“The American Composers Forum’s National Composition Contest hit the West Coast for the first time September after landing in Chicago, New York, and Princeton in previous years,” writes Richard Ginell on Wednesday (9/16) at MusicalAmerica.com. “This time, the Los Angeles new-music ensemble wild Up was the vehicle for the three winning compositions”: William Gardiner’s Chiaroscuro, Alex Temple’s The Man Who Hated Everything, and Nina C. Young’s When Eyes Meet. “The ACF drew entries from 479 applicants hailing from 39 states. From that large pool, the musicians in wild Up chose three composers who in turn were commissioned to write pieces specifically for a 10-member edition of the ensemble.” The three pieces were played once, followed by a discussion among the composers and wild Up Artistic Director Chris Rountree. After intermission, “the pieces were played again in a different order. Having discussions and second performances of the entire program on the spot is a great way to present new music and make it stick…. The pieces were short and the composers knew how to talk to a mostly young, hip audience…. Next year, the ACF contest heads back to Chicago, where eighth blackbird will again be the ‘performance partner.’ ”
Posted September 16, 2015
