“It’s a Friday morning at the University of South Florida School of Music Concert Hall,” writes Rachel Pleasant in Friday’s (2/17) University of South Florida News. The article is accompanied by video. “The Florida Orchestra is on stage. Conductor Michael Francis taps his baton, and the space fills with sound.… And with each note the musicians play, the musical scores of five student-composers come to life.” Said Francesco Sclafani, a St. Petersburg resident pursuing a bachelor’s degree in music composition, whose Deconstruction of Anger was performed, “ ‘To have this experience, it gives me the confidence to keep doing what I’m doing. It’s just incredible.’ During ‘First Impressions: USF Composer Readings,’ The Florida Orchestra read—or played—five USF student compositions. Now, Francis and a panel of judges will select a composition that will be refined and ultimately performed during The Florida Orchestra’s Masterworks Series in May. Never before has The Florida Orchestra premiered a USF student’s original work.… The reading offered invaluable professional development opportunities for all five students.” The other composers were Zachary Konick, Hoàng Phó, Logan Barrett, and Bradley Mikesell II. On February 21, the Florida Orchestra announced that it will perform Sclafani’s score in May.
Posted February 22, 2017
