composer Micah Roberts Archives

LOWELL, Mass. /ScoopCloud/ -- The Lowell Chamber Orchestra opens its third season this Saturday, September 25, with music inspired by the cosmos. The three works by Anna Clyne, Micah Roberts, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, all allude to a cosmic object.

The program starts with "Hypernovae," written by Tennessee composer Micah Roberts. "Hypernovae" was written for the Lowell Chamber Orchestra's first ever call-for-scores. Roberts' score was measured against about other 120 from nine different countries, and the judges were impressed by its driving force and unusual orchestration. "Hypernovae" will receive its first ever performance at the beginning of the program, and the composer will be present.

Following a world premiere, the second work in the program will be heard for the first time in Massachusetts. Anna Clyne's "Three Sisters" is a concerto for mandolin and string orchestra inspired by the three stars that make the "belt" of the constellation Orion.

About her piece, Clyne says "It's a piece I actually wrote in 3 locations. And one of the locations was my apartment in Brooklyn that had access to a rooftop and I would sit on the rooftop looking at the stars, often seeing the constellation Orion, which is also known as 'Three sisters.' So just thinking about the stars, the passage of time, and that journey."

Joseph Brent will be the featured soloist of the evening. Called, "one of the truly exceptional musicians of his generation," Brent has worked closely with many of the great modern composers, and has performed with many well-known chamber ensembles, including The International Contemporary Ensemble, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, among many others. He is a published author of mandolin pedagogy, and has released a few albums. "By the time I was 13 I knew mandolin was my voice," says Brent about his musical career's beginnings. Today, Brent plays mandolins with 5, 8, and 10 strings, all custom-made for him.

The concert ends with the very well know forty-first symphony by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Truthfully, Mozart was not thinking about Jupiter - the planet after which the symphony is named - when he wrote this symphony. According to a story, the nickname comes from a British publisher, who upon hearing the opening chords, thought of the thunderbolts of the ancient Greek god Jupiter. However, the symphony's majestic structure and use of instruments does compare with the largest planet of the solar system.

The concert is free to attend, but donations are most welcome. Audience is required to show proof of vaccination, and to be masked while indoors.

Learn more at: https://lowellchamberorchestra.org/

WHEN AND WHERE:

Saturday, September 25

7:30 p.m.

UTEC

35 Warren Street, Lowell MA

MEDIA CONTACT

Antonio Mak

Lowell Chamber Orchestra

admin@lowellchamberorchestra.org

Phone Number: 781-583-6160

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO: Interview with composer Anna Clyne about her work "Three Sisters." https://youtu.be/j7ktdbLM44k

The Lowell Chamber Orchestra opens its third season this Saturday, September 25, with music inspired by the cosmos. The three works by Anna Clyne, Micah Roberts, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, all allude to a cosmic object.

Related link: https://lowellchamberorchestra.org/

LOWELL, Mass. /ScoopCloud/ -- After successfully ending an entirely virtual second season, the Lowell Chamber Orchestra returns to live concerts with "A Season of Inclusion," its third and most ambitious season to date.

In following with its mission of promoting new music and educating about established works, the Lowell Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Orlando Cela, will be presenting six entirely free concerts showcasing, among other things, seven works by living composers, six soloists, a wide variety of genres, and many well-known works, encompassing over 300 years of musical development

In order to promote the creation of new classical music, the LCO has commissioned composer Dana Kaufman for a brand new work. Kaufman, known for her masterful ability to blur the lines between classical and pop cultures, is the ideal creator for a work that intersects the styles of Baroque styles and contemporary music.

The season opens with another world premiere: Micah Roberts' "Hypernovae," a fantastic overture inspired by the cosmos, which also marks the conclusion of the LCO's first ever call-for-scores. Roberts' score was selected from over 120 compositions, which came from 9 different countries. Other featured living composers include Anna Clyne, Arnold Friedman, Mark Berger, Karl Henning, and Lowell's own Aaron Rosenberg.

The highlight of the season also features the work of well-known living composer, Laura Kaminsky. As One - the most produced opera in North America in the last eight years - is a timely and soul-stirring chamber work about the challenges, fears, and joys of its transgender protagonist. With a poignant and witty libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed and film by Ms. Reed, As One is an unforgettable experience. And the LCO production of the opera is a special event: with singers Tona Brown and Rahzé Cheatham, it marks the first time a gender-expansive cast has performed the work.

Brown and Chatham are also two of the few soloists featured this season. Well-known works by Mozart and Shostakovich - featuring flutist Wei Zhao and pianist Pei-Yeh Tsai, respectively - will interweave with compositions that feature surprising instruments: Joseph Brent highlights the mandolin in Anna Clyne's mystical concerto, and Aldo Abreu epitomizes the subtle éclatthe recorder.

Finally, the LCO also preserves and educates about the classical musical traditions, and for that purpose, well-known masterpieces such as Mozart's Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter," Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1 "Classical," and Vaughan Williams' "Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" can be heard in different venues across Lowell in the upcoming season.

Please visit https://lowellchamberorchestra.org to find out more about the aforementioned events, and more.

About the Lowell Chamber Orchestra:

The Lowell Chamber Orchestra is the city of Lowell's first and only professional orchestra. We provide the area with an ensemble that presents music at an extremely high level, of all styles and time periods, entirely free to the general population. Lowell is a gateway community, rich in cultural diversity but economically challenged in many respects so access to high-quality arts is essential. The interactive nature of the performances, is especially important for audiences who many not have enjoyed arts programming previously.

After successfully ending an entirely virtual second season, the Lowell Chamber Orchestra returns to live concerts with "A Season of Inclusion," its third and most ambitious season to date. The season opens with another world premiere: Micah Roberts' "Hypernovae," a fantastic overture inspired by the cosmos

Related link: https://lowellchamberorchestra.org/

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Tag Archives: composer Micah Roberts

The Lowell Chamber Orchestra opens their third season with cosmic music, premieres

Presenting 7 living composers, 6 soloists, and an opera about a transgender woman, the Lowell Chamber Orchestra announces its most exciting season yet