NE\VSLETTER THE AMERICAN SOCIETY MARCH, 1972/VOL. 5, NO. 1 OF UNIVERSITY COMPOSERS 1972 CONFERENCE IN BALTIMORE computers. Time for questions and comments from the The Seventh Annual National Conference of the Soci­ members present has been planned. The panel includes ety opens April 7 at the Peabody Conservatory. Robert David Cohen (Arizona State), Charles Dodge (Colum­ Hall Lewis (Goucher College and Peabody) is Conference bia), Hubert S. Howe, Jr. (Queens College, CUNY), Don­ chairman, aided by Jean Eichelberger Ivey (Peabody) and ald Macinnis (University of Virginia), and Barry Vercoe John Clough (University of Michigan). As in previous (M.I.T.). Conferences-New York 1966, St. Louis 1967, Philadel­ When one includes additional activities like a visit to phia 1968, Santa Barbara 1969, Hanover, N.H. 1970, and the Peabody Electronic Music Studio, a business meet­ Houston 1971-three days of concerts, panels, meetings, ing, a reception on Saturday afternoon, and a program of and informal discussions are planned. informal playing of tapes and exchange of scores, it is Baltimore offers an attractive setting. An old port city, readily apparent that the Society's Seventh Conference its location near Chesapeake Bay guarantees those who will be a working session. (Members of the National attend the Conference a chance to sample fine seafood, Council and Executive Committee begin their work Fri­ quaint and historic views, and-just possibly-a hint of day morning with a pre-Conference meeting.) The tradi­ early Spring. The first scheduled meeting of the Confer­ tion of excellent attendance by the membership- usually ence is at two o'clock on Friday, but you may wish to ar­ fully a third shows up at each Conference-argues that rive early. Information about nearby hotels will be avail­ once again the vital process of professional fellowship able when you register at Peabody Friday morning or among composers will be in operation in Baltimore. afternoon. The three concerts to be offered by the Peabody Con­ HOWA RD H. WILLIAMS temporary Music Ensemble will feature music by Bonde, Westergaard, Moss, Ivey, Lewis, Melby, Nelson, Taylor, The Society regrets the death on February 9 of Howard Kraft, Gamer, Brown, Tower, Hodkinson, Perera, and H. Williams, Associate Professor of Music at the Univer­ Wilson. Conference participants will have ample oppor­ sity of New Hampshire. Howard Williams had been a tunities for conversation with most of the composers rep­ long-time member of the Society; many of us had heard resented. his works performed at Society sponsored concerts in Panel discussions are slated for three topics. One is "A Durham, N.H., Boston, and Houston. A memorial con­ Progress Report on the Index of New Musical Notation cert of his music will be given at the University this Project," chaired by Earle Brown, during which the views spring, and plans are being made to set up a collection of of the Society's members concerning specific notational his compositions in the University library. He studied issues will be solicited. Kurt Stone, Project Director, and with Seymour Shifrin at the University of California in Gerald Warfield will present the report. Members at­ Berkeley, where he received his M.A. He was buried in tending the Conference are encouraged to bring scores Auburn, California. that they think are of particular interest, especially un­ published scores. The New York Public Library will pur­ chase pertinent scores for the Notation Project, and these NEWS FROM THE REGIONS will become part of the Library's permanent collection. Region II held a meeting at the Graduate Center of the Stone and Warfield will be present during the Confer­ City University of New York on March 4 to discuss the ence to speak with individual members on notational is­ Contemporary Music Project with Leo Kraft as modera­ sues which may come up outside the panel discussion. tor and guest David Willoughby of CMP, author of the A second panel, chaired by Richmond Browne (Uni­ recently-issued Comprehensive Musicianship and Un­ versity of Michigan), has as its topic "The Role of the dergraduate Curricula. Composer as Theorist." Matters of theoretical import The Region plans a concert May 24 by the Cornell and the evolving profession of music theory will receive University Wind Ensemble, Marice Stith directing. The equal attention. Panelists include Peter Westergaard program of works by ASUC composers who are members (Princeton), Carlton Gamer (Colorado College), Law­ of the National Association for American Composers and rence Moss (University of Maryland), and guest theorist Conductors will begin at 8:00 p.m. in Town Hall. All se­ Alien Forte (Yale). lections played will be added to the Ensemble's record "Compositional Approaches to Computer Music" is series. the topic of the third panel, chaired by John Melby (Princeton). Panelists will offer examples of specific com­ Region V's new Chairman is Richard Hervig (Univer­ positional problems arising from their own work with sity of Iowa, Iowa City). Region VII gave a pair of concerts October 16-17 as Two Tributes for Solo Cello-to Stravinsky and Arthur part of a two-day meeting at the Colorado College, Colo­ Bliss-and Concertante No. 5 for piano and string quar­ rado Springs. Organized by Stephen Scott, the program tet have already come out, while in March his new began with remarks by National Chairman David Burge, Intrada for organ will be performed at the University of and included a colloquium on "New Approaches to Com­ Wales, Cardiff, followed in June by the premiere of position" with Scott, Carlton Gamer, and Gregory Biss Introitus for chamber orchestra in Canterbury Cathe­ as panelists. Music by Gamer, John Melby, Mary Lyon, dral. Scott, Robert Hall Lewis, Jacob Druckman, Biss, and Steve Reich was heard. Emmanuel Ghent's Phosphones was premiered in New York by the Mimi Garrard Dance Company. The work is really two pieces, both synthesized using the GRf</np VE ASUC MEMBERS IN ACTION program at the Bell Telephone Laboratories. One is a piece of electronic music on tape, the other a light com­ Benjamin Boretz is Senior Fulbright Professor at the position stored on punched paper tape. Phosphones was University of Southampton, England, for the academic repeated in Philadelphia last December before the Amer­ year. His new Group Variations II for computer­ ican Association for the Advancement of Science, and synthesized tape has received several performances re­ again in February at the SUNY campus, Stony Brook. cently. Another Ghent composition received a number of daily performances recently as part of a "live-in" environment Will Gay Bottje (Southern Illinois University) pre­ called Space Shelter, created by sculptress Aleksandra sented a new work, Metaphors for wind ensemble and Kasuba at 43 West 90th Street, New York City. tape, on a concert of his works at Washington University February 17. Another new Bottje composition, Encoun­ George Heussenstamm's Labyrinth for four brass ters, occupied a full evening with partially random tapes quintets, written as a commissioned prize for the 1971 and slides of American abstract painting as part of a Symposium of Contemporary Music for Brass, was pre­ Media-Interface production at Southern Illinois Univer­ miered at the 1972 Symposium in February by the Geor­ sity in January. gia State Brass Ensemble. Heussenstam's Tournament for four brass sextets and four percussionists (the 1971 Richard Bunger (California State College, Dominguez Symposium winner) and Museum Piece for double brass Hills) is presenting pianist-composer seminars at Oberlin choir will be premiered April 9 by the Cornell University Conservatory, Bowdoin College, and the University of brass ensemble, Marice Stith conducting. His Tetralogue Minnesota this year. His recent appearance at the Cin­ for four clarinets and percussion has been released by cinnati College-Conservatory included the premieres of WIM Records, as has his Set for Double R eeds by Crys­ concertos by Henri Lazarof and Jon Appleton. Bunger is tal Records. the author of The Well-Prepared Piano, a manual deal­ ing with the safe and imaginative use of objects within a Jay Huff (Ohio State University, Columbus) heard the piano. first performance of his Scherzo for Orchestra in Novem­ ber, at a recent concert of the Columbus Symphony. National Chairman David Burge (University of Colo­ rado, Boulder) is the recipient of a fellowship from the Karel Husa (Ithaca College) was honored by his school University freeing him for the 1972-73 academic year to with two December concerts of his music. Husa received prepare recordings of new piano music by American the New York premieres of two works recently: Music for composers. Burge would particularly like to receive Prague being played by the Cleveland Orchestra and scores (which he will reproduce) by ASUC members for Apotheosis of This Earth by the Carnegie-Mellon Uni­ consideration as part of his project. versity Symphony Band, the composer conducting. Both premieres took place in Carnegie Hall. Two new works Barney Childs (University of Redlands) was guest com­ have been first performed this season: Two Sonnets from poser for the New Music Weekend held at Arizona State Michelangelo by the Evanston Symphony Orchestra in University in November. His Concerto for Clarinet and January, and the Concerto for Percussion and Wind En­ Orchestra was performed by the Redlands University­ semble by the Baylor University Band in February. Community Symphony Orchestra in November with Phillip Rehfeldt as soloist, the composer conducting. Warner Hutchison (New Mexico State University, Las Peter Racine Fricker (University of California, Santa Cruces) recently participated in the Contemporary Music Barbara) is enjoying several premieres this season. His Weekend at Arizona State University in Tempe hosted by ASUC Regional Chairman David Cohen. Hutchison's Voices was first performed at the Wisconsin College­ hompiece I for French horn and tape was played by Conservatory.