“When North Carolina Symphony General Manager Martin Sher approached New York composer Sarah Kirkland Snider about writing a new piece, a set of images immediately flashed into her mind,” writes Dan Ruccia in Wednesday’s (9/23) Indy Week (Raleigh-Durham). “The resulting 27-minute work, Hiraeth, which the North Carolina Symphony will premiere … this week, is an attempt to reimagine those snapshots of childhood visits to her grandparents’ home in Salisbury…. Despite making her name as one of the leading composers in the current New York scene—she co-directs New Amsterdam Records with Judd Greenstein and William Brittelle—she can trace her lineage through 13 generations of North Carolinians.” In an interview, Snider discusses the new work, the use of film to accompany the score, and her compositional process. (Read Symphony magazine’s article about new compositions that evoke a sense of place here.)
In a related article also posted at Indy Week, Ruccia previews the North Carolina Symphony’s 2015-16 season, which suggests “a small revolution seems to be underway. The seeds were planted last year, as General Manager Martin Sher and Music Director Grant Llewellyn began sprinkling in a few pieces by living composers.… Of the 14 concerts in the main season, eight include major works by living composers, including three world premieres and four works co-commissioned by the symphony. Sher and Llewellyn have been smart in their programming, too, situating these new works alongside sympathetic older works in order to create exciting dialogue.”
Posted September 23, 2015
