Composition Matters

Jun 19 2006
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Lisa Bielawa
Lisa Bielawa

Composer and vocalist Lisa Bielawa.often takes inspiration for her work from literary sources and close artistic collaborations. Bielawa’s The Lay of the Love and Death, written for violinist Colin Jacobsen and baritone Jesse Blumberg and based on an epic poem by Rilke, premiered at Alice Tully Hall in March 2006. Her 2004 work Hurry, for soprano and chamber ensemble, was commissioned by Carnegie Hall as part of Dawn Upshaw’s Perspectives series, and was subsequently performed on the Seattle Symphony Made in America Festival in 2006, with the composer as soloist. The inaugural season of Zankel Hall included the premiere of her work The Right Weather by American Composers Orchestra and award-winning pianist Andrew Armstrong.

Bielawa will begin a three-year residency with Boston Modern Orchestra Project in 2006 under the auspices of Music Alive, a national program jointly designed and managed by Meet The Composer and ASOL. She is currently at work on a piece for migrating ensembles and soprano Susan Narucki for performance in public spaces, a multi-year project of Creative Capital. Bielawa has received grants, fellowships, and awards from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Italy, The Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals, New York State Council on the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, ASCAP, the Omaha Symphony International Competition, and the Fondation Royaumont in France.

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Happily, I have had some wonderful experiences with players, chamber and orchestral alike, and the interaction I have with musicians is among my highest priorities/values in my professional life. Thank you (you know who you are out there) ! But yes, there are some things to discuss, and I have some things to ask.

Last week I was having dinner with a string quartet, new colleagues I don’t know well but admire and genuinely like. One of them asked me about a recent performance I had had with an American orchestra. The quartet members bemoaned the fact that, in orchestral settings, the rehearsal process that prioritizes/values an ever-deepening relationship with a piece is simply not feasible. One of them commented that, when it comes to playing contemporary works in an orchestral environment, if everyone gets through the score with no errors, this is considered a ‘good performance.’

So – as I read Chris Woehr’s article and mentally prepare for this coming week, I find myself wondering about several things:

Given the pressure-chamber of the orchestral rehearsal process, how can the energies and enthusiasms of composers, conductors and musicians best be aligned? It would be illuminating for me to know what orchestra musicians value most about the experience of doing new works – in the best-case scenario. What are your priorities/values? Hands-on work with composers, influencing the direction of new work? Deepening relationships with new repertoire? New technical challenges? Pride in bringing new work to light? How many of these values are compatible with the scheduling rigors of orchestra life??

Looking forward to this !

About the author

Lisa Bielawa
Lisa Bielawa

Composer and vocalist Lisa Bielawa.often takes inspiration for her work from literary sources and close artistic collaborations. Bielawa’s The Lay of the Love and Death, written for violinist Colin Jacobsen and baritone Jesse Blumberg and based on an epic poem by Rilke, premiered at Alice Tully Hall in March 2006. Her 2004 work Hurry, for soprano and chamber ensemble, was commissioned by Carnegie Hall as part of Dawn Upshaw’s Perspectives series, and was subsequently performed on the Seattle Symphony Made in America Festival in 2006, with the composer as soloist. The inaugural season of Zankel Hall included the premiere of her work The Right Weather by American Composers Orchestra and award-winning pianist Andrew Armstrong.

Bielawa will begin a three-year residency with Boston Modern Orchestra Project in 2006 under the auspices of Music Alive, a national program jointly designed and managed by Meet The Composer and ASOL. She is currently at work on a piece for migrating ensembles and soprano Susan Narucki for performance in public spaces, a multi-year project of Creative Capital. Bielawa has received grants, fellowships, and awards from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Italy, The Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals, New York State Council on the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, ASCAP, the Omaha Symphony International Competition, and the Fondation Royaumont in France.

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