The composers featured in SOLI’s 30x30x30 project are continuing to create, collaborate, and achieve! Let’s see what five of them have been up to recently…
Brittney Benton
Brittney Benton graduated with a Masters in Music Composition from the Yale School of Music! She premiered several pieces and won prizes in the George Shirley Vocal Competition and Luna Nova Composition Contest. As of May 7th Benton is a finalist for the American Prize National competition for art song, and her work “With Liberty and Justice for All?” will premiere at the Albany Symphony’s American Music Festival on June 6th, tickets here.
Conner Simmons
Connor Simmons completed their Masters recital and is performing and composing all over the country. They led a Max/MSP workshop in March as a part of The Loud House Workshop Series, and on January 16th they released their first CD! any sense of where we were gone is available for streaming and can be ordered through Sawyer Editions.
Daniel Sabzghabaei
Last October, the Pacific Chamber Orchestra commissioned a new arrangement of Daniel Sabzghabaei’s Heights as a part of their Winning Scores program. In February he won the Viola Commissioning Circle’s Composer Prize and as such is writing a new work for viola duo commissioned by renowned violist Lawrence Power. Also in February Sabzghabaei was chosen as a Composer Fellow for this year’s Aspen Music Festival, more information about which can be found on their website.
Rose Garden Amphitheater, Portland
Dianna Link
Dianna Link’s pieces are playing across the country (and globally at the International Viola Congress in Paris, France). Her piece Rocket Red premiered at September’s ONCE A FLUTIST Festival. Link has a busy Summer lined up, with world premieres of new pieces taking place at both the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival (NYC June 15th-25th) and at the International Rose Test Garden (Portland, Oregon July 19th). Two of her pieces are also programmed for the National Flute Association Convention August 6th-9th.
Edna Longoria
Audiences throughout the U.S. and Mexico are hearing Edna Longoria’s pieces. Along with last November’s residency at SOLI as a guest artist in our Feature Focus program (check that out here), her work Cuatro ritmos won E4TT’s first-ever call for scores of piano four hands and was performed at their New Music Piano Summit in March. Lastly but most certainly not least, several days ago Longoria gave birth to her and her husband’s daughter. Congratulations!
Please support these wonderful artists by exploring the links above, and stay tuned for more updates!