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Spring 2013—A rich season for me, starting with the most emotional: daughter Allegra Wiprud will premiere a set of three songs (poetry of life and death and nature) on her junior year recital at Princeton. (We hope to repeat the recital in New York—stay tuned!)
Other highlights include my first string quartet, Refining Fire, truly my breakthrough work back in 1989, played by the wonderful young Voxare Quartet, and the very next day, the very different Sirens’ Song in the very same space, St. Peter's Church.
And big news for the fall . . . the Reading Symphony Orchestra will open their season with my Hosannas of the Second Heaven, a vision from Dante’s Paradiso. I had formative musical experiences at the RSO as a child, so this is a very meaningful homecoming of sorts.
Lots more cooking! Please see the listings below, come to what you can, and remember that the CD of my Violin Concerto (Katrina) makes a thoughtful gift at any time!
—Ted
Buy the Album at Amazon »
"Pictorially vivid . . . Ittai Shapira's playing is electrifying."
—The Times of London
"With each listen, I find myself noticing, deep within the music, remnants of strong traditions being eroded away not only by the winds of a storm, but also by the winds of time. In true concerto form and style, he imposes technical demands on both the soloist and the orchestra, while at the same time creating an expressive piece of music that evokes distant and profound memories. Captivating!"
—Classical Music Sentinel
"The orchestration is particularly impressive . . . prevents the storm from overwhelming the entire work, which is essential for its ultimate message of hope and redemption."
—Classical CD Review
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 2:00 PM
Three Soprano Songs on Life, Death, and Nature :: WORLD PREMIERE
Allegra Wiprud, sproano
Poetry by Whitman, Millay, and Dickinson
McAlpin Rehearsal Room, Woolworth Hall
Princeton University, NJ
FREE
Featured on our daughter's Junior Recital, along with songs by Massenet, Schubert, Hahn, Faure, Durante, Pergolesi, and Scarlatti.
Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Poor Richard's Glees for a capella chamber chorus
Franklin & Marshall Chamber Singers
William Wright, conductor
Ann & Richard Barshinger Center for Musical Arts
Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
Featuring the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra in John Rutter's Requiem
MORE INFO HERE
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 7:30 PM
String Quartet No. 1: Refining Fire
Voxare String Quartet
St. Peter's Church, Lexington Ave. at E. 54th Street, NYC
Fourth Annual Social Networking Concert :: MORE INFO HERE
Based on a scene in Dante's Purgatorio, this was a breakthrough work for me, composed during my year's sojourn in Cambridge, UK. The Voxare Quartet are a tremendously exciting young group, and this concert continues a tradition created by composer Douglas Townsend, who, sadly, died last summer.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 8:00 PM
Siren's Song
Christina Ascher, contralto
Kaoru Hinata, flute/alto flute
St. Peter's Church, Lexington Ave. at E. 54th Street, NYC
The astonishing Christina Ascher reprises the piece I composed for her a couple of years ago, inspired by the infamous Sirens of the Odyssey of Homer, luring sailors to their deaths with their irresistible song.
Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 8:00 PM
Hosannas of the Second Heaven
Reading Symphony Orchestra :: Andrew Constantine, Music Director
Sovereign Performing Arts Center, Reading, PA
My orchestral picture of Dante's Paradiso opens the season of the Reading Symphony—one of the first orchestras I ever heard, inspiring my life in music.
RECENT PERFORMANCES
Saturday, March 16, 2013 at Time TBA
Speravi for String Orchestra
Winter Festival Orchestra
David Barg, conductor
Omaha Conservatory of Music
My short work for student string orchestra receives another performance led by the man who commissioned it. I'm always inspired by the response from kids playing this piece, which speaks of hope amid turmoil.
Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Poor Richard's Glees for a capella chamber chorus :: WORLD PREMIERE
Franklin & Marshall Chamber Singers
William Wright, conductor
Ann & Richard Barshinger Center for Musical Arts
Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
FREE EVENT—MORE INFO »
The premiere of a light-hearted pile-up of Benjamin Franklin's aphorisms, prose, and poetry, commissioned by Franklin & Marshall College.
Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Speravi :: NEW YORK PREMIERE
Juilliard Pre-College String Ensemble
Shih-Hung Young, conductor
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, West 65th Street
FREE—no tickets required
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 7:30PM
Monday, April 30, 2012 at 7:30PM
My Last Duchess :: WORLD PREMIERE
Marie-Therese Mattingly, soprano
Maeve Hoglund, soprano
Nils Neubert, tenor
Mark Walters, baritone
Victoria Bond, conductor
Tom Dulack, director
One-act chamber opera based on poetry of Robert Browning—a drama of adultery and murder set in Renaissance Ferrara, to music based on Renaissance madrigals. Double bill with Robert Sirota’s opera The Clever Mistress, based on a story of Boccaccio.
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York City
Tickets and info: http://www.WelltoneNewMusic.org
(See video discussions of the works on the Welltone New Music website!)
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Claws! Bagatelle for Violin and Piano
Janey Choi, violin
Stephen Zank, piano
Musica Nova at Binghamton University
More Info
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 8:00PM
Scenes from American Journal
The Lark Quarte+ with Stephen Salters, baritone
A new compact version of the 38-minute American Journal, based on poetry of Robert Hayden. An extraterrestrial asks, "What is an American?"
Market Square Concerts
Market Square Church
20 South 2nd Street
Harrisburg, PA
Tickets and Info: (717) 221-9599
Email: info@marketsquareconcerts.org
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Violin Concerto (Katrina) :: RECORDING SESSIONS
Ittai Shapira, violin
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Neil Thomson, conductor
To be released on Champs Hill Records later in 2012.
Thursday, October 20 at 8:00 PM
Friday, October 21 at 8:00 PM
Violin Concerto (Katrina) :: WORLD PREMIERE
Ittai Shapira, violin
With the Knoxville Symphony, Lucas Richman, conductor
Reflecting on Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the music of the Delta, five years on.
http://www.knoxvillesymphony.com
Sunday, June 19 at 3:00 PM
Sirens' Song
Christina Ascher, contralto
Kaoru Hinata, flute/alto flute
Based on The Odyssey, two gorgeous voices alluringly entwined.
Also featuring music of Alice Shields, Helmut Lachenmann, and Brian Schober.
Tenri Cultural Institute of New York
43A West 13th Street, NYC
Box Office: (212) 242-5737
Admission: $20 / $10 for seniors & students (tickets only sold at the door)
Monday, May 23 at 7:00 PM
Hustle
The New York Clarinet Quartet
The first performance of a new arrangement of the Saxophone Quartet's second movement.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
3 West 65th Street, NYC
(212) 877-6815
February 26, 2010
"The Open Door" from Three Mystical Choruses
The Georgia All-State Intermediate Mixed Chorus
Francisco Nunez, conductor
A setting of Rumi, published by G. Schirmer Inc.
Watch the performance on YouTube
October 24, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Speravi for string orchestra
Christopher Russell, conductor
Orange County High School of the Arts Symphony
Santa Ana, CA
October 22, 2010 at 8:00 PM
(Pre-concert talk at 7:00 PM)
Scenes from American Journal :: WORLD PREMIERE
The Lark Quarte+ with Stephen Salters, baritone
A new compact version of the 38-minute American Journal, based on poetry of Robert Hayden.
Chamber Music at Monterey Bay: "Folk Fusion: From America to the Middle East"
Featuring music by Peraaskero, Ruehr, Sollima, Dvorak, Wiprud, Velez and Gershwin
Box Office: (831) 625-2212
March 12, 2010 at 8:00pm
Pacita's Lunch
A fantasy for piano featuring Jeanne Golan
"Here's to the Ladies Who..."—Solo piano pieces written about, by, and for women. Includes premieres of pieces composed for the pianist (who recently recorded this piece).
The Stone
Avenue C at 2nd Street, New York City
February 12, 2010 at 7:30pm
February 13, 2010 at 7:30pm
My Last Duchess
Chamber Opera in One Act
The Phoenix Quartet
Tom Dulack, Librettist
Based on the Poetry of Robert Browning
Admission Free, By Invitation Only
January 31, 2010 at 7:00pm
Claws! :: WORLD PREMIERE
Bagatelle for violin and piano
Janey Choi, violin
Theodore Wiprud, piano!
Composers Play Composers Marathon
Presented by Composers Concordance
Drom
85 Avenue A (Between 5th and 6th Streets), New York City
Box Office: (212) 777-1157
June 5, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Piano Dreams
Beth Levin, piano
Yamaha Salon
689 Fifth Avenue @ 54th Street, New York City
For tickets and information, call (212) 339-9995
April 19, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Brooklyn Variations for piano quartet
Chamber Players International
Kosciuszko Foundation
15 East 65th Street, New York City
For tickets ($20) and information, call (877) 844-4488
April 15, 2009 at 7:30 PM
Hosannas of the Second Heaven
USC Concert Orchestra
Michael Powers, conductor
Thornton School of Music
University Park Campus
Bovard Auditorium
Los Angeles, CA
Free Admission
February 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Anima
iktus percussion quartet
Recital Hall at SUNY Purchase College
735 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, New York
July 25, 2008
Pysanky: Three Scenes for Children with Brass :: WORLD PREMIERE
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival
Children’s Museum of the East End
Bridgehampton, New York
May 2, 2008
Three Mystical Choruses
New York University Singers
Francisco Nunez, conductor
The Frederick Loewe Theatre
35 West 4th Street, New York City
April 28, 2008 at 8:00 PM
American Journal, on poetry of Robert Hayden
Cutting Edge Concerts
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York City
March 27, 2008–Sioux Falls, SD
March 28, 2008–Watertown, SD
Grail for string orchestra
South Dakota Symphony Chamber Orchestra Tour
Delta David Gier, conductor
Other highlights include my first string quartet, Refining Fire, truly my breakthrough work back in 1989, played by the wonderful young Voxare Quartet, and the very next day, the very different Sirens’ Song in the very same space, St. Peter's Church.
And big news for the fall . . . the Reading Symphony Orchestra will open their season with my Hosannas of the Second Heaven, a vision from Dante’s Paradiso. I had formative musical experiences at the RSO as a child, so this is a very meaningful homecoming of sorts.
Lots more cooking! Please see the listings below, come to what you can, and remember that the CD of my Violin Concerto (Katrina) makes a thoughtful gift at any time!
—Ted
Buy the Album at Amazon »"Pictorially vivid . . . Ittai Shapira's playing is electrifying."
—The Times of London
"With each listen, I find myself noticing, deep within the music, remnants of strong traditions being eroded away not only by the winds of a storm, but also by the winds of time. In true concerto form and style, he imposes technical demands on both the soloist and the orchestra, while at the same time creating an expressive piece of music that evokes distant and profound memories. Captivating!"
—Classical Music Sentinel
"The orchestration is particularly impressive . . . prevents the storm from overwhelming the entire work, which is essential for its ultimate message of hope and redemption."
—Classical CD Review
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 2:00 PM
Three Soprano Songs on Life, Death, and Nature :: WORLD PREMIERE
Allegra Wiprud, sproano
Poetry by Whitman, Millay, and Dickinson
McAlpin Rehearsal Room, Woolworth Hall
Princeton University, NJ
FREE
Featured on our daughter's Junior Recital, along with songs by Massenet, Schubert, Hahn, Faure, Durante, Pergolesi, and Scarlatti.
Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Poor Richard's Glees for a capella chamber chorus
Franklin & Marshall Chamber Singers
William Wright, conductor
Ann & Richard Barshinger Center for Musical Arts
Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
Featuring the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra in John Rutter's Requiem
MORE INFO HERE
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 7:30 PM
String Quartet No. 1: Refining Fire
Voxare String Quartet
St. Peter's Church, Lexington Ave. at E. 54th Street, NYC
Fourth Annual Social Networking Concert :: MORE INFO HERE
Based on a scene in Dante's Purgatorio, this was a breakthrough work for me, composed during my year's sojourn in Cambridge, UK. The Voxare Quartet are a tremendously exciting young group, and this concert continues a tradition created by composer Douglas Townsend, who, sadly, died last summer.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 8:00 PM
Siren's Song
Christina Ascher, contralto
Kaoru Hinata, flute/alto flute
St. Peter's Church, Lexington Ave. at E. 54th Street, NYC
The astonishing Christina Ascher reprises the piece I composed for her a couple of years ago, inspired by the infamous Sirens of the Odyssey of Homer, luring sailors to their deaths with their irresistible song.
Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 8:00 PM
Hosannas of the Second Heaven
Reading Symphony Orchestra :: Andrew Constantine, Music Director
Sovereign Performing Arts Center, Reading, PA
My orchestral picture of Dante's Paradiso opens the season of the Reading Symphony—one of the first orchestras I ever heard, inspiring my life in music.
RECENT PERFORMANCES
Saturday, March 16, 2013 at Time TBA
Speravi for String Orchestra
Winter Festival Orchestra
David Barg, conductor
Omaha Conservatory of Music
My short work for student string orchestra receives another performance led by the man who commissioned it. I'm always inspired by the response from kids playing this piece, which speaks of hope amid turmoil.
Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Poor Richard's Glees for a capella chamber chorus :: WORLD PREMIERE
Franklin & Marshall Chamber Singers
William Wright, conductor
Ann & Richard Barshinger Center for Musical Arts
Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
FREE EVENT—MORE INFO »
The premiere of a light-hearted pile-up of Benjamin Franklin's aphorisms, prose, and poetry, commissioned by Franklin & Marshall College.
Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Speravi :: NEW YORK PREMIERE
Juilliard Pre-College String Ensemble
Shih-Hung Young, conductor
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, West 65th Street
FREE—no tickets required
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 7:30PM
Monday, April 30, 2012 at 7:30PM
My Last Duchess :: WORLD PREMIERE
Marie-Therese Mattingly, soprano
Maeve Hoglund, soprano
Nils Neubert, tenor
Mark Walters, baritone
Victoria Bond, conductor
Tom Dulack, director
One-act chamber opera based on poetry of Robert Browning—a drama of adultery and murder set in Renaissance Ferrara, to music based on Renaissance madrigals. Double bill with Robert Sirota’s opera The Clever Mistress, based on a story of Boccaccio.
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York City
Tickets and info: http://www.WelltoneNewMusic.org
(See video discussions of the works on the Welltone New Music website!)
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Claws! Bagatelle for Violin and Piano
Janey Choi, violin
Stephen Zank, piano
Musica Nova at Binghamton University
More Info
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 8:00PM
Scenes from American Journal
The Lark Quarte+ with Stephen Salters, baritone
A new compact version of the 38-minute American Journal, based on poetry of Robert Hayden. An extraterrestrial asks, "What is an American?"
Market Square Concerts
Market Square Church
20 South 2nd Street
Harrisburg, PA
Tickets and Info: (717) 221-9599
Email: info@marketsquareconcerts.org
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Violin Concerto (Katrina) :: RECORDING SESSIONS
Ittai Shapira, violin
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Neil Thomson, conductor
To be released on Champs Hill Records later in 2012.
Thursday, October 20 at 8:00 PM
Friday, October 21 at 8:00 PM
Violin Concerto (Katrina) :: WORLD PREMIERE
Ittai Shapira, violin
With the Knoxville Symphony, Lucas Richman, conductor
Reflecting on Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the music of the Delta, five years on.
http://www.knoxvillesymphony.com
Sunday, June 19 at 3:00 PM
Sirens' Song
Christina Ascher, contralto
Kaoru Hinata, flute/alto flute
Based on The Odyssey, two gorgeous voices alluringly entwined.
Also featuring music of Alice Shields, Helmut Lachenmann, and Brian Schober.
Tenri Cultural Institute of New York
43A West 13th Street, NYC
Box Office: (212) 242-5737
Admission: $20 / $10 for seniors & students (tickets only sold at the door)
Monday, May 23 at 7:00 PM
Hustle
The New York Clarinet Quartet
The first performance of a new arrangement of the Saxophone Quartet's second movement.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
3 West 65th Street, NYC
(212) 877-6815
February 26, 2010
"The Open Door" from Three Mystical Choruses
The Georgia All-State Intermediate Mixed Chorus
Francisco Nunez, conductor
A setting of Rumi, published by G. Schirmer Inc.
Watch the performance on YouTube
October 24, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Speravi for string orchestra
Christopher Russell, conductor
Orange County High School of the Arts Symphony
Santa Ana, CA
October 22, 2010 at 8:00 PM
(Pre-concert talk at 7:00 PM)
Scenes from American Journal :: WORLD PREMIERE
The Lark Quarte+ with Stephen Salters, baritone
A new compact version of the 38-minute American Journal, based on poetry of Robert Hayden.
Chamber Music at Monterey Bay: "Folk Fusion: From America to the Middle East"
Featuring music by Peraaskero, Ruehr, Sollima, Dvorak, Wiprud, Velez and Gershwin
Box Office: (831) 625-2212
March 12, 2010 at 8:00pm
Pacita's Lunch
A fantasy for piano featuring Jeanne Golan
"Here's to the Ladies Who..."—Solo piano pieces written about, by, and for women. Includes premieres of pieces composed for the pianist (who recently recorded this piece).
The Stone
Avenue C at 2nd Street, New York City
February 12, 2010 at 7:30pm
February 13, 2010 at 7:30pm
My Last Duchess
Chamber Opera in One Act
The Phoenix Quartet
Tom Dulack, Librettist
Based on the Poetry of Robert Browning
Admission Free, By Invitation Only
January 31, 2010 at 7:00pm
Claws! :: WORLD PREMIERE
Bagatelle for violin and piano
Janey Choi, violin
Theodore Wiprud, piano!
Composers Play Composers Marathon
Presented by Composers Concordance
Drom
85 Avenue A (Between 5th and 6th Streets), New York City
Box Office: (212) 777-1157
June 5, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Piano Dreams
Beth Levin, piano
Yamaha Salon
689 Fifth Avenue @ 54th Street, New York City
For tickets and information, call (212) 339-9995
April 19, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Brooklyn Variations for piano quartet
Chamber Players International
Kosciuszko Foundation
15 East 65th Street, New York City
For tickets ($20) and information, call (877) 844-4488
April 15, 2009 at 7:30 PM
Hosannas of the Second Heaven
USC Concert Orchestra
Michael Powers, conductor
Thornton School of Music
University Park Campus
Bovard Auditorium
Los Angeles, CA
Free Admission
February 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Anima
iktus percussion quartet
Recital Hall at SUNY Purchase College
735 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, New York
July 25, 2008
Pysanky: Three Scenes for Children with Brass :: WORLD PREMIERE
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival
Children’s Museum of the East End
Bridgehampton, New York
May 2, 2008
Three Mystical Choruses
New York University Singers
Francisco Nunez, conductor
The Frederick Loewe Theatre
35 West 4th Street, New York City
April 28, 2008 at 8:00 PM
American Journal, on poetry of Robert Hayden
Cutting Edge Concerts
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York City
March 27, 2008–Sioux Falls, SD
March 28, 2008–Watertown, SD
Grail for string orchestra
South Dakota Symphony Chamber Orchestra Tour
Delta David Gier, conductor
