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Update #9: Made the deadline
Well - we reached the deadline - but feel free to keep sending this on. New pledges will go towards funding future BB shows.
Update #8: UPenn writes about Melissa and the Gonzales Cantata.
A great article in the UPenn newsletter about Melissa, her background (motley and impressive), and the composition of the cantata.
Update #7: Greg's Blog
Greg Sandow made reference to the concert in his Artsjournal blog about the future of new music.
He reflects upon Melissa's questioning of the ivory tower mentality, specifically relating to responses from the Philly Fringe show.
Update #6: In case there are a few high rollers out there
I have decided to include a few of my rare pieces of music and musical memorabilia for large donations to this project.
Update #5: The importance of bringing these works to the stage
Click here - Review of the Hunger Art Workshop
I found this review of the Hunger Art's workshop premiere from 2008. After glossing over the other two premieres, the reviewer focuses on the tremendous potential of the Hunger Art, and laments that sadly few people would be willing to stage such a short, yet captivating work.
Update #4: A "Freedom Overture"
Since French Overtures were outlawed by Congress in 2003.
Update #3: More Video
A thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. I wanted to include the full video of the Hunger Art. As you can see - the original workshop was just with piano - so this concert will be its first fully orchestrated show.
Update #2: Racehl Maddow on the Gonzales Cantata
Some of the attention Melissa's piece got on MSNBC.
Update #1: Video from the Workshop Premiere of "The Hunger Art"
Performed 8/08 by the Center City Opera Theater in the Ethical Society of Philadelphia
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Backers
$3,885
pledged of $3,500 goal
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on March 25, 2010.
Pledge $15 or more
Digital Copies of the libretti for both works will be emailed to you with synopses and composers' notes.
Pledge $30 or more
A recording of one of the original "Workshop" Performances. Please specify between the Gonzales Cantata or the Hunger Art
Pledge $50 or more
A tee-shirt with The Gonzales Cantata Logo - please specify size
Pledge $60 or more
A CD of the complete performance of the Gonzales Cantata and Hunger Art as recorded on 4.17.10.
Pledge $100 or more
Prime Seating in the Fisher Center's Sosnoff Theater. Two seats per donation. Please bring your receipt for access to this area.
Pledge $100 or more
A signed Piano-Vocal Score of either the Gonzales Cantata or Hunger Art with a recording of the piece from the. 4.17.10 Concert. Please specify which piece you would prefer.
Pledge $150 or more
George Crumbs "Madrigals" Book IV for Soprano, flute/pic/alto, Harp, Contrabass and Percussion. Original score. Unplayed/marked.
Pledge $200 or more
John Cage's "Aria" for any voice type. Read about it here Serves as either a guideline for a truly interpretive performance, or can be hung on a wall. Currently mounted in a large gold frame (not included - contact if interested in the frame as well)
Pledge $200 or more
Prime Seating in the Fisher Center's Sosnoff Theater and copies of both piano vocal scores, which may be picked up before the performance if so desired (please state if you would prefer the scores in advance).
Pledge $400 or more
An original print of Paul Norton's Watercolor "The Capitol Building." On high quality watercolor paper, sealed back and a gilded frame. Reminiscent of the times when people were proud to look at Congress' house of business.
Pledge $1,000 or more
First Edition of Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring" ballet. This copy was originally owned by Fritz Mahler, the nephew of the titan Gustav Mahler. Front signed by Fritz, stamped inside, and all of his notes are still in tact.
Pledge $1,300 or more
A copy of "Bernstein" by Joan Peyser, signed by Leonard Bernstein on July 21st, 1990, just months before his death.
Project By
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The past few years of my research have all been dedicated to the purpose of realizing a self-sufficient concert series. It began with my work at Fontainebleau: I took several chamber music groups and had them rehearse in unconventional places (parking garages, outdoor markets, carousels, etc) around the village to raise awareness about our upcoming concerts. People initially thought we were peddling, but when it was explained to them that our only purpose was to offer them music in a new environment, crowds began to form. Between runs of pieces we would inform them about upcoming concerts. Yet while the attendance at the Festival’s concerts went up significantly, the audience was significantly less at ease. It was same music, with the same performers, yet the stifling effect of the concert hall changed the reception dramatically. This led me to begin a series of forums for composers, instrumentalists and visual artists to discuss their thoughts on the problems in the presentation of music.
When I returned to the United States I continued this work by attempting to create a musical program that responded to the article in the Washington Post about Joshua Bell playing in the DC Metro and being virtually unnoticed (see Pearls Before Breakfast by Gene Weingarten). Peabody’s unwillingness to take such a risk was very informative, and it offered me my first glimpse of an emblematic trend in classical institutions; specifically a general desire towards stasis, regardless of the changing environment.
My most recent work involved accompanying an orchestra to perform in the Eastern Correctional Facility, a maximum security penitentiary in New York. Prisons are some of the only places in this country where people are removed from the hyper-saturation of our culture (i.e. recordings, television, Muzak, etc.). Their overwhelmingly positive response was very exciting, as much of the music that had previously been unknown to them had probably been misconstrued as dull and irrelevant. Their reaction gave hope to the idea that the circumstances to its performance effect its reception, as opposed to the outdated nature of the music itself.
