About the Featured Composer Program
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the New Century Chamber Orchestra have established a Featured Composer program to commission composers to write new works with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg as concertmaster, soloist and muse. “I am especially pleased that New Century is commissioning new works for chamber orchestra, for our audiences and for the literature,” Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg said. “I created the Featured Composer program specifically to expand the chamber orchestra repertoire, as part of the vision to take this orchestra to the highest level.”
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich will serve as the 2011-2012 Featured Composer for New Century's 20th Anniversary Season. Ms. Zwilich was the first female recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music and was named to the first Composer’s Chair in the history of Carnegie Hall. The ensemble will present her Prologue and Variations in December 2011 and a world premiere violin concerto, Commedia dell'Arte, in May 2012. A prolific composer in virtually all media, Ms. Zwilich’s works have been performed by most of the leading American orchestras and by major ensembles abroad.
The 2010-2011 Featured Composer, Mark O'Connor, an American bluegrass, country and classical fiddler, composer, and music teacher, studied a variety of uniquely American musical styles under folk fiddler and innovator Benny Thomasson and French jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli. He has melded and shaped these influences into a style he calls "a new American Classical music." Mr. O'Connor's musical works have been embraced by a variety of performers and collaborators, including Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming,The Eroica Trio, Sharon Isbin, the New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Mr. O'Connor regularly gives residencies and teaches workshops at a variety of prestigious musical programs, including The Juilliard School of Music, Curtis Institute, Berklee College of Music, and Eastman School of Music. Mr. O’Connor performed as a soloist with New Century in November 2010, and premiered Elevations in May 2011.
The 2009-10 Featured Composer, William Bolcom, is a National Medal of Arts, Pulitzer Prize, and Grammy Award-winner, and one of the most versatile contemporary American composers of chamber, operatic, vocal, choral, cabaret, ragtime, and symphonic music. In November 2009, New Century performed his Serenata Notturna for Oboe and Strings and Three Rags for String Quartet, on a program with Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen. New Century performed the world premiere of Mr. Bolcom’s violin concerto, Romanza, on its closing program of the season, along with works by Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland.
The 2008-2009 Featured Composer, Clarice Assad, composed 2 new works for the New Century Chamber Orchestra. Impressions, Suite for Chamber Orchestra, premiered in September 2008 and was lauded by San Francisco Classical Voice for displaying the orchestra in the best light, as the work took advantage of the musicians’ talents and expertise. The work was hailed as “one of the more enjoyable new works…heard in a while.” Dreamscapes, a violin concerto, premiered in May 2009 and featured Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg as soloist.