ACF Philadelphia has been hosting New Voices, its composer development program, since 2001. New Voices offers emerging composers of any age the opportunity to have new works rehearsed, performed, and recorded by professional performing ensembles. Composers are selected through a competitive application process. Past partners include Argento Chamber Ensemble, the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, Dolce Suono Chamber Music Concert Series, Network for New Music, and Relâche Ensemble.
Composers selected for the New Voices program will be given the opportunity to have multiple rehearsals with the participating ensemble and receive direct feedback from the musicians. The atmosphere fostered in the rehearsal sessions is one of collaboration and mentorship. Composers are free to ask questions about their music on everything from notation concerns to technical aspects of writing for a specific instrument to aesthetics of the composition. Both the ensemble and the composer are encouraged to explore new possibilities in a mutual goal: to create the best presentation of a new work.
Each composer will gain significant career experience and hopefully progress in their artistic development as a result of this program. Additionally, the participants will have started a relationship with a professional performing ensemble, which could lead to future collaborations. Summary of New Voices Program Benefits:
- Connect with professional performers of new music
- Hear carefully rehearsed renditions of their work
- Exchange views with performers on aesthetic, technical and interpretive issues
- Introduce their works to new audiences through concert performances
- Procure a high-quality recording to represent and market their work
New Voices 2011
For the fiscal 2011 New Voices project, ACF Philadelphia is partnering with International Opera Theater to present a new opera production based on The Decameron, a collection of 100 novellas written in the 14th century by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio. Seven local composers—Efrain Amaya, Michael Djupstrom, Daniel Shapiro, Adam Silverman, Tony Solitro, Thomas Whitman, and Ya-Jhu Yang—are writing short opera scenes for four vocalists and six instrumentalists based on seven novellas from The Decameron. Decameron premieres November 12-14, 2010 at Prince Music Theater.
Two of the singers were chosen at a three-day international singing competition in the City of Saluzzo, Italy. Maestro Gianmaria Griglio, Music Director of International Opera Theater was the Musical and Artistic Director of the competition. Four hundred and fifty (450) people attended the final concert of the competition, including Philadelphia composer Thomas Whitman.
It was an honor to be in Saluzzo for these events. I learned a great deal from hearing the singers in the competition; from conferring with Karen Saillant about the project; from watching Maestro Griglio conduct the orchestra; and from talking with members of the jury. It was a particular thrill to hear so much new American music sung by young European voices. It demonstrated remarkable imagination (and, indeed, courage) on the part of everyone who participated.
The competition was held in a magnificent location: a former convent that now houses an impressive school of music. The faculty and staff and staff welcomed me warmly. They generously invited me to use their library and practice rooms, and this enabled me (finally) to finish the score of my scene for Decameron.
Thomas Whitman
Decameron is a project of ACF Philadelphia’s New Voices program, presented in partnership with International Opera Theater, and is made possible with generous support provided, in part, by the William Penn Foundation and The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia. Collaborators include: Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia, Citta' di Saluzzo, Italy, Scuola Alto Perfezionamento, Saluzzo, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rosenbach Museum and Library, America Italy Society, International Visitors Council, Center for Italian Studies at University of Pennsylvania, daVinci Art Alliance, Smile Gallery, University of the Arts, Drexel University and Terranova Wine Importers.
Related Events
- September 14-16: First International Vocal Competition in Citta' di Saluzzo, Italy, dedicated to soprano Magda Olivero, born in Citta' di Saluzzo, now celebrating her 100th birthday. Singers for Decameron chosen with 52 piece orchestra playing at concert on final day of competition, directed by Maestro Gianmaria Griglio, Artistic Director and Musical Director of the Competition. http://www.concorsoliricosaluzzo.org/joomla/
- September 26: Thin Slicing the Decameron. Creating New Italian Operas. Lecture by Karen Saillant, Artistic Director of IOT, at DaVinci Art Alliance, 704 Catherine Street. Preparing members for exhibition inspired by Decameron. 2-5 PM http://www.davinciartalliance.org/
- September 29: The Art of Creating New Italian Operas Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel 1-3 PM
- September 30: Karen Saillant reads from Decameron, Banned Books - Rosenbach Museum, 2008-2010 Delancey Street 6-8 PM http://www.rosenbach.org/
- October 19: Concert at Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia celebrates Settimana della lingua italiana. Four performers from Decameron: present beloved Italian arias from operas such as La Boheme, L'elisir d'amore and Tosca, excerpts from Decameron and the world premiere of 3 new operatic pieces composed by Maestro Gianmaria Griglio, set to poems of Antonio Pisano (deceased) from Philadelphia. http://www.consfiladelfia.esteri.it/Consolato_Filadelfia
- October 21: Decameron Heroes: Ciappelletto, Maso del Saggio, Prince Tancredi, Nastagio degli Onesti and Marquis di Saluzzo, Ignazio DeSimone, baritone, Maestro Gianmaria Griglio, Musical DIrector of IOT, Karen Saillant, Artistic Director of IOT. America-Italy Society 1420 Walnut Street, Suite 310 6-8 PM http://www.aisphila.org/site/
- October 29: Italian Words, American Music Center for Italian Studies, University of Pennsylvania. Colloquium with Italian Conductor, Maestro Gianmaria Griglio, Librettist and Stage Director, Karen Saillant and composers Professor Adam Silverman, West Chest University and Professor Thomas Whitman, Swarthmore College http://www.upenn.edu/
- November 2: International Visitors Council; presentation- Courtyard Marriott 6 PM http://www.ivc.org/
- November 4: Pasolini film The Decameron at Center for Italian Studies U Penn.http://www.upenn.edu/
- November 6: The Decameron In Text, Art and Opera Saturday, November 6 , 10–4 PM; Thursday, November 11, 7-9 PM. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rosenbach Library and Museum and International Opera Theater are teaming up to explore Boccaccio’s Decameron and its time in text, art and song! On Saturday, the workshop will begin at the Rosenbach where professor Vicki Kirkham will give an overview of the Decameron, and Karen Saillant will discuss the creation of the world premiere opera Decameron, which will bring an international cast and an Italian conductor to Philadelphia, with music by 7 Philadelphia area composers, then participants will be able to see a first English translation of the Decameron, published in 1620 and other related material in the Rosenbach’s collection. In the afternoon we will travel to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to explore the Italian Renaissance collections including an exhibition on marriage chests that includes two painted panels based on a tale from the Decameron that will be featured in the Opera! The following Thursday evening the group will attend a rehearsal of the Opera. http://www.philamuseum.org/ http://www.rosenbach.org/
- November 12: Picturing The Decameron- Smile Gallery: DaVinci Art Alliance exhibition of art inspired by Decameron. http://www.davinciartalliance.org/
- November 12,13,14: World Premiere of Decameron. Prince Music Theater.
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New Voices is made possible with generous support from the William Penn Foundation and The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.
Upcoming Deadline
- TBA
In April 2010, the Argento Chamber Ensemble performed the music of six ACF Philadelphia composers. The Argento Chamber Ensemble designed a special instrumentation for this concert: oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, and bass. This configuration provided the composers an opportunity to write for an untypical instrumentation yet one that would naturally fit on a program including the piece by Festino Notturno by Mario Davidovsky. The participating composers were:
- Ryan Beppel
- David Carpenter
- Heidi Jacob
- Andy Laster
- Ian Munro
- Kento Watanabe
New Voices 2009
In June 2009, the Dolce Suono Chamber Music Concert Series Metal and Wood Band worked with seven composers on the production of seven world premieres. Those involved in the program were:
- Michael Ceurvorst
- Kevin Clark
- Michael Djupstrom
- William Dougherty
- Joseph Hallman
- Thomas Smith
- David Bennett Thomas
The concert, held on June 27 2009, was well attended and received positive and enthusiastic responses from the composers, musicians, and audience members. Reviews for this concert are available online:
“Some New Voices in Chamber Music” by David Patrick Stearns
“Setting T.S. Elliot to music (among other innovations)” by Tom Purdom
Video footage from the 2009 New Voices concert will be posted on www.acfphiladelphia.org in the near future and the audio of the concert will be webcast on New Music Philadelphia beginning in August.
For questions about New Voices, please contact Program Manager James Falconi