Elliott Schwartz
Beth Wiemann
Elizabeth R. Austin
This week on April 5th, the weekly Noonday
Concert at the First Parish Church in Portland, Maine, will feature two pieces by Elliott Schwartz. The very
recent trumpet-percussion duet, ANAGRAMS, will be performed by Abriel Ferreira and
Peter McLaughlin (both former Bowdoin students); and the composer will accompany
Maria Wagner in the clarinet-piano piece READING SESSION. Both of these pieces
ask the performer to speak (!) as well as play, and to carry that
"speaking theme" forward Elliott will also perform Tom Johnson's classic LECTURE
WITH REPETITION. The concert is entitled
"Elliott Schwartz and Friends," and will take place at the First
Parish Church (425 Congress Street, Portland) at 12:15 pm.
Later this month, the Portland Conservatory will host
its 4th annual Back Cove Festival of Contemporary Music. There will be four
concerts taking place on April 14th and 15th, including one by PCM student
performers, in Memorial Hall at the conservatory (202 Woodford Street, in the
Woodfords Church building). Maine composers will be represented, including Dan
Sonenberg of USM (featuring selections from his new opera), Beth Wiemann from
the University of Maine/Orono (featuring "Di Camera" for trumpet, cello and piano, commissioned by trumpet professor Jack Burt, who will be performing at this festival), Joshua DeScherer, Gia Comoli, Richard Nelson of
UMA, and more. Connecticut composer Elizabeth Austin and Amherst
College composer-pianist Eric Sawyer will also be participating.
The Sunday afternoon concert of the festival (April 15th,
5:00 pm) will include a performance of Elliott's work for piano duet TEST DRIVE, performed by the composer and Catherine Cushing.
