Monday Evening, December 3, 2018, at 7:30

The Juilliard School presents Juilliard Percussion Ensemble Daniel Druckman , Music Director Michelle Geffner , Soprano

Princeton’s Presence

JURI SEO (b. 1981) Four for (2009) OMAR EL-ABIDIN SIMON HERRON EUIJIN JUNG YOON JUN KIM

STEVEN MACKEY (b. 1956) Madrigal (2014) DANIEL DRUCKMAN, Conductor MICHELLE GEFFNER, Soprano BENJAMIN CORNAVACA TOBY GRACE SIMON HERRON YOON JUN KIM

DONNACHA DENNEHY (b. 1970) Surface Tension (2015) JOSEPH BRICKER TYLER CUNNINGHAM STELLA PERLIC YIBING WANG

Intermission

The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment are not permitted in this auditorium.

Information regarding gifts to the school may be obtained from the Juilliard School Development Office, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-6588; (212) 799-5000, ext. 278 (juilliard.edu/giving).

Alice Tully Hall Please make certain that all electronic devices are turned off during the performance. OSCAR BETTISON (b. 1975) Four for Dresden (2012) JACOB BORDEN BENJAMIN CORNAVACA TOBY GRACE HARRISON HONOR

CAROLINE SHAW (b. 1982) taxidermy (2012) SIMON HERRON YOON JUN KIM MIZUKI MORIMOTO LEO SIMON

ANDY AKIHO (b. 1979) Pillar IV (2014) OMAR EL-ABIDIN EUIJIN JUNG MIZUKI MORIMOTO LEO SIMON

Performance time: approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, including an intermission Princeton’s Presence music department since 2014, during which time they have collaborated closely by Matthew Mendez with staff and student composers alike.

Though not the first institution of higher Four for Flexatones learning in the United States to offer a JURI SEO Ph.D. for composers, Princeton University Born in 1981 in South Korea was by far the most prestigious one to Currently residing in Princeton, New Jersey begin doing so, starting in 1965, when its department of music issued its earliest One of the quirkier implements available to such degree. It was a natural development the contemporary percussionist, the flexa - given Princeton’s postwar track record, tone is a modest handheld device consist - when it helped lead the way, among non- ing of a narrow steel sheet, to which is fas - conservatories, in raising the intellectual, tened a pair of metal tongues and small scholarly, and professional status of the wooden (alternatively, rubber) knobs. compositional field—a development largely Typically, the player agitates the apparatus attributable to the charismatic presence of using the wrist, producing a continuous composer and music theorist Milton Babbitt oscillation whose pitch can be varied—a (subsequently a longtime Juilliard faculty “spooky,” -like sonority often member), who effectively set the agenda employed as a comedic sound-effect. for creative musical practice at the school What the is clearly not, then, is for decades. Nor, for all the changes in an obvious candidate for extended solois - style and fashion to have come and gone tic treatment—a challenge Juri Seo’s piece during the more than half-century since for a full quartet of them nevertheless that first Ph.D. was granted, has Princeton embraces with relish. A quasi-theatrical ever relinquished its position as one of the offering—at one point, the performers acti - leading incubators of compositional talent vate the instruments with bass bows, hav - in this country, so that Steven Mackey, ing been instructed to wear the bows “on who started teaching at the university in their backs and take them out together as 1985, could proudly sum it up a few years samurais draw their swords” (samurai cos - ago: “We have kept the tradition alive of tumes optional)— Four for Flexatones also being on the leading edge and going out on has them using mallets and a variety of a limb with the vanguard of what’s going shaking methods in order to unearth an on in music.” incredible range of sounds from this hum - ble, often-maligned instrument. In addition to the work of three active Princeton faculty—in order of seniority, Madrigal Mackey, Donnacha Dennehy, and Juri STEVEN MACKEY Seo—this evening’s program features Born February 14, 1956, in Frankfurt, scores by current and recent doctoral stu - Germany dents that offer a glimpse into the venture - Currently residing in Princeton, New some, ecumenical spirit of the university’s Jersey music-making. It is not entirely by chance that so much vivid percussion music has For listeners familiar with the traditional been emerging from Princeton of late: the textbook definition of the “madrigal”—as members of S o- Percussion, one of the referring to a “serious,” sometimes com - nation’s foremost percussion ensembles, plex late Renaissance secular polyphonic have been performers-in-residence in the vocal form—Steven Mackey’s use of the term for a percussion-heavy piece may , , , and , come as a mild surprise, even if the piece its real “engine” is the set of 18 tom-toms in question is also a vehicle for a female distributed spatially among the percussion - vocalist, as is the case here. However, a ists, who manipulate their pitch by insert - quick consultation of the etymological his - ing plastic tubing into an aperture on the tory of “madrigal” suffices to bring out the side of each . The players blow into logic of Mackey’s choice: the word has the tubing to change the air pressure Latin roots connotative of a “simple,” inside the drums, adjusting the pitch with - “direct,” straightforward song. Similarly, out using their hands. Mackey wrote Madrigal in singer-song - writer fashion, composing both words and Four Drums for Dresden music, something that allowed him to OSCAR BETTISON fashion a particularly tight link between Born September 19, 1975, in Jersey, the vocal line and the percussionists’ United Kingdom activity. Indeed, Madrigal is a kind of Currently residing in Princeton, New Jersey “study” (Mackey’s own label) of the kalei - doscope of ways an extensive percussion Contrasted with Dennehy and his piece, battery can be deployed to inflect the British-born but longtime U.S. resident voice; among others, there are appear - Oscar Bettison wholeheartedly embraces ances from , a rain stick, and a time-honored rhythmic paradigms in his melodica, a blown Four Drums for Dresden , so named related to the harmonica . because it was commissioned for a music festival in that city. Bettison has long been Surface Tension attracted to music’s capacity for beauty DONNACHA DENNEHY in imperfection, especially in the rhythmic Born August 17, 1970, in Dublin, Ireland realm. He often speaks in terms of Currently residing in Princeton, New Jersey machinic metaphors and their correspond - ing “glitches”: For all that drums tend to be associated with the virtues of rhythm and pulse, many A machine is a perfect thing, whatever it parts of the world are home to variations of is. But, as machines age and they get a the instrument that give special promi - bit of dirt in them, they get a bit wonky. nence to its ability to produce variable But as they do, they almost get a little bit pitches. Such is the case with West more human. I always come back to this African “talking drums,” and it is also true idea … if I make a machine and break it of the bodhrán, a small frame drum preva - a little bit, it’s almost like Pinocchio want - lent in Irish folk music; it is played with a ing to be a real boy. The machine is trying small wooden “tipper” in the right hand, to become human. while the left hand slides up and down the drumhead, modifying the tension and However, Four Drums actually inverts this hence the pitch. A kind of stab at modeling “Pinocchio” dynamic, tasking live perform - the “sonic ideal” of the bodhrán on a grand ers with simulating the highly intricate syn - scale, Donnacha Dennehy’s Surface Tension thesized loops characteristic of much elec - was his attempt to let “drums ‘sing’ in tronic dance music. With its four drum kits, their own way,” as he has characterized the piece aspires to construct a kind of it. While the piece also calls for bongos, flesh-and-blood , and proves illustrative, observes Bettison, of “the Pillar IV irony that by adding more humans one can ANDY AKIHO get closer to what a machine can do.” Born February 2, 1979, in Columbia, South Carolina taxidermy Currently residing in New York City CAROLINE SHAW Born in 1982 in Greenville, North Carolina One of the special challenges of writing for Currently residing in New York City percussion lies in accounting for its “chore - ographies of the possible”: for example, a The recipient of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize, sequence of sounds that may strike the awarded while she was still enrolled at composer as perfectly straightforward on Princeton, Juilliard Creative Associate paper, if distributed across a sufficient Caroline Shaw is a multitalented com - num ber of instruments, each of which can poser, singer, and violinist perhaps best require a wildly different playing technique, known to the public for a series of collabo - can be impossible to perform in person, rations with rapper-producer Kanye West. especially given physical and logistical con - Her taxidermy , written for a S o- Percussion straints. In this respect, having a background visit to Princeton in 2012, shares much in as a percussionist can be a distinct advan - com mon with Partita for 8 Voices , Shaw’s tage, a principle eloquently illustrated in the Pulitzer winner, including her trademark work of Andy Akiho, a Caribbean balance of whimsy and seriousness of specialist with a rare gift for reimagining the purpose, and her dogged commitment to sonorities of all manner of “phones” and imbuing familiar sounds with the fresh - “spiels.” In Akiho’s virtuosic, propulsive ness of a new encounter. Though it does Pillar IV , numerous techniques are availed to employ traditional mallet percussion, taxi - defamiliarize a relatively conventional per - dermy largely places the spotlight on the cussion set-up: drums struck on their shells; unexpected musical possibilities of flower - scraped vibraphone tubes; and the bars of pots, a S o- Percussion specialty. Toward keyboard percussion played not only on the the end of the piece, the performers unex - “wrong” side, but with sticks rather than the pectedly recite words from T.S. Eliot’s usual mallets. In so doing, Akiho introduces Four Quartets —“The detail of the pattern something of the vigor and aplomb of is movement”—a favorite Shaw line with - “trashcan percussion,” as is often encoun - out “hidden” significance in this context, tered in New York’s subways, into the rather but which is merely intended, she indi - different environs of the concert hall. cates, to in the air as a resonant, fan - ciful incantation. Matthew Mendez is a New Haven–based critic and musicologist with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century repertoire. He is a graduate of Harvard University and is cur - rently a Ph.D. student at Yale. He was the recipient of a 2016 ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for outstanding music journalism. Meet the Artists 1980. Additional studies were undertaken at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood.

Daniel Druckman Michelle Geffner Percussionist Daniel Druckman is active as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, Hailing from New York and Hong Kong, and recording artist. He has appeared in Michelle Geffner is a fourth-year under - concert throughout the U.S., Europe, and graduate Vocal Arts student at Juilliard Japan; in recital in New York, Los Angeles, studying with Sanford Sylvan. She has per - San Francisco, and Tokyo; and as a soloist formed such roles as the Countess in Le with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, American nozze di Figaro , Pamina in Die Zauberflöte , Composer’s Orchestra, the New York and Diana in Orpheus in the Underworld . In Philharmonic’s Horizons concerts, and the past seasons she has sung in scenes as San Francisco Symphony’s New and Unusual Despina in Così fan tutte , Nannetta in Music series. He has been a member of Falstaff , and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro the New York Philharmonic since 1991, while attending the Italian immersion pro - serving as associate principal percussion - gram, La Lingua della Lirica, in Novafeltria, ist, and has made numerous guest appear - Italy. Geffner is honored to perform new ances with the Chamber Music Society of works and is passionate about expanding Lincoln Center, Da Capo Chamber Players, the horizons of . American Brass Quintet, Orpheus, Steve Anna Schoen-René Fund of New York Reich and Musicians, and the Group for Community Trust, Dr. and Mrs. Gottfried Contemporary Music. Druckman has also Karl Duschak Scholarship participated in chamber music festivals in Santa Fe, Ravinia, Saratoga, Caramoor, Juilliard Percussion Ensemble Bridgehampton, Tanglewood, and Aspen. The Juilliard Percussion Ensemble was An integral part of New York’s new music founded in the late 1960s by Saul Goodman community, both as soloist and as a mem - and has since been led by Roland Kohloff ber of the New York New Music Ensemble, and its current music director Daniel he has premiered works by , Druckman. The ensemble appears annually Elliott Carter, Jacob Druckman, Aaron Jay at Alice Tully Hall, where in recent seasons Kernis, Oliver Knussen, Poul Ruders, Milton it has performed percussion music from Babbitt, Ralph Shapey, and Charles Wuorinen , China; explored works by Gerard Grisley, among many others. He has also collabo - Beat Furrer, and Rolf Wallin; celebrated the rated with Gilbert Kalish and Wu Han at the 85th birthday of George Crumb; surveyed Chamber Music Society, Leif Ove Andsnes the works of the founders of Bang on a at Zankel Hall, and Colin Currie at Carnegie Can: Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Hall. Druckman is chair of Juilliard’s per - Wolfe; and honored the 50th anniversary cus sion department and director of the of the influential percussion group, Les Percussion Ensemble. Born and raised in Percussions de Strasbourg, by performing New York City, he is the son of composer three seminal works from its extensive Jacob Druckman, and received his bache - repertoire. The ensemble has appeared in lor’s and master’s degrees at Juilliard in concert throughout the New York area, including guest appearances at the Danish performed Steve Reich’s with Wave festival at Merkin Hall, New Works/ Colin Currie and in 2016 joined forces with October series at Miller Theatre, Cutting Juilliard’s AXIOM ensemble for a celebra - Edge series at Greenwich House, and at tion of Reich’s 80th birthday, performing Carnegie Hall in several Perspectives per - Double , Mallet Quartet, City Life , formances curated by Maurizio Pollini and and Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, Leif Ove Andsnes. In 2014 the ensemble and Organ.

Juilliard Percussion Ensemble Daniel Druckman , Director Daniel Pate , Percussion Department Coordinator

Administration Adam Meyer, Director, Music Division, and Deputy Dean of the College Joe Soucy, Assistant Dean for Orchestral Studies

Joanna K. Trebelhorn, Director Lisa Dempsey Kane, Principal Adarsh Kumar, Orchestra of Orchestral and Ensemble Orchestra Librarian Personnel Manager Operations Michael McCoy, Orchestra Geoffrey Devereux, Orchestra Matthew Wolford, Operations Librarian Management Apprentice Manager Daniel Pate, Percussion Coordinator BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts Brian Zeger, Artistic Director Bruce Kovner, Chair Kirstin Ek, Director of Curriculum and Schedules J. Christopher Kojima, Vice Chair Monica Thakkar, Director of Performance Activities Katheryn C. Patterson, Vice Chair Julie Anne Choi Vincent A. Mai Lila Acheson Wallace Library and Doctoral Fellows Program Kent A. Clark Ellen Marcus Jane Gottlieb, Vice President for Library and Information Resources; Kenneth S. Davidson Nancy A. Marks Director of the C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellows Program Barbara G. Fleischman Stephanie Palmer McClelland Jeni Dahmus Farah, Director, Archives Keith R. Gollust Christina McInerney Alan Klein, Director of Library Technical Services Mary Graham Lester S. Morse Jr. Joan W. Harris Stephen A. Novick Preparatory Education Matt Jacobson Susan W. Rose Robert Ross, Assistant Dean for Preparatory Education Edward E. Johnson Jr. Jeffrey Seller Karen M. Levy Deborah Simon Pre-College Division Teresa E. Lindsay Sarah Billinghurst Solomon Yoheved Kaplinsky, Artistic Director Laura Linney William E. "Wes" Stricker, MD Ekaterina Lawson, Director of Admissions and Academic Affairs Michael Loeb Yael Taqqu Anna Royzman, Director of Performance Activities Greg Margolies Music Advancement Program Anthony McGill, Artistic Advisor TRUSTEES EMERITI Teresa McKinney, Director of Community Engagement

June Noble Larkin, Chair Emerita Evening Division Danielle La Senna, Director Mary Ellin Barrett Elizabeth McCormack Sidney R. Knafel Enrollment Management and Student Development Joseph W. Polisi, President Emeritus Joan D. Warren, Vice President Kathleen Tesar, Associate Dean for Enrollment Management Barrett Hipes, Associate Dean for Student Development JUILLIARD COUNCIL Sabrina Tanbara, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Cory Owen, Assistant Dean for International Advisement and Diversity Mitchell Nelson, Chair Initiatives Michelle Demus Auerbach Terry Morgenthaler William Buse, Director of Counseling Services Barbara Brandt Howard S. Paley Katherine Gertson, Registrar Brian J. Heidtke John G. Popp Tina Gonzalez, Director of Financial Aid Gordon D. Henderson Grace E. Richardson Camille Pajor, Title IX Coordinator Peter L. Kend Jeremy T. Smith Todd Porter, Director of Residence Life Younghee Kim-Wait Alexander I. Tachmes Howard Rosenberg MD, Medical Director Sophie Laffont Anita Volpe Beth Techow, Administrative Director of Health and Counseling Services Jean-Hugues Monier Holly Tedder, Director of Disability Services and Associate Registrar

Development EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Katie Murtha, Acting Director of Development AND SENIOR ADMINISTRATION Amanita Heird, Director of Special Events Lori Padua, Director of Planned Giving Damian Woetzel, President Ed Piniazek, Director of Development Operations Edward Sien, Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations Office of the President Rebecca Vaccarelli, Director of Alumni Relations Jacqueline Schmidt, Vice President and Chief of Staff Kathryn Kozlark, Special Projects Producer Public Affairs Alexandra Day, Vice President for Public Affairs Office of the Provost and Dean Maggie Berndt, Communications Director Ara Guzelimian, Provost and Dean Benedict Campbell, Website Director José García-León, Dean of Academic Affairs and Assessment Jessica Epps, Marketing Director Susan Jackson, Editorial Director Dance Division Alicia Graf Mack, Director Office of the COO and Corporate Secretary Taryn Kaschock Russell, Associate Director Lesley Rosenthal, Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary Katie Friis, Administrative Director Christine Todd, Vice President and CFO Joseph Mastrangelo, Vice President for Facilities Management Drama Division Kent McKay, Associate Vice President for Production Evan Yionoulis, Richard Rodgers Director Betsie Becker, Managing Director of K-12 Programs Richard Feldman, Associate Director Michael Kerstan, Controller Katherine Hood, Managing Director Irina Shteyn, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis Nicholas Mazzurco, Director of Student Accounts/Bursar Music Division Scott Adair Holden, Director of Office Services Adam Meyer, Director, Music Division, and Deputy Dean of the Nicholas Saunders, Director of Concert Operations College Tina Matin, Director of Merchandising Bärli Nugent, Assistant Dean, Director of Chamber Music Kevin Boutote, Director of Recording Joseph Soucy, Assistant Dean for Orchestral Studies Mario Igrec, Chief Technician Administration and Law Joanna K. Trebelhorn, Director of Orchestral and Ensemble Operations Maurice F. Edelson, Vice President for Administration and General Counsel Historical Performance Myung Kang-Huneke, Deputy General Counsel Robert Mealy, Director Carl Young, Chief Information Officer Benjamin D. Sosland, Administrative Director; Assistant Dean for Steve Doty, Chief Technology Officer the Kovner Fellowships Dmitriy Aminov, Director of IT Engineering Jeremy Pinquist, Director of Client Services, IT Jazz Caryn G. Doktor, Director of Human Resources Wynton Marsalis, Director of Juilliard Jazz Adam Gagan, Director of Security Aaron Flagg, Chair and Associate Director Helen Taynton, Director of Apprentice Program