, the work of a young painter from more than 60 years ago will drive the hands of each musical instrument.
The fourteenth annual American Music Festival marks a culminating event for the Albany Symphony season, showcasing more than 20 new and recent works, including 18 world premieres. The live music experience will take place from Thursday, May 14 to Saturday, May 16 at EMPAC on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus in Troy, NY.
The centerpiece of the 2015 festival is Derek Bermel’s “The Migration Series” for a 16-member jazz band embedded in a full symphony orchestra.
“The way it happened is a composer, Derek Bermel, who is a young American composer who does his work in New York City,” said Miller. “He is also a clarinetist. does a lot of jazz, is a real jazz lover, as well as being a classical composer. When he was a kid, his mother brought him into too see the Jacob Lawrence series. It only gets shown once every twenty or twenty-five years.”
Jacob Lawrence was a 23-year-old African American artist when he completed a series of 60 pieces depicting the migration of African Americans from the South to the North between World War I and World War II. It was in this time period that American Jazz began to emerge through the play of names like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington in Chicago and New York City. The whimsical, often improvised sound quickly developed a mass appeal.
“It’s a very important series of art,” said Miller. “Because it was the first time that an African American ever had a solo show featured at a New York City gallery.”
When the series was shown in 1943, it was the first exhibition by a major New York gallery devoted entirely to the works of an African-American artist, and brought Lawrence major national recognition.
“What Derek did was he has written this whole, half-hour symphony of the history of jazz, of Black Jazz, from the 1920s to the 1950s. … What’s amazing about Derek’s piece is that it is essentially for and inspired by a 16-member jazz band embedded inside the orchestra. It’s kind of like this super jazz symphony inside an orchestra. It’s a singular, unique, incredible feat. With all these fabulous jazz, somewhat improvisatory things, the interludes are fully improvised by the jazz band, but the defined movements are all really composed, even though there are some improvised solos … .”
The local maestro naturally learned of the story through the music first. Delving into the history of the piece, and the inspiration behind the music, and subsequently the paintings, made for a deeper experience.
“I heard Derek’s piece before I knew anything about Jacob Lawrence, I’m ashamed to admit,” said Miller. “Before I knew the story of these paintings, the piece really hit me as a fantastic jazz symphony. Then, to being understanding the story of Jacob Lawrence and how Derek was inspired by him, how the musical piece connected to the paintings, made it a much richer experience for me.
“It’s always the case with me that I love to do research on whatever work I’m conducting. The more I know about a piece, the richer the experience of listening to, and obviously conducting it, becomes. So, I would try to find out as much as I can. And, I would say the same is true of this as well. For people who don’t know a thing about Jacob Lawernce, that can’t get down to MoMA, it’s still a fabulous piece that Derek has written.”
Thirty paintings were purchased by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the other 30 by The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. For the first time in over 20 years, The Museum of Modern Art is currently displaying all 60 images of the collection in a major exhibition that opened on April 1. ASO made a special connection with the folks at MoMA and are bringing supporters to NYC for a semi-private showing on May 7. MoMA is very pleased that ASO is performing this piece and has formed a partnership with them.
The festival touches upon other great migrations from days past, including a darker period in American History, covering the exodus of Native Americans from their homelands.
“The other works on our Festival Orchestra Concert also explore aspects of migration, most notably our Andrew W. Mellon Mentor Composer Michael Daugherty’s Flute Concerto, ‘Trail of Tears,’ about the forced migration of the Cherokee Nation during Andrew Jackson’s presidency.”
American flutist and pedagogue, Amy Porter, professor at the University of Michigan, will be the soloist in the Daugherty concerto. Porter will also give a community master class during the week at the College of St. Rose
Both Bermel’s and Daugherty’s works will be recorded during the festival for future release on the NAXOS and Albany Records labels.
Two world premiere compositions also exploring the theme of migration will fill out the Festival Orchestra Concert: Clint Needham’s “We Are All from Somewhere Else” and Andrea Reinkemeyer’s “Liquid Heart.”
Miller and his orchestra make a move of their own, leaving the home they’ve established at the Albany Palace Theatre to play across the Hudson River to play at the acclaimed EMPAC in Troy.
“For people who haven’t experience EMPAC, it’s an incredible place just to hear music and wonder around,” said Miller. “I encourage people who haven’t yet seen it to check it out. We’re so lucky in this region because we have all these great [venues] – Troy Music Hall, the Palace Theatre, EMPAC, lots of fabulous smaller halls. We’re a very fortunate region to have so many great concert venues.”
The Festival “Reading Session” will take place on Thursday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. at EMPAC, and is free and open to the public. The reading session is one of the most exciting and fun events of the Festival, a rare opportunity to see the orchestra bring brand new compositions to life. The full orchestra will rehearse and present new works by three gifted young composers, selected through its national competition. The composers are: Justin Ralls who composed “Tree Ride,” Michael Lee who composed “Amped” and Baljinder Sekon, the composer of “Civil Variations.”
“The pieces from our three young composers are filled with excitement, passion, and personality. The reading sessions are a great vehicle for our audience to see and hear how we bring new pieces into the world. At the end of the reading session, we all sit around on stage, audience, orchestra members and composers, to discuss and critique each work,” said Miller.
Dogs of Desire, the orchestra’s unique 16-member new music ensemble, will perform on Friday, May 15, at 7:30 pm.
The Dogs concert will feature new songs and standards, all newly composed and arranged for the ensemble by the composers of Sleeping Giant. Dogs of Desire is unique in the world of American orchestra music. It performs only new works by America’s best young composers, exploring all that is wild and wonderful in American pop culture, with dazzling multimedia works and freewheeling, fabulous creations and collaborations. After the performance, audience members are invited to Evelyn’s Café at EMPAC for an after-concert party. The Juilliard Jazz Trio will entertain, and the café will remain open serving coffee, wine and dessert.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 694-3300, visiting online at www.albanysymphony.com, or by visiting the Albany Symphony Box Office at 19 Clinton Ave. in Albany.
