Quintet of the Americas To Present World Premiere of Judith Sainte Croix’s Vision III – 2001-2002 Chamber Music America Commissioning Program Award Winner
New York, NY – The Quintet of the Americas will present the World Premiere of Judith Sainte Croix’s Vision III on Sunday, January 20, 2002 at 4:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 308 W. 46th St. in Manhattan. This piece, written for woodwind quintet and indigenous instruments of South and Central America, was commissioned with a grant from the 2001-2002 Chamber Music America Commissioning Program Awards and will be presented as part of Chamber Music America’s National Conference 2002 Commissioning Showcase. The Quintet was the only group nationwide selected to receive the first NEA/CMA Special Commissioning Award which supports touring and performances of the new work.
The composer has supplied the following statement about the work:
“Vision III combines indigenous instruments with Western classical instruments of the woodwind quintet. The indigenous instruments played by the quintet will include Guatemalan ocarinas, guiros from Mexico and Peru, conch shells, a pre-Colombian horn, rainsticks, Colombian bamboo finger shakers, the cana and gaitas flutes, the South American pig marona, reed flutes, drums and deer hoof rattles.”
“The intent of the “Vision Series” (Vision I and II precede this) I have created is to bring Indian and non-Indian people together harmoniously in the concert hall and beyond.”
Judith Sainte Croix’s transformative music, written for chamber musicians, opera and orchestra, blends a range of ideas extending from the rituals and myths of ancient civilizations to the use of new technologies. Elements of dance and theatre are often included in her compositions. She has created opera, chamber, orchestral and electronic music that has been performed across the United States and in Europe. Her awards and commissions include The Gaudeamus Competition, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and The Minnesota Youth Symphonies. Her fellowships and grants include, the National Endowment for the Arts, Time-Warner, New York State Council on the Arts, the Jerome, Heathcote, Martha Baird Rockefeller and Wurlitzer Foundations, and the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust Recording Program. Her debut Sonic Muse CD release “Visions of Light and Mystery” is available in music stores, from Amazon.com and at her website http://www.judithsaintecroix.com. She was the subject of a feature article in the December 2000 issue of Chamber Music magazine.
The Quintet of the Americas, consisting of flutist Sato Moughalian, oboist Matt Sullivan, clarinetist Edward Gilmore, hornist Barbara Oldham and bassoonist Laura Koepke, was formed in Bogota, Colombia in 1976 by U.S. citizens who were principal wind players in the Colombian National Orchestra. The group relocated to New York City in 1979 and has since enjoyed an international career that has taken them to concert halls throughout the Americas, the Caribbean Asia, including annual performances at Manhattan’s Americas Society since 1982. Two time recipients of ASCAP-Chamber Music America Awards for Adventuresome Programming, the Quintet’s repertoire represents works from composers with a wide-range of aesthetic viewpoints. They have recorded for CRI, Newport Classics, MMC and XLNT. Quintet of the Americas has been a past recipient of the CMA Commissioning Award in for a commission by David Chaitkin and a three-year Residency Award for work in Chicago. Visit their website at http://www.quintet.org.
This season Chamber Music America is awarding 33 grants to ensemble musicians, presenting organizations, and community groups across the country. The awards support music education and outreach programs, provide ensembles with performance opportunities and increased visibility, assist presenting organizations in the advancement of chamber music in their communities, and support the creation of new works. CMA will support both new and ongoing programs including seventeen residencies and sixteen commissions. Visit their website at chambermusicamerica.org.
CMA’s grant and award programs have been generously funded by The National Endowment for the Arts, The Helen F. Whitaker Fund, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation, the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund and the Cleveland Quartet Award Endowment Fund.
The January 20 concert is sponsored by Rich Worldwide Travel.
For more information about the Quintet of the Americas, contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-797-9166 or [email protected].
The Quintet receives the NEA/CMA Special Commissioning Award
The National Endowment for the Arts and Chamber Music America have awarded the first NEA/CMA Special Commissioning Award to Quintet of the Americas. The group has commissioned composer Judith Sainte Croix for a work that combines traditional woodwind instruments and instruments indigenous to South America from the Quintet’s extensive collection. The new work, Vision III, will receive its world premiere at the Commissioning Showcase at CMA’s National Conference on January 20, 2002.
The NEA/CMA Special Commissioning Award recognizes artistic excellence and supports the creation and presentation of new chamber works by American composers. In addition to direct support for commissioning, the award enables the ensemble to perform the new work in regions across the country and also facilitates community outreach activities involving the composer.
In establishing the award, NEA Director of Music and Opera Wayne Brown stated, “We are pleased for this opportunity to partner with Chamber Music America and look forward to expanding the already rich repertoire of chamber works by American composers.”
Visit chambermusicamerica.org, for more on CMA’s Commissioning Showcase.
The Quintet has been honored with grants and awards from:
- National Endowment for the Arts
- New York State Council on the Arts
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
- Chamber Music America
- Aaron Copland Fund for Music
- Mary Flagler Cary Trust
- Serge Koussevitzky Foundation of the Library of Congress
- The Quintet was awarded the ASCAP-Chamber Music America Awards for Adventuresome Programming twice, for the 1992-1993 and 1989-1990 seasons.