American Innovations Letter from the Artistic Directors

Dear Friends,

Our musical journey around the globe ends at home with this exciting concert featuring composers that have helped shape our American musical culture.  Our performers will present an eclectic bunch of composers who have a wide range of styles and musical languages.  From the Latin jazz-influenced sounds of Astor Piazzolla and Paquito D'Rivera to the groundbreaking innovations of Elliott Carter, this concert will show the extraordinary range and versatility of American composers.

Eric Ewazen has re-arranged his Trio for Horn, Bassoon and Piano especially for SCMR and we are excited to present the premiere of that arrangement.  The concert ends with two remarkable wind quintets: Samuel Barber’s beloved Summer Music and a new work by Allen Shawn.  Shawn has earned high praise in Rochester for his thoughtful music, most notably the RPO commission and world premiere of his violin concerto, written for Juliana a few years ago.

We celebrate Rochester’s talented young musicians on this concert by showcasing the Hochstein School’s Capriccio Piano Trio playing Piazzola’s passionate Primavera Porteña and an Eastman graduate string quartet playing GraceAnn Lee’s Words, Wide Night.  Ms. Lee won the high school division of SCMR’s composition competition in 2015.

Thank you for a wonderful season of enjoying composers from around the world.  We look forward to sharing the exciting details of next season with you at the pre-concert chat on Friday at 7pm and seeing you all next year for our 40th Anniversary celebration of SCMR

Warmly,

Erik and Juliana