“When she was 5 years old, Courtney Bryan would sit at a piano and begin playing … notes that popped into her head,” writes Charlie Patton in Sunday’s (4/29) Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville). “Now Bryan will spend a year as the Mary Carr Patton Composer in Residence with the Jacksonville Symphony … to compose music … that will reflect what she has learned about Jacksonville…. Her work with the Jacksonville Symphony actually got its start the week of April 15-21 when she served as one of the mentors to a group of aspiring young composers who were part of the symphony’s EarShot concert. EarShot, the National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network, is a partnership among the American Composers Orchestra, the League of American Orchestras, the American Composers Forum and New Music USA…. In 2012-13 … Bryan was an emerging composer who was part of the EarShot program. ‘It was a pivotal time for me,’ she said.… Sometimes she writes pieces that are open to improvisation. But … composing for the Jacksonville Symphony … will require a detailed score.” For Bryan, a native of New Orleans, “It’s an interesting challenge to write about a city as an outsider…. It’s been a really great experience.”
Posted May 2, 2018
