Internationally acclaimed composer Eric Nathan will deliver a talk, “Multitude, Solitude: On My Recent Music,” at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 3, in Cummings Arts Center 224. He will also participate in an open rehearsal of his most recent composition, “Sky’s Edge,” with the Connecticut College Orchestra at 7 p.m. that evening in Evans Hall. The events are free and open to the public. A light dinner will be served during the lecture.
The title of Nathan’s talk refers to the September 2015 debut CD of his solo and chamber music, “Multitude, Solitude: Eric Nathan,” released by Albany Records and produced by Grammy-winning producer Judith Sherman, featuring the Momenta Quartet, trombonist Joseph Alessi, violist Samuel Rhodes, oboist Peggy Pearson, pianist Mei Rui, and trumpeter Hugo Moreno.
Mark Seto, the conductor of the Connecticut College Orchestra who organized Nathan’s lecture and rehearsal appearance, calls Nathan’s music “riveting, compelling.”
“This will be an invaluable opportunity for our students to get an insider’s perspective on a composer's music, and engage with the composer during the rehearsal process,” said Seto. The impetus for the visit, explains Seto, is that his orchestra will perform “Sky’s Edge” at its Dec. 10 concert in Evans Hall. Describing the thematic link between “Sky’s Edge” and the December concert, whose music is inspired by specific places, Seto remarks, “‘Sky's Edge’ evokes the bustling energy of New York City; the program will open with Alexander Borodin's ‘In the Steppes of Central Asia;’ and we'll conclude with Antonín Dvorák's ‘New World Symphony,’ written during that composer's time in Manhattan.”
The event is sponsored by the Connecticut College Department of Music. For more information, call 860-439-2770.
About composer Eric Nathan
Eric Nathan, a 2013 Rome Prize Fellow and 2014 Guggenheim Fellow, has garnered acclaim internationally through performances at the New York Philharmonic’s 2014 Biennial, Carnegie Hall, Aldeburgh Music Festival, Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Aspen Music Festival, MATA Festival, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Ravinia Festival Steans Institute, Yellow Barn, 2012 and 2013 World Music Days, Domaine Forget and Louvre Museum. His music has additionally been featured by the Berlin Philharmonic’s Scharoun Ensemble, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, American Composers Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, JACK Quartet and performers including sopranos Dawn Upshaw, Lucy Shelton, Tony Arnold, trombonist Joseph Alessi, pianist Gloria Cheng, and violists Samuel Rhodes and Roger Tapping.
Recent projects include commissions from the New York Philharmonic for its CONTACT! series, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center, a trio for sopranos Dawn Upshaw, Lucy Shelton and Tony Arnold to premiere at a season opening concert at Merkin Hall, and violinist Jennifer Koh for a new solo work to premiere in 2015-16. Nathan has additionally been honored with awards including ASCAP’s Rudolf Nissim Prize, four ASCAP Morton Gould Awards, BMI’s William Schuman Prize, Aspen Music Festival’s Jacob Druckman Prize, a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and Leonard Bernstein Fellowship from the Tanglewood Music Center.
Nathan served as Composer-in-Residence at the 2013 Chelsea Music Festival (New York) and 2013 Chamber Music Campania (Italy). He was Visiting Assistant Professor at Williams College in 2014-15 and is currently Assistant Professor of Music in Composition-Theory at the Brown University Department of Music.