The Classical Recording Foundation
SIXTEENTH ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
MONDAY, NOVEMER 13, 2017 NATIONAL SAWDUST IN WILLIAMSBURG NEW YORK CITY
The Classical Recording Foundation SIXTEENTH ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
National Sawdust Brooklyn, New York Monday, November 13, 2017, 7:30 PM
2017 FOUNDATION AWARDS
2017 Composer of the Year Award Gregg Kallor
2017 Young Artist Award Emily Levin
2017 Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artist Award David Bowlin and Thomas Sauer
2017 Foundation Award Lara Downes
Mission Statement To provide great performing artists and composers with an opportunity to record, release, and promote new classical recordings in a manner that captures ideal performances that define our era, by providing established artists with awards and new artists with grants.
Please visit our website for Foundation news and events: www.ClassicalRecordingFoundation.org
CONCERT AND PRESENTATION OF 2017 AWARD WINNERS
Opening Remarks Elegy for Violin and Piano ...... Peter Lieberson (1990) Adam Abeshouse, President of The Classical Recording Foundation David Bowlin, violin and Thomas Sauer, piano
Presentation of the Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artist Award to David Bowlin and Thomas Sauer Undercurrent (3 movements) ...... Gregg Kallor Katherine Lieberson, eldest daughter of the composer
Joshua Roman, cello and Gregg Kallor, piano
Presentation of the Composer of the Year Award to Selections from The Bernstein Project ...... Various Gregg Kallor Joshua Roman, cellist Leonard Bernstein: Greeting Leonard Bernstein: Anniversaries for Lukas Foss Lukas Foss: For Lenny, Variation on New York, New York John Corigliano: Anniversary for Lenny Sonatine, Op 30 ...... Marcel Tournier Michael Abels: Iconoclasm/for Lenny I. Allegrement Leonard Bernstein: Some Other Time (arr. Jed Distler) II. Calme et expressif III. Fièvreusement Lara Downes, piano
Emily Levin, harp Presentation of the Foundation Award to Lara Downes Presentation of the Young Artist of the Year Award to Alexander Bernstein, second child of Leonard Bernstein, President of Artful Emily Levin Learning, Inc., and founding chairman of The Leonard Bernstein Nancy Allen, Principal Harp, New York Philharmonic Center For Learning
— INTERMISSION — Closing Remarks Adam Abeshouse
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CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION AWARD WINNERS 2017
GREGG KALLOR THE COMPOSER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Gregg Kallor is a composer and The Composer of the Year Award to Gregg Kallor went to underwrite pianist whose music fuses the the recording Undercurrent, a collection of pieces performed by Gregg traditions he loves into a new, deeply Kallor, piano; Joshua Roman, cello; and Miranda Cuckson, violin. personal musical language. Last season, Kallor unveiled his acclaimed setting of Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, presented by The Crypt Sessions and On Site Opera. The New PERFORMING WITH MR. KALLOR York Observer wrote: “I can’t think of a better opera to become a new Joshua Roman has earned an international reputation for his wide-ranging Halloween tradition.” repertoire, a commitment to communicating the essence of music in Kallor recently collaborated with visionary ways, artistic leadership and versatility. As well as being a the Attacca Quartet for the premiere celebrated performer, he is the of his new piano quintet, Some Not Artistic Director of Seattle Town Too Distant Tomorrow, Hall’s TownMusic series, and a commissioned by The Classical TED Senior Fellow. Recording Foundation and funded by During the 17-18 season, a gift from Linda and Stuart Nelson. Roman will make his Detroit In June, Kallor’s new work for string orchestra, Mouthful of Forevers, Symphony Orchestra debut, and commissioned by Town Hall Seattle, was premiered by the Seattle Youth perform his own cello Concerto, Symphony Orchestra conducted by Joshua Roman. GreggKallor.com Awakening, with the Princeton Symphony in collaboration with conductor Teddy Abrams. Other season highlights include performances of his string quintet, Tornado, with the JACK Quartet at San Francisco Performances, Town Hall Seattle, Interlochen and numerous presenters throughout the country. JoshuaRoman.com
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CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION AWARD WINNERS 2017
EMILY LEVIN THE YOUNG ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Emily Levin is the Principal The Young Artist of the Year Award went to underwrite Something Harpist with the Dallas Borrowed, Levin's debut album, which explores the art of musical Symphony Orchestra, and the borrowing through solo works inspired by literature, culture, and Bronze medal winner of the music. Included on the recording is Levin's transcription of the Bach 5th USA International Harp French Suite, the Tournier Sonatine, and the four-composer commission of Competition. The youngest Shel Silverstein character portraits. The album was released on IRIS records harpist of a major American in September 2017. orchestra, she has performed as a soloist throughout the United States and Europe, including at Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City. Levin is a winner of the 2016 Astral Artists auditions. Levin completed her Master of Music from The Juilliard School in 2015, where she studied with Nancy Allen. She received undergraduate degrees in both Music and History from Indiana University. Her honors history thesis discussed the impact of war songs on the French Revolution.
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CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION AWARD WINNERS 2017
DAVID BOWLIN AND THOMAS SAUER THE SAMUEL SANDERS COLLABORATIVE ARTIST AWARD
Pianist Thomas Sauer is sought after as soloist The Samuel Sanders Award to David Bowlin and Thomas Sauer went to and chamber musician in a wide range of underwrite the album Peter Lieberson: Elegies and Variations. This is the repertoire. Recent appearances include the Quad- definitive recording of pieces by Lieberson, including Elegy for Violin and City and Tallahassee Symphonies and the Lincoln Piano (1990), Variations for Violin and Piano (1993, dedicated to James Center and Philadelphia Chamber Music Kearny), Three Variations for Cello and Piano (1996), Piano Variations Societies. With his long-time duo partner Colin (1996), The Ocean that Has No West and No East (1997), and Carr, Mr. Sauer has appeared at the Wigmore Hall Remembering Schumann (2009). (London), the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Bargemusic, the Gardner Museum (Boston), and ABOUT THIS AWARD Da Camera (Houston). Mr. Sauer has performed at many of the The Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artist Award commemorates leading festivals in the United States and abroad, Samuel Sanders, a consummate chamber musician and beloved teacher. including Marlboro, Music@Menlo, Chamber Mr. Sanders was the recital partner of choice to many instrumentalists and Music Northwest, Taos, Lake District Summer singers including Itzhak Perlman, Mstislav Rostropovich, Robert White, and Music (England), Agassiz (Canada), Festival des Consonances (France), Paula Robison. and Esbjerg (Denmark). Mr. Sauer serves on the faculties of Mannes and Mr. Sanders had always preferred the term collaborator to Vassar Colleges. accompanist, and so embodied the essence of chamber music in all of his performances. He helped each artist find his or her voice, always achieving First prize winner of the 2003 Washington the right balance between leading and following, anticipation and support. International Competition, violinist David His range of tonal color was inspiring, without demanding the spotlight and Bowlin’s performances of a wide-ranging always in service to the music. The Foundation has established this award repertoire have won him significant critical in his honor and consequently it is reserved for chamber music of the acclaim. He has given dozens of premieres, highest caliber. including the world premiere at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall of Mahagoni, a violin concerto written for him by Austrian composer Alexandra Karastoyanova-Hermentin, and the 2016 world premiere of Marcos Balter’s Violin Concerto at Lincoln Center. Bowlin is a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, current member of the Oberlin Trio, and former member of the Naumburg Award-winning Da Capo Chamber Players. Currently he is on the violin faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
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CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION AWARD WINNERS 2017
LARA DOWNES THE FOUNDATION AWARD An iconoclastic pianist whose artistry has been called "luscious, The Foundation Award to Lara Downes went to underwrite a new recording moody and dreamy" by the The entitled For Lenny, a tribute to Leonard Bernstein for his 100th birthday. New York Times and "ravishing" The album includes his Anniversaries for Piano, new arrangements of his by Fanfare Magazine, Lara songs, and world premiere tributes by leading American composers such as Downes takes inspiration where she Stephen Sondheim, John Corigliano, Stephen Schwartz, Ned Rorem and finds it, going beyond labels to others The recording also features guest artists from across genres and make music that is timeless and generations: opera legend Thomas Hampson, Award-winning roots singer timely, starts conversations, and Rhiannon Giddens, Pentatonix beatboxing superstar Kevin “K.O.” Olusola, resonates with the world we live in. and Mexican/American clarinet prodigy Javier Morales-Martinez. The She engages audiences of all ages recording will be released by in February 2018 on the Sony Music label. with her charismatic presence, intellectual curiosity, and masterful command of her artistic voice. She is a
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ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
The Classical Recording Foundation (CRF) was formed to address the growing needs of classical musicians who have found it increasingly difficult to record their musical visions. It was founded by Adam Abeshouse, a Grammy-winning classical producer and engineer, whose passion in life is recording classical music of all periods and working with artists to achieve their ultimate performance on CD. From the outset, Mr. Abeshouse believed that the economic climate for most classical recording artists was bleak, and therefore many great projects that deserved to be preserved would not be recorded. Thus, it became the Foundation’s mission to support classical music recording philanthropically, following the same model as most live performance organizations. The Foundation wishes to thank you for attending its Annual Awards Ceremony as it honors not only this year’s award recipients, but also those who have helped to guide it and ensure its future success.
Foundation Catalogue Please visit our website for a complete history of all awards, a total of 59 recordings to-date. www.ClassicalRecordingFoundation.org
THE FOUNDATION BOARD Adam Abeshouse, President Robert W. Jones Dr. Julius H. Jacobson II, MD Neil Yelsey Dimitri Sogoloff
SPECIAL THANKS
Friends and Advisors Thanks to Christopher Beach Ed Court David Bury Silas Brown Mario Davidovksy Paul Cox Lawrence Dutton Dew Graphics Edward Houser Andy Ryder Christina Jensen David and Becky Starobin Susan Rose Scott Starrett Thomas Shepard Laura Emert, Whitmore Group
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