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World Premiere of Zaimont Concerto at Peabody, Oct. 7
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact Only: Richard Selden |
 Judith Lang Zaimont, composer |
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Peabody Wind Ensemble Known for Performing Works by Living Composers
September 29, 2009, Baltimore, MD: The world premiere of Concerto for Piano and Wind Orchestra, “Solar Traveller,” by Judith Lang Zaimont will be presented by the Peabody Wind Ensemble on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7:30 pm in Peabody’s Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall.
The ensemble’s conductor is Harlan D. Parker, who commissioned the work along with faculty members at the Eastman School of Music, Indiana State University, Louisiana State University, Shepherd University, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Southern Mississippi. The pianist will be Timothy Hoft, a DMA candidate studying at Peabody with Benjamin Pasternack.
“Ms. Zaimont’s sense of color and the way she utilized the piano as a solo instrument made for an amazing composition,” said Parker, now in his 20th year as conductor of the Peabody Wind Ensemble. “I’m sure this exceptional work will become a staple of our repertoire.” Under Parker’s direction, the ensemble has released several critically acclaimed recordings of works by living composers.
Zaimont, who taught music theory at Peabody in the 1980s and now lives in Arizona, has composed more than 100 works in all genres. Her music has been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Berlin and Czech Radio Symphonies, and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, among many others. A Guggenheim Foundation Fellow, 2003 Aaron Copland Award winner, and 2005 Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship recipient, Zaimont is also a distinguished educator and writer, serving as editor-in-chief of the book series The Musical Woman: An International Perspective. She will return to Baltimore for the Oct. 7 performance.
Inspired by the vastness, wonder, and beauty of sky and space, the “Solar Traveller” concerto is in three movements: Outward Bound, Nocturne (Lunar), and Ad astra per aspera. In her program notes, the composer writes of the second movement: “We encounter music as desolate and unfamiliar as a lunar landscape—largely expansive, as if in ‘stopped’ time.” The name of the third movement, Latin for “To the stars through difficulties,” is reflected in cross-rhythms, chromatic clashes, and a prominent role for the percussion section.
The concert will open with Early Light (1996), by Carolyn Bremer, conducted by Elijah Osterloh, a DMA candidate in wind conducting at Peabody and assistant director of athletic bands at the University of Maryland. Also on the program are Music for Prague 1968, by Czech-born composer Karel Husa, which makes use of a 15th-century Hussite war song; and Children’s March, “Over the Hills and Far Away” (1919) by the Australian-born Percy Aldridge Grainger.
The Peabody Institute, a division of The Johns Hopkins University and one of the world’s most highly regarded music schools, is located at 17 East Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore. Tickets for the Oct. 7 concert are $15, $10 for seniors, and $5 for students with I.D. To purchase tickets and eight-concert subscriptions, call the Peabody Box Office at 410-234-4800. Complete program information, and Audio Program Notes, may be found at www.peabody.jhu.edu/events.
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Judith Lang Zaimont, composer Photo: Gary Zaimont
Timothy Hoft, piano Photo: Will Kirk
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About the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University
Located in the heart of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon Cultural District, the Peabody Institute was founded in 1857 as America’s first academy of music by philanthropist George Peabody. Today, Peabody boasts a preeminent faculty, a nurturing, collaborative learning environment, and the academic resources of one of the nation’s leading universities, Johns Hopkins. Through its degree-granting Conservatory and its community-based Preparatory music and dance school, Peabody trains musicians and dancers of every age and at every level, from small children to seasoned professionals, from dedicated amateurs to winners of international competitions. Each year, Peabody stages nearly 100 major concerts and performances, ranging from classical to contemporary to jazz, many of them free — a testament to the vision of George Peabody.
