“This spring, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra invited composers to submit a ‘Fanfare for the Hartford Woman’—a three- to four-minute companion piece to Aaron Copland’s ‘Fanfare for the Common Man,’ ” writes Michael Hamad in Tuesday’s (5/26) Hartford Courant (Connecticut). “The winner was 24-year-old Pennsylvania native Christopher LaRosa, who recently finished a master’s degree in music composition from Boston University. At the HSO’s Mahler’s Fourth concerts on May 28-31 at the Bushnell in Hartford, Maestra Carolyn Kuan will conduct the premiere. LaRosa heard about the competition through an online posting. ‘The title caught my attention immediately,’ he said…. ‘Gender stereotyping is an issue that’s being talked about a lot, so this piece was a chance to explore that a little bit.’ … Like the Copland piece, LaRosa’s Fanfare is short, starting with timpani and percussion before a presentation of the theme in unison horns…. Kuan and the HSO selected LaRosa’s Fanfare out of 37 entries…. ‘I feel very privileged to have a piece played by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra,’ he said…. ‘The strong, empowered, expressive woman I tried to capture in my piece is exemplified by women like Maestra Kuan.’ ” The commission comes with a $1,000 prize.
Posted May 29, 2015
