Friends of Today’s Music

Friends of Today’s Music commissions new works specifically for young musicians. Established in 1986 by Dr. Bob Bennett, the project has supported the creation and publication of new works by leading composers of our time. Each commissioned work is premiered by young musicians during the MTAC convention while the audience follows along with the published score. This program provides students the unique opportunity to collaborate with the composer of the piece, and demonstrates the importance of playing music not only from the past but also music being created by today’s composers.

Friends of Today’s Music Commissioned Composer
Lei Liang, Ph.D.

Join us at the MTAC Convention July 2, 2017 at 1p.m.
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara and Santa Clara Convention Center
This event is free and open to the public.

For more information contact FTM chair: Dr. Minji Noh

Chinese-born American composer Lei Liang (b.1972) is the winner of the Rome Prize, the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland Award, a Koussevitzky Foundation Commission and a Creative Capital Award. His concerto for saxophone and orchestra “Xiaoxiang” was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2015.

Lei Liang was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert for the inaugural concert of the CONTACT! new music series. Other commissions and performances come from the Fromm Music Foundation, Meet the Composer, Chamber Music America, MAP Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Taipei Chinese Orchestra, the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Arditti Quartet, the Shanghai Quartet, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the New York New Music Ensemble, and pipa virtuoso Wu Man. Lei Liang’s six portrait discs are released on Naxos, New World, Mode, Encounter and Bridge Records. As a scholar and conservationist of cultural traditions, he edited and co-edited four books and editions, and published more than twenty articles.

From 2013-2016, Lei Liang served as Composer-in-Residence at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology where his multimedia works preserve and reimagine cultural heritage through combining scientific research and advanced technology.

Lei Liang studied composition with Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Robert Cogan, Chaya Czernowin and Mario Davidovsky, and received degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music (B.M. and M.M.) and Harvard University (Ph.D.). A Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, he held fellowships from the Harvard Society of Fellows and the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships. Lei Liang serves as Professor of Music and chair of the composition area at the University of California, San Diego. His catalogue of more than seventy compositions is published exclusively by Schott Music Corporation (New York).

www.lei-liang.com

Tree Rings (2017) for One Piano, 4-Hands

A child encounters a magnificent tree. The tree’s delightful spirit is full of stories hidden in its many rings that ripple like waves. Its thousand leaves dance and ring in the wind, making a magical and playful music. The tree whispers, rustles, sings, and swings, taking the child onto a special journey.
Friends of Today’s Music Commissioned Works are made possible through the generous support of the Aaron Copland Fund, the Beyster Family Fund at the San Diego Foundation, and individual donations. Anonymous, individual, and MTAC member contributions are accepted throughout the year. To donate, please contact the Amie Vang, Finance Administrator, (415) 978-9668, toll free (800) 834-3340 ext. 109

For more information, contact:
Friends of Today’s Music and Contemporary Music Seminar State Chair, Dr. Minji Noh